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Thursday, August 7, 2025

Breaking Views Update: Week of 3.8.25







Thursday August 7, 2025 

News:
Former Attorney-General criticises marine and coastal rights law changes

A former Attorney-General and National MP has lashed out at the government over its decision to push on with controversial legislation that would make it harder for Māori to get customary marine title.

Chris Finlayson is calling the move foolish and "extremely harmful" to race relations.

But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it will see the law returned to its "original intention" and strike a better balance for the rights of all New Zealanders....
See full article HERE

Auditor General asked to investigate Māori roll
“Everywhere you go with this Regime, Its a rort”

Was how John Tamihere, President of Te Pati Māori talked about how the Government is “rorting” people with specific reference to allegations voters were being dumped off the Maori roll.

Te Pāti Māori has filed urgent proceedings in the High Court following alarming reports that Māori across the motu have been removed from the electoral roll or shifted off the Māori roll, without their knowledge, consent, or due process.

Karl Le Quesne, said they have not and would not change anyone’s details without their consent.

“I can give you an assurance that we are not moving people from the Māori roll to the General roll or the other way, unless they’re requesting that we do that,” he said.

The commission had been monitoring their online enrolment system “really” closely this week and had so far received 30,554 enrolments and updates – 92 percent of them made online.”

Labours Duncan Webb meanwhile has asked the Auditor General to investigate.....
See full article HERE

Mana whenua or Māori: Could precise words ease hot takes on race?
Imprecise use of the word ‘Māori’ is sparking public accusations that New Plymouth District Council is racist, says the council’s manager of Te Tiriti relationships.

Accurate terms like mana whenua could help people understand the council’s Treaty of Waitangi obligations and avoid triggering “anxieties”, Bernie O`Donnell told the council’s iwi committee Te Huinga Taumatua.

The council is considering a buy-local plan to save money while generating prosperity, and making social, cultural and environmental gains.....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Campaign group aims to demystify Māori wards

Haka marks iwi outrage at Taranaki Regional Council

Govt Resumes Theft Of Foreshore And Seabed

‘Pull the legislation, and stop hurting Māori’: Former minister Chris Finlayson slams coastal law changes

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

Wednesday August 6, 2025 

News:
Cautious optimism from kura Māori amid NCEA reform
Māori-medium education leaders are expressing concern over the Government’s proposal to scrap NCEA and replace it with a new national qualification system. However, there is cautious optimism.

Some within the sector see the reforms as an opportunity, but only if Māori are genuinely included in shaping the changes.

Leaders from kura kaupapa, kura ā iwi, and other Māori-medium education providers are calling for meaningful consultation within the short time frame to explore how a replacement system could better serve mokopuna Māori across the sector.....
See full article HERE

Restoring test for Customary Marine Title
The Government has agreed to move forward with legislation that restores Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“Customary Marine Title gives the holder valuable rights, including refusing resource consents in the area, such as for renewals of some private assets like wharves, or aquaculture expansion.

“The Act enables the legal recognition of Māori customary rights while protecting the legitimate interests of all New Zealanders in the marine and coastal area.

“This will give effect to a commitment in the National/NZ First coalition agreement to amend section 58 of the Act to make clear Parliament’s original intent.

“If passed, the test will apply to any court decisions made since the Government announced its policy on 25 July 2024 and all undetermined applications in either the Court or Crown engagement pathways.

“The Government has ensured there is additional funding of up to $15 million to contribute to the costs of applicants whose applications will need to be re-heard."

The Government intends to pass the legislation by the end of October 2025.....
See full article HERE

Taranaki Regional councillors urged to quit election over Treaty Principles fiasco
Councillors involved in quashing debate over the Treaty Principles Bill at the Taranaki Regional Council have received a dressing down at a fiery meeting in Stratford.

Council was considering a report which found councillors colluded not to make a submission on the bill and halt debate.

New Plymouth District Councillor Dinnie Moeahu - whose deputation was shunted down the agenda in December - addressed council today in front of whanau and supporters.....
See full article HERE

Māori media set for major shake-up
Te Māngai Pāho has released its latest Request for Proposals (RFP), outlining how Māori news and current affairs producers can apply for funding. Chief executive Larry Parr says the proposal represents the most significant change to the Māori news and current affairs landscape to date.

The RFP includes a targeted boost for regional news providers, with a shift in the type of content expected. The agency is calling for more emphasis on hard news, rather than magazine-style programming and the implementation of a National Hub for Māori news....
See full article HERE

Kaipara Council adopts document outlining legal obligations to Māori
Kaipara District Council has adopted a new document that explains local government legal obligations to Māori.

Led by the Remuneration and Development Committee, and part of the Chief Executive’s annual objectives, the document was created by Franks Ogilvie and underwent a high-level legal peer review by Simpson Grierson. Franks Ogilvie was the chosen legal counsel of the committee to develop the document.

Read the adopted document on the July agenda > https://pub-kaipara.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=10984

The Remuneration and Development Committee set the objective to provide a single source that explains these legislative requirements for local government. The legal opinion outlines any responsibilities under the Treaty of Waitangi, principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, Local Government Act 2022, Resource Management Act 1991, Māori Language Act 2016, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The cost for this work was approximately $52,000 and was drawn from within operating budgets for the 2024/2025 year......
See full article HERE

Articles:
Referenda 2025 - Halting Māori Wards To Protect Equal Democracy - Te Kahu

Propaganda:
Everyone welcome at capital boil-up – pay what you can

New hut opened on the Pouākai Ranges

This Māori morning tradition may boost focus and reduce stress — and few outside Aotearoa know about it

Tuesday August 5, 2025 

News:
Ngāi Tūteauru reject Crown lease, assert mana whenua
Ngāi Tūteauru have reaffirmed their mana whenua over Kohatutaka by signing a whakatūturutanga document, firmly opposing the Crown’s lease proposal and the landbanking process.

This affirmation comes after 73 days of noho whenua - an occupation of their ancestral land - during which Ngāi Tūteauru have maintained a peaceful presence, actively resisting Land Information New Zealand’s (LINZ) plans to demolish two houses on the site without hapū consent.

The tikanga of the noho whenua includes strict protocols to maintain order and respect on the site. These include the return of the whenua as the paramount goal, maintaining peace, prohibiting drugs and alcohol, keeping the ahi burning day and night, and holding daily wānanga.....
See full article HERE

$28m funding for Northland kura, Kaiwaka school to open by 2028
A Māori immersion school at Kaiwaka, which locals tried to stop, is expected to open by early 2028.

The school is one of two Northland kura that will share a $28 million Government funding boost.

The bulk of the funding will go to Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāringaomatariki to relocate from its current prefab-style site in Ōruawharo to a purpose-built campus about 11km away in Kaiwaka......

The funding comes from a $50 million capital investment announced in Budget 2025 to support Māori Medium and Kaupapa Māori education......
See full article HERE

InternetNZ’s free speech crackdown faces setback as Free Speech Union CEO takes board seat
Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union, has been elected to the InternetNZ board following a recent membership vote.

This election comes after a campaign by the Free Speech Union to increase InternetNZ memberships and influence, aiming to restore focus on free speech and democratic governance within the organisation.

InternetNZ proposed changing its constitution to embed Treaty of Waitangi principles into its governance, effectively shifting from a purely technical and neutral role to a “treaty-led” or culturally focused organisation. This move aimed to acknowledge Māori-Crown relationships within the organisation’s decision-making and incorporate Māori representation and accountability....
See full article HERE

Maungawhau Station
As part of the City Rail Link, Maungawhau Station will be a major rail interchange for people travelling to and from the city centre on the Western Line.

Mana whenua gifted the name Maungawhau, which translates to ‘mountain of the cork tree’, to reflect its proximity to Maungawhau / Mount Eden.

The whau tree has deep significance to Māori people. Whau trees are used to treat a wide array of ailments in Rongoa Māori (traditional Māori medicine). Whau wood was used to create fishing lures, due to its buoyancy.....
See full article HERE

AI tool to improve te reo Māori pronunciation gets $1m boost

A ground-breaking new project led by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland is set to transform how te reo Māori is spoken and learned across Aotearoa, thanks to a $1 million research grant.

A three-year initiative will develop an AI-powered coaching tool to help learners improve their pronunciation of te reo Māori – and will include real-time, personalised feedback.

The project, funded by the Ministry of Business and Innovation’s Smart Ideas....
See full article HERE

Propaganda:
Strong field for Māori wards across Whanganui, Ruapehu, Rangitīkei and Horizons

Monday August 4, 2025 

News:
Iwi disappointed council deferring Taupō water management agreement
The Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board says it is disappointed the Taupō District Council has chosen to draw out the process for its joint water management agreement with the iwi by deferring it to the next council.

Councillors voted on Thursday to defer discussion of the draft Joint Management Agreement (JMA) until after the next local government elections in October after concerns over a lack of public consultation on the agreement were raised.

The purpose of the draft JMA is to protect the water of Lake Taupō (Taupō Moana) and the Upper Waikato River. It would see the council and Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board collaborate on work such as monitoring and enforcement, district plan reviews, resource consent application assessments, and enabling customary activities.....
See full article HERE

Pacific families bear the brunt of public housing evictions
Pacific families are being kicked out of public housing at disproportionate rates in Manurewa and Porirua, sparking calls for an urgent review of policy.

New tenancy enforcement data shows Pacific families represent less than half of Kāinga tenants in Manurewa, but make up three-quarters of enforcement action.....
See full article HERE

Digital ID rollout panders to Māori principles as government surveillance expands
As of July 24, New Zealand is enforcing new rules to regulate digital ID services used by government agencies.

These rules set out how digital ID credentials, such as mobile driver’s licences, must work and require providers to protect users’ privacy.

Providers must comply with the Privacy Act and be subject to regular reviews of their privacy protections. However, the rules also include “specific kaitiakitanga requirements when handling Māori information,” based on cultural principles of guardianship.

An independent evaluation claims the biometric technology generally proposed for use, such as facial recognition, does not unfairly affect Māori or Pasifika users......
See full article HERE

Articles:
John Robertson: The Cult of Colonisation Guilt Must Die for New Zealand to Live

Matua Kahurangi: New Zealand First moves to legally cement "New Zealand" as the country's official name

Propaganda:
'The government tried to get rid of us': How New Zealand nearly lost the Māori Wardens

Voting changes will silence voices like mine - E-Tangata

Mana whenua rep calls out lack of council voting rights

Sunday August 3, 2025 

News:
Waikato Regional councillor Kataraina Hodge re-elected unopposed to $63,000 role
Only Kataraina Hodge was nominated for the Ngā Tai ki Uta constituency and was thus elected unopposed.

It’s the second time Hodge has been elected to the Ngā Tai ki Uta constituency unopposed, the last in 2022.

The two Māori constituencies are Ngā Tai ki Uta and Ngā Hau e Whā with one seat each.....
See full article HERE

Te Ao Māori Steps Onto The World Expo Stage Once Again; Carries The Full Force Of Mana Motuhake O Te Ao Māori
More than 70 Māori delegates from Aotearoa are arriving in Osaka to celebrate Te Aratini: Indigenous Peoples Week at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai from 4–10 August 2025. They will be joined by over 170 Indigenous representatives from across the globe.

“Our people are not waiting to be invited. We are investing in our own future, standing in our own sovereignty, and carrying the weight of our tīpuna with us,” proclaims Tomoana, echoing the sentiments he voiced at Expo 2020 Dubai: “Māori will be at every World Expo, whether or not Aotearoa has an official presence.”....
See full article HERE

Articles:
Matua Kahurangi: Te Pāti Māori’s hypocrisy on electoral roll......

Barry Brill - Passports: Reverting to "New Zealand"

Propaganda:
'System just sucks': Political scientist says Māori being deterred from voting

We explore what the Kiingitanga means to rangatahi in Waikato

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

13 comments:

Robert Arthur said...

Incredibly maori will constitute more than a third of the persons at Indigenous Peoples week at Osaka. The others will presumably be bemused by the obvious fractional degree of maor blood. For a group who forever plead hard up and receive huge govt support, incluidng tens of millions subsidy of Insurgency Coordination Centres (marae), it is incredible how maori find money and time for junkets. Presumably some tax free maori charity poney will have been contributed, effectively more state subsidy..

Robert Arthur said...

The Taupo development promising.As early demonstrated by the Maunga Aothority in Auckland, the fact that co governance/co management is effectively maori control must be endlessly emphasised.
It is tantalising to know why so many are kicked out of state houses. Is it drugs, non payment, damage, filth, overcrowding, bedlam, dogs or what? I suspect PI figure more than maori because they do not have Treaty based insurgency coordination networks sure to create supportive trouble.

Michael Waldegrave said...

Hey Robert ……. just a suggestion …… I think this whole Left Wing Activism, which is pushing EVERYTHING that is disruptive of our successful 50 year past, incl. Maorification ….. is actually s Feminist/Women-Can movement, with a few opportunistic Maoris on board.
The Women revolution started 50 years ago & is now complete ie. Women occupy all manner of positions in the work force. This is Not a bad thing, but it brings with it some unintended consequences. Women are tribal, communal, collectivist & Agreeable. The oppose Meritocracy, Competition etc & this is where the danger lies.
This is a long argument, based around behaviour, evolution etc but maybe there’s a thrush in here somewhere ??

Anonymous said...

Michael W - That’s a crass generalisation. Perhaps you need to get out more?

Robert Arthur said...

It never ceases to amaze me how maori find time for long term protests. Ordinary citizens devote so much time to employment, household duties, property maintenance, supervising children that they simply do not have the luxury of protracted idleness.
Perhaps it expalins their genrally higher incomes.
$50/$28 milion is a staggering amount to devote to sidetracking maori from education for the 21st century., and creating a core for the local insurgency movement. Added to the cost should be the vast sums which will be spent later trying to adapt the pupils to function in the real world, plus all the welfare they will ensnare because of their contrived handicap in that world.


anonymous said...

Maybe not if the aim is a political take-over by stealth - and increasingly by overt intimidation. An investment for the radical faction of Maori.

Robert Arthur said...

6th Comparison of NZCA achievements is meaningless if real world subjects are compared with stone age hobby topics.
The criticism of collusion among councillors is farcical. Meanwhile there is clamour for maori wards the whole purpose of such is to facilitate collusion.
Kaipara Council seems to have provided a favour for other Councils and govt. For less then the cost of a speed bump the council has done the country a real service. The govt now has a neat summary of all the Acts they need amend.

Robert Arthur said...

For NZCA above read NCEA!. (As, amongst other things, holder od NZCE the abbreveiations are confusing)

Anonymous said...

Seriously, where do these tiny part Māori get off. Are they not human like the rest of us.
I for one, am over it.

Anonymous said...

"What they are doing by these foolish amendments is destroying the settlement that the National Party and the Māori Party reached in 2010." Finlayson was Attorney-General at the time the legislation was enacted in law in 2011, which replaced the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act. Finlayson said there was no justification for the move, which he said was "extremely harmful" to race relations in New Zealand”.

Can’t help yourself can you Mr Finlayson. I think the only thing you are really worried about is your potential loss of income and your legacy, or is that ‘mana’ to you.

Robert Arthur said...

The New Plymouth Council manager of matters Te Tiriti (surely not a full time job) has opined that when formulating favourable race based business arrangements, use of the precise term mana whenua should be used in place of the all embracing "maori". This to ensure race based favours are concentrated on in the know local recipients and not widely dissipated among trace maori at large. Obviously he has not followed developments in Auckland where definition of mana whenua is fraught, with the tribes vyingfor the superiority lost hundreds of years ago. Ngati Whatua constantly strive to oust mere others and call all the shots and glean all the winnings. (Currently manipulating to muscle in on the Waitakere Heritage area, at present regarded as the more or less exclusive mana exploitive medium for Kaweru.)

Anonymous said...

Finlayson talked to Luxon & Key talked to Luxon about Maori issues. As a result Luxon has done nothing.
Years ago Finlayson told me pakeha had no concern about Maori being able to prove Customary right to the Foreshore. He did say 1-2 tribes in the North were the exception. This took place in the Wellington Overseas terminal. What a load of bullshit from Finlayson. Years later we still arguing.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more. Most of the 'Maorification' movement is driven by stupid, white women.