Iwi give Maori Council new blood
The Maori Council is looking at a fresh lease of life, as new members come on board the district Maori councils ahead of triennial elections for the national body.
Chairman Sir Graham Latimer says the growth of iwi runanga overshadowed the council through the 1990s, but many of the people working in runanga are now getting involved with their district council.
Sir Graham says the council still has a role, especially for issues of national importance for all Maori.
Sir Graham Latimer says the Act governing the Maori Council is up for review, and the council intends to play a major role in that review.
The head of Prison Fellowship New Zealand says putting people in prison for relatively minor charges is bad for the country.
Kim Workman says a third of the prisoners in this country are serving sentences of six months or less, and for many it does more harm than good.
He says prison exposes them to a hardened criminal element, and increases their likelihood of re-offending.
Prison Fellowship has organised the Beyond Retribution hui in the Hutt Valley today, bringing together some of the top names in the criminal justice field.
Kim Workman says it's a chance to get some reasoned debate on what can be emotive issues.
“We'll get debate round who is in there. You get publicity about the spectacularly evil criminals, andthere may be a couple of hundred of those in the system who deserve to be inside, but there are 7300 prisoners serving less than six months,” Mr Workman said.
If you are ever in Christchurch and are looking for the Rarere whanau, you might find them living in a street named after their Dad.
Members of the Aranui community gather today for the naming ceremony for Rarere Avenue.
The name acknowledges the three decades Ben Rarere put into community initiatives in the suburb.
His widow Lorna Moke says Mr Rarere moved from Wairoa to Christchurch in the early 1970's.
She says her husband, who died four years ago, was always willing to lend a helping hand.
Lorna Moke says her husband would have been humbled but proud at having a street named after him, and the whanau is building a house there..
The Minister of Maori Affairs, Parekura Horomia, says Maori should think twice before shifting across the Tasman.
ACT leader Rodney Hide says exodus of Maori to Australia is driven by New Zealand's tax system and the lucky country's bouyant economy and greater opportunities.
But Mr Horomia likens the Maori drift across the ditch to that of the 1950's and 60's which saw Maori come from rural areas into the cities.
He says Maori move for many reasons, but tax is unlikely to be one of them.
“I for one don’t want to stop people going. Australia is the new Wainuiomata, the new South Auckland, but there is a huge amount of opportunity here. I don’t want Maori to be fooled into thinking everything great is overseas,” Mr Horomia said.
Parekura Horomia says while the latest tax cuts announced by the Australian Government may seem attractive, other costs such as Medicare levies means tax paid by families is similar on both sides of the Tasman.
Chief Ombudsman John Belgrave wants to make his office more friendly to Maori users.
Mr Belgrave says his office receives relatively few cases from Maori, given Maori make up almost 15 percent of the population.
He says Maori need to know the Ombudsman is available to work on their behalf to untangle problems they may have with government agencies.
Mr Belgrave says the advice he has got from Maori is that he needs to front
up more kanohi ki te kanohii.
Northern Maori MP Hone Harawira says the Government's deadline for historical claims breaches the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Government wants all historic claims lodged by September 2008, so it can complete settlements by 2020.
Mr Harawira says that isn't why Maori chiefs signed the treaty back in 1840.
“I don't believe they intended the Treaty stop in 2010 or 2020. They saw the Treaty as a way to ensure the management authority of Maori continue. Otherwise, I think it unlikely they would have signed all those other rights away,” Mr Harawira said.
Matamata Piako District Council in the Waikato is reviewing its Maori representation.
As well as considering a Maori ward, it has set up Manawhenua Forum to give the district's hapu a voice.
Manawhenua representative Butch Hakaraia says the new standing committee has greatly improved communication between Maori and the council.
“A lot of things going on we knew nothing about, they were asking the wrong
people, but now we have direct contact with them we don’t have the hassles we used to go before,” Mr Hakaraia said.
Final decisions about representation will be made in April next year.
Chairman Sir Graham Latimer says the growth of iwi runanga overshadowed the council through the 1990s, but many of the people working in runanga are now getting involved with their district council.
Sir Graham says the council still has a role, especially for issues of national importance for all Maori.
Sir Graham Latimer says the Act governing the Maori Council is up for review, and the council intends to play a major role in that review.
The head of Prison Fellowship New Zealand says putting people in prison for relatively minor charges is bad for the country.
Kim Workman says a third of the prisoners in this country are serving sentences of six months or less, and for many it does more harm than good.
He says prison exposes them to a hardened criminal element, and increases their likelihood of re-offending.
Prison Fellowship has organised the Beyond Retribution hui in the Hutt Valley today, bringing together some of the top names in the criminal justice field.
Kim Workman says it's a chance to get some reasoned debate on what can be emotive issues.
“We'll get debate round who is in there. You get publicity about the spectacularly evil criminals, andthere may be a couple of hundred of those in the system who deserve to be inside, but there are 7300 prisoners serving less than six months,” Mr Workman said.
If you are ever in Christchurch and are looking for the Rarere whanau, you might find them living in a street named after their Dad.
Members of the Aranui community gather today for the naming ceremony for Rarere Avenue.
The name acknowledges the three decades Ben Rarere put into community initiatives in the suburb.
His widow Lorna Moke says Mr Rarere moved from Wairoa to Christchurch in the early 1970's.
She says her husband, who died four years ago, was always willing to lend a helping hand.
Lorna Moke says her husband would have been humbled but proud at having a street named after him, and the whanau is building a house there..
The Minister of Maori Affairs, Parekura Horomia, says Maori should think twice before shifting across the Tasman.
ACT leader Rodney Hide says exodus of Maori to Australia is driven by New Zealand's tax system and the lucky country's bouyant economy and greater opportunities.
But Mr Horomia likens the Maori drift across the ditch to that of the 1950's and 60's which saw Maori come from rural areas into the cities.
He says Maori move for many reasons, but tax is unlikely to be one of them.
“I for one don’t want to stop people going. Australia is the new Wainuiomata, the new South Auckland, but there is a huge amount of opportunity here. I don’t want Maori to be fooled into thinking everything great is overseas,” Mr Horomia said.
Parekura Horomia says while the latest tax cuts announced by the Australian Government may seem attractive, other costs such as Medicare levies means tax paid by families is similar on both sides of the Tasman.
Chief Ombudsman John Belgrave wants to make his office more friendly to Maori users.
Mr Belgrave says his office receives relatively few cases from Maori, given Maori make up almost 15 percent of the population.
He says Maori need to know the Ombudsman is available to work on their behalf to untangle problems they may have with government agencies.
Mr Belgrave says the advice he has got from Maori is that he needs to front
up more kanohi ki te kanohii.
Northern Maori MP Hone Harawira says the Government's deadline for historical claims breaches the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Government wants all historic claims lodged by September 2008, so it can complete settlements by 2020.
Mr Harawira says that isn't why Maori chiefs signed the treaty back in 1840.
“I don't believe they intended the Treaty stop in 2010 or 2020. They saw the Treaty as a way to ensure the management authority of Maori continue. Otherwise, I think it unlikely they would have signed all those other rights away,” Mr Harawira said.
Matamata Piako District Council in the Waikato is reviewing its Maori representation.
As well as considering a Maori ward, it has set up Manawhenua Forum to give the district's hapu a voice.
Manawhenua representative Butch Hakaraia says the new standing committee has greatly improved communication between Maori and the council.
“A lot of things going on we knew nothing about, they were asking the wrong
people, but now we have direct contact with them we don’t have the hassles we used to go before,” Mr Hakaraia said.
Final decisions about representation will be made in April next year.
posted by Adam | 10:05 am
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