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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Breaking Views Update: Week of 9.2.25







Saturday February 15, 2025 

News:
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi Enters Members Bill To Establish Mokopuna Māori Authority

Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"This authority will be the primary national agency that ensures the care and protection for mokopuna and tamariki Māori, prioritising whakapapa because whānau know what is best for their own mokopuna, not the state," said Te Pāti Māori Spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.....
See full article HERE

Agency and iwi sign Kawenata
Strokes of pens at Whakatū Marae on Tuesday marked a new era for an agency seeking an intergenerational approach to strengthening the economy and well-being of the rohe (area).

Te Tauihu Community Development Agency (TTCDA) was initiated in July 2024 as the first regional entity dedicated to supporting, connecting, and advocating for the more than 1400 Te Tauihu for-purpose organisations.

The signing of the Kawenata (treaty) by eight local iwi others in both personal and agency capacities for a partnership with the agency embedded values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and rangatiratanga into TTCDA’s operations....
See full article HERE

Co-Chair Of The National Iwi Chairs Forum Pou Tikanga
"I look forward to promoting the development of a written constitution that will help us achieve our goals, and ultimately, the vision of ensuring that all whanau can reach their full potential."....
See full article HERE

‘Something to be proud of’: Whanganui council signs up to iwi partnership
Whanganui District councillors have voted in favour of signing up to a binding, long-term partnership with Whanganui Māori.

The council has agreed to adopt a relationship agreement with Whanganui hapū and jointly establish a charitable social wellbeing entity and a statutory reserves board to manage specific reserves.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Bob Edlin: If it’s called “kai” and it’s for a tangi, then (under the Treaty) a cultural case can be made for taxpayers to chip in

Parliamentary Sovereignty Hangs in the Balance - Dr Muriel Newman

Supreme Court’s Rush to Judgment is a Constitutional Wake-up Call

Propaganda:
‘Our tribe was made landless in modern times’

Treaty Principles Bill sparks flag flying revival

New report reveals Covid-19's disproportionate impact on Māori and Pacific people

Treaty Principles Bill: Former PM Sir Geoffrey Palmer says Govt process ‘fundamentally flawed’

Potaka says TIPENE reopening, showcases Māori educational excellence

A taonga of Waitangi - Inside the forum tent

How Whanganui River Māori helped fill gaps in critical data

Māori Tourism Driving Economic Growth

Māori tourism worth over $1 billion a year, report finds

Treaty Principles Bill: Far North mayor says law would place near ‘impossible’ costs on council

Ngāi Te Rangi connecting uri to their heritage

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 February 13, 2025

News:
Iwi claim challenges parliamentary sovereignty, Crown says
The High Court isn’t the appropriate place to solve a South Island iwi’s claims over freshwater, the Crown says.

Ngāi Tahu leaders, and the collective Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, are taking legal action against the Attorney-General, demanding to be involved in decision-making over freshwater. Iwi want the Crown to recognise Ngāi Tahu’s rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over freshwater (wai māori) in its territory (takiwā).

On day two of a two-month trial, Mike Colson KC, on behalf of the Attorney-General, said declarations sought by Ngāi Tahu were best dealt with by the Waitangi Tribunal, a recommendation-only body established in 1975 to investigate Treaty of Waitangi claims.....
See full article HERE

Salvation Army Report highlights ongoing struggles for Māori
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report reveals worsening disparities for Māori in imprisonment rates, employment, and cultural identity.

Released today, the report shows a decline in Māori confidence to express their identity, dropping from 84% in 2018 to 75% in 2024.

Māori remain seven times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Māori, with youth recidivism rising to 41.6%.

While Māori workers experienced a 5.5% income increase, unemployment remains disproportionately high at 8.8%.....
See full article HERE

Kaipara council seeks $24k costs after Māori ward court case
Kaipara District Council is seeking to recover costs after Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua unsuccessfully challenged its decision to abolish Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward.

Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson said the High Court had ruled KDC could apply for up to $24,000 in costs, and his council was seeking the maximum of this amount.

Jepson said the council had spent more than $160,000 defending the High Court challenge and therefore believed it should be able to claim more.....
See full article HERE

Leon Symes | Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Chairman
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust is launching legal action in the High Court to support Ngāi Tahu’s Freshwater Claim. They’re pushing for the Crown to recognize iwi and hapū rights over freshwater in their region, Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, including rivers like the Wairoa River and Lake Waikaremoana. The hearing is set for March 12.....
See full article HERE

Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris ‘deliberately misled’ House, should apologise - committee
The Privileges Committee has found Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris deliberately misled the House and recommended he be required to apologise for denying he had called other Members of Parliament “liars”.

A report just released by the powerful committee said Ferris had “committed a contempt” and causing the House to be misled “is a serious matter”....
See full article HERE

Bill seeks to protect whenua Māori rights
Greens MP Huhana Lyndon says her private member’s bill is a way to protect whenua Māori and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

The Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill will prevent a Minister or local authority from taking Māori freehold and customary land for public works without the consent of the owners, kaitiaki, and other persons with an interest in the land.

Lyndon says the only avenue for historic Māori land reclamation is through the Treaty settlement process. However, when schools, railway lines, and roads are no longer in use, the land is still not returned, despite being viable for repurposing.....
See full article HERE

Oral submissions on Boot Camp Bill underway in parliament
Among the submitters, Rukuwai Tipene-Allen told the committee that the due process of the bill was unnecessary.

“As a country, we should be ashamed that so soon after the largest enquiry into state abuse, we are now debating a legislation that will legislate the very conditions that have left generations, particularly Māori, traumatised in state care.”…
See full article HERE

Articles:
Centrist: Ngāi Tahu fights Crown in court over freshwater co-management

Centrist: Govt moves to curb Māori studies mandate for realtors

Video:
Michael Laws Criticises Ngāi Tahu’s Water Management Plan

Wednesday February 12, 2025 

News:
Top detective assigned to investigation into Te Pāti Māori over alleged data misuse
One of the country’s top cops, Detective Superintendent Ross McKay, is leading a team of investigators in the inquiry into Te Pāti Māori over allegations of census data misuse.

The allegations stem from a group of former workers at Manurewa Marae who said private data from Census forms was photocopied and entered into a database they believed Te Pāti Māori used to target voters ahead of the general election in 2023.....
See full article HERE

Waikato River settlement at risk in government's water plans - council
The government's proposed new water delivery legislation over-rides Treaty of Waitangi settlement obligations and will be "problematic" for the ongoing protection of the Waikato River, according to one of the country's largest local authorities.

But whether or not Hamilton City Council will formally raise concerns over the new national standards in the Local Government Water Services Bill will be up to elected members.....
See full article HERE

Court claim seeks to force water co-management
Individual Ngāi Tahu leaders, and the collective group Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, are taking the Attorney-General to court in an attempt to force the Crown to recognise its rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over freshwater (wai māori) in its territory (takiwā).

The two-month hearing, before Justice Melanie Harland, started in Christchurch on Monday, 52 months after the claim was filed. It took so long to get to a hearing that two of the tribe’s plaintiffs – Bishop Richard Wallace, of Makaawhio, and Theo Bunker, of Wairewa – and proposed witness Charlie Crofts, a former Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere, died in the interim....
See full article HERE

Whau park gifted dual Māori name
A Māori name has been generously gifted to Sister Rene Shadbolt Park in the Whau, marked with a small celebration to share the meaning and significance of the name.

Tiakina was gifted by local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki, creating the dual name of Tiakina / Sister Rene Shadbolt Park. The park sits at the junction of New Lynn, Blockhouse Bay and Green Bay.....
See full article HERE

Nanaia Mahuta advocates for Māori partnerships in local government
Former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says Māori partnerships with local councils can better support economic development and societal cohesion within communities.

“Let’s look to ensure at a regional, local level, there is more collaboration and partnership with Maori to assure ourselves that we’re building the kind of society and the fabric of diversity underpinned by the treaty that will work for everybody,” says Mahuta.....
See full article HERE

Rangitāne loses court bid against vehicle ban on east coast beaches
A Marlborough iwi has been unsuccessful in its challenge of a council bylaw restricting vehicle access on the South Island’s east coast.

The East Coast Vehicle Bylaw, which came into effect on July 1, 2023, aimed to protect the environment by banning vehicles on beaches from the Awatere River to south of the Waima/Ure River, except for in a “yellow zone”.

Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust challenged the lawfulness of the bylaw, and the process of adopting it, in the High Court over two days in May 2024.

Rangitāne o Wairau Group kaiwhakahaere matua (general manager) Corey Hebberd said the decision was disappointing, but the iwi would keep working to secure its customary rights in the area....
See full article HERE

Movement on stalled Watts Peninsula plan ‒ finally
A giant reserve on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula ‒ known as Watts Peninsula ‒ is a step closer to fruition, with the city council set to seek feedback on whether to take over management from the Crown.

If agreed, it will cost the council $750,000 a year. If it decides not to co-manage the land with the iwi, Taranaki Whānui ‒ the area’s future will be in the hands of the Government, as landowner. Supporting the first option comes an additional $2.5 million from the Plimmer Trust for the reserve’s development.

Historically the 74 hectares of land was used by Māori for pā (fortified settlements), kāinga (villages) and mahinga kai (food gathering areas). It also features sites of early European farming and military landmarks.

The city council will on Thursday seek feedback on whether it should co-manage the reserve. Taranaki Whānui, with the Government, developed a proposal for joint management and invited the council to be a partner too, according to council papers. The Crown would retain ownership.....
See full article HERE

Labour open to considering Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti
Chris Hipkins says he is open to considering a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti as proposed by Te Pāti Māori, but has ruled out the role having veto powers.

Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer rejected the notion the party ever wanted "veto rights" as reported by media last week, and said the two potential coalition partners, Labour and Te Pāti Māori, were "pretty much in the same camp" around protecting Te Tiriti.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
DTNZ: Top detective leads investigation into Te Pāti Māori census data allegations

John Robertson: Slow-motion death of democracy

John McLean: The night they drove old Dickson down

Propaganda:
Taking issue: we are not radicals

Tuesday February 11, 2025 

News:
Police restructure to reinvest in frontline officers
“What I want to say is that my executive, irrespective of the function that we lead, we are committed to policing across New Zealand and all existing Deputy Commissioners and assistant commissioners also have a responsibility to embrace principles of the Treaty and our values around commitment to Māori and the treaty. It never comes down to just one person,” says Chambers.

Richard Chambers says when he’s finished as commissioner he wants to position Māori men and women for senior police roles.....
See full article HERE

First wahine Māori dean focuses on minority health
The new dean of the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka Medical School is optimistic about increasing the number of Māori graduates while integrating hauora Māori to better serve communities.

Last week, Professor Suzanne Pitama, of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Whare descent, who has been with the university for 24 years, was appointed as the first wāhine Māori to hold the role of Dean at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka Medical School.....
See full article HERE

Delayed release of Manurewa Marae inquiry report criticised
The chairpeople of Te Whānau o Waipareira and the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency have criticised the delayed release of a report into whether personal data collected at Manurewa Marae was misused for election purposes.

The findings were due to be released last week but were delayed - with the Public Service Commission saying the findings required more time following feedback from some agencies.

It was then to be announced and released in January 2025, again we were told it would be released 4th February and now the 18th February 2025.....
See full article HERE

Whangārei hāpu set to go back to court to battle housing development on sacred site
A Whangārei based hāpu are going back to court for the latest in a legal saga spanning about 30 years.

But developers have appealed the decision for a 93-lot subdivision on Onoke Pā, in the suburb of Kamo, meaning the hāpu will now have to go to the High Court.

It is the second time in 30 years the hapū has fought a subdivision on the same piece of land, which it has always maintained is hugely significant to Māori.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Damien Grant: How a real estate agent lost her career over a 90-minute course

Roger Childs: Are Māori statistics pointless?


Monday February 10, 2025 

News:
Ministry of Social Development found wrong to refuse $1026 payment for food at tangi
A woman successfully appealed against a decision refusing to cover food costs for her husband’s tangi in a funeral grant.

The Social Security Appeal Authority found that kai is an integral part of the tangihanga process.

The Ministry of Social Development will not appeal the decision and is considering its implications.....
See full article HERE

Articles:
John Robertson: Decolonization - The New Face of Racial Supremacy

Dieuwe de Boer: Mt Egmont "Collective Redress" A National Shame

Propaganda:
There is unfinished business

Proposed bill ‘an ideological project that must be stopped’

What NZ can learn from Singapore's compulsory language education

We’re not here to negotiate our own marginalisation

Just be Māori — with Stacy Gregg

Sunday February 9, 2025 

News:
Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater lawsuit could be a blockbuster
A legal dispute begins on Monday in which Ngāi Tahu seeks much more control over the freshwater in the South Island. The lawsuit in the Christchurch High Court has the potential to be a blockbuster politically and economically, although a final ruling is probably years away.

What does Ngāi Tahu want?
Not money, according to papers filed as part of the lawsuit.

And not “ownership” of the water, as that term is understood in British or Commonwealth contexts.

Rather, the iwi seeks recognition of its “rangatiratanga” over water. That term is defined in Ngāi Tahu’s statement of claim as “sovereignty, chieftainship, right to exercise authority [and/or] chiefly authority”. The word is in the Māori language version of the treaty.

Ngāi Tahu argues its rangatiratanga over freshwater Incorporates The “right To Make, Regulate, Alter And Enforce Decisions Pertaining To How Wai Māori (freshwater) Is Allocated, Used, Managed And Traded, And By Whom”.......
See full article HERE

Mayor Whanau: “constant attacks on Māori will not be tolerated”
“Waitangi Day has always been one of the most important days on Aotearoa’s calendar, offering us an opportunity to reflect on our history and our founding document.”

“This Waitangi Day, it is clear we are at a political turning point. We must take this opportunity to show central government that their constant attacks on Māori and Te Tiriti will not be tolerated in Aotearoa, and the proposed Treaty Principles Bill must be shelved as it threatens the social, cultural and political fabric of our country.”....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Bob Edlin: Waitangi........

Mike's Minute: Our race relations prevent progress

Geoff Parker: Waitangi National Sick Day a huge success.

Propaganda:

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

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

“The Social Security Appeal Authority, which has now come down in her favour”?

The Social Security Appeal Authority has 4 members appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Social Development, after consultation with the Minister of Justice. Ministry of Justice staff from the Tribunals Unit assist with the registration and case management of appeals.

We will never know the names of the members will we, and of course their would be no bias or conflicts of interest in their rulings would there?

Anonymous said...

Absolutely no bias ... yeah right!

robert arthur said...

I can recall many funerals attended in the past with no food. I don't know why I went.

Robert Arthur said...

As Police inquiries increase in intensity witness' for the Manurewa marae manipulations will fade away. Reflection on and experience of the te ao of utu will unnerve most. For the same reason the Police will not be highly motivated. The outcome will almost certainly be that evidence is stated to be inconclusive.
I wonder what total cost of the alternative naming of the West Auckland park is, including Local Board time, paid consultation, any koha, the very elaborate signs. A great pity that, as with all such signs almost everywhere, these will be vandalised and gone in 6 months. Presumably the Council has no staff with more than a year or two experience so that all the myriad previous destroyed signs, including very robust, are forgotten. One consolation; all adds to GDP and, under Council policy, probably to the maori economy.
It is curious that maori object to a vehicle ban on a beach.There is no mention in the Treaty of continued access by Range Rovers.
if the Watts peninsullr in Wellington comes under maori co governace it will, like the Tupuna Maunga Authority in Auckland, prove a source of endless expense and strife as maori will effectively control..

Anonymous said...

"Where's there is smoke there is fire" comes to mind unbelievable that the Manurewa Marae etc. investigation is still ongoing hmm

Anonymous said...

Re: The iwi claim (Feb 13 above), Chris Finlayson did enough damage to NZ during his tenure in Parliament and seems intent on continuing that 'good' work with this latest bit of grifter support - how much more is this man going to cost the rest of us before he is stopped? We need a Trump not a Luxon.

Anonymous said...

With respect to the Kaipara District Council seeking to recover costs over the Maori Ward fiasco, it is incredible that the High Court has only allowed them to claim such a small portion of the costs, they did everything correctly! The ratepayers of Kaipara deserve to have the whole amount of the costs returned. I wish I lived there instead of Northland, we are being bled dry by iwi up here.

Anonymous said...

It surprises me that NZ hasn't slumped further in the latest corruption rankings.

Anonymous said...

Hear, hear! (anon@8.42) Never a truer word spoken. A grifter who created the conditions to assist yet more grifting. What a reprehensible individual.

Robert Arthur said...

According Kapu Kingi whanau know what is best for their own chidren (mokapuna) not the state. If they could isolate from the terror of cancellation, very very many citizens would avidly debate that, although with maori determinedly blocking opportunity for example this getting more difficult.

Anonymous said...

Of course we know the names. A minute or two with Google or even less with a decent AI bot.

Anonymous said...

Why can't the nz govt negotiate with the uk govt to give kiwis uk passports, like they did when hong kong was handed back to the chinese? We are not getting a say via referendum on the future of our country. It seems clear that many of us will be considering a move come 2026, through no fault of our own.

RogerF said...

Apart from being a bank of first resort for the 'indigenous' could someone please explain what role do non-maori have in the
future of this apartheid paradise?

Anonymous said...

Exactly roger at 5.02 pm. They need us to stay here to fund their tribal paradise and pay to use their beaches and their cities etc. Will we have a nth korean style set up where you will have to get a permit to travel?