Pages

Friday, February 11, 2022

Breaking Views Update: Week of 6.2.22







Friday February 11, 2022

News:
Christopher Luxon changes National's direction on Māori issues

His comments suggest he wants to draw a line under the leadership of his predecessor Judith Collins who attempted to stoke separatist fears through the contentious He Puapua report.

They are also part of his ambitions to modernise the party, drawing it back from the right and securing support from Māori and those who think the party is anti-Māori. But how National appeals to these voters amid the current culture wars is a question now facing the party.

Houpapa said most parties got her to speak about halfway through the year before an election but Luxon was first out the gate to hear her views. This, in combination with his Waitangi speech, showed the party was “moving in the right direction”.

“Christopher has sent a really strong message to Aotearoa around an acknowledgement and around inclusiveness,” she said.

National’s Dr Shane Reti (Ngati Wai, Te Kapotai, Ngapuhu nui tonu, Ngati Maniapoto), who served as deputy under Collins, said he and Luxon, a former Air New Zealand chief executive, had many long conversations on Māori-Crown relations before he became leader.

“He has quite a track record promoting diversity in his corporate life so there was no epiphany, nothing new to this,” Reti said.

But Reti said the caucus was receptive to Houpapa’s views and he and Luxon last week met with the iwi chairs forum to go over policy.

“We have taken on board what Traci has said, which Chris has encouraged, and we will be looking to further build our Crown Māori relationship which we started last week,” he said......
See full article HERE

Govt investment to grow major Hawke’s Bay horticulture project
An ambitious horticulture project is underway to lift the productivity of Māori-owned land in northern Hawke’s Bay, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said today.

“The Government is investing $440,000 to help members of the Wairoa Horticultural Hub build on the potential of their whenua and to create jobs,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The hub is made up of representatives from more than 20 blocks of land covering 460 hectares, with the majority being Māori-owned......
See full article HERE

Ōtaki Surf Life Saving Club translates website into Māori to better represent community
With a desire to be more representative and inclusive of the community they serve, the Ōtaki Surf Life Saving Club in Kāpiti has made their website bilingual, with content now in both English and te reo Māori.....
See full article HERE

Going mainstream vision for Māori broadcasting
Māori Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson is keen to see closer integration between mainstream and Māori broadcasting.

“One of the problems in the past is Māori media has been so separate, we are so doing our own thing there is no connection and no link. This show for instance I am on now (Paakiwaha,) why is it not linked up with RNZ? Why is Māori TV not properly tied in with TV Three and TVNZ?” Mr Jackson says......
See full article HERE

Need for reo lessons no joke
The head of a rōpū which supports schools teaching te reo Māori says it’s time to make the lessons compulsory.

Raewyn Harrison from Te Reo Tuatahi is backing a call from Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon for the compulsory classes to be introduced within five years......
See full article HERE

Tribunal call rejected for Wairarapa Bill
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says it’s important to get a claim settlement bill before parliament despite a Waitangi Tribunal recommendation it be put on hold.

The Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-ā-Rua Claims Settlement Bill was introduced last week......
See full article HERE

Hapū adamant on return of ancestral lands destined for Crown ownership
Tribal members of Ngāti Takapari, Te Waiariki and Ngāti Kororā hapū are contesting the Ngunguru Sandspit & Protection Society (NSaPS) bid which would see their ancestral lands of Whakaairiora mountain, Ngunguru sandspit and Rangikōrero pā purchased and placed in Crown ownership through a public reserve......
See full article HERE

Locals challenge loss of council seat due to new Māori ward
Community boards north of New Plymouth are fighting to not lose a local councillor as the cost of setting up a new Māori ward.

Last November New Plymouth District Council voted to have five council seats elected “at large” in this year’s election......
See full article HERE

NZ's conservation laws: Finding better ways of getting people on board
Māori have demanded a greater say, yet there are only weak provisions for Treaty-based iwi co-governance within existing rules. Key pieces of legislation, such as the Marine Reserves Act 1971, are completely out of date.

Māori, as tāngata whenua, can be strong voices for conservation. They have a special relationship with ancestral lands and waters, taonga species and wāhi tapu in the conservation estate......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
A credible pathway to return the land to tangata whenua 

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

Thursday February 10, 2022 

News: 
Māori education aims for 30% participation 
Work will soon begin on a revamp of the Māori medium and Kaupapa Māori pathways programme in a bid to reconnect more Māori tamariki with their language and culture, Associate Minister of Education, Kelvin Davis announced today.

The move, which will see legislation likely introduced in early 2023 to provide a regulatory framework for growing the sector, is aimed at seeing 30% of Māori learners participating in Kaupapa Māori/Māori medium education by 2040......
See full article HERE

Kura Kaupapa claim against education history
Māori medium educators are heading for the Waitangi Tribunal to force the crown to face up to what they say are its treaty obligations.

Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa chair Rawiri Wright says since the first kura started more than 30 years ago successive governments have failed to properly resource and staff them.

He says it’s about more than te reo Māori.

“It’s about ngākau Māori, mauri Māori, mana Māori, all those sorts of things that were deliberately trampled and deliberately taken from us when the education system was established in this country,” Mr Wright says.......
See full article HERE

MPs receive 1700 submissions on bill to entrench Ngāi Tahu seats on Environment Canterbury
The Māori Affairs Select Committee has received almost 1700 submissions for the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation Bill) which would give mana whenua two entrenched seats at the Environment Canterbury council table.

“We’ve still got a long way to go for a Treaty-based society, but this bill is a step towards recognising we are the Treaty partner here.”
See full article HERE

Christopher Luxon keen on Act policy to curb public sector growth, won't rule out Act Treaty of Waitangi policy

National leader Christopher Luxon thinks there's merit in Act leader David Seymour's idea of running a ruler over every single part of the public service, but he won't say whether references to the Treaty of Waitangi should be expunged from our statute books.

Luxon was less keen on another of Act's policies: a proposal to remove references to the Treaty of Waitangi from legislation and to axe co-Governance arrangements.

Luxon would not rule-in or rule-out passing legislation to repeal references to the Treaty in other laws.

Luxon said National still believed in devolution and local-ism, "we believe people closest to it could solve those problems".

"I think the Treaty is important and we acknowledge the Treaty, there's no doubt about that," Luxon said......
See full article HERE

Supreme Court hears appeal over how tikanga is assessed by the Waitangi Tribunal
What tikanga is and how it applies to treaty settlements needed evidence and testing before the Waitangi Tribunal, a Wairarapa iwi has told the Supreme Court.

The case has leap-frogged the Court of Appeal to go directly to the Supreme Court.

“Whether tikanga is relevant or binds is the legal question - what it is and how it applies requires evidence and testing,” Mahuika said......
See full article HERE

300ha marine farm planned for Hauraki Gulf
Pare Hauraki Kaimoana, which represents the fishing interests of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board, is planning a 300-hectare marine farm in the Hauraki Gulf.

The proposed fish farm will be located 13 kilometres from Coromandel Town and 11km from Waiheke Island and is expected to support annual production of 8,000 tonnes of kingfish and other marine species.

“Our world views involve a centuries-old relationship with Tīkapa Moana … we're very mindful of that, it's a pātaka (pantry) for us, it's also a taonga.”......
See full article HERE

Rare 40,000 year old log given to Māori rather than science
“Rightful owners”? Where did that come from? That tree both lived and centuries before the Māori even arrived in New Zealand. If there are rightful owners, it’s the government of New Zealand, who should hand the tree over to scientists who have, as noted above, a good reason for studying it. (Ring distribution can also give a clue to ancient climates in NZ, for one rarely gets a tree that is both that old and that well preserved.

The only reason Māori get the tree is because they consider it sacred. This is one example of how excessive respect for the culture of locals impedes the progress of science. No progress will be made by allowing it to stay on the Marae except to buttress a creation myth that is false. Study the hell out of it and then, if you wish, give it to the Māori, but don’t let myth overcome science. This is one reason why Māori “ways of knowing”—mātauranga Māori—are incompatible with science, for in this case the mythological sacredness of the tree, based on its presumed role in creation, prevent scientific work.....
See full article HERE

Te Pāti Māori refuse to congratulate Queen on Platinum Jubilee
Te Pāti Māori says it was “tone-deaf and colour-blind” to acknowledge the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Waitangi Day, given the Crown’s role in “the degradation of the rights of tangata whenua for 182 years”.

On Wednesday, Parliament debated whether it should “congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty's accession to the Throne”.

Labour, National, the Greens, and ACT all voted in favour of the motion. Te Pāti Māori voted against it......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Graham Adams: Three Waters: A sorry tale of government deception and media inertia

Propaganda:
Humiliation is not the path to understanding tikanga 

Wednesday February 9, 2022 

News: 
Labour pours cold water on Green Party's idea of returning private land to Māori 
Labour has poured cold water on the Greens' idea of returning private land to iwi, with the Minister for Māori-Crown Relations saying it's "time to move on".

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is not on board.

"That's not something we're currently giving consideration to," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Neither is Māori-Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis.

National leader Christopher Luxon did not support the policy either.

"I don't support it," he told reporters.

"I think we're actually going back and unwinding a whole bunch of history and Treaty settlements......
See full article HERE

New wharekura for Levin
A new wharekura for Years 1 to 13 will extend Horowhenua Māori medium education into Levin, Education Minister, Chris Hipkins announced today.

“The establishment of Te Pā Wānanga o Tuteremoana will mean up to 250 tamariki and rangatahi can attend a Māori medium school locally, instead of having to travel to Ōtaki,” the Minister said........
See full article HERE

Minister Kelvin Davis: 'I will never agree to a Māori education authority'
Educationalist Dr Cathy Dewes has renewed calls for an entity similar to that of the Māori Health Authority for education.

But Davis says the answers will not be found in an entity like the Māori Health authority.

“What they're wanting is another bureaucracy. What I was offering them was an opportunity to develop the system for Māori medium.”.....
See full article HERE

Silence seen as assent for royal call
The Māori Party is taking a lack of reaction to its Waitangi Day call for divorce from the British royal family as a good sign.

Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says she had expected a lot of negativity to the plan for constitutional change and greater Māori self-determination.

Te Pāti Māori have today launched a petition calling for the removal of the British royal family as head of state; and the creation of a Te Tiriti-centric Aotearoa through constitutional transformation......
See full article HERE

Sydney Marae gets green light after landmark deal
A landmark deal between Māori in Australia, a Sydney council and local Aboriginal people will see a first of its kind marae built in the city’s outer suburbs, for expatriates wanting to reconnect with other whānau from home......
See full article HERE

Full Support For Allocation To Māori Spectrum Group
New Zealand’s wireless internet service providers are right behind the allocation of 5G radio spectrum to a new Māori group to help develop businesses nationwide.

Mike Smith, chair of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, says the allocation will allow even more collaboration between the group’s 37 members and the many iwi groups they work with.

“We congratulate the Māori Spectrum Working Group for negotiating this deal with the Government as it promises more economic development right throughout New Zealand/Aotearoa,” Mr. Smith says......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Proposals for constitutional change are aired – and the prospects of NZ remaining a democracy look bleak

Propaganda:
Māori leaders don't think Jacinda Ardern has followed through on promises in 2018 Waitangi Day speech 

Tuesday February 8, 2022 

News: 
'Land back': Greens call to return stolen land and revisit Treaty settlements 
The Green Party is calling for all Treaty settlements to be revisited, and additional support for iwi and hapū seeking to reacquire stolen land which is now in private ownership.

The party’s new Treaty of Waitangi focus was set firmly on returning Māori land, co-leader Marama Davidson​ said. “People have been talking about land back for decades, we are asking ‘how do we actually do it?’”

A new discussion document from the party, titled Hoki Whenua Mai, suggested introducing law to make it easier for Māori to buy back stolen land, and using the Public Works Act to return land to Māori.......
See full article HERE

Acceptance of Māori point of view growing
A Māori politics lecturer says New Zealanders regardless of their background are becoming more sympathetic to Māori rights.

Dr Lara Greaves from the University of Auckland says it’s reflected in the quieter tone at Waitangi Day commemorations in recent years.

She says it’s a generational shift.......
See full article HERE

A Full Inquiry Into The Public Works Act Called For – Maori Authority Calls The Act A Modern-day Land Grab
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has called for a complete review of the Public Works Act indicating that there are several Government Agencies that need to urgently account for Whanau Maori owned land that has been passed into a land bank. Tukaki has also said an Inquiry should be held to review how much land has been offered back, under the law, and how much of that subsequently was found to be unaffordable to Whanau who were the direct descendants of the land that was original acquired under the Act. Under the Public Works Lands Act 1864 and subsequent laws, Māori (and European) lands could be acquired for roads, railways and other public works, sometimes without compensation. Some Māori land was targeted for compulsory acquisition in preference to nearby Pākehā land......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2022

Publicly-funded boost for Māori media

We are maturing as a nation by embracing and progressing our use of te reo and tikanga Māori

Spectrum deal falls short for claimant son

Māori have little to celebrate over Waitangi weekend

‘Never use the word racist’ - advice given to a new race relations commissioner

'Aotearoa New Zealand is not a western, Pākeha country' - immigrants share perspectives on Te Tiriti

Marlborough's Treaty of Waitangi story and hope for next chapter

Museum Notebook: Waitangi Day and Pākaitore 

Monday February 7, 2022 

News: 
Te Pāti Māori calls for 'divorce' from British monarchy 
Te Pāti Māori has called for a "divorce" from the British monarchy and to move Aotearoa to a nation based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer made the call today as the country's political leaders shared their views on the Treaty of Waitangi in a virtual broadcast for Waitangi Day.

"If you look at our founding covenant as a marriage between tangata whenua and the Crown, then Te Tiriti is the child of that marriage," Ngarewa-Packer said.

"It's time tangata whenua to take full custody of Te Tiriti o Waitangi from the Crown."......
See full article HERE

Race relations commissioner calls for compulsory te reo Māori in schools
Race relations commissioner and life-long te reo Māori student Meng Foon has called for a five-year strategy for te reo Māori to be incorporated in schools as a core subject.

Learning and advocating for te reo Māori his whole life, Foon says he recognises its value for Aotearoa New Zealand......
See full article HERE

"Will the struggle end?
No, of course not. Because every generation renegotiates this. As long as we walk in understanding that the treaty signified a fundamental partnership then each generation renegotiates and rebalances that partnership........
See full article HERE

Sky Tower to light up in Ngāti Whātua iwi colour for Waitangi Day
Sky Tower will light up yellow this Sunday for Waitangi Day in Tāmaki Makaurau, in honour of Te Tiriti and as a reflection of Sky City's "on-going partnership" with Ngāti Whātua ki Tamaki, the casino company says.

"Yellow is the iwi colour of Ngāti Whātua ki Tamaki, who are the tangata whenua of central Tāmaki Makaurau who hold the mana over the tribal land upon which our Sky Tower is built," Sky City said in a statement announcing the coloured lighting in recognition of the occasion.......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Karl du Fresne: If we're going to talk about decolonisation, let's go the whole hog

Roger Childs: Waitangi Day – what we need to remember

Propaganda:
Can the Crown and tino rangatiratanga co-exist? Kelvin Davis walks a delicate line

Living on the faultline: The tension between my Māori and Pākehā heritage

Waitangi Day: A legacy of protest

How the good intentions of 'New Zealand Day' diminished the mana of the Treaty

How an unstable British pretext lost sight of the Treaty of Waitangi

Te Tiriti and the New Zealand Wars – a wahine toa speaks

How we should be treating the Treaty: Perspectives from history teachers

Southland businesses embrace Māori culture 

Sunday February 6, 2022 

News: 
PGF-funded marae upgrade project nears completion 
A $16 million marae renovation programme is drawing to a close, with a third of marae in the west of the North Island, the top of the South Island and the Chatham Islands benefiting from major upgrades.

Funded by the Provincial Growth Fund, the mass renovation project was a regional job creation scheme that enabled 64 marae in the Tai Hauāuru region to carry out capital works.......
See full article HERE

Historic town confronting fraught past on eve of Waitangi Day
Local Māori living in Russell have erected two monumental carvings on the wharf in a bold attempt to restore a cultural presence to the predominantly Pākehā settlement.

Some locals aren't sure they belong there and the move has sparked some confronting conversations about race relations ahead of our national day......
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Was the Treaty of Waitangi an act of love or a vast deception?

How the new Wellington heritage campus has te ao Māori at its heart

Where do Chinese fit in Te Tiriti o Waitangi?

Imagining the mamae and riri – pain and anger – of those who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: Tiriti-centric Aotearoa must start with a relationship overhaul

Waitangi Day marks 'a different society on our horizon', Ngāi Tahu leader says

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

2 comments:

Robert Arthur said...

It would be interesting to know how all the marae subsidies were spent. I suspect not all on bricks and mortar and on contracts let on a conventional competetive basis. I seem to recall one marae commissioned a batch of carvings. I belong to a hobby Club which considerably contributes to the general wellbeing of a large group. A provided premises would be a huge asset. But no blatant political activity and clear left wing leaning so no hope of a bribe handout.

gregd said...

The more i see or hear Luxon the more iam concerned he is going to keep pandering to the 18% should he get into govt.This man is goimg to call the country new zealand when overseas and speak english,then return home and carry on like a bloomfield clone, as he lands in aotearoa, navigates himself around the motu, greeting all the farno.Ihave a gut feeling Winston could get support providing he completely rejects labour from the beginning.