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Saturday, August 14, 2021

Breaking Views Update: Week of 8.08.21







Saturday August 14, 2021 

News:
Sites of Significance to Māori

However it is fairly typical for rules to include restrictions on the following types of activities for properties containing a site of significance:

• Subdivision;

• Earthworks;

• Erection and/or extension of structures;

• Planting of plantation forestry.

It is likely any activity of this nature would require engagement with mana whenua and a resource consent to go ahead.....
See full article HERE

Simon Bridges hits out at Government's 'compulsive' use of 'Aotearoa', says he's not 'an Aotearoan'
Simon Bridges has hit out at what deems the "compulsive nature" of Government departments using "Aotearoa" in communications, saying he's not "an Aotearoan".

Stuart Smith, National's MP for Kaikoura, earlier this month called for a referendum on whether the country should be called New Zealand or Aotearoa. It came after he said he received "overwhelming" correspondence from Kiwis saying the Government had been "arrogant in changing it de facto without any public discussion"......
See full article HERE

Maori housing providers to get up front funds
Māori and iwi community housing providers should get a boost from a new progressive partnership approach by the government.

After a meeting with sector leaders in Wellington last night, Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods announced government would bring forward some of the money it already provides to CHPs over the course of a 25 year contract, so they can cover up-front costs associated with new build projects.....
See full article HERE

Ruapehu's Māori council may be re-purposed rather than scrapped
A Māori council facing an uncertain future with the coming of Māori wards may have a new lease of life as a committee of council.

The Ruapehu District Māori Council, set up in 2009 to drive more participation by Māori in local body decisions, was facing the chop after the Ruapehu District Council voted to bring in Māori wards and it was thought a Māori Council might no longer be needed.

Ruapehu mayor Don Cameron said the future of the Māori council had been widely discussed since. Ongoing talks with tangata whenua could see it being re-purposed to support new representation arrangements including at least two Māori seats.....
See full article HERE

Iwi fear proposed water reforms could undermine Treaty settlements
Some iwi are worried the government's proposed water reforms could undermine - and possibly unravel - their Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

Iwi with water-based settlements, like Waikato-Tainui and Te Arawa, fear they could be sidelined by large entities with little representation.

Waikato-Tainui fought for years for its river settlement, an arduous process that finally concluded in 2010 with enshrined recognition of mana whenua and its role in making decisions that affect the awa.

A decade later, Waikato-Tainui chair Linda Te Aho fears the proposed water reforms could see all that effort go to waste......
See full article HERE

Taumata Rangatira Hui 2021: Strong Iwi-Crown Partnership A Shining Example
Iwi Chairs from Te Hiku o Te Ika have met with Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson and other Government ministers to discuss progress under the Te Hiku-Crown Social Accord and measures to strengthen the partnership further.

Willie Jackson said there are opportunities for the partnership with Te Hiku to be bold.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Olympic Success – Political Failure – Dr Muriel Newman.

Propaganda:
The racist aftermath of the Aotearoa debate

'They knew exactly what they were doing': National Party accused of feeding racism 

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 13, 2021 

News: 
Council infighting over Māori wards exposed 
Napier City Council is still making strides to consider introducing Māori wards.

Councillors will decide whether or not to add Māori wards in November. However, this will not be in time for next year's elections, which left mana whenua outraged earlier this year.

The council has launched a large campaign called "Kōrero Mai", trying to make sure residents know what having a Māori ward means.

From Monday, residents can have their say on whether or not they should be adopted.....
See full article HERE

Proposed Māori ward structure released as Gisborne's representation rejig reaches next step
Gisborne District Council staff are recommending the region stick with 13 councillors, plus the mayor, which will mean five Māori ward councillors and eight general ward councillors.

But the number of wards and whether it includes an urban/rural divide is up in the air......
See full article HERE

Three-ward system for Nelson elections gets backing from council
The Nelson City Council has backed a move to set up a ward structure for the next council elections in 2022, including two general wards and a Māori ward.

This new representation structure would comprise a Central ward with four councillors, a Stoke-Tahuna ward with four councillors, and a Māori ward with one councillor.....
See full article HERE

MediaWorks fined after host endorses attack on Māori
MediaWorks has been fined $3000 after stand-in host John Banks breached standards during a discussion with a talkback caller over Māori culture.

In a decision released today the Broadcasting Standards Authority found the exchange between the Magic Talk host and a caller included discriminatory comments which breached good taste, decency, discrimination and denigration standards.

It upheld a complaint after determining the action taken by network, including issuing an apology, standing down Banks and making operational changes, did not sufficiently remedy the harm caused by the breaches.......
See full article HERE

National MP brands text invite to young Māori for Covid-19 jab 'race-based and wrong
A text invite for a Covid-19 jab sent to a constituent’s young, healthy Māori family member shows there are separate, race-based roll-outs happening in the region, Waimakariri National MP Matt Doocey claims.

“Our health system should be based on need first,” Doocey said.

“Every Kiwi, no matter their race, should have access to the same rights and opportunities, including access to healthcare. Receiving a Covid-19 vaccination should be no different.”....
See full article HERE

Act Party slams housing agency Kāinga Ora for $30,000 Māori carving spend
The Act Party is taking aim at the Government's main housing agency for spending tens of thousands of dollars on artwork, while many New Zealanders struggle with housing unaffordability.

Newstalk ZB can reveal Kāinga Ora's Takanini branch commissioned a $30,000 carving for its office.....
See full article HERE

Armed police risk for Maori
She says arming the police changes the power equation in every situation and puts sections of the community and especially Māori at grave risk.

"It is much more likely it is young Māori, young Māori men in particular who are more likely to die or be injured seriously by police if they carry guns. We know that by looking at every other comparable country how minority groups, indigenous people, people of colour are all affected by policing," she says.

Ms Sawicki Mead says if the only way police feel safe is to have a gun in their hands, that shows a shortfall in training......
See full article HERE

St John unveils new fit for purpose Rotorua Ambulance Station
"We’ve acknowledged the cultural roots of the area and woven in elements important to iwi, the community, and our staff and volunteers. It’s important that this facility not only presents a safe, professional, platform for our ambulance officers to provide emergency health services from, but this same space reflects meaning and purpose of this care and provision.

“We are thrilled to have included snapshots of Rongoā (traditional Māori medicine) into the design and artwork to reflect our practice of medicine, while acknowledging

the importance of traditional Māori medicinal practices, which will build knowledge, understanding and connection to mātauranga Māori, or Māori knowledge,” he says......
See full article HERE

STEMM boost for Waikato schools
The University of Waikato has signed a collaboration agreement with Pūhoro Charitable Trust aimed at inspiring Māori high school students to take up STEMM subjects and careers.

Along with funding from the Ministry of Education and Waikato-Tainui, the partnership will allow Pūhoro to work with 250 students in Waikato region each year for over the next three years......
See full article HERE

Conservation millions also help Taranaki hapū and whānau
Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan has announced $9.98 million from the government's Jobs for Nature programme for 12 existing projects, creating 58 new jobs over three years.

Most of them are Māori projects and include three run directly by hapū, and more by iwi.....
See full article HERE


Thursday August 12, 2021 

News: 
Council rejects iwi call for Māori-only say on wards 
Taranaki Regional Council has rejected iwi calls for only Māori to have a say when considering Māori wards.

Council officers said wider public engagement back then had allowed both sides of the debate to have a say in a manner that wasn't divisive.

But the officers' report said iwi representatives instead wanted future engagement on Māori wards to be focused on "people who are affected by the decision."

The iwi representatives sit on TRC's Consents and Regulatory, and Policy and Planning committees.

They wanted public input on Māori wards to be restricted to consultation with iwi, hapū and whānau......
See full article HERE

Coastal Taranaki ward loses one councillor under review proposal
South Taranaki district councillors are proposing to lose one of their number but gain two Māori Ward representatives at next year’s local body elections.

The move would see an increase of one councillor, to a total of 13, instead of the current 12.....
See full article HERE

Maori ward raises timing issues
Restrictions on switching from the general Maori roll could cause inequity for voting on Masterton’s Maori Ward.

“The current timing and frequency of the Maori Electoral Option presents a barrier for Maori in our district who may want to vote for the Maori ward in 2022 but are not currently on the Maori electoral roll.

“While this adds urgency, the arguments for reviewing the timing and frequency of the Maori electoral option are broader. We strongly advocate urgent reconsideration of the timing and frequency of the Maori electoral option.”....
See full article HERE

Local Focus: Motiti Protection Area 'makes it illegal for us to be Māori'
Also affected is Ngāti Whakahemo, the acknowledged owners and kaitiaki of Motunau, which is one of the reefs.

"The Motiti marine protected area is devastating for us - Ngāti Whakahemo at Motunau – because it makes it illegal for us to be Māori," Kura Paul said.

"It extinguishes the ability for us to be able to practice our traditional customary practices and to pass on that knowledge to the next generations."

Paul said the decision was news to her hapū, which wasn't part of the legal process.

"We weren't consulted – we knew nothing about it so it was done to us not with us.....
See full article HERE

Fonterra trying to trade mark certain Te Reo Māori words
New Zealand’s biggest dairy company Fonterra is being told not to “milk” an application to trade mark certain Te Reo Māori words for its Kāpiti cheese range for profit.

The chairman of the National Māori Authority Matthew Tukaki says Fonterra has no grounds to try and profit off Aotearoa’s native language.....
See full article HERE

Rangatahi and Māori trades and training intiatives get funding boost
The government is putting $24.1 million in further funding towards Māori trades and training and reducing barriers to employment for rangatahi.

Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced in Porirua this morning more than $18.57m for 13 projects under the Māori Trades and Training Fund (MTTF), and more than $5.6m for 10 projects through He Poutama Rangatahi, which focuses on helping young people overcome barriers to employment, education and training.

Iwi and Māori businesses called for further investment into such initiatives after the Budget in May, saying feedback on He Poutama Rangatahi was positive and more support would be a "no-brainer"…….
See full article HERE

Indigenous knowledge key to addressing climate change - rangatahi activist
Indigenous knowledge holds the solutions to address climate change but having a seat at a table won't be enough, says rangatahi climate change activist Tiana Jakicevich.

"Indigenous peoples, our knowledge holds the solutions to addressing this climate crisis. We don't create the climate crisis but we have the solutions to fix the climate crisis.".....
See full article HERE

Māori cultural values missing from KiwiRail's freight centre plans
A lack of information about the cultural impacts of KiwiRail’s proposed new freight yards on the outskirts of Palmerston North is starting to irk commissioners hearing the case for land designation.

On the third day of the hearing in Palmerston North, commissioners have questioned why there is no Māori perspective on social impacts, and ecological effects......
See full article HERE

Trevor Mallard to boycott Hurricanes over Troy Bowker's Māori race comments
Speaker of the House and longtime Hurricanes fan Trevor Mallard says comments by a part-owner about Māori are undoing progress on race relations and he will boycott the team until he resigns.

Sports Minister Grant Robertson has also weighed in, calling the comments "appalling" and stating he was also considering a boycott.

Investment banker Troy Bowker​ accused animation entrepreneur Sir Ian Taylor of "sucking up to the left Māori​-loving agenda" in a LinkedIn post in response to National leader Judith Collins' backing for a referendum on the use of the name Aotearoa for New Zealand.

Bowker, executive chairman of Wellington-based investment company Caniwi Capital, called the post "absolute nonsense", before questioning Taylor's blood quantum.

"Another example of European NZers not being proud of their own ancestors and sucking up to the left Māori loving agenda. FFS. Wake up NZ.".....
See full article HERE

When law meets lore - Commission delves into ture
Justice Minister Chris Faafoi has asked the Law Commission to review the role of tikanga and te ao Māori concepts in law.

The commission says a legal transformation is underway, with heightened focus on the interface between tikanga Māori and state law.

It says the review is a chance to build in its 2001 study paper, Māori Customs and Values in New Zealand Law, which continues to be cited widely......
See full article HERE


Wednesday August 11, 2021 

News: 
Underfunding Māori healthcare costs Māori and the economy $5 billion a year 
A new report has found Māori healthcare is massively underfunded and $1 billion in extra investment a year would save the country $5bn a year in health-related costs.

“The human element behind that, the suffering behind that is huge,” said Janice Kuka (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Te Rangi), one of six claimants to commission the report by Sapere.

It also breached the Treaty of Waitangi, said Kuka, who is the managing director of Ngā Mataapuna Oranga, a Māori primary health organisation in Tauranga......
See full article HERE

Treaty statement start of journey for National
Tu Williams says the emotion surrounding the weekend vote showed the membership felt the direction the country was moving and wanted to move with it.

He says Kahurangi Māori put in the groundwork by developing an iwi and Māori engagement strategy for the party.

" What you will see over time, it's not going to happen in one day or one week, are some changes that will take place as part of the journey the party will take in relation to its commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, in its commitment to the Māori seats' campaign, and its commitment to Māori capacity and capability and building that capacity and capability," Mr Williams says......
See full article HERE

Ruapehu proposes councillor cut to accommodate incoming Maori wards
The Ruapehu District Council is proposing to chop down its number of elected councillors from 11 to eight but bump up community board representatives from eight to 16.

Mayor Don Cameron related the suggestions on the total number of councillors, contained in a council 'initial representation proposal', to the number of Māori ward councillors and their proportion of the council.

The council voted to introduce Māori wards last year and two of the councillors in the proposal will be Māori ward councillors.......
See full article HERE

New ward voting system proposed for Nelson
In May, the Nelson City Council agreed on a proposal to set up a Māori Ward in Nelson for the 2022 and 2025 local government elections.

As Māori Wards can only operate within a ward system, this means the Nelson electorate will also have to move from an “at large” to a ward system in time for the 2022 elections.....
See full article HERE

Tauranga CBD on the cusp of an exciting future - UTF
For UTF member and iwi leader Buddy Mikaere, the changing governance at the Council has offered an enormous boost to Maori.

"Iwi business interests have a unique opportunity to be heard in this new environment. We need to use our position as the region with the largest Maori population to our advantage and create meaningful pathways for our rangatahi through partnerships in areas such as tourism with private businesses," he says......
See full article HERE

Māori tourism: Storytelling to help rebrand Wanganui River Road tourism route
Whanganui River Māori are considering a new Māori tourism signage project to help visitors discover cultural heritage, historic stories and natural features along the river.

The initiative is part of a rebranding project for a Whanganui River Road tourism route......
See full article HERE

Fund open for Maori suicide prevention
The Centre of Māori Suicide Prevention Te Rau Ora is calling for proposals for the projects that build the capacity of Māori whānau, hapū and iwi to prevent suicide within communities.

The Māori Community Suicide Prevention Fund will pay up to $100,000 for projects designed and implemented by Māori.....
See full article HERE

North Waikato school changes name to better represent area's history
Being challenged early on in her role as the new principal of Mercer School caused Paula Faitala to learn and recognise the significance of the whenua the school is on, which has led to it changing its name to Te Paina.

At the end of this school term, Mercer School will be moving to recognise the schools' new name, Te Paina - which represents the history of the area.......
See full article HERE

Stratford councillors vote to keep seats status quo, with additional Māori ward
The Stratford District Council is proposing to add just one more seat to its table for next year's election – a Māori one.

On Tuesday, Stratford elected members voted to keep the status quo with their representation at the council table.

But this came with one change because their last-minute decision in May, where they became the final Taranaki council to establish Māori representation, meant they had already established a Māori ward......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Cultural toolkits to aid education

Government advisers go from 'pain to true partnership' in helping NZ become more inclusive 

Tuesday August 10, 2021 

News: 
A call to arms for honesty on Hamilton’s history 
The Hamilton city emblem tells one side of the city’s history - now activists are calling for a new design and approach to history including the Māori perspective

She has started a petition calling for an update to the coat of arms that would reflect the partnership between Māori and other New Zealanders, rather than a depiction of the city’s painful colonial history.

She wants to see the city's emblem updated to reflect the council's commitment to Te Tiriti, show the city's true history and be something Hamiltonians can be proud of......
See full article HERE

Conservation board bust-up: Minister weighs in, ex-chair speaks
Morfett, the former West Coast conservation board chair, hasn’t spoken publicly about his resignation from the board last December. But he’s doing so now because of the recent ructions. He reveals he stepped down because of what he describes as intolerable pressure from Ngāi Tahu, which accused him of cultural insensitivity.

There’s an inappropriate relationship between Poutini Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation on the West Coast, Morfett says.

He says Ngāi Tahu representatives consistently refused to fill out conflict of interest forms, an expected part of being a board member.

DoC has stopped listening to conservation and recreation groups, Morfett claims, and are just listening to iwi. “It’s terrible – it really has led us into a pretty dark place.”…..
See full article HERE

Aotearoa v New Zealand faux fight
Even though people and organisations in a variety of settings, formal and informal, have been referring to Aotearoa or Aotearoa New Zealand for years, Mr Smith wants us to believe the Government and the public service are stealthily changing the name from New Zealand to Aotearoa. (Incidentally, we do not refer to New Zealand Aotearoa because, apart from anything else, it does not seem to roll off the tongue so easily.

Asked about this, University of Canterbury linguistics professor Jen Hay points out that in Maori all vowels are produced distinctly, something we do not do in English, where we routinely reduce unstressed vowels to a neutral sound produced with minimum effort. Her guess is it makes more sense to say Aotearoa first because the syllables requiring the most effort are at the beginning of the phrase where speakers have the most energy.).....
See full article HERE

Two of six, a dozen of the other: Rejig on cards for Hamilton City Council electoral system
The Hamilton City Council’s traditional east-west divide could be abolished if a radical revision of representation is adopted this week.

A report to Thursday’s council meeting reveals replacing the current east and west wards with a single “general ward” with 12 councillors across the city is one of two options up for consideration.

The general ward would be complemented by the new, city-wide Kirikiriroa Māori ward, which will be represented by two councillors. With the addition of the city’s mayor – elected at large by all electors – there will be 15 elected representatives on the council.

The alternative option is to stick with the current east-west ward structure, with six councillors in each – plus the two councillors from the Kirikiriroa Māori ward and the mayor……
See full article HERE

Health Research Council Throwing Millions At Woke Nonsense
Examples of grants approved in 2021 include:

* $1.2 million examining the lived experiences of intersectional ethnic minority youth

* $5 million on iwi-led research explaining how partnership models can improve the health system

* $1.1 million using the lunar calendar to help Māori connect with their environment

* $387,000 providing gay teenagers with “decolonising and mātauranga Māori-informed bodies of knowledge”

* $258,000 to “decolonise the western construct of pharmacist services”

* $150,000 to design a virtual reality video game about foetal alcohol syndrome....
See full article HERE

Don't 'water down' arts subjects during NCEA reform, say teachers and artists
Reducing secondary school art from five topics to three will limit student choice and “water down” their learning, say teachers and artists.

Under the proposed reform, NCEA levels 2 and 3 in painting, printmaking and sculpture will be combined into a single visual arts subject, and photography will be expanded to include moving images.

Three Māori arts disciplines will be introduced – Raranga (weaving) mau rākau (a traditional martial art) and whakairo (carving)......
See full article HERE

Davis sets agenda for iwi chairs' engagement
The Crown Māori Relations Minister says a new way of working with the Iwi Chairs Forum is having positive results.

"That's what we've been doing for the last year or so and it's given the engagement between the crown and iwi chairs a lot more purpose, a lot more direction, and I think it's been very successful," he says.....
See full article HERE

Auckland City Mission celebrates Maori name
The Auckland City Mission recently celebrated receiving a Māori name – Te Tāpui Atawhai. The organisation’s new name represents the Mission’s connection across their whānau whānui, compassionate approach to care and support for those who need it most.

The Auckland City Missioner has also received a Māori title of Manutaki, essentially meaning the bird that leads. The current Missioner – Manutaki, Helen Robinson, says she will wear the title with pride and gratitude......
See full article HERE 

Monday August 9, 2021 

News: 
Councillor numbers fine: panel 
The number of Dunedin councillors should stay at 14 and community boards should be retained, an independent panel says.

It encouraged the council to continue dialogue about whether a Maori ward should be established.

No councils within the Ngai Tahu rohe have so far set up Maori wards, but the Dunedin City Council recently decided two of its committees should have runanga representatives.....
See full article HERE

Frustrations boil over as parents and students protest against school board
Students and their whānau have marched through the streets of Pukekohe in south Auckland as a stand-off with their school board and the principal reached boiling point.

This comes on top of complaints from parents last month that there was a lack of Māori representation on the board......
See full article HERE

Being Māori is not a limitation to becoming a homeowner - Otago University study
Being Māori has nothing to do with whether or not you can own a house, according to new research from the University of Otago, Christchurch that debunks the myth that culture is tied to homeownership.

Assistant research fellow, Grace Walker, of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāruahine, says the research shows that homeownership is about one's personal situation and life choices......
See full article HERE

Defining moment for Ngāti Maniapoto as iwi urged to vote on Treaty settlement
A Treaty of Waitangi Settlement more than 20 years in the making now hinges on the votes being cast by tribal members of Ngāti Maniapoto.

The iwi is being asked to vote on whether it approves the Deed of Settlement and the Post Settlement Governance Entity which will manage the $180 million settlement on behalf of Maniapoto.

Iwi members must also vote on whether they agree to ratify the constitutional documents of Te Nehenehenui, the new governance entity.

Voting closes on August 16 and Maniapoto Māori Trust Board chairman Keith Ikin said it would be the most important date in determining the future of the iwi.....
See full article HERE

Catholic school in Gore adds cultural tattoos to uniform policy
It was recommended that to get a tā moko, the student must establish a connection to their whakapapa.

The students must also have permission of both parents, and the permission of their koro, or an elder.

St Peter’s College students will not need to keep their tattoos covered as long as they have adhered to the conditions placed by the school......
See full article HERE

Mark Solomon talks settlement, legacy, frustrations and being the grave digger for his whanau
See full article/video HERE

Propaganda:
Marama Davidson's full Green Party AGM speech

Brett Graham - bringing the land wars into the present 

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
 

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