Pages

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 1.08.21







Saturday August 7, 2021 

News:
Make switch to Māori roll easier, say Taranaki politicians

Māori voters get to choose between the general and Māori electoral rolls only every five to six years, or when they first enrol.

Te Tai Hauāuru MP Adrian Rurawhe said voters should be able to choose at any time.

But he said that after choosing voters should be locked onto that roll until after the following general election, to guard against manipulation......
See full article HERE

Three resign from West Coast conservation board over Ngai Tahu conflict
In a shock move today, three members of the West Coast Conservation Board have resigned saying they have been called racist for raising what they see as conflicts between the interests of conservation and the interests of Ngai Tahu.

Board members Neil Silverwood, Inger Perkins and Suzanne Hills have all quit, following a fraught meeting of the board last Friday when Silverwood stormed out, after a majority vote supporting plans for the $26 million Punakaiki visitor centre.....
See full article HERE

University of Canterbury boosts scholarship for Māori and Pacific students
A unique scholarship supporting Māori and Pacific students to navigate their first year at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury is returning bigger and better in 2022.

Applications are open to Māori and Pacific applicants for next year’s Takere scholarship and transition academy programme, which includes a six-week academic and cultural live-in programme based in a student hall of residence....
See full article HERE

Hamilton politicans shy away from mandatory Māori street names
Hamilton is embracing te reo Māori when it comes to naming new city streets but making its use mandatory looks like a political dead end.

Since 2016, more than a third of new city streets have received a te reo Māori name. City-wide, about 10 per cent of street names are in te reo......
See full article HERE

Judge approves call for scrutiny of Hawke's Bay treaty settlement entity
The financial dealings of a Treaty settlement group are to be scrutinised after a Judge acceded to a request made by iwi members who were unhappy with the way trustees were handling the accounts.

A group of beneficiaries of the Mana Ahuriri Trust applied to the Māori Land Court in April to have an independent reviewer appointed to investigate the activities of the trustees. It’s the latest chapter in a long-running dispute between the beneficiaries and trustees of the Napier-based trust, which is a post-settlement governance entity......
See full article HERE

Judith Collins embraces tikanga Māori at National Party conference after week of demanding debate on New Zealand name change
And at the 85th National Party conference, she was embracing tikanga Māori in a big way - learning a different way to hongi and performing waiata.

It was quite a change of speed for the party who've spent the week demanding a debate on the Māori name of our country.

"We normally have quite a bit of tikanga Māori and the reason is that we live in this country," said Collins.......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Attacking free speech – Dr Muriel Newman

Attacks on professors miss target – Graham Adams 

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 August 6, 2021 

News: 
Options revealed to slice and dice Wellington City wards before local elections 
There could be more seats around Wellington City Council's table, its eastern and southern wards amalgamated, and councillors at large introduced ahead of next year's local body elections.

The council is mulling over options to slice and dice the city after the decision to introduce a Māori Ward, which has triggered a requirement to do a representation review.

The city is divided up into five wards with the Lambton, Eastern, Northern, and Onslow-Western wards each represented by three councillors. The Southern ward has two councillors......
See full article HERE

EPA Welcomes New Ngā Kaihautū Tumuaki Mavis Mullins
Mavis Mullins has been appointed the new Tumuaki (Chair) of the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) statutory Māori Advisory Committee, Ngā Kaihautū Tikanga Taiao. Mavis will take up this role on 1 September 2021.

EPA Board Chairperson Julie Hardaker says, "The Board and Ngā Kaihautū Tikanga Taiao are pleased to welcome Mavis to the role of Tumuaki. Mavis’ strong values, wealth of governance experience and commitment to the natural environment will be invaluable assets to Ngā Kaihautū Tikanga Taiao and the guidance it gives to environmental decision makers.".....
See full article HERE

Mural sheds light on Whangārei Hospital's Tumanako Mental Health Unit
Two Northland Māori artists have produced a 46-metre long mural for the upgraded entrance to Tumanako, the inpatient mental health unit at Whangārei Hospital.

Northland District Health Board (NDHB) has unveiled the upgraded entrance way for people coming into Tumanako, which features the mural.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Frank Newman: Last chance for National

Bruce Moon: Let's Be Clear About Science

The future of New Zealand, according to an expert 

Thursday August 5, 2021 

News: 
Hāpū calls for New Plymouth road naming policy to be changed after compromising with developer 
A New Plymouth hapū has compromised on the name of a new right of way, but says district council policies in the issue need to change.

“It’s interesting we as mana whenua are always having to compromise,” Damon Ritai, of Ngāti Te Whiti, told the New Plymouth District Council’s Te Huinga Taumatua committee meeting on Tuesday.

After months of conversation, Ngati Te Whiti and Kyle Still agreed to compromise, naming the street Wilson Way, but requiring Still to plant Totara trees on the land.

“We are trusting you to work with iwi and hapū interest to come up with a compromise that works for everybody,” committee co-chair Gordon Brown said......
See full article HERE

More on the above here > Taranaki iwi and hapū to get more say in New Plymouth street names

National eyes treaty clause
The National Party’s annual meeting this weekend will consider a Treaty of Waitangi clause for the party’s constitution.

Deputy leader Shane Reti says it has been a work in progress for many years.

"We generally see the benefits and the need to have something in our constitution that then anchors our Māori interface, anchors our relationship with Māori and how we can do better with that relationship, and certainly all of the regional conferences that was the mood of the room and the mood of members, that we needed to do this. It will be for the members to decide this weekend but I am cautiously optimistic," he says......
See full article HERE

Te Pāti Māori: Call To Remove Barriers For Māori Voting
The Ministry of Justice have called for public submissions as they consider whether the timing and frequency of the Māori Electoral Option should be changed.

Te Pāti Māori today made their submission to the Ministry of Justice and was centered on three points; that Māori should be able to change roles at any time, that Māori should be automatically enrolled onto the Māori roll and that electorate boundaries must be reassessed regularly.....
See full article HERE

‘Bull**** in my letterbox’ - Aucklander’s outrage over racist booklet
The booklet claims Māori are not indigenous to Aotearoa and that full sovereignty was ceded to the Crown with the 1840 signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It claims the idea colonisation was bad for Māori is a myth.

"I’m just shocked people are able to put this sort of rubbish out there," the resident told Te Ao Māori News.......
See full article HERE

Ngāi Tahu representation bill slammed as 'undemocratic'
A member’s bill to entrench Ngāi Tahu representation at the Environment Canterbury council table has been slammed as undemocratic by a Waimate District Councillor.

Should it be passed, the Bill will empower Te Rūnganga o Ngāi Tahu to appoint up to two members to the Canterbury Regional Council which is known as Environment Canterbury.

“These are not Māori wards, which are open to anyone on the Māori electoral roll,” O’Connor said.

“These are one subset of an iwi having power, not by vote – but by appointment. It’s outrageously undemocratic.”.....
See full article HERE

Iwi say more council seats best chance for New Plymouth Māori
Iwi want no cuts to New Plymouth councillor numbers, hoping more Māori will win seats in next year’s local body elections.

New Plymouth District Council has to review the shape of elections before next year’s local body poll.

Its Strategy and Operations Committee last month recommended cutting councillor numbers from 14 to 12, plus the mayor, with three elected ‘at large’ rather than for a geographic ward.

But the council’s iwi committee Te Huinga Taumatua this week recommended keeping 14 councillors, with five elected at large.....
See full article HERE

Whānau customary marine title claim refused, but given chance to reduce its scope
A whānau application for customary marine title on the east coast of the North Island has been refused, but a judge has left open the possibility of a more limited claim.

The claim was for recognition of holding a nearly 15 kilometre strip of coast in the Hawke’s Bay/Tararua area in accordance with tikanga and using it as a customary fishing ground extending 12km out to sea.

The judge dismissed the Clarkson whānau application for customary marine title but gave them six months to consider changing their application to a protected customary rights application relating to seaweed......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Duncan Garner: Should we change the name of New Zealand to Aotearoa? No - and here's why

Propaganda:
Let’s choose our words more carefully when discussing mātauranga Māori and science

Has the High Court shown the way for successful Māori claims to marine title? 

Wednesday August 4, 2021 

News: 
Judith Collins suggests referendum on name of New Zealand, despite using 'Aotearoa' while in Government 
National leader Judith Collins has backed calls for a referendum on the name of New Zealand, saying Kiwis are getting “tetchy” about the word Aotearoa being used without consultation.

“It is presumptuous and disrespectful to make a decision of such cultural importance for the country without engaging all who live there,” Smith wrote.

Collins said she agreed with Smith and that people deserved to have a say on a matter of such importance.

She pointed to large corporations and government departments using the term Aotearoa as evidence of its spread without consultation “by stealth”......
See full article HERE

More on the above here > National's call for Aotearoa referendum 'absurd' and 'ridiculous'

NZ Board Game Retailer To Donate Te Reo Māori Learning Game To Every School In Aotearoa New Zealand.
Earlier this year, online board game retailer Game Kings ran an initiative called Koha for Kura, translated as Gifts for Schools. The initiative stated that, for every copy of Tākaro their customers purchased, Game Kings would donate a Tākaro game to an NZ-based school. The aim was to reach all 2,556 schools across the country (per a list provided by the Ministry of Education).

Even though the company sold under the goal amount copies of the game during their initiative, this month Game Kings will be pushing forward to send a copy of Tākaro to all 2,556 schools across the country with the support from NZ Post......
See full article HERE

Hapū seek to stop dredging in Hauraki Gulf
An Aotea/Great Barrier Island hapū is seeking a judicial review as it tries to stop dredging and dumping in the Hauraki Gulf.

Ports of Auckland has been granted consent to deepen the Rangitoto Channel, which is a key approach for large ships.

Another consent allows for 2 million cu/m of material to be dumped at an established site near Aotea/Great Barrier.

Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, backed by other iwi, hapū and other environmental groups, want the consents quashed......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Auckland University professor stands by letter dismissing mātauranga Māori as science

Propaganda:
Māori scientists say 'slow violence' of racism drives them out of universities 

Tuesday August 3, 2021 

News: 
Ructions at West Coast Conservation Board over iwi role in Punakaiki DOC centre 
Tensions erupted at the West Coast Conservation Board in a clash between Ngāi Tahu representatives and board member Neil Silverwood over the new visitor centre planned for Punakaiki.

Silverwood stormed out of Friday’s board meeting in Hokitika, accusing manawhenua of a “huge conflict of interest” between their role as board members and their future ownership of the $26 million visitor centre.

The board had just listened to a Department of Conservation (DOC) presentation updating progress on the Dolomite Point project, which was funded by the provincial growth fund and will be gifted to Poutini Ngāi Tahu by the Government on completion next year......
See full article HERE

Taranaki trust temporarily loses fight with gas company over land rights around pipeline
A trust has temporarily lost its battle to keep a gas company from entering its culturally significant land to repair a pipeline that supplies much of the North Island.

The Gibbs Family Trust has been fighting to keep First Gas off their north Taranaki property, through which the company's Maui pipeline runs, as the family has a strong connection to the land and is concerned about its Māori heritage.

However, the pipeline is damaged and First Gas says it needs to gain “urgent access” to look into repairs that must be done in the next two years......
See full article HERE

Ngati Awa fight on Otakiri moves to Appeal Court
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa has been granted leave to appeal a High Court decision upholding the grant of consent to expand a water bottling plant at Otākiri near Whakatane.

Ngāti Awa chief executive Leonie Simpson says the ease with which Creswell secured the consent showed up gaps in New Zealand’s laws, particularly as the resource will only get more scarce.

She says Ngāti Awa feels the lower courts didn’t understand the issues of tikanga and kawa put before them.....
See full article HERE

Pilot programme for smaller clubs granted $75,000
Taki Rua Productions received $10,000 to make their 2021 season of Te Reo Maori stage plays available to all Tairawhiti schools.

And a total of $40,000 will go towards supporting four Tairawhiti primary schools to represent the region at the National Primary School Kapa Haka event in Nelson this November. Te Kura o Puhi Kaiti (Kaiti School) was the umbrella group for the funding request, representing Te Kura o Manutuke, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Horouta Wananga and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Nga Uri a Maui.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Reynold Macpherson: Rotorua's Representation Review Biased Towards Co-Governance

Has the High Court shown the way for successful Māori claims to marine title?

Will Labour Defuse the He Puapua Time-Bomb?

Science can't be Pākehā or Māori, it's just science

Propaganda:
Dismissing mātauranga Māori: Racism and arrogance in academia 

Sunday August 1, 2021

News:
Issues of Significance

The Schedule of Issues of Significance (IoS) is a statutory document that guides the Board’s advocacy to Auckland Council, Local Boards and Council-Controlled Organisations, for and on behalf of Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau.

The IoS also supports the development of robust partnerships between mana whenua and mātāwaka and local government. This updated version covers the original 29 issues of significance which all connect to actions of importance for improving outcomes for Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau.....
See full article HERE

Education system grapples with te reo Māori, tikanga and systemic racism
"We're making sure that every Māori child can see themselves and their language and their culture valued in the education system ... it's basically what non-Māori children see in the education system already."

Associate Education Minister (Māori education) Kelvin Davis says the suite of initiatives to meaningfully embed te reo Māori and tikanga into the education system should have been done decades ago.

As part of a series this week, RNZ has been looking at efforts to ensure schools and teachers value and use te reo and tikanga Māori every day.......
See full article HERE

Green co-leader Marama Davidson says party leadership should reflect 'Te Tiriti representation'
The Greens are considering a new party structure that reflects "Te Tiriti representation" - possibly going right to the very top.

Shepherd asked her if that meant a requirement that one of the co-leaders be Māori.

"That is not the sort of details of it, but people want to make sure that we are reflecting Te Tiriti representation as well as justice throughout the whole party structure," said Davidson……
See full article HERE

Kris Faafoi instructs Law Commission to Review tikanga Māori in our law
The Government is embarking on a landmark review of the role of tikanga [customs] and how Māori concepts apply in our law. The recommendations could have widespread implications, including the extent to which tikanga applies....(NZ Herald paywall)
See full article HERE

New Māori Wardens Qualification to be offered next year
The development of the qualifications comes from the Training work-stream of the Maori Wardens Modernisation programme. A capability stock-take across the 16 Māori Warden districts took place in 2020, and identified training Wardens received, and what additional skills and qualifications they needed.

The stocktake also sought feedback from Wardens on improvements that could be made to their training, and what skills and experience Wardens needed to support whānau, hāpori and huihui tangata......
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:

Ray S said...

Another week, more of the same.