National testing could hurt immersion schooling

A Maori educator says a push by the National Party to introduce nationwide testing for primary schools could harm Maori education initiatives.

National's education spokesman Bill English says the Education Ministry doesn't know which schools and which students are failing, because it doesn't test for literacy and numeracy.

But Maori education consultant Te Ariki Pihama, a former kura kaupapa principal, says Maori immersion schools need to develop their own standards.

“Obviously we are going to have different requirements and standards in immersion systems than mainstream schools. It’s not to say one is better than the other, but there are some fundamental differences, and being able to recognise that,” Pihama said.

Te Ariki Pihama says rather than create testing regimes where pupils are seen to fail, the education system needs to find other ways to address under-achievement.

PAY FOR PROTEST BILL DEFEATED

An attempted law change which would have forced iwi and hapu to put up large bonds before they could challenge developments in their tribal areas has been defeated.

A bill put up by National backbench list MP Kate Wilkinson came before parliament this week, but failed to win enough votes to proceed to the select committee stage.

Shane Jones, the head of Labour's Maori caucus, says the bill would have particularly affected Maori.

He says Labour's Maori MPs recognise there are shortcomings in the Resource Management Act, but Ms Wilkinson's bill was not the way to solve them.

“Now where there are cases where hapu or individual Maori are trying to game the system, it is not right they are able to do that, but neither is it correct that only with a fat chequebook should you have the opportunity to stand your ground and have your say in the environment court,” Jones said.

Shane Jones says the local authorities and the Environment Court already have powers to stop people making frivolous objections to developments, and those powers will be strengthened by changes coming into force next year.

AUCKLAND EMBRACES MATARIKI

Auckland is the latest region to embrace the Maori new year, or Matariki.

North Shore community liaison manager Lisa Tocker says planned events over the next month include a women's well being hui, kapa haka and a hikoi.

Ms Tocker says most of the celebrations will be focused round the arts, with the four local councils working closely nwith Creative New Zealand Maori arts arm Toi Maori

Ms Tocker who is also a member of Maori Arts group Toi Whenua says they're taking a holistic approach to organising the Matariki festival this year:

“What we're trying to do is spread awareness of Matariki, that it is a unique celebration for Aoteraroa, and to invite as much public participation in this as possible,” Tocker said


FORMER KAWARIKI PROTESTER DEFENDS TREATY DEADLINE

Labour's Maori Caucus chairman is defending the inclusion in a Maori affairs wash-up bill of measure setting a September 2008 deadline for lodging historical treaty claims.

Green and Maori Party MPs say the issue is so contentious it should be in a separate bill.

Shane Jones says there is a long tradition in Maori affairs of wrapping up administrative and policy measures in a miscellaneous purposes bill.

He Jones says the deadline was clearly signalled in Labour's election policy, and expects a large number of submissions when the bill gets to the Maori Affiars Select Committee.

“THERE ARE REPRESENATIVERS THERE FORM NZ FIRST

There are representatives there from New Zealand First, National, Labour and the Maori Party. I am quite confident when it is reported back, everyone will have had a chance to have had their say. But the policy was quite clear during the election,” Jones said.

Shane Jones says the way the Waitangi Tribunal has been working, it is almost certain historical claims have been lodged for every part of the country .

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK AGENCY GETTING MAORI INPUT

Terry Smith, the head of the Environmental Risk Management Authority's Maori advisory board, Nga Kaihautu, says the relationship between ERMA and Maori is going from strength to strength.

Nga Kaihautu reported back to iwi resource managers and other kaitiaki at its annual hui in Rotorua today.

Mr Smith says while in its first couple of years the work of Nga Kauhautu was dominated by applications for genetic modification, its workload has changed.

“A lot of the activity in ERMA is around hazardous substances. Our people haven’t really engaged in that conversation. It is one of the areas where we are building up the understanding and engagement of our people, things like detergents and sprays and pesticides,” Smith said.

Terry Smith says the big issue coming up is an application to reassess the use of 1080 poison for possum control.

NGATI KURI WOMAN COLLECTS FULBRIGHT FOR FUNGI STUDY

A young academic from Te Rarawa has won a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study ethno-botany at the University of Hawaii.

Rebecca Fuller will spend the next three years studying the relationship between plants and people.

Her masters thesis at the University of Auckland was on Maori relationships to fungi, and she is looking forward to comparing the data she compiled with other information gathered from around the Pacific.

Ms Fuller hopes her studies will bring her back to New Zealand.

Fulbright Scholarships were set up 60 years ago to promote understanding between the United States and the rest of the world.