Breaking Views Update: Week of 1.11.26

Sunday November 1, 2026 

News:
Owners regain whenua after more than half a century under perpetual lease
Owners of Māori blocks in Otorohanga regain control of their whenua following a momnumental perpetual lease deal.

Through support from the Māori Trustee, owners of Waikowhitiwhiti F1 and Waikowhitiwhiti F2B1 in Ōtorohanga have regained control of their whenua following the purchase of a perpetual lease.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 25.10.26

Saturday October 31, 2026 

News:
New Zealand First commits to introducing bill forcing Ngāpuhi to sign Treaty settlement if in government
New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones has committed to introducing a bill forcing Ngāpuhi to sign a Treaty settlement in the first 100 days of the next government, if re-elected.

Jones made the commitment during TVNZ's Kaupapa Māori Debate on Thursday night, where he said he would "deal to it in the first hundred days after the election".

Breaking Views Update: Week of 18.10.26

Saturday October 24, 2026 

News:
RIF grants fund completion of marae projects
Grants from the Regional Infrastructure Fund will support two marae to strengthen their ability to serve as community hubs and offer refuge in times of emergency, Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say.

A $4 million grant will go to Mataura Marae in the Southland town of Mataura. A $150,000 grant will also be provided from the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) to Takitimu Marae in Wairoa.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 11.10.26

Saturday October 17, 2026 

News:
How a West Auckland pilot brings Specialist Hauora Practitioners to Bilingual Units
A collaborative health initiative is currently underway in West Auckland primary schools to embed wellbeing practices into bilingual learning environments. The program, Whāia te Oranga, operates within the bilingual units at Rānui Primary School and New Windsor School, providing structured hauora sessions for over 150 students.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 4.10.26

Saturday October 10, 2026 

News:
Ngāti Whātua contacts McLaren over Remuera and Muriwai trademark bid
An international supercar firm says it “deeply respects” New Zealand’s cultural heritage after applying to trademark two Māori place names in Auckland.

But Ngāti Whātua says “no one has spoken to us” about the application by British company McLaren. Māori leaders have now contacted the carmaker after being alerted to the legal bid by the Herald.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 27.9.26

Saturday October 3, 2026 

News:
Only Iwi Reps Keep Voting Rights On Taranaki Committees
Iwi representatives will be the only non-elected members still able to vote on Taranaki Regional Council committees - but farmers will lose their vote.

A fortnight ago local government minister Simon Watts had a law passed to ban voting by people appointed to council committees, saying limiting voting to elected councillors would strengthen democratic accountability.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 20.9.26

Saturday September 26, 2026 

News:
Māori words in curriculum shouldn't be controversial, principals say
Principals and a Māori language advocate are angry and disappointed by the Education Ministry's treatment of te reo Māori and the secrecy that has surrounded it.

Multiple Education Ministry whistleblowers have told RNZ this week that managers told them to delete the term Aotearoa and other Māori words from official documents.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 13.9.26

Saturday September 19, 2026 

News:
Tribunal releases report on the reform of the national curriculum
The Tribunal found that the Crown, through its actions related to developing a ‘knowledge-rich curriculum’ informed by the ‘science of learning’, breached a number of Treaty principles. Specifically, it found that the Crown:.....

The Tribunal found that the claimants have suffered prejudice as a result of these breaches. This prejudice included damage to the Māori–Crown relationship; the clear signal to Māori students and whānau that Māori knowledge is somehow less important; a reduction in the Crown’s commitment to supporting the transmission of mātauranga Māori; the diminishment of mana for iwi and hapū that have contributed much effort to working in partnership with schools; and the undermining of the mana motuhake of Ngā Kura ā Iwi.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 6.9.26

Saturday September 12, 2026 

News:
New Māori leadership roles to shape the future of education and research
Two new senior academic appointments are set to shape the future of Māori education and research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Mel Wall has been appointed Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori (Education), while Professor Sarah-Jane Paine takes up the role of Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori (Research).

Breaking Views Update: Week of 30.8.26

Saturday September 5, 2026 

News:
ACT pledges to stop millions being spent on roadside public art
The ACT Party will stop motorists' money from being spent on roadside sculptures, art, and monuments in a new transport infrastructure policy announced on Friday.

He listed several examples of public art that he claimed illustrated a “prioritisation problem,” including the $630,599 spent on the Te Manu Rangimaarie sculpture at the Piarere roundabout, $810,000 spent on the Te Waka sculpture on the Waikato Expressway and $3.7 million for 35 pou and two taonga artworks on Te Ara Tupua walk and cycleway between Wellington and Lower Hutt.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 23.8.26

Saturday August 29, 2026 

News:
Invercargill council votes against Māori ward following 'slam dunk' feedback
Invercargill city councillors have voted against establishing a Māori ward, opting to stick with the status quo.

The decision was made at a meeting this week where council manager Michael Morris said there had been overwhelming feedback from Te Rūnaka o Awarua and Waihōpai Rūnaka to not progress with a ward.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 16.8.26

Saturday August 22, 2026 

News:
Tainui unleashes scathing attack on Govt after river protection rules halted
One of the country’s largest iwi is “deeply upset” the Government is pausing farming provisions that took 14 years to design and would have helped protect the already degrading Waikato River.

Tainui said the halting of several provisions under Plan Change 1 (PC1), a set of farming regulations designed to protect the Waikato River, was a “complete and total betrayal” that breached its Treaty settlement.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 9.8.26

Saturday August 15, 2026 

News:
Chateau Tongariro revival decision may not be made before the election, documents reveal
It’s unclear if a decision on the future of Chateau Tongariro will happen before the election, with officials saying iwi has “deliberately paused” talks on the landmark.

The chateau, near Mt Ruapehu, has sat empty since closing in early 2023 because of seismic concerns.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 2.8.26

Saturday August 8, 2026 

News:
MMP Referendum Must Include Vote On Māori Seats - Hobson’s Pledge.
Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson and former National Party leader Don Brash says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon must honour long-held National Party policy by including a vote on the future of the Māori seats in any upcoming referendum on the voting system.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 26.7.26

Saturday August 1, 2026 

News:
Ngāi Tahu Farming chosen to operate country’s largest farm, Molesworth Station
Ngāi Tahu Farming has been chosen by the Department of Conservation to operate the country's largest farm.

Molesworth Station, an iconic 180-thousand hectare high country farm that spanned Marlborough and North Canterbury, was run as a cattle farm by state-owned Pāmu Landcorp.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 19.7.26

Saturday July 25, 2026 

News:
Reappointments to Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Board strengthens continuity and leadership - Potaka
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka has confirmed the reappointment of Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod as Deputy Chair and Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand CNZM as a Board member of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

The appointments are for a three-year term commencing on 2 September 2026 and provide continuity for Te Taura Whiri as it continues its work to revitalise and promote te reo Māori.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 12.7.26

Saturday July 18, 2026 

News:
Environment Canterbury mulls protecting Ngāi Tahu interests ahead of local government reform
Environment Canterbury (ECan) wants to ensure Ngāi Tahu has a permanent, statutory role in governing the region’s resource management after the regional council is abolished.

The proposal is that ECan, Ngāi Tahu and eight of the 10 Canterbury rūnanga would sign a Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreement that would give those organisations mandatory and permanent participation in plan making, resource consent processes, monitoring and reporting.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 5.7.26

Saturday July 11, 2026 

News:
Matariki Pā: Ancient site returned to local hapū after more than a century in private ownership
A significant ancestral pā site near the mouth of the Clarence River in Kaikōura has been returned to Ngāti Kurī, marking the end of more than a century of the land being in private hands.

The purchase of Matariki Pā — 45 hectares of land north of the Waiau Toa Clarence River — was finalised in June through Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura and the Murray family, who had owned the property since the early 1900s.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 28.6.26

Saturday July 4, 2026 

News:
Papakura High School unveil new waharoa, paying tribute to kaumātua
Papakura High School has unveiled a new waharoa at the entrance to the kura, marking its ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and kaupapa Māori while honouring respected kaumātua whose legacy continues within the school.

Students, staff, whānau and guests gathered at the school early on Friday morning for the blessing of the newly established waharoa, Te Rangimārie.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 21.6.26

Saturday June 27, 2026 

News:
Govt spends millions on unprecedented Waitangi Tribunal inquiries
The Government has spent well over $4 million defending legal challenges by Māori since taking office, with the number of urgent inquiries by the Waitangi Tribunal soaring to record highs.

But critics say the real cost is the strain on the Māori-Crown relationship and a former senior National minister agrees. Māori and Government have collided on a number of issues since the coalition Government came into office in 2023.