Pages

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Breaking Views Update: Week of 22.9.24







Saturday September 28, 2024 

News:
New Plymouth puts Māori principle in green policy

New Plymouth’s council has put kaitiakitanga at the core of a new environmental sustainability policy.

As Parliament gears up for six months of public debate on the principles of Te Tiriti, New Plymouth District Council’s new sustainability policy is “underpinned by principles” about how to put it into practice.

The first of five principles is kaitiakitanga, with a definition lifted directly from iwi agency Te Kōtahitanga o Te Atiawa’s environmental management plan Tai Whenua, Tai Tangata, Tai Ao.

“Kaitiakitanga is an inherent intergenerational responsibility and right of those who are tangata whenua to ensure the wairua and the mauri of environmental and cultural resources within their rohe are healthy and strong, and the life-supporting capacity of these ecosystems is preserved.”....
See full article HERE

Iwi eyes action on reo training cut
Waikato Tainui executive chair Tukuroirangi Morgan says the tribe will add the axing of te reo training for teachers to its legal action against the coalition government.

Education Minister Erica Stanford has shifted the $30 million pūtea for Te Ahu o te Reo Māori to professional development and resources for the new maths curriculum.

Mr Morgan says Tainui’s governance body Te Whakakitenga already has action before the High Court over the crown’s current approach to te reo Māori.

“I’m very interested to see where our lawyers take us on this issue because we have been waiting for tangible evidence in terms of how they are going to treat the reo and clearly they have made the first move and the first move is to kill of the funding that in an undeniable way affects the survival of the language,’ he says.

Mr Morgan says the Government seems obsessed with rolling back the hard-won gains Māori have made over the past 50 years.
See full article HERE

'Threatens to waste healthcare resources': Māori academics ask government to rescind 'colourblind' directive
A group of Māori academics and health workers are asking the government to rescind its recent directive for public services to be based on need, not race.

In an editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, academics including Papaarangi Reid, Elana Curtis and Rhys Jones said the directive will result in wasteful health spending by limiting the ability to target resources at those in greatest need.

One of the authors, public health physician Dr Belinda Loring, said they saw the directive as unjustified and dangerous....
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

Friday September 27, 2024 

News:
Education Minister Erica Stanford reveals $30m cut to te reo Māori funding to boost maths curriculum
$30 million is being stripped from a programme funding teachers learning te reo Māori in order to supercharge the maths curriculum.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Te Ahu o te Reo Māori initiative “isn’t accredited” and is more than double the cost of “similar courses” with a price tag of $100 million.

“An evaluation of the programme found no evidence it directly impacted progress and achievement for students.

“The review also couldn’t quantify what impact the programme had on te reo Māori use in the classroom.”....
See full article HERE

Māori students less likely to achieve University Entrance - ministry
Māori teenagers are less likely to get University Entrance than European students - even after allowing for socio-economic differences, an Education Ministry analysis has found.

The finding comes as the government is eliminating ethnicity for targetting government services and downgrading the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi in its guidelines for school boards of trustees.

The ministry's report found Māori students were just as likely to get an NCEA qualification as European students from similar socio-economic backgrounds, but they were much less likely to achieve University Entrance.....
See full article HERE

Kaipara To Establish New Relationship Agreements With Our Iwi
Having a formal agreement in place with Te Roroa and Te Uri o Hau ensures they make resource available to provide services and knowledge.

Both iwi received bulk funding of $40,000 for Te Roroa and $50,000 for Te Uri o Hau from the Council to deliver services such as blessings, attend relationship meetings and prepare cultural impact assessments. Additional services, such as committee representation, cultural monitoring and engagement and advice around significant projects were paid separately, according to a schedule. Over the last year Council has paid over $89,000 to Te Roroa and over $81,000 to Te Uri o Hau. Some of this was funded by central Government, where it related to externally funded projects.
See full article HERE

Statistics reveal big changes to iwi populations
Iwi affiliation data released today by the Maori-designed platform Te Whata shows iwi populations have increased by an average of 46 percent over the last ten years.

It is the first time census data has been released by an organisation before Stats NZ - part of a partnership between Stats and the Data Iwi Leaders Group.

Lead Technician for the Data Iwi Leaders Group Kirikowhai Mikaere said the data provides a more accurate insight than ever before.....
See full article HERE

Ngāpuhi revealed as largest iwi, new census data says
Ngāpuhi becomes the largest iwi by population with Ngāti Porou following close behind according to newly released data.

The data iwi leaders group Te Kāhui Raraunga, has released new census data providing a more accurate insight for iwi.

This is the second round of iwi data released this year, which updated the 10 largest iwi populations....
See full article HERE

Hastings mana wāhine welcome scholarship support
Three local Hastings mana wāhine have been named as joint recipients of this year’s Annie Aranui Scholarship.

The scholarship was set up in 2021 in memory of Annie Aranui, who was the Ministry of Social Development Regional Commissioner for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti.

The scholarship is administrated and funded by the Hawke’s Bay Youth Futures Trust, and aims to enable and support young mana wāhine into the public sector.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Ele Ludemann: Stopping debate won’t stop division

Propaganda:
Te Pāti Māori warns Govt of ‘million Māori’ wrath over $30m cut to Te Ahu o te Reo Māori programme

TPM issues warning to Govt: Back down or prepare for the wrath of the million Māori

‘We’re sick of it’ - Willie Jackson laments Whakaata Māori cuts

Govt Declares War On Te Reo Speaking Maori Children  

Thursday September 26, 2024 

News:
Changes to Marine and Coastal Area Act pass first reading
A bill unwinding changes that made it easier for iwi to be granted customary marine title has passed its first reading in Parliament.

Amendments to the Marine and Coastal Area Act will now go to the justice select committee for consultation.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith, who is responsible for the bill, said the government intends to pass the legislation before the end of the year....
See full article HERE

Māori Aerospace Group weren't consulted on government's new Space Strategy
The Māori Working Group on Aerospace say they have not been consulted at all on the government's new strategy for space and advanced aviation.

Space Minister Judith Collins launched the New Zealand Space and Advanced Aviation Strategy on Tuesday at the Aerospace Summit in Christchurch.

Working Group chairperson Pauline Harris said it was a shock to hear about the strategy for the first time on Tuesday morning.

The Māori Working Group had been in operation for a number of years to advocate for Māori rights and interests in aerospace, she said.

The strategy makes no reference whatsoever to Māori, a marked shift from the 2023 strategy, she said.....
See full article HERE

Co-governance delivering on Waikato water quality
The chief executive of Waikato Tainui’s governing body Te Whakakitenga o Waikato says the Maori position on water has more support than the Government may be anticipating.

Donna Flavell is speaking at today’s Water New Zealand Conference in Kirikiriroa on how to build resilience from a marae, hapu and iwi perspective.

The co-governance relationships could be seen in the way the iwi was able to work with its partners to manage the river for the tangihanga of Kiingi Tuheitia, including ensuring there was enough flow in the river for his final voyage down to Taupiri.....
See full article HERE

Watercare chair resigns as fix unravels
A High Court challenge has stymied the effort of a small group of Auckland councillors to reduce the influence of Māori on Watercare.

The court has set aside the decision to appoint engineer Geoff Hunt to chair the country’s largest water company, but lawyers for the council and the Houkura Independent Māori Statutory Board are still arguing about what material should be redacted from the judgment.

Houkura successfully argued that a procedural amendment moved by councillor Maurice Williamson breached standing orders, which means the council needs to make a fresh appointment.

It said a panel had unanimously recommended a Māori candidate for the role, but the appointments committee agreed to Williamson’s amendment behind closed doors in the June meeting.....
See full article HERE

Māori fishing rights and whitebaiting
There have always been rules in New Zealand for whitebaiting based on local tikanga and other Māori customary methods.

These rules continue to apply and operate alongside the Whitebait Fishing Regulations 2021. The Whitebait Fishing Regulations 2021 have never applied to Māori fishing rights. These fishing rights are guaranteed to tangata whenua under the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Freshwater Fisheries provisions of the Conservation Act do not affect Māori fishing rights.

The local rūnanga, iwi or hāpu manage customary whitebait fishing in their rohe/area.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
In Search of Solutions - Dr Muriel Newman.

Blowing in the Wind - Anthony Willy

Propaganda:
Creating a reo resistance in Central Otago

Crown Should Prove Their Rights To Foreshore & Seabed

Supreme Court should 'stand up' on customary rights dispute - Parker

Crown Minerals Bill Advances Colonisation  

Wednesday September 25, 2024 

News:
Former councillor Bill Burdett labels Ngati Porou’s roading authority proposal as ridiculous
Former long-serving Gisborne district councillor Bill Burdett has slammed a Ngati Porou proposal for a regional roading authority with joint Crown, council and iwi/hapū governance.

Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou presented the proposal to the Gisborne Transport Committee earlier this month, but Burdett said the runanga had no expertise or background in roading.

Burdett was a Waiapu-Matakaoa-based councillor for 24 years, a long-serving member of the transport committee and a three-term runanga trustee under the leadership of the late Dr Apirana Mahuika.

The proposal of the runanga to have a governance role in roading was “quite ridiculous” and it was not the role of an iwi to be involved in roading, he said....
See full article HERE

Tamihere offers way to Green peace
Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere says the party’s door is open to former Green MP Darlene Tana – and another former Green, Elizabeth Kerekere.

The High Court on Friday cleared the way for the Green Party to invoke the party-hopping legislation and ask the Speaker to remove Ms Tana from parliament....
See full article HERE

Ngāti Ōtara Marae revival
A $45,000 boost will lead vital repairs and project management at Ngāti Ōtara Marae, a cornerstone of the South Auckland community.

Auckland Council’s Planning, Environment and Parks Committee has allocated 2024/2025 Cultural Initiatives Funding to seven marae development projects, including three first-time recipients.

The fund provides annual contestable grants for marae and Māori housing projects in Tāmaki Makaurau.....
See full article HERE

Wellington mayor clarifies council not looking to break law over Māori referendum
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has had to make another clarifying public statement – this time to say the council is not looking at breaking the law over a referendum on a Māori ward.

Whanau appeared on the BFG podcast where she confirmed her council had sought legal advice on challenging the need for a referendum but she said “it is not looking great”.

She was told that simply not running the referendum would essentially amount to breaking the law and there could be a fine.

“She was highlighting that there have been calls from some in the community to disregard the referendum, but that her position is that we must take our guidance from mana whenua, particularly on this issue.

“The advice from them has been to proceed with a referendum (that we strongly believe will see Wellingtonians vote to retain the ward), rather than the alternative, which was to vote to disestablish the Māori ward.”....
See full article HERE

Mike Wilson loses realtor licence for not completing Māori cultural course
A realtor and Married at First Sight contestant has had his real estate licence cancelled for failing to complete a controversial course on Māori culture and tikanga.

Michael Wilson claimed he could not complete the course, called Te Kākano (The Seed), because he was filming the reality television show over six weeks and could not check his emails.

The course drew headlines earlier this year when fellow realtor Janet Dickson challenged its validity and refused to complete it.....
See full article HERE

ACT concerned by university's travel funding guidelines
The ACT Party is criticising a policy giving academics who identify as Māori and Pasifika preference when applying for travel, as disadvantaging to those with the 'wrong' ancestry.

ACT obtained a copy of Auckland University of Technology's (AUT) guidelines for funding researcher travel which gives 30 percent more points for Māori researchers and 20 percent more for Pasifika.

ACT Party Tertiary Education and Skills spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar said allocating travel funding based on race was disrespectful to those who would otherwise get funding based on merit.

"ACT is deeply concerned that universities who fail to uphold equal opportunity for students and academics damage their own reputations and place divisive political ideology ahead of value for taxpayers," Parma said.

In a statement to RNZ, AUT said the policy reflected its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"There is a critical shortage of Māori and Pacific academic staff in the university sector and our policy supports the need to address this.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Dr Michael Bassett: Iwi bandits at work

Propaganda:
Treaty Principles Bill: What you need to know  

Tuesday September 24, 2024 

News:
Calls for more reo Māori teachers in secondary schools as demand increases
Just 15% of secondary schools in Aotearoa have a reo Māori teacher, while demand for learning has grown significantly.

On the back Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebrations this past week, the Post Primary Teachers' Association Te Wehengarua (PPTA) said it was timely to reflect on the worsening shortage of teachers of te reo Māori.....
See full article HERE

Former Treaty lawyer Moana Tuwhare welcomed to Ngāpuhi top role
Regaining the trust of hapū, ensuring the voice of youth is heard, and "stabilising the waka" - those are just some of the goals of the former Treaty lawyer appointed to Ngāpuhi's top job.

Tuwhare, a mokopuna of renowned poet Hone Tuwhare, said she had worked in law for 19 years, managing Treaty claims, Māori Land and general court matters, and many whānau, hapū and iwi issues.

Much of her work had been with hapū of Ngāpuhi.

Her key role in the Waitangi Tribunal's ground-breaking Stage 1 Te Paparahi o Te Raki inquiry had given her in-depth knowledge of He Whakaputanga, or the Declaration of Independence, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"So I have a very solid understanding of our people's position on what the intention of our rangatira was when they signed Te Tiriti in 1840. And that translates to having a solid understanding of what the relationship between us and the government needs to look like now for it to be genuine."....
See full article HERE

MP sets Indigenous course from summit
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana Rawhiti Maipi Clarke has urged Indigenous youth to kick down the doors of colonisation.

Speaking at the One Young World Summit in Montreal, Canada where she was given a Politician of the Year award, the Hauraki Waikato MP said she never walked alone, which is why she brought her family, her kura and her party with her.

She paid tribute to her grandparents for opening the gates which allowed her to kick down the door.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Caleb Anderson: The Treaty ... an unbridgeable abyss no more

Damien Grant: Church leaders wrong over Treaty debate risks

Propaganda:
Anthony Hōete: The future of Māori architecture

‘Māori are not a garnish’

We owe it to Uncle Toni

Reckoning with reo revival

Students From Across South Auckland Take Part In A Bilingual Hiikoi To Revive Te Puhinui  

Sunday September 22, 2024 

News:
AT transporting te reo Māori through Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland Transport (AT) has been rolling out te reo Māori on its public transport network for the past seven years, and now has 100 per cent of buses completed.

Over that period, one particular voice has resounded in busses, trains and ferries throughout the city - the te reo Māori announcements by Josy Peita....
See full article HERE

Hapū-led partnership launched to protect globally significant Kaipara ecosystems, endangered species
A new hapū-led initiative, Poipoia Te Kākano, aims to protect the delicate ecosystems and endangered species of the Kaipara catchment.

A partnership agreement was signed into effect today at Te Hana Ao Marama Marae by Te Uri o Hau, Te Roroa, Ngā Maunga Whakahii, Auckland Council, Northland Regional Council, and the Department of Conservation.

The partnership is named Puawai ki Kaipara and the initial aim is to rid the five peninsulas encircling the Kaipara Harbour of pests, which include possums, rats, stoats, weasels, ferrets, pigs and feral cats. This area covers 105,000 hectares.

Once this is achieved the project will extend into the entire Kaipara catchment area, which is an additional 543,000 hectares.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Loss of historic Māori reserve land in Timaru still hurts  

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

9 comments:

Robert Arthur said...

Presumably the total cost of te reo on AT has been calculated. It is absurd that ratepayers subsidise this mana seeking campaign for no purpose relative to transport. On unfamiliar routes I find it very tedious having to listen carefully to separate out the information from the token twaddle. On familiar routes the unnecessarily extended background babble is very distracting. Of course the feedback is positive. Instead of soothing tribal encouragement, the rebuff of non simpering comments render these an obvious waste of time.
Are the unfortunates who live near stations subject to a double dose of what must be mental torture announcements?
Improvement of the Kaipara is commendable. But the bleak poor soil hinterland would seem to offer huge scope for rail access landfill dumps. Hopefully harbour conservation will not totally preclude.

Anonymous said...

"Calls for more reo Māori teachers in secondary schools as demand increases". Yeah right! Gaslighting alert.

robert arthur said...


24th. With the deplorable standard of achievement in core subjects, , and especially by maori, in NZ secondary schools, it is remarkable that there is clamour for yet more hobby te reo teachers to further divert student application. For teachers who have slogged through BSc, MSc, BA, MA etc , in technical topics and maths it must be very dispiriting working alongside teachers with mere vague dubiously tested te reo ability. Little wonder teaching is not an attractive vocation for the objective.
As was to be expected, MP Clarke has, along with a myriad other maori, progressed from the vague "imagining decolonisaion" to plotting and advocating the kicking down of the door of colonisation. Hoatu he keromatua tango te waewae. At what stage do her actions constitute sedition? It seems he family has accompanied her. I trust arranegements have been made for the continued education in core subjects of any children whilst tripping the world .Otherwise when they lag, discrimination will be blamed.

Robert Arthur said...

A cool $588,000 of Auckalnd ratepayer money for insurgency coordination centres (marae). This will only strenghten marae ability to hatch mana gaining plans to further exploit council naivety. I belong to a hobby social group which serves to productively occupy several citizens with no contrived extortions of council or public or deliberate mana seeking affronts. We would much appreciate subsidised premises.

Robert Arthur said...

if maori influence over the Waikato River was confined to ensure enough water between Ngaurawahia and tairua to convey a waka on the occassin of a maori monarch death, the public would be much placated.
The maori white baiting rights are astonishing. Incredibaly these seem to have received very little publicity. Even resale seems not to be precuded.

Robert arthur said...

Replyiong to my own post. My computer is very unstable with the current BV format and above was "published" prematurely. Tairua should of course read Taupiri.
Incidentally no one consulted me about the aerospace policy either, and I would have charged no fee or expenses.

Robert Arthur said...

re 27th. At last a govt with spine. Not $30 million should have been diverted from te reo to basic arithmetic for teachers, but all $100 million. Until such time as NZ youth and maori in particualr achieve national norms in 21st century relevant arithmetic, English, and in written composition, all teaching of now mostly contrived stone age derived obsolete hobby language te reo should be suspended. it will be interesting (although predictable) to see how the Waitangi Tribunal handles the diversion. They will not resist involvement.
The Kaipara situation illustrates how farcical the consultation/culture industry has become. Apart from the direct costs there is the time of all concerned tip toeing around the devious reports. I am surprised maori do not strive to do better at English at school. This would further enhance their ability to write obstructive extortionate mana gaining reports. I wonder if an AI programme is available yet. Councils should certainly cooperate to acquire a counter one.
Could it be that racial differences in attitude explain the poor UE achievement of maori? For centuries food was provided largely by nature and required no great initiative to gather. The communal society actively penalised and countered personal achievement (Polak et al.) The State has replaced nature as provider. Still no great intitiative is required to maintain a life with high leisure content. The instinctive drive to betterment which channelled so many colonists here and which drives them to strive, including for UE, is largely devoid.

robert Arthur said...

re 28th. The New Plymouth Council has clearly succumbed to the power of cancellation. It flies the rangatiratanga flag with its hideous indicative symbolism of black surfing in on the back of white over a sea of supporting red socialism and spilt blood. Potentially particularly obstructive and time and money wasting is the statement "Council will engage face to face and take guidance from iwi and hapu Management Plans and environment sustainablity matters". Apparently no scope for difference of approach. I wonder if the face to face will be with a haka and other potentially violent party present to ensure appropriate level of intimidation cancellation threat.

Anonymous said...

When Tuku Morgan et al invoke legal action over something that is threatening his and fellow piece of work Tamahere's Maorification activities (such as axing of te reo training for teachers or resetting MACA to where it was intended) one knows the coalition is onto something good for the whole of New Zealand. Far from backing off, we need more of what makes them feel the need to reach for the legal eagles.