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Saturday, July 3, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 27.06.21







Saturday July 3, 2021 

News:
Company told to prove they are Māori-owned, risk losing NZDF contract

There are concerns the government's new procurement rules could be taking legitimate business away from those who aren't Māori.

Midge Holding is the co-owner of the small makeup company Minifies in Christchurch.

Since she took over the business in 2009, she has been supplying fake blood and other special effects to the New Zealand Defence Force.

Now, under the new procurement policy, mandated agencies have to award at least five percent of their yearly contracts to Māori businesses.

Midge then received a letter from the Defence Force asking her to provide proof if Minifies is a Māori owned business, which it isn't.

Midge Holding told Mike Hosking her company has been supplying the Defence Force for 12 years and there has been no issue up until this point.

“They’ve got no reason to go elsewhere, but they may because we aren’t a Māori business.”.....
See full article HERE

Taonga will help tell iwi histories
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s new senior Māori historian wants to see more of the way physical taonga can unlock stories.

Matariki Williams has taken over the Pou Hītori Māori Matua role from Dr Monty Soutar

She says a major focus of the new mahi is helping iwi tell the stories of their settlements in their own words for the online Te Tai resource.

She says Māori are at the stage of reclaiming their histories and pushing back against some of the narratives that have come through the schools.....
See full article HERE

Senior Labour MP David Parker rules out separate Māori House of Parliament, court system
Bridges said progress towards meeting UNDRIP's goals under National was "practical and needs-based" and "not ideological", like the suggestions found in He Puapua.

"It's something that will worry a lot of New Zealanders… It's Willie saying 'trust me'. Trusting Willie's a scary proposition," he said, claiming Jackson won't rule out a separate House of Parliament for Māori.

"Well I will," said Parker, saying there was "no way" it would happen......
See full article HERE

UNDRIP support model for others
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says New Zealand’s participation in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a way of supporting other indigenous peoples around the world.

This won’t be limited by the ideas put forward in He Puapua, a report developed by a group of independent advisers.

Mr Jackson says New Zealand’s efforts to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi means it was already well down the path and in some areas ahead of what the declaration was trying to achieve......
See full article HERE

UNDRIP response to get urban Maori lens
Tāmaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare says he’s keen to hear an urban Māori view of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Mr Henare says it’s good the issue is now being put out to the public, after months of inaccurate attacks from the Opposition.

"I want us all as a nation to have a mature conversation about what our future looks like and what is the role of tangata whenua.....
See full article HERE

Māori Battalion School Resource Launched
Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis has launched a new learning resource to help the next generation learn about the storied history of the Māori Battalion.

The material has been developed by the the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Scholarship Board for tamariki of all ages, whānau, kura and schools......
See full article HERE

Te reo name gifted to ancient rimu
To coincide with Matariki, Wellington’s oldest and tallest tree, the 800-year-old rimu in Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, will officially be gifted the name Moko with a plaque unveiling next week.

The name Moko has been gifted by local Iwi after some discussion about a suitable title, and establishing the age and sex of the tree – Moko was decided upon as it is most appropriate for a female tree, which is younger than Tāne Mahuta.....
See full article HERE

Puhinui Station set for reopening with stunning new design
The $69 million Puhinui Station in south Auckland will re-open on Monday 26 July 2021 – unlocking fast, frequent and easy connections to Auckland Airport.

The stunning architectural landmark includes mahi-toi (artwork) by Wāhi Wairua and the use of te reo Māori throughout – thanks to a partnership with mana whenua – with Te Ākitai Waiohua providing design leadership......
See full article HERE

Articles:
The Huddle: Government distances itself - but doesn't rule out - He Puapua 

This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. A summary of new material being added is emailed out during the week - to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the mailout, please use the form at the top of the Breaking Views sidebar. If you would like to send Letters to the Editor in response to any of these articles, most media addresses can be found HERE

Friday July 2, 2021 

News: 
Next steps for Māori co-governance revealed 
The Government is pushing ahead drafting a blueprint for greater co-governance with the help of key Māori stakeholders. It comes after the controversial He Puapua report went to Cabinet earlier this month, writes political editor Jo Moir.

In 2010 the then-National government signed New Zealand up to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On Thursday Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson will announce at Ngā Whare Waatea Marae in Auckland the initial steps for meeting those obligations.

Newsroom understands the starting point will be targeted engagement with key iwi and significant Māori organisations. Specifically, Māori stakeholders will be asked to help draw up the work plan.

Those stakeholders, which could include but are not limited to the Iwi Chairs Forum, New Zealand Māori Council and Māori Women’s Welfare League, will draft a plan for Jackson to take back to Cabinet.

It will then be put out for wider public consultation with the rest of the country....
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Willie Jackson announces more UNDRIP consultation, confirms that 'He Puapua is not the plan'

And here > He Puapua Is Not The Way Forward For New Zealand

UN Declaration: Māori self-determination to 'bring us together', Willie Jackson says
Māori self-determination will be "something that brings us together as a country", Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says as he unveils the next steps for Aotearoa to realise its international obligations to indigenous peoples.

New Zealand signed up to the Declaration in 2010 through then-Māori Affairs Minister and Māori Party co-leader Pita Sharples, under a National-led government.

Jackson said today's announcement was continuing that cross-partisan work......
See full article HERE

'Ethno-state agenda': ACT claims Māori procurement policy is 'creating further ethnic division'
The ACT Party says the Government is pushing ahead with its "ethno-state agenda" by requiring some Government agencies to award a small fraction of their contracts to "Māori businesses".

The policy - known as 'Te Kupenga Hao Pāuaua' or 'Supporting the Māori Economy through Social Procurement' - is intended to "accelerate the economic recovery for Māori businesses" and "is an important step towards a more inclusive and prosperous society", Jackson said in December when it was announced.

"The policy is one for elite Māori, those who are in business," said Seymour. "It will be a boon for prosperous Māori, those who already have businesses. Those Māori who are truly struggling with education, housing, and jobs will be no better off."......
See full article HERE

Former Porirua Deputy Mayor Liz Kelly has been appointed as the Ngāti Toa Rangatira representative to sit on Wellington City Council’s committees and subcommittees.
Mayor Andy Foster has welcomed Ms Kelly to the Council. “Liz will assist the work of committees by helping ensure whānau-centred thinking and solutions and strength-based mātauranga Māori approaches are adopted and applied to committee processes and decision making, including providing the perspectives of Ngāti Toa to the relevant committee.

Councillor Jill Day, who has led the campaign to increase Māori representation on the City Council, says Ms Kelly’s appointment “acknowledges our collective commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As a dynamic and capable wāhine, Liz Kelly will bring much wisdom and life experience to the table and I’m looking forward to working with her.”.....
See full article HERE

Te Hunga Rōia Māori (Māori Law Society) Conference Kicks Off, Focusing On ‘mana-based Change’
Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (the Māori Law Society) begins its annual conference in Christchurch today. The theme of the conference this year is ‘Māori lawyers as agents of mana-based change’ and will be attended by 350 participants, including Māori lawyers, judges, legal academics and law students.

Over the course of the three day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the latest legal developments in fields such as employment law, resource management law, criminal law, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Amongst a full programme of speakers, attendees will hear from Chief District Court Judge Heemi Taumaunu, Law Commission President, Amokura Kawharu, members of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and groundbreaking Māori legal scholars, Ani Mikaere and Moana Jackson (who gifted this year’s conference theme).....
See full article HERE

Shelly Bay development opponents to renew legal action
Mau Whenua - the group of Taranaki Whānui members who oppose the controversial development at Wellington's Shelly Bay - have confirmed they will be progressing with renewed legal action to overturn the original land sale......
See full article HERE

Hapū, iwi concerned centralisation of water management won't have Māori representation
As the government unveils its ambitious new plan for water infrastructure reform, hapū and iwi are worried the move towards centralisation will drown them out.

The 'three waters system' would take the control of of drinking, waste and storm water out of the hands of 67 different councils and into the control of four entities.

Māori party co-leader Debbie Ngārewa-Packer had major concerns about the centralised approach......
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Three Waters: Equal mana whenua involvement 'must be protected'

Articles:
Ethno-Nationalism or Democratic-Nationalism: Which way ahead for New Zealand? - Elizabeth Rata

Heather du Plessis-Allan: We are well down the path of politicising ethnicity

Simon Bridges is proof Māori don't need their own electorate seats - Don Brash

Propaganda:
The Detail: Re-learning history in Aotearoa 

Thursday July 1, 2021 

News: 
A $60M fund to innovate Aotearoa with a Māori kaupapa 
A $60 million cultural fund is coming to Southland to forage for innovators.

Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa is a series of events being hosted in 14 different regions across the country by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

There is also a focus on supporting innovative projects that will safeguard mātauranga Māori.

“The brief is really, really vague, and I think it’s vague on purpose ... to try and get a whole bunch of different ideas in the culture and heritage sector ... with a Maori kaupapa behind it, I guess,” Evans said......
See full article HERE

Maori development skills tapped for workforce groups
Leaders with hands on experience in Māori development are among the co-chair appointments for the permanent Regional Skills Leadership Groups announced today.

Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni says the group will become a key part of how government addresses future skills and workforce needs in the regions......
See full article HERE

Dunedin councillor threatened before vote on Māori representation
Emailed threats have not dissuaded Dunedin City Council from overwhelmingly voting to bolster Māori representation around the council table.

Councillors were considering whether to allow Māori representatives on two standing committees at a full meeting of the council today.

Councillor Carmen Houlahan said that before today's vote she had received a threatening email from a community board member that said "the quiet Kiwi will remember how you vote".

Councillor Chris Staynes said it was an "absolute red-letter day" for the council and a step towards honouring what was agreed when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

The motion was carried 14-1 and was greeted with applause and a waiata.

Lee Vandervis was the only councillor to vote against the motion......
See full article HERE

Minister puts mediator Mair into Maori Council mix
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says he’s disappointed at ongoing dissent and factionalism in the New Zealand Māori Council.

Te Puni Kōkiri has asked seasoned mediator Ken Mair to work with the two sides......
See full article HERE

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta outlines fix for 'system in crisis'
Act leader David Seymour said the plan to give mana whenua equal standing with local body representatives on the Regional Representative Groups was an unnecessary step toward a "Partnership State."

""Co-governance should not be the priority; the priority should be fixing the pipes. We have sewage on the streets in Wellington and yet at local and central government level the priority is honouring the Treaty.

"Nanaia Mahuta's water reforms will mean mana whenua have equal rights with councils in governing water assets. People shouldn't have a seat at the table just because of who their ancestors were.".....
See full article HERE

RMA reform chance to boost treaty role
The Green Party is welcoming stronger recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in proposed law to replace the Resource Management Act.

She says the reformed system must honour and implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi.....
See full article HERE

First Māori-led Covid-19 vaccine clinic opens in Christchurch
The marae-based clinic would be able to vaccinate up to 300 people a day when it reached full capacity and was one of 24 community vaccination centres in Canterbury.......
See full article HERE

Māori to be consulted first on controversial co-governance report
The Government will consult with Māori first about the controversial He Puapua report before they create a declaration plan that will go to the wider public next year, 1 NEWS understands.

Executive director of the Māori Council, Matthew Tukaki, said shared decision-making would be top of the list in such discussions.

“If we have a look at the RMA, for example, and the three bits of legislation coming down the line, it's about having equal say in how our lands, how our waterways, our taonga, our flora, our fauna are managed.”

Everything is on the table but there are no promises with issues like a Māori upper parliament and entrenching the Māori seats still hot topics.

“There is an argument for more Māori seats in the New Zealand parliament,” Tukaki said......
See full article HERE 

Wednesday June 30, 2021 

News: 
New chairs for New Zealand Maori Council 
Mr Tukaki lost his position as chair of the Auckland District Māori Council in the triennial election amid a row over the eligibility of some new and revived branches to participate, and former chair Henare Mason also failed to secure a position.

The new co-chairs are George Ngatai from South Auckland, who will be responsible for commercial development, and Archdeacon Harvey Ruru from Blenheim, who will speak on social issues.

The deputy chair is Anne Kendall from Papakura......
See full article HERE

Dome Valley's tipping point: Rubbish disposal weighed against Māori spiritual values
How do you weigh up intangible cultural values strongly opposed to a rubbish dump, when the tangible reality is that Auckland desperately needs another landfill?

The most affected iwi, Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Whātua, say the fight is far from over and they will appeal the decision to the Environment Court......
See full article HERE

Pink and White Terraces included in claims settlement bill
The next step in an $11 million deed of settlement signed by the Crown and Bay of Plenty iwi Ngāti Rangitihi is about to be taken, with the opening of submissions on a bill relating to the deal.

The Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Bill will record acknowledgements and an apology made to the iwi – which traces its origins to Te Arawa waka and has interests around Rotorua, Kaingaroa, and Matatā – for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

Significantly, it will also involve the transfer of 19 sites of deep significance to the iwi, including the former site of the Pink and White Terraces known as Ō-tū-kapua-rangi me Te Tarata.

Another important feature of the bill is that it includes provisions about the natural resources arrangement over the Tarawera River. The settlement establishes the Tarawera Awa Restoration Strategy Group, which would operate as a permanent joint committee of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council......
See full article HERE

Ōrāpōta!!! Auckland iwi launch 111-year-old steam train for Matariki
At 111-years-old it's not often you get gifted another name to use, but that’s what happen to the Ww 480 steam engine being named Tāiki​ by the local iwi of Waiuku to celebrate at Matariki​ time.

Ngāti Te Ata​ and the Glenbrook Vintage Railway​ have teamed up to celebrate Te Mātahi o Te Tau (the Māori New Year) differently with Waiuku iwi ancestral names to remember the history of the area.

The names, Tāiki is a famous tupuna​ of Ngāti Te Ata, and Te Tuhionorangi is a historic pā site at the mouth of the Manukau Harbour......
See full article HERE

Call to find whānau of unmarked graves at Tokanui Hospital
National Māori Authority Chair Matthew Tūkākī is calling for the government to fund a “whakapapa project” to connect whānau to those buried in unmarked graves at Tokanui Cemetery.

Tūkākī says he has sat at the grave sites at Tokanui Cemetery and has sensed the discomfort for those lying there “still lost but not found”......
See full article HERE

Bay of Plenty Regional Council grants Rotorua museum $4.1 million
To assist with the creation of exhibitions for the strengthened and redeveloped venue, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa is to receive a $4.1million grant from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The grant, to be made through the Rotorua Museum Centennial Trust, is a huge boost for the exhibition component of the wider redevelopment project.

“We have developed a comprehensive community engagement plan and will be talking to a wide range of people throughout the rohe. We have held a handful of initial hui with some Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa entities, and an extensive iwi engagement programme will soon be rolled out around the Te Arawa region......
See full article HERE

Cultural significance of Banks Peninsula reserve finally recognised by council
The reserve was the scene of a massacre in 1830 and became tapu (sacred), but this did not stop a number of offensive developments including a dump and wastewater treatment plant being built at Takapūneke Reserve over the years.

The landscape plan involves splitting the reserve into three areas – Park of Silence, Park of Healing and Park of Reflection.

The design is founded on kaupapa Māori concepts, and includes four interconnected takarangi (double spiral forms), which form a unifying strand.....
See full article HERE

Iwi run Covid-19 vaccination centre opens in Auckland
The centre run by Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei is based in the suburb of St Johns.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei trust board member Tama Davis said they hoped to bolster the number of people from Māori, Pacific and other minority communities getting vaccinated......
See full article HERE

Taranaki Regional Council set to lose one South Taranaki representative with establisment of Māori ward
South Taranaki residents are set to lose one regional councillor when a Māori constituency is established at next year’s local body election.

At a full Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) meeting on Tuesday, members voted to accept recommendations from a representation review to establish a region-wide Māori ward while retaining the four general wards of New Plymouth, North Taranaki, Stratford and South Taranaki.

The number of elected members would remain at 11, including one member representing the Māori ward.

The South Taranaki ward would lose one member from the current three elected to the regional council because of the ratio between population to members.......
See full article HERE

Waikeria Prison riot: Rāwiri Waititi says corrections compensation a hasty decision
A $1.35 million government pay out to prisoners and staff at Waikeria Prison is being labelled as a hasty decision by Te Pāti Māori co-leader, Rāwiri Waititi.

“I would rather my taxes go into a ‘by Māori, for Māori, to Māori’ approach. It is time for Māori to take on the solutions because we are the solutions.”.....
See full article HERE

ACC Maori Advisory Customer Panel
The information collected on this form will only be used to assess your application for a position on our Māori Customer Advisory Panel. In the collection, use and storage of information, ACC will at all times comply with the obligation of the Privacy Act 1993. You have the right to access information we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct the information that we hold about you......
See full article HERE

Napier City Council welcomes two new Kaiwhakahaere Hononga Māori
Napier City Council formally welcomed two new Kaiwhakahaere Hononga Māori, or Māori partnership managers, to its staff yesterday at Pukemokimoki Marae.

The two new positions will form part of the council's new internal directorate known as Te Waka Rangapū (The Waka of Relationship, bringing all communities together)......
See full article HERE

Masters study for te reo to launch in July, following national demand
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWoA) is set to launch a new two-year master's degree for the most advanced Māori language learners.

It follows exploding demand for te reo Māori courses nationally, and the programme is said to have already filled quickly with little marketing or promotion.....
See full article HERE 

Monday June 28, 2021 

News: 
Council mulls Maori positions 
Mana whenua positions may be added to two Dunedin City Council committees to represent Maori interests.

That is one of the options city councillors will debate next week, as they consider how they might enable Maori to have a stronger decision-making voice within the council.

Council staff have recommended rununga representatives be appointed to the planning and environment committee and the infrastructure services committee.

Both committees are prominent ones for the city council......
See full article HERE

Gate Pa School welcomes new entrance way
At 7am, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, a formal blessing of two Maori poupou and the opening of the school’s new entrance way was carried out with teachers, students and whanau looking on.

Gate Pa school Principal Rochelle Jensen says the front entrance is significant as it “reflects our cultural narrative and tells our story”......
See full article HERE


This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. A summary of new material being added is emailed out during the week - to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the mailout, please use the form at the top of the Breaking Views sidebar. If you would like to send Letters to the Editor in response to any of these articles, most media addresses can be found HERE
 

1 comment:

RonS said...

New Zealand should never have signed up to the disastrously flawed United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

NZ's agreement with the following statement from the UN declaration (effectively a rant) is at the heart of the problem:

"Affirming further that all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin, racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable and socially unjust,"

Wrapped up in the above is intrinsic support for 'Critical Race Theory'. If it is accepted that there are no differences between races or cultures (i.e. such an assertion is scientifically false), then any social or economic superiority, or indeed disadvantage, logically must be down to some kind of systemic racism or discrimination.

That then justifies rolling out a plan informed by He Puapua, to undo or counter the systemic racism in NZ that has disadvantaged Maori.

So for example Maori don't do so well at school, not because their culture and history renders them 'inferior' when it comes to school performance, but because a 'white' NZ education system is culturally biased in a way that disadvantages Maori.

Doesn't explain of course why Asians (particularly of Chinese cultures) tend to do so well. Could it be that their culture is superior in some respects, for instance when it comes to educational performance.

The notion of cultural/racial equality is insidiously toxic, being contrary to the way that nature works and how civilisation has advanced.