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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Breaking Views Update: Week of 21.4.24







Saturday April 27, 2024 

News:
Decision to quash the Waitangi Tribunal's summons was 'a very good one' - barrister

A barrister says the High Court's decision to overturn the Waitangi Tribunal summons of the Children's Minister was a good and clear decision.

It ruled Karen Chhour could not be compelled to appear before the Tribunal over her plans to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act.

Treaty activist and lawyer Annette Sykes has lodged an appeal......
See full article HERE

Oranga Tamariki takes the axe to Māori roles in organisation
Oranga Tamariki is proposing drastic cuts to specialist Māori roles as part of its commitment to the coalition Government’s demands of cost savings in the public service.

“This is simply irresponsible and reckless,” said Janice Panoho, te kaihautū Māori for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, of the specialist Māori roles facing the chop.

“How can it be that an organisation charged with supporting vulnerable rangatahi and tamariki, many of whom are Māori, would think now is the right time to remove specialist roles?”....
See full article HERE

Māori health improvement plan coming
Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa says she has created a hauora Māori services group to deal with people and projects coming back from the Māori Health Authority.

While the structure has changed, work goes on to support the establishment of regional iwi Maori partnership boards and commission Maori providers.....
See full article HERE

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua welcomes Commissioner's decision regarding Awataha Marae
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua acknowledges the recent decision by the Commissioner of Crown Lands, affirming the concerns raised regarding breaches of the Crown lease of Awataha Marae by Awataha Marae Incorporated Society (AMIS).

The original intention behind the lease was to facilitate traditional Māori marae activities, where tangihanga was prioritised over all other activities. It was also intended that individuals of good repute (including Māori from the local community) would have the opportunity to join AMIS and contribute to marae operations....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Gary Judd KC: The Waitangi Tribunal is not "a roving Commission"

Propaganda:
Thousands choosing rongoā Māori on road to recovery

Inquiry into 2023 severe weather events calls for more iwi involvement in emergency management

Oranga Tamariki Axes Specialist Māori Roles, Weakens Commitment To Te Ao Māori

Gang patch ban waste of money - Jackson

Māori lawyers pick flaws in gang bill  

This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. New material is added regularly. 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 April 26, 2024

News:
Legal fight to summons children’s minister will continue, with appeal lodged
A late evening judgement from the High Court overturned the Waitangi Tribunal’s subpoena to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour, but that didn’t spell an end to the remarkable rift between the courts and executive.

Annette Sykes, a high profile Treaty rights activist and lawyer, has confirmed to Stuff that she will be appealing the High Court’s Wednesday night ruling.

But time is ticking for the Tribunal, as Crown Law has indicated Chhour plans to introduce her bill to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act in mid-May. Once Parliament has the bill, the Tribunal must cease its investigation into the issue....
See full article HERE

Indigenous knowledge wake up for Earth Day
A Māori earth systems scientist says a re-evaluation of indigenous knowledge globally is needed more than ever.

Dan Hikuroa from the University of Auckland says western knowledge systems have led to a drive for domination over the planet, whereas indigenous peoples seek to live in harmony.

Drawing on matauranga can allow researchers to tap into hundreds of years of information about natural systems....
See full article HERE

Stratford District Council Long Term Plan: Future of Māori ward hot topic at marae meeting
He said Stratford fell into the category of a council that hadn’t polled residents, after elected members had voted in favour of establishing a Māori ward in May 2021, in time for the October 2022 election.

He personally supported the retention of a Māori ward, he said.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
The resurgence of tikanga: Wāhine Māori share powerful journey of getting moko kauae

Another ‘Stolen Generation’ Enabled By Court Ruling On Waitangi Tribunal Summons

Tova podcast: ‘Children will be worse off’ - former children’s minister on Government law change  

Thursday April 25, 2024

News:
High Court finds minister Karen Chhour can’t be summonsed to Waitangi Tribunal
The High Court has ruled Children’s Minister Karen Chhour cannot be compelled to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal.

In a just-released decision, Justice Andru Isac granted the Crown’s application for judicial review, setting aside the summons issued by the tribunal.

But he added the mana of the tribunal and the importance of its work was not diminished by his decision.....
See full article HERE

Southlander among recipients of Te Waiu scholarships
Southlander Breigh Lawson-Stanley (Ngāi Tahu) has received a 2024 Te Waiu o Aotearoa Trust scholarship alongside three other Māori students.

It comes with a grant of $5000 to help with her study costs.

Te Waiu o Aotearoa Trust was established in 1994 and is administered by Westpac New Zealand. It awards scholarships to tertiary students with the aim of promoting the advancement of Māori in the general business, banking and finance industries....
See full article HERE

Historic first official Council meeting on a Marae
Ruapehu District Council has held its first official hui on a marae today marking a significant development in their ambition to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improve opportunities for local iwi and hapu to be involved in Council processes.

Hosted by Ngāti Manunui at Kakahi Marae elected members, staff, and members of the public were welcomed with a powhiri prior to the start of the official hui.

Mayor Weston Kirton said that this hui marks a significant step forward in the Council’s ongoing efforts to integrate the values and perspectives of Māori into its governance and decision-making processes.....
See full article HERE


Wednesday April 24, 2024 

News:
HRC Hijacked By Radicals, Disband It
“While Kiwi households and government departments are tightening their budgets, the Human Rights Commission is throwing its $15 million budget at left-wing activism – the latest being a campaign for a divisive constitution,” says ACT Justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“After it recently hired Claire Charters, a co-author of the radically divisive He Puapua report, the Commission has now held a conference at Auckland University called ‘Designing our Constitution’ for the purpose of designing a ‘Te Tiriti-based constitution’.

“On its Facebook page, the Commission quotes one conference speaker as suggesting ‘constitutional transformation based on honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi’ is ‘inevitable’.....
See full article HERE

Councillors speak out on referendum reversal
Mayor Rehette Stoltz wants people to remember a democratic process was followed for the establishment of Māori wards in the district.

The Mayor made the comment during a council meeting last week where councillors discussed a report on an iwi request for the retention of Māori wards.

Mayor Stoltz and many Gisborne councillors said they followed democratic processes when the council established Māori wards after 2021.....
See full article HERE

"Shared Vision" Brings Māori Startups Together
Highly contested business accelerator, Tupu, welcomed its inaugural cohort of Māori founders last week, kicking off its ten-week programme to drive sustainable growth for Māori businesses.

Developed by Tapuwae Roa, in partnership with Sprout Agritech, the accelerator onboarded eleven teams of aspiring pakihi Māori (Māori businesses) from an initial applicant pool of over 300.....
See full article HERE

Northland leader warns that government changes could be the demise of Māori wards
A prominent Māori leader is warning that new government changes will mean the demise of Māori wards in Northland and across the country.

Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene from Northland has slammed the signalled changes, wiping out 2021 legislation vetoing communities’ ability to request a referendum or poll on their council’s introduction of a Māori ward.

“They’re a giant ngaru nui (tsunami) inundating the landscape and destroying everything in their path,” Tipene said.....
See full article HERE

High Court reserves decision on Waitangi Tribunal summons for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour

The Government and Waitangi Tribunal claimants have clashed in the Wellington High Court over whether a Crown minister can be compelled to appear before the tribunal.

It follows an unprecedented request two weeks ago for the Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour to answer questions before an urgent inquiry about the Government‘s decision to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. It has summonsed the minister to appear by midday Friday.

That section requires the agency to have regard to its Treaty obligations by ensuring it takes into account the whakapapa of Māori children and reduce disparities for tamariki Māori.

Justice Andru Isac said he understood the need for urgency and planned to deliver his ruling tomorrow afternoon....
See full article HERE

Te Papa has taken down a display panel in its Treaty of Waitangi exhibition that was defaced last year in a staged protest.
Te Papa said the temporary display, showing a large-scale video projection, outlined the differences between the English and Māori versions of the treaty.

"It highlights differences between te Tiriti in te reo Māori and Captain William Hobson’s 1840 English version, and points to a 1988 translation by Professor Sir Hugh Kawharu, which is considered much closer to the understanding of Māori who signed te Tiriti."....
See full article HERE

Fishing closures proposed for Hauraki Gulf to restore marine taonga species
Three iwi have applied for temporary fishing closures across three areas within the Hauraki Gulf.

Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Tamaterā are members of the Pou Rāhui Research Project, an initiative incorporating mātauranga Māori alongside modern scientific tools to restore identified marine taonga species within rāhui areas of their rohe.

The proposed closures cover Waiheke Island, Umupuia Beach near the Duder Regional Park, and the coastline of Te Mātā and Waipatukahu on the Coromandel Peninsula.....
See full article HERE

Central Auckland church to honour 28th Māori Battalion
Central Auckland church Kāhui St David's are inviting whānau and friends from across Aotearoa to honour the 28th Māori Battalion for a special event on the eve of Anzac Day.

The event will feature music and moving images to remember the 28th Māori Battalion.

Kāhui St David's director Paul Baragwanath reached out to kaumātua and Māori Battalion representatives to bring the event together.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
'Winding up' Waitangi Tribunal would have consequences

John Tamihere-“No-one is above the law”

Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’ - Te Pāti Māori  

Tuesday April 23, 2024 

News: 
High court hearing challenge to Waitangi summons 
Former Māori affairs minister Dover Samuels says a Waitangi Tribunal summons to the Children’s Minister is a breach of its constitutional position.

Mr Samuels says the tribunal tried something similar on him when he was minister 20 years ago, but backed off when he asked for a legal opinion.

He says parliament is the highest court in the land, and the tribunal is not a court but a permanent commission of inquiry set up by parliament......
See full article HERE

Whangārei Land Court orders costs at litigator for baseless claims against Māori trust
A judge has labelled the actions of a man who pursued a two-year legal battle against members of a Māori Trust Board then withdrew at the last minute as an abuse of the legal process.

Tana contested that the trust’s ownership did not align with the interests of local hapū. He also alleged trust funds had been misused and trust land mismanaged, and that trustees had abused their powers.....
See full article HERE

Far North mayor hits out at government's Maori ward changes
Far North mayor Moko Tepania has hit out at the government's proposed Māori wards changes as two Northland councils prepare to push back.

Far North District Council and Northland Regional Council were set to oppose the coalition government's signalled changes to Māori wards.

The legislation supporting the changes was expected to be in place by July.....
See full article HERE

Iwi-supported accommodation for released prisoners opens in Tāmaki
Te Hāpai Ō, led by Te Rūnanga ō Ngāti Whātua, is a new iwi-supported accommodation service in Auckland that will cater to tāne Māori, aiding their reintegration into society.

Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell was present at the opening of the facility in Glenfield today, and he emphasised the importance of iwi collaboration during his address to Ngāti Whātua.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Māori attacks mask wider change agenda  

Monday April 22, 2024 

News: 
Sculptures installed depicting rich cultural history of Tauranga’s Te Papa Peninsula 
Three huge sculptures depicting some of the rich cultural history of Tauranga’s Te Papa Peninsula have been installed as part of an upgrade of Cameron Rd.

Tauranga artist and carver Whare Thompson (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua and Te Whakatōhea) worked with mana whenua on the works, which are made with Corten steel and Hinuera stone.

The work at First Ave is based on the kō or traditional wooden digging stick as a reminder the area was once a place of fertile and productive gardens.....
See full article HERE

How did the cost of moving two schools blow out to more than $400m?
Ministry documents show the design costs alone reached more than $17m. School and iwi costs were more than $3m, and relocating council hockey turf to the new site cost $4.5m.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Dr Michael Bassett: Maori push for parallel government structures.

Propaganda:
UN Special Rapporteur: Pay attention to global Indigenous rights

Why we need Māori and Pacific safe spaces in our universities

Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku: On my own terms

Hanging an axe over the Waitangi Tribunal

Whose Anzac Day is it?  

Sunday April 21, 2024 

News: 
RMA reform minister Chris Bishop releases list of organisations approached about applying for fast-tracked consents 
RMA reform minister Chris Bishop bowed to public pressure to release a list of organisations he had approached about applying to have consents fast-tracked under the new regime.

The list includes the iwi, and other entities from the Māori economy, developers, the seafood industry, primary industries, local councils, even the trust that administers Eden Park.

[Shane] Jones was encouraged by the number of Māori entities on the list. He said NZ First had campaigned on New Zealand moving “beyond a [Treaty] breach culture” and the idea that “everything that Crown does that may offend some Māori is construed as a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi”.

He said the focus of Māori should “be squarely on recovering our economic fortunes and fixing our current account deficit”.

“The average Treaty activist has no conception of the dire nature of the current account situation but no nation can prosper unless it boosts its export receipts. Statutory constipation is very dire and this bill is a purgative,” Jones said....
See full article HERE

New Thames pool will cost at least $36.5m
Thames Centennial Pool, located on a sacred burial ground will close, and four alternative options have been tabled - the most expensive costing up to $77 million.

Thames-Coromandel District Council has decided to remove the pool facilities and return the land to Ngāti Maru after it was acknowledged in 2006 that the site had the presence of urupa.

Historical investigations were carried out between 2015 and 2018, with initial investigations of alternative site options launched in 2017.

The council agreed to remove the facility and return the land to Ngāti Maru by 2027.....
See full article HERE

Lawyers, politicians battle over Waitangi Tribunal’s OT inquiry
A legal and political battle has erupted over the Waitangi Tribunal’s request to hear Children’s Minister Karen Chhour’s reasoning for removing Treaty provisions from the Oranga Tamariki Act.

In a rare move, the Tribunal has issued a summons to Chhour after she refused to voluntarily answer written or verbal questions.

But Chhour has lawyered up and is now using Crown Law to fight the Tribunal. They have filed papers at the High Court to challenge its power to summons....
See full article HERE

MPs respond after Luxon says Waitangi Tribunal criticisms 'ill-considered'
Seymour today told 1News he was “surprised” by Luxon’s comments.

“If you have a concern about another leader’s comments, you should raise them directly rather than through media, which is what I intend to do.”

[Shane] Jones today told 1News he had “moved on” from the comments made by Luxon yesterday.

“My focus is on the coalition agreement.”....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Geoff Parker: Corey Hebberd’s humbug taken to task

Propaganda:
My grandad told me not to learn te reo Māori – and who could blame him?

‘Hypocritical and unfair’: Councils speak out about Māori wards plan

Leader warns Government changes may kill Māori wards in Northland  

This Breaking Views Update monitors race relations in the media on a weekly basis. New material is added regularly. If you would like to send Letters to the Editor in response to any of these articles, most media addresses can be found HERE

7 comments:

robert Arthur said...

A feature of ornate maori art is that the carving can be expanded to fill the sum extortable. i suppose all the consulted parties get a kick back. And what is Corten steel? Stainless undr a name which sounds less valuable as stolen scrap?
How many will ever notice the sculptures or bother to fathom the obscure message?

Robert Arthur said...

Re 23. I would have thought the Far North council to be the least affectd by a referendum on maori wards.
I bet the citizens of Glenfield wish maori would us some obscure maori name when referring to their previously civiised suburb.

Anonymous said...



NZ/HRC
We have been complaining for weeks about the HRC's attack on the govt.

NZ - despite its generosity to Maori - and all ethnic people - could be insulted at the Geneva at the UN/HRC meeting on 29 April.


Why this late reply to a national insult?

robert Arthur said...

re 24th. Who would have guessed there is a word for maori entrepreneur? Was te Rauparaha one? He ran an extensive flax scraping industry in the SI. The time and effort spent contriving and instilling these words counts as GDP!
With a myriad assistances for maori, and councils and govt favouring maori business, the scene is certainly loaded against mere pure descendants of idle colonists.
It is incredible that the HRC should even consider hiring anyone as fixated as Charters. They will be hiring Moxham and Mutu next. Should provide secure retirement for any Te Pati mps.
I trust any Hauraki fishing ban will apply also to maori with no customary exemptions.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Aotearoa, Aparthide Ethnostate of the South Pacific

Robert Arthur said...


Re 26th. What exactly is a maori earth system scientist? What are qualifications? Who judges output? Native populations may have been as one with nature, but population was hugely less and nature's diseases, food shortages etc took their course without interference. And there was nothing but hand weapons to discourage and deflect the predations of other indigenous human cannibals. Much of the past has no more relevance than digging sticks or coal steam engines. The scope for university staff reduction must be huge.

robert Arthur said...

Re 27 I thoroughly endorse the disbandment of the myriad subversive make work maorification positions throughout govt departments and local bodies, many not so clearly distinguished by title as in Oranga Tamariki situation. It is clear from modern Council documents that enormous maorification input has been involved in many cases. But whether the incumbents displaced will be a greater or lesser risk to civil disruption is questionable. Out of lucrative work, they will be even more embittered than already instilled by their Maori Studies backgroundsand imagine decolonisation indoctrination. With bus driver postings filled with low skill immigrants the displaced will have nothing to do but foment rebellion. The mortgage sales should steady house prices but will not reduce demand for modern fancy state units. Probably a group will tour state subsidised insurrection coordination centres (marae) preaching anti colonist venom.
And where is Awataha marae? What do the neighbours think about endless tangihanga? Each with at east one cannibal war dance haka, and often morbid te ao/tikanga traditional contrived wailing. Is the marae licensed as undertakers are?