Breaking Views Update: Week of 6.06.21

Saturday June 12, 2021 

News:
Iwi send back partnership deal for stronger rules
Iwi have pushed pause on a new partnership plan with the South Taranaki District Council to strengthen the rules.

Since November last year the council and the four iwi in South Taranaki have been drawing up the Iwi-Council Partnership Strategy.

Council officers had recommended the Iwi Liaison Committee approve a draft strategy and send it to the full council for adoption next week.

Te Korowai o Ngāruahine’s pouhautū Emma Gardiner said the strategy needed to be stronger.....
See full article HERE

$23m roading improvements on Forgotten World Highway set to begin
The site has been blessed and construction will soon start on a new two lane bridge on the Forgotten World Highway in East Taranaki.

“Waka Kotahi has been working closely with its iwi partners and Stratford District Council to progress improvements for the iconic highway,” she said.....
See full article HERE

Negotiators charging hard for Maori 5G stake
A member of the Māori Spectrum Working Group says claimants and iwi are united in their desire to reach a long term and equitable settlement.

The previous National Governemnt ignored Waitangi Tribunal and High Court rulings and refused to make any allocation of 4G spectrum, but Mr Walker says negotiators are determined that won’t happen with next year’s 5G allocation.

"A vast amount of activity and opportunity lies in the digital universe. Māori are seeking to join it as a player. The tribunal wanted Māori under the treaty to be awarded significant stake holding and recognised them as the proprieters on the basis of indigenous rights of this resource and of spectrum and so that has been advanced by Māori, the tino rangatiratanga view, it hasn't been backed away from," he says.....
See full article HERE

Te Pae Oraka panel launched in Otago
A successful way to deal with offending that helps people in trouble to turn their lives around has been launched in Otago.

The new Te Pae Oraka panel is a partnership between Otago Coastal Area Police and A3 Kaitiaki Ltd (A3K). A celebratory launch event was held today (Friday 11 June) at Ōtākou Marae in Dunedin.

Known elsewhere in the country as Te Pae Oranga, the new Dunedin-based panel is the 17th in New Zealand. Its name reflects Kai Tahu dialect......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Colonization gave Maori cause for hope – Michael Bassett

Ardern’s Gamble: shutting down the “white privilege” debate – Graham Adams

A Masterclass in Propaganda – Dr Muriel Newman

Propaganda
Mind your language: the backlash against the te reo revival 

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 June 11, 2021 

News: 

Becroft questions Oranga Tamariki watchdog independence 

Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft has also criticised a proposed Māori advisory group as “unfit for purpose, inappropriate, inadequate and wrong in principle”, saying a more meaningful partnership is required.

Becroft also had concerns about the Government’s plans for a Māori advisory group, describing the model as “so last century”.

“Surely in 2021, the Treaty demands proper partnership and co-governance involving Māori, and the mechanism of an advisory committee to which the monitor must have regard ... must be regarded as unfit for purpose, inappropriate, inadequate and wrong in principle.”......

See full article HERE

Review of teaching ratios: calls for smaller classrooms, more teacher aides, and investment in Māori education
A independent review of primary school staffing has recommended smaller classes, more teacher aides and investing in Māori medium education, describing the current model as “broken”.

Staffing issues in primary education were exacerbated in Māori medium education, the review report saying it heard the education system was racist and failing tamariki Māori.

“The system of education in 1840 was put in place to colonise us. We haven’t had a Māori experience until the 80s. The system was not built for us. It was set out to destroy us. The system did its job,” one submitter said.

The report recommended significant investment in Māori medium education. That included putting initiatives in place such as grants, scholarships and low-interest loans, for teachers intending to work in Māori immersion education.....
See full article HERE

Hawke's Bay iwi call for more Government investment in Māori housing
Iwi in Te Matau-a-Māui are calling for the Government to invest in its rohe so it can further develop housing to curb homelessness and invest in the future of its descendants.

Ngāti Kahungunu iwi chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana said the iwi has asked the government for $53m help build up to 200 homes.

He said that was on top of $44m already in the pipeline for papakāinga housing.....
See full article HERE

Wairoa District Council appoints first tangata whenua Māori CEO
Wairoa District Council's new permanent chief executive officer Kitea Tipuna will become the council's first tangata whenua Māori CEO after almost a year in an interim position.

Tipuna, who was born and raised in Wairoa, had been the interim CEO since October 2020 after the resignation of Steven May.

His appointment was confirmed at an extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday.....
See full article HERE

Remission and postponement of rates on Māori freehold land (Invercargill DC)
This policy allows for rates postponement and remissions on Māori freehold land.

This policy helps to reduce the barriers for owners of Māori freehold land who want to use, occupy, build houses on, and develop their whenua, particularly for those who have rates arrears. It also provides greater consistency, equity and clarity around the rating of Māori land for the benefit of Māori landowners and local authorities......
See full article HERE

Czech Republic dance group slammed for mock haka
Footage posted online of a group of dancers from the Czech Republic performing a mock haka has caused anger and upset, with several people slamming it as "disgusting" and "offensive".

The video was posted to Instagram this week, drawing ire from New Zealanders who accused the dancers of "cultural appropriation". It has had more than 22,000 views in three days.....
See full article HERE

Far North District Council halts SNAs as hīkoi marches on
Far North District Council has agreed to halt progress on establishing areas of ecological significance, ahead of a hīkoi of over 1000 iwi and hapū members who oppose the proposed restrictions on their whenua arriving at its offices.

The council (FNDC) has been under huge pressure to stop the reclassification of 42 percent of land (282,696ha) in Te Tai Tokerau as Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) owing to the high number of native plants and animals in those areas.

Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity) James Shaw and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta have called on FNDC to wait until the National Policy Statement (NPS) on Indigenous Biodiversity is implemented......
See full article HERE

Articles:
John Robinson: Maori Wards - a corruption of democracy

Henry Armstrong: Is New Zealand Really Racist? Definitely!

Stone age culture shock – Bruce Moon 

Thursday June 10, 2021 

News: 

Māori group calls for share of 5G spectrum 

Māori in the telecommunications industry are campaigning for a share of Aotearoa's air waves.

The interim Māori Spectrum Working Group is hosting a conference today, focused on discussions with the Crown about recognising Māori interests and rights within the radio spectrum, which includes television and radio broadcasting, mobile phones, and wifi.

Working group chief executive Antony Royal said the Piki ake, Kake ake National Māori Spectrum hui was a response to the government's plans to auction the 5G spectrum in much the same way it auctioned the 3G spectrum in 1999 and the 4G spectrum in 2013.

During the auctioning of the previous two spectrums, the group sought to establish rights for Māori within the radio spectrum.....
See full article HERE

Maori first aim for annual plan process
Auckland Council’s Māori portfolio head had wants changes to the way iwi are treated in the annual plan process.

"One thing we keep getting told by Māori is 'do not come to us once you have developed your plans and then ask us to participate or consult, Don't treat us as a stakeholder, we are a treaty partner.' My aim would be as we come into the annual plan, that we begin with mana whenua first," Ms Dalton says.....
See full article HERE

Police Commissioner 'no-show' leaves Te Pāti Māori 'disgusted'
Te Pāti Māori claims it has been snubbed by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, leaving the co-leaders disgusted and disappointed.

But police say the Commissioner gave notice that he couldn't attend today's meeting, is looking to reschedule for later this week, and that Detective Superintendent Greg Nicholls still met with the party's MPs today......
See full article HERE

Maori action needed for climate challenge
Climate Change Minister James Shaw says Māori will be a critical part of efforts to reduce New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions.

He says the Government can build on the work already being down by Mike Smith from the Iwi Leaders Climate Change Group, who has been talking to people on marae around the country.

"This really does need to be very strongly by Māori and for Māori....
See full article HERE

Dunedin council's new Māori boss to develop Treaty partnership
Dunedin City Council's new Māori general manager wants to strengthen partnerships with mana whenua and mātāwaka.

The council has appointed Jeanette Wikaira of Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngāpuhi as Manahautū (general manager, Māori, partnerships and policy).

Wikaira, previously the council's kaiwhakamāherehere (senior policy manager – Māori), aims to lead the integration of the council's Treaty of Waitangi obligations, as well as its commitment to mana whenua.....
See full article HERE

Treaty of Waitangi was 'agreement for Crown to take sovereignty', not 'a forced colonisation' - Judith Collins
Judith Collins has described the Treaty of Waitangi as an "agreement for the Crown to take sovereignty", labelling it "entirely different from a forced colonisation".....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Even the English suffered under colonisation - Judith Collins

Propaganda:
New mentors to boost Māori aspirations in University of Canterbury research 

Wednesday June 9, 2021 

News: 

Māori media in for a big shake-up 

Can Willie Jackson, Minister for Māori Development and former broadcaster, revitalise a struggling Māori media sector? Jackson says he wants to see more content in English and a closer alignment with other public media organisations.

According to Minister for Māori Development, Willie Jackson, Māori TV’s ratings have fallen away because it lacks good programming - in English.

“In the past it has all been about the language (te Reo), a huge focus on the language, but we need our own news in English and we need our own programmes in English; it’s not so much about the language, it’s about the stories. Most of our people don’t speak te Reo and we shouldn’t do it at the expense of our people.....

See full article HERE

$15m funding boost 'hugely important' for Rotorua Māori tourism operators
$15M FUNDING BOOST 'HUGELY IMPORTANT' FOR ROTORUA MĀORI TOURISM OPERATORS

A $15 million funding boost over two years for Māori tourism operators has been described as "heartening" and "absolutely awesome" news for Rotorua businesses struggling to survive.

Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson announced.....(NZ Herald paywall)
See full article HERE

National MPs disagree with Goldsmith on 'colonisation' comments
Several National MPs say they disagree with comments from their education spokesman Paul Goldsmith that colonisation "on balance" had been a good thing for Māori.

National leader Judith Collins said she recognised how Māori, and "most colonised people", didn't feel it had worked well for them.

But I'm also very aware that there were massive injustices, particularly breaches of the Treaty."

Botany MP Christopher Luxon also said he disagreed with Goldsmith.

"It wasn't good for Māori. There's no doubt about it - colonisation was not good for Māori as we saw with breaches in the Treaty and we saw with the New Zealand Land Wars......
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Bad accounting behind colonisation blunder

West Coast mayors call for halt to all SNA work in wake of Far North protests
West Coast mayors are calling for a halt to identifying significant natural areas (SNAs) on private land, after suggestions that the process could be paused in the Far North.

But since then there have been strong protests from Māori landowners in the Far North who had received council letters alerting them to potential SNAs on their land.

"Whatever approach they decide to take will apply to other areas as well ... it's not just about Māori land; I've talked to other mayors and it's been an issue nationwide."

But National Party list MP Maureen Pugh said it was an odd coincidence the Government appeared to be backing away from the SNA process in the Far North, following Māori protest, in the same week that Ngai Tahu had filed High Court action over the Government's plan to review stewardship land without involving any West Coasters.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda
The Treaty of Waitangi, and a Māori worldview are taking a greater role in shaping how we interact with the world

The Callous Rhetoric of the NZ Right, and the Risk it Poses to Māori. 

Tuesday June 8, 2021 

News: 

National Maori Authority calls for National to sack senior members after endorsement of colonisation 

The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has called for the resignations of the National Party’s Paul Goldsmith after he said on NewsHub that while colonisation may have been "traumatic" for Māori, overall it has had a positive effect. Tukaki has gone further and called for the resignation of the Party’s senior Maori Advisor, Tu Williams for not doing enough to stop this type of rhetoric.

“The last few weeks we have seen racists and white supremacists feeling emboldened by various National Party people only for them to walk away from their statements and suggesting they somehow have nothing to do with it – you cannot walk away from creating the environment through which you have just created” Tukaki said.....

See full article HERE

Māori more likely to return to benefit within year of leaving - MSD survey
Māori are more likely to return to a benefit within a year of leaving, according to a Ministry of Social Development survey.

The ministry surveyed just over 100,000 people who stopped receiving a main benefit in the year to 30 June 2019.

It found 54% of Māori return to a main benefit, such as jobseeker, sole parent or supported living, compared to 45% for all beneficiaries......
See full article HERE

High Court upholds rangatiratanga in Transpower case
The precedent-setting ruling could have far-reaching effects for the way courts deal with places of significance to Māori

In a precedent-setting decision, the High Court has sent Transpower back to the drawing board and upheld Ngāti Hē as the experts in their own cultural heritage.

The Court found that when a hapū says a proposal will negatively impact its cultural values in a certain area, it is not up to the court to decide otherwise......
See full article HERE

Iwi join forces with WellSouth to offer GP services in Invercargill
The Hokonui Rūnanga, Waihōpai Rūnaka and Awarua Rūnaka have joined forces with WellSouth to open a new general practice, after-hours service and medical centre in Invercargill for unenrolled patients.

The practice will be set up at the WellSouth office in Clyde St in the coming months, while a plan for a purpose-built facility, offering the gamut of health services, is developed.....
See full article HERE

Māori connections to Antarctica may go as far back as 7th century
In the project, researchers scanned literature and integrated this with oral histories to provide a compiled record of Māori presence in, and perspectives of, Antarctic narratives and exploration. Māori (and Polynesian) journeys to the deep south have been occurring for a long time, perhaps as far back as the seventh century, and this work highlights the tradition of Māori Antarctic exploration and contribution to New Zealand’s work in the Ross Sea continues into the future.

“We found connection to Antarctica and its waters have been occurring since the earliest traditional voyaging, and later through participation in European-led voyaging and exploration, contemporary scientific research, fishing, and more for centuries,” says project lead Dr. Priscilla Wehi......
See full article HERE

More on the above here > New Research Shows Māori Traveled to Antarctica at Least 1,000 Years Before Europeans

Māori land owners are working together to create large farming businesses and economic rangatiratanga
Māori landowners sharing resources to create large businesses puts them in charge of their own economic future, says Miro chief executive Liz Te Amo.

The hi-tech blueberry growing company has 12 orchards and is a partnership between 30 Māori land trusts, iwi, hapū and whānau. It is the kind of business the country is likely to see more of......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Sir Apirana Ngata’s Speech at the Centennial of the Treaty of Waitangi, 1940

Tikanga in law: what does it mean? - John Robinson

Propaganda:
The Reserve Bank's troubled relationship with the Māori economy

This is the story of the Raglan whaea and everyday racism

Focusing on the wrong end of the problem

Aotearoa-NZ history curriculum tells students what to think, not how to think

Anne Salmond: Aotearoa NZ histories 

Sunday June 6, 2021 

News: 

Is Tikanga Now The Law? 

“The previous National Government’s decision to include references to tikanga in the Marine and Coastal Area Act has come home to roost because it has resulted in a complete distortion of the common law.

“Former Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson argued in court on behalf of the Landowners Coalition that it was necessary for hapu to prove not just that a system of tikanga existed, but that they had held the area in a manner consistent with other property legislation and Western ideas of property rights.

“The Court disagreed, instead choosing to rely on tikanga:.....

See full article HERE

Colonisation a good thing for Māori 'on balance' - National MP Paul Goldsmith
National's education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says while colonisation may have been "traumatic" for Māori, overall it has had a positive effect.

Speaking to Newshub Nation on Saturday, the National MP was asked about an opinion piece from 2019 discussing colonisation in which he wrote, 'Did the good outweigh the bad? Surely, we have to say, yes.'

Asked if he thought the good has outweighed the bad specifically for Māori, the National MP replied: "The reality is that New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world for centuries and at some point it had to reconnect with the rest of the world. And that happened in the 19th century was always going to be a very traumatic experience.

"But with it came all sorts of wonderful things, such as literacy, such as the freedoms and democracy that have come through... I think on balance it has, yes.".....
See full article HERE

Māori immersion schools helping rangatahi thrive held back by lack of funding
For years New Zealand’s education system has been leaving Māori behind but there’s one place Māori excel at learning - in dedicated Māori immersion schools.

Students who learn in te reo Māori have better results than the rest of the country and they’re more likely than the average student to leave school with NCEA.

But a lack of funding is keeping the schools from expanding......
See full article HERE

Canterbury runanga team up to create aerospace company
Two Canterbury runanga are teaming up with the government to build a rocket launch facility on Kaitorete Spit, near Banks Peninsula. The government is contributing $16 million to help Taumutu Runanga and Wairewa Runanga buy 1000 hectares on the spit, a long finger of land which is ideal for space launches and aerospace testing. It is also hoped the project will allow opportunities to tap into the multi-billion dollar aerospace economy.....
See full article HERE

Māori population expected to reach 1 million by 2028
Statistics New Zealand has released Māori population estimates over the next 20 years.

Māori number around 820,000 at present and are expected to increase to just over one million by 2028.

By 2043 that number is predicted to grow to 1.35 million, with just under 60 per cent aged under 40.

The Pākehā population is expected to stand at 4 million by 2043, with Asian numbers estimated to be about 1.7 million.
See full article HERE

Articles:
Breakfast brings news of Budget benefits for builders of statues (which pay tribute to Maori leaders) and four boarding schools 

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.