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Friday, June 28, 2024

Breaking Views Update: Week of 23.6.24







Friday June 28, 2024 

News:
Demographics fuel racist fears

Veteran journalist Paddy Gower says rapidly changing demographics are scaring Aotearoa-New Zealand ‘s baby-boomer white population.

Mr Gower told Radio Waatea host She Te Pou those pākeha born in the 1950s and 60s seem to feel the most threatened.

“Let’s face it, these pākeha baby boomers hold a lot of the power in this country, a lot of the sway, and a lot of the debate – and they’re the ones that go out and vote. And that’s where a lot of these views sit, you know? Old white men are scared of what’s coming,” he says.

Mr Gower says Aotearoa-New Zealand could be a more powerful nation if racial differences were either embraced, or not worried about at all.....
See full article HERE

Corporate change award recognises indigenous impact at Microsoft
Isaac Morunga, at just 25 years old, has been named one of the latest recipients of the prestigious Matihiko Awards, which celebrate excellence and contributions across digital projects.

Morunga, a global chapter leader for Indigenous communities at Microsoft New Zealand, was awarded the Corporate Change Award for his impactful work in the industry.

“The organisation has been able to embrace kaupapa Māori but I’ve also been able to elevate indigenous voices,” he says.....
See full article HERE

Closure of our Hiwa-i-te-rangi programme and launch of Rautaki Māori
On the 2nd of July 2021, in time with the appearance of the Matariki star cluster in the sky, we launched Hiwa-i-te-rangi, our three-year programme to bring to life our commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua. At the launch, our former Chief Executive Rhys Jones spoke about how this programme was a watershed moment for our organisation as it signals that we will do better by Māori and Piki Thomas spoke about the importance of needing everyone in our waka doing their bit no matter how big or small their contribution is.

This morning, once again under the presence of Matariki, we acknowledged the successes of Hiwa-i-te-rangi to research, pilot and implement ways our organisation can improve the way we serve and connect with Māori communities.

The work of Hiwa-i-te-rangi has developed:....
See full article HERE

Māori Strategic Framework 2030 - Otago University
The University's commitment to iwi aspirations and Māori development is articulated in its Māori Strategic Framework, which is a platform for the collective commitment to excellence in educational outcomes for all who come to Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. We wish our students and our staff every success in their academic and professional endeavours.....
See full article HERE

Harvard bound: four scholarships fuel constitutional research
Currently a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers in Wellington, the law scholar graduated with a joint Bachelor of Arts and Laws (Hons) from the University in 2019.

She intends to use her time at Harvard Law School to further study constitutional and democratic theory. This will allow her to consider the bases for legislative and judicial authority, how New Zealand’s unique history affects those justifications, and what this means for legal developments in New Zealand, such as climate litigation and how the Treaty of Waitangi should be incorporated into New Zealand law.

Hannah says greater recognition of te Tiriti as a constitutional document in New Zealand law is long overdue, although there are questions about how such recognition should be effected and whether it’s legitimate for development to continue solely through the courts.

Hannah hopes to contribute meaningfully to Aotearoa’s Treaty jurisprudence and the direction in which the law is headed in the near future.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Winston Peters: Support for Maori Ward referendum

Propaganda:
How AI is helping Māori recover their own voices

Northland councils stick with Māori wards despite Government push

Upskilling crucial for Pacific and Māori workforce to navigate 'tough times'


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

Thursday June 27, 2024 

News:
Timaru Mayor finds the number of mayors against Māori ward referendums "strange"
66% of New Zealand's mayors have signed a letter against the Government's Māori ward changes but one mayor says it's a good thing.

A Parliament select committee's recommended the Māori Wards Bill go ahead.

It will force councils which established Māori wards since 2021 to hold a referendum in next year's local election on whether they should stay.

Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen didn't sign onto the letter and told Mike Hosking that the Government's proposal makes sense.

He says if councils want to make changes to local democracy by adding the wards, they should have to go to the people.....
See full article HERE

Te Pati Maori says claims against Manurewa Marae - say a lot about how its processes are viewed
The Public Service Commission is investigating claims information collected at the marae was used during the Party's election campaign -- which it denies.

Returning to Parliament for the first time since the claims emerged, Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the Party welcomes the review -- and stands by the marae.

She says it shows any time Maori try to do something to engage more people in democracy, they aren't allowed to do it the way they need to.....
See full article HERE

ASB To Propel Rising Māori Business Stars
To coincide with Matariki, ASB has launched Te Mātahi, a new business lending programme aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and growing the Māori economy. By providing access to capital, the programme will help established Māori businesses to upscale alongside additional support.

The programme will initially work with a small number of high-growth Māori businesses that are underpinned by cultural values and integrate Te Ao Māori into the way they operate.

Following the pilot, it is intended that Te Mātahi will be opened up to a wider range of Māori-owned businesses, ensuring the benefits of the fund ripple out across the Māori economy.....
See full article HERE

Mammoth digital artwork unveiled at Auckland Uni
The six-metre-tall video installation has been unveiled at the University of Auckland’s recently refurbished B201 building.

Māramatanga is the first major digital work to be commissioned by the University of Auckland Art Collection. It is one of the largest artworks to reside at the City Campus and one of the only digital artworks currently on permanent display.

The 20-minute video installation is publicly accessible and visible from outside on Symonds Street, where it can be enjoyed by students, staff, visitors to the University and the wider community in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

“The video begins with a drone shot over Hokianga Harbour, with dancer Maaka Pepene who references navigators like Kupe. This imagery, blending the outside with the inside, reflects the building’s essence and adds a sense of humanity and fun.”

Māramatanga showcases six performers embodying ātua and ancestral figures that draw inspiration from the carvings in the nearby whare whakairo of Waipapa Marae, Tāne-nui-a-rangi.

The walls of Tāne-nui-a-rangi depict captains and priest-navigators of the canoes that brought the ancestors of various iwi to Aotearoa, as well as Tangi’ia, an ancestor connecting the major Pacific islands with New Zealand.....
See full article HERE

Biblical writ saves Matariki holiday
New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones says the party is comfortable with leaving the Matariki public holiday as it is.

While coalition partner ACT opposed the creation of the midwinter holiday, Mr Jones says his party has more pressing issues around revitalising the economy.

He takes guidance on Matariki from the Book of Job.

“Job looks up at the sky in the Bible nd then he poses the question ‘who can join Pleides and Rigel?” Matariki and Tautoru, so as old as the Bible is, Matariki has been around. New Zealand First has no intention of trying to pluck Matariki either from the political sky or the celestial sky,” he says.
See full article HERE

Articles:
Samira Taghavi: What happens to societies when dissent is crushed?

Cam Slater: Voters Want a Say on Maori Wards  

Wednesday June 26, 2024 

News:
Māori wards bill: Parliament Select Committee says law change should go ahead
A parliamentary select committee has recommended the Māori wards bill go ahead amid strong opposition from its Labour members who say it will be intentionally harmful to Māori, breach the Treaty of Waitangi and lead to an system that is “structurally racist”.

The coalition Government’s Māori wards bill would revert the law back to the old rules for establishing the wards and require a binding referendum on wards that were established since 2020 without a referendum.

Parliament’s Justice committee has been considering submissions on the bill, and its recently released report stated the committee “recommends by majority it is passed” along with some technical amendments.....
See full article HERE

“Fast Track Bill Pulls Credibility Of Crown’s Apology Into Question” - Ngāti Manuhiri
“Throughout the Fast Track Approvals Bill process, there is a pervasive undertone that consents opposed by mana whenua and subsequently denied, get in the way of the progress of our nation, and that the obligation to engage with iwi and hapū Māori is problematic.

“Yet every iwi and hapū that has settlement legislation—absolutely every single one—includes an admission from the Crown that it has encroached upon, and sometimes wholly extinguished, the rights of Māori.”

“I have no other option than to assume that the Crown was genuine with its apology, so I seek just one thing: when ensuring a fast track for development, do not fast-track the abdication of duty the Crown owes to iwi and hapū Māori.”....
See full article HERE

Taranaki land rent due
Paraninihi ki Waitotara Incorporation is in arbitration this week with the West Coast Settlement Reserves Lessees Association over what lessees should pay to use some of the country’s best dairying land.

About 250 of the incorporation’s 300-plus properties across Taranaki are leased out under a legislative framework that provides for seven-yearly rent reviews based on the unimproved value of the land.

Last financial year the incorporation receiveed $7 million in rent from 20,000 hectares of leased land.....
See full article HERE

Wellington sludge plant gifted Māori name
A te reo Māori name for the sludge minimisation facility being built at Moa Point has been formalised during a site blessing today.

The name, Te Whare Wai Para Nuku, was gifted during a Matariki ceremony at the construction site this morning.

Sludge minimisation facility project director, Janet Molyneux says it has always been important that the way sludge is treated aligns with the values of mana whenua......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Clive Bibby: Equality of opportunity

Gary Judd KC: The rule of law is not a political tool  

Tuesday June 25, 2024  

News:
Waitangi Tribunal: Record number of urgent claims
Since the beginning of the year, the tribunal has heard urgent claims on topics as different as the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, the repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act and Māori Ward referendums. What ties them together is that each issue relates to policies laid out in the new Government’s coalition agreements.

The tribunal put it this way in their urgent report on Māori Wards and Constituencies: “We wish to make the general point that a consistent theme runs through this and other recent urgent applications to the tribunal: ‘An assumption on the part of the Government that the coalition agreements that led to its formation override or take precedence over the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi’.”

As seen throughout the year at places like the Hui ā Motu at Turangawaewae and at subsequent hui, when there is a concern that by and for Māori policies are being eroded away, Māori people will fight it through whatever means available. So even though the findings of the Waitangi Tribunal are only recommendations, it is a powerful body to give Māori concerns a voice.....
See full article HERE

Māori ward polls to be rammed through
The justice select committee has recommended a bill to reintroduce referendums for Māori wards be passed with only technical changes – but Labour and Green Party members on the committee wrote dissents slamming the process.

The majority report noted without comment that the Waitangi Tribunal found the Government’s prioritising of its political agenda over the desires of Māori for dedicated political representation at a local level breached the Crown’s duty to actively protect the rights and interests of Māori.

Reintroducing polls when councils want to create Maori seats was inequitable and discriminatory and a barrier for Māori representation in local government.....
See full article HERE

Strong Support Across All Demographics For Māori Wards To Be Decided By Local Referenda
A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll has revealed that a majority of New Zealanders believe that the final decision maker on the introduction or disestablishment of Māori Wards should be local voters via a referendum as opposed to local mayors and councillors.

Voters were asked: “Who should be the final decision maker on the introduction or disestablishment of Māori wards and constituencies on local councils? Local mayors and councillors or local voters in a referendum.”

58% of respondents believed local voters should be the final decision maker while just 23% believed it should be left to local mayors and councillors. The remaining 19% were unsure.....
See full article HERE

Extra $3.1m for visitor centre on Taranaki Maunga
The Government has allocated $3.1m to help Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa develop the North Taranaki Visitor Centre on Taranaki Maunga.

The centre is part of the Tapuae Roa Taranaki Crossing project, connecting and upgrading a network of walking tracks on the maunga.

The funding is included in about $20m announced by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka, to “support Māori to boost development and the Māori economy through investment in projects that benefit the regions”.

In a press release Potaka said the $3.1m would enable Te Atiawa to own and operate a special tourism asset while providing the cultural narrative of the maunga.....
See full article HERE

Tihei: Justice programme welcomes new support roles
Te Whānau-a-Apanui celebrated a key milestone within the Apanui Justice Programme on May 9, 2024, at Te Kaha Marae.

The programme welcomed Roka Stainton, Meri-Ann Matchitt, Ana-Mei Rika, and Nesia Kane into the roles that will support whānau engaged in various stages within the justice system.

“With each kaimahi being a descendant of Te Whānau-a-Apanui, the shared whakapapa was warmly received by the iwi. Having these kaimahi in place now, signals a new era for the Apanui Justice Programme as the kaupapa continues towards the betterment of Te Whānau-a-Apanui iwi and generations to come,” Elvis Shepard, Te Whānau-a-Apanui mandated representative, said.....
See full article HERE

Goldsmith says no change on large natural groupings
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says he’s sticking with the policy of large natural groupings for treaty settlements.

Mr Goldsmith fronted up to the Maori affairs select committee last week for a scrutiny hearing on the activities of Te Arawhiti, which is responsible for negotiations.

There has been little activity in the portfolio, apart from progressing legislaton for settlements done by the previous Government.

Mr Goldsmith says the process will never achieve perfection, and ministers are looking for settlements the majority of an iwi or hapu are comfortable with.

Large natural groupings have been the basis of the process.....
See full article HERE

Motu protest as Ngāpuhi deal stalls
Labour MP Peeni Henare says the Government is brushing off the issues raised by an occupation of an island in the far north.

The Department of Conservation has ordered 85-year-old Order of New Zealand recipient Matutaera Clendon to leave Moturua Island north of Matauri Bay, after he returned to his birthplace in early May.

He gave evidence to the Waitangi Tribunal about how central and local government agencies colluded to take the land from his whanau, and says he doesn’t have enough time to wait for the Ngapuhi settlement to be concluded.....
See full article HERE

Coalition Government’s other fast track bill supported by some iwi Māori
A coalition Government bill to automatically extend all marine fish and mussel farm consents by 20 years is supported by fish farm-owning iwi Māori even though other iwi and environmental activists oppose it.

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) and Forest & Bird oppose the bill, which was tabled in response to a “bottleneck” of over 500 fish, mussel and oyster farm consents coming to an end this year.

The coalition Government sees the bill as a way of bringing certainty to the industry, and sparing the aquaculture industry the $20,000 to $100,00 cost for farm owners to extend their consents.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Can the courts measure mana? How Māori tikanga is challenging the justice system  

Monday June 24, 2024 

News:
How coalition Government is resetting Crown entities to end Labour’s social agenda
In the 2019 letter, Robertson set out how Crown entities ranging from the NZ Lotteries Commission to Air New Zealand to the Commerce Commission should operate to help the Government reshape the country.

It told them to prioritise safe, diverse, inclusive workplaces, and to embody “the Government’s good-faith and collaborative approach to Māori Crown relationships”, Robertson wrote.

That included building staff Māori cultural capability, and “improving the Treaty-consistency of policy and practices”, as well as supporting the revitalisation of te Reo Māori.....
See full article HERE

Manurewa Marae subject of complaints during local council elections
Complaints about Manurewa Marae — including that staff collected voting papers as they delivered campaign advertising — were made during the 2022 local body elections, but were not referred to police.

Earlier this month, a government inquiry was established after the Sunday Star-Times revealed allegations that census data and private information collected during a Covid-19 immunisation drive run out of the marae, was used to help Te Pāti Māori’s general election campaign.

The marae was used as a voting place during the election last year; controversial because Kemp was running as a Te Pāti Māori candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau seat....
See full article HERE

Auckland iwi launch first ceremonial waka in a quarter-century
It was a cold and wet, but certainly not miserable morning in Tāmaki Makaurau on Sunday, as central Auckland-based iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei launched their first ceremonial waka in nearly 25 years.

The waka is named Te Kawau, both a reflection of their ancestor Apihai Te kawau and the Kawau bird. The name was chosen during a seven hour-long wānanga on Saturday....
See full article HERE


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

12 comments:

Robert Arthur said...

In view of the apparent performance these Enduring Letters of Expectation have received remarkably little publicity and comment in the past. How many of the public have ever heard of? It is incredibe how the msm failed to pick up on or to perceive any down side to the Labour maorificatin policy. Just shows how successful education brain washing can be.
I trust all the waka in the rain participants have been provided by govt and other landlords with warm dry homes to spend subsequent m.d.o sick levae in.

Anonymous said...

It will take more than a reset in expectations to have a positive, enduring effect on these entities, there will be enormous hysteresis between receipt of those letters and meaningfull action to enact the revised requirements. Without adequate compliance monitoring and control (something sadly lacking across the board) there will be little or no change in the modus operandi of the subject Crown entities. Just saying something will be so do not make it so!

Scott said...

"the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, the repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act and Māori Ward referendums".
None of the above matters have anything to do with historic land claims. I'd like to see the Waitangi tribunal quickly complete its work on land claims and then shut down. We appear to be descending into a never ending spiral of tribal interests that only divide our country. The Waitangi tribunal needs to have an end date in my opinion.

robert Arthur said...

re 25th .If the govt is applying some theme to matters especially affecting maori, it is that the interpretation of the Treaty adopted by the Tribunal and other insurgent maori is not in accord with the intention or understanding of both sides originally or subsequently until the relatively recent artfully contrived and propagated reinterpretations.
I am curious how operation of the Egmont visitor centre will be funded. It will be very quiet much of the time and a gentle lurk for staff. I trust all visitors to the mountain and climbers will not be charged (as I understand Tarawera, Punakaikai, and apparently schemed for Waikaremoana.)

re 26th. The fast establishing tikanga of gifting names intrigues. Hopefully there is some discreet prior consultation. Unlike pink socks for a xmas present no ooption not to wear. A gift is comething given without charge or necessarily a reverse obligation. Does this apply? And what does Matariki have to do with a sewage treatment plant(a concept foreign to maori. Dr Turbott used to tell of the difficulty of convincing maori to adopt long drops). Who paid for the ceremony? Any free feed involved?

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Māori wards bill, it would seem that the timescales are still as proposed in the original bill. What a travesty, Maori wards will continue to be imposed on an unwilling populace until 2028 if obdurate councils so choose. By then, we could have Labour et al back in the driving seat with their pedal to the metal on He Puapua and full tribal rule - oh joy! Mahuta killed democracy regarding the Maori wards with extreme haste under urgency and the current coalition should have extinguished it with the same level of haste. They have failed NZ.

robert Arthur said...

re 27th Prior 1840 maori conveniently devoured one another to near extinction in the Timaru area. The maori population remains low, with the maori blood even more dilute than elsewhere. So the local mayor clearly does not grasp the crippling power of cancellation as applies elsewhere in less favoured areas, and hence the number of mayors who have deemed it prudent to pander to maori and oppose a public vote for maori wards.
Like many able persons Shane Jones seems to have a remarkable memory. With so many alternative entertainments readily available I find it hard to believe he regularly reads the bible for strictly religious purpose. Possibly he has one of those very indexed versions to assist locating all those quotes. Sadly his many biblical allusions are mostly lost on today's public. However for parallels with NZ today Job is a promising source.

Anonymous said...

"Wellington sludge plant gifted Māori name" - what a load of crap

Robert Arthur said...

re 28th Lke Basil Fawlty's wife, Paddy Gower seems to have a degree in the bleeding obvious. Of course whiteys are scared. In many cases they and their predecessors have made huge sacrifice in time and energy to create a civilised advanced country with fair laws in theory and application. Reversion to a race discriminating tribal culture only recently emerged from the stone age and retaining many features is of wide concern.

The intelligent presumably Chinese law student is a concern. The fear is that as with others similar, the academic lure of the law and the fees available for meddling with will supersede concern for the long term orderly development of the country and the fate of ordinary citizens at their directly involved level.

Anonymous said...

Paddy Gower, oh for Gawd's sake! If you want what is coming you are welcome to it. Some of us have seen what it is like in reality and that is what makes it scary for us old whiteys with a bit of that scary experience. Anyone who wishes that kind of society upon its children is a sadist, and a stupid one at that, pure and simple.

Anonymous said...

Gower is a brought and paid for shill.

Anonymous said...

Matariki .... aaah so fundamental to pre colonial Maori that it warrants a public holiday.

Here's a thought. Let's abandon the Julian calendar and run time, date and season by the pre colonialial maori system.

Who knows, it might even take over the world.

Anonymous said...

Better still, dump the Gregorian calendar system!