Maori soldiers proud peacekeepers

Goff maori

The Minister of Defence says Maori should be proud of the work being done by Maori soldiers in the region's trouble spots.

Some Maori have been critical ofhte money spent on deployment of troops overseas while Maori issues at home remain unresolved, but Phil Goff says New Zealand can't ignore its own neighbourhood.

New Zealand troops are currently on the ground in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

Mr Goff says Maori military personel are adding to New Zealand s growing reputation for resolving political unrest.

He says most of those troops have a cultural affinity with the indigenous communities they encounter.


HUI TAUAMATA SPARKING BUSINESS INTEREST

If the hui taumata roadshow is building confidence in the Maori business community, it deserves the thumbs up.

That's according to Manuka Henare, from Auckland University's associate dean of Maori and Pacific development.

He says the series of hui, which continue this week at Palmerston North tomorrow and Christchurch on Thursday, is a way to maintain the momentum from last year's Hui Taumata economic summit.

Manuka Henare says for generations Maori have been a source of cheap labour, and few Maori ran their own businesses. That is changing.

WHALEWATCH LEADS KAIKOURA GROWTH

If plans are approved, next time you go to Kaikoura, you could watch a whale, play a round, eata a steak, and lay down your head, without leaving town.

Wally Stone, the CEO of Whalewatch Kaikoura, says even though the business is one of the most suceessful Maori tourism ventures, bad weather can leave many of their clients out on a limb.

The company has bought a prominent headland, where they plan to develop a a golf course with accomodation and conference facilities.

Mr Stone says applying for a resource consent gave the Whalewatch board a good chance to plan its future.

Wally Stone says with only four and a half thousand residents, Kaikoura lacks the tourism infrastructure of towns like Queenstown or Rotorua, and there is plenty of development which needs to be done.
and planning.

WHANAU URGED TO TACKLE DRUG SCOURGE

Maori families are being challenged to do more to combat drug abuse.

Paddy Whiu, the police iwi liason officer for Taitokerau, says many whanau know about the drug scene in their communities, but are not doing anything about it.

Mr Whiu says the drug trade is built on demand and supply, and Maori families should make sure their rangatahi are aware of the dangers.

KUIA KEPT TA MOKO ALIVE

Ta moko artist Gordon Hadfield says it was kuia who kept the art alive at a time when it was most vulnerable.

He says while there has been a resurgence in ta moko, as young Maori proudly display their cultural identity, it's worth remembering the role elderly Maori women had in keeping the practice alive.

Mr Hadfield, who has just completed more work on international singer and songwrier Ben Harper, says he is often confronted by people who say ta moko was nearly lost.

He says it never went away, but just went to sleep for most of the century.