Waatea News Update

News from Waatea 603 AM, Urban Maori radio, first with Maori news

My Photo
Name:
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, July 24, 2006

Weaver Erenora Puketapu-Hetet dies

The death of weaver and artist Erenora Puketapu-Hetet has been called a huge loss to the art world and the Maori weaving community.

Mrs Puketapu-Hetet of Wellington iwi Te Ati Awa died on Saturday aged 65.

She grew up at Waiwhetu in Lower Hutt and her mentors included Rangimarie Hetet and Emily Schuster.

Toi Maori general manager Garry Nicholas says as well as being an extraordinary exponent of traditional weaving styles, Mrs Puketapu-Hetet was able to tackle contemporary issues in an innovative way.

“One of the large works that is touring through the United States now with the Eternal Thread show is a concern she had with the fisheries carve-up, and it was her tribute to Tangaroa. When it was shown in San Francisco, it was the one piece that blew the Americans away,” Nicholas said.

LASHLIE LASHES SOCIAL APPROACH

Many social workers don't have the right approach to work effectively with dysfunctional Maori families.

That's the view of social commentator Celia Lashlie, the former head of Christchurch women's prison.

Ms Lashlie says too many social workers tell their clients what they should do.

She says all people want a better life for their children, but many don't know how to create a caring and nurturing environment for their children

Ms Lashlie says many social workers and public servants don't know how to communicate effectively with such people.

“And we are prominently white middle class, dabbling in that social work area, and we go in and tell them what to do. What I like to look at them is ask what would you like to change about your life, because what you do is going to send your kids to prison or them ending up dead,” Lashlie said.

TAX SYSTEM TRAPS BENEFICIARIES

Rotorua iwi social service agency head Penny Mitchell says the tax system is penalising beneficiaries who are trying to improve their situation.

Ms Mitchell says there is a lack of suitable full time, so many people try to string together part time jobs.

She says after the tax kicks in, they get disheartened as the secondary tax chops into their earnings.

Penny Mitchell says the Government should look again at its policy of taxing people from the first dollar earned.

MAORI LANGUAGE WEEK ORIGINS RECALLED

At the start of Maori Language Week, one of the instigators of the initiative says many of its objectives have been realised.

Syd Jackson was in Nga Tamatoa, the group which first started marking September 14th as Te Ra o Te Reo, or Maori language day, in the early 1970s.

Mr Jackson says the date was later shifted because the effort of organising events clashed with preparation for exams, but the objectives remained.

“That was identified as being a day on which we could push the rest of the country to understand the importance of our reo, to understand the need to have it taught widely, and to give our children to right to be able to learn their own language in our own schools in our own country,” Jackson said.

MINISTER SLATES MEDIA FOR MAORI ABUSE SLANT

The Minister in charge Of the Child, Youth and Family Service says the media is not picking up on successful intervention programmes run by her department.

Ruth Dyson says while there is coverage of extreme cases of child abuse, the public also wants to know that people's lives are being turned around.

She says abuse is not just a Maori problem, but that's the way it seems to come across in the news.

“Response towards Maori generally in New Zealand is very shallow. I have yet to see a headline ‘60 percent of Pakeha children abused’, or any call at all from any leader in our community for Pakeha families to take more responsibility for child abuse in our community,” Dyson said.

BENNETT DISHES ADVICE FOR SOLO MUMS

National list MP and solo mum Paula Bennett says Maori solo mothers need to set achievable goals for themselves and their families if they are to avoid becoming dependent on welfare.

Ms Bennett, who has ties to Waikato, says her way out of benefit dependency was education.

She says that took patience and commitment, as well as having clear goals.

“The challenge is to see past that day to day, survival, which is a big ask, but once we start to see past that day to day struggle that is taking up all our energy, all of our time and everything we have got, and start setting a goal, then we can start working towards it. And that is the challenge that I would lay to Maori women,” Bennett said.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home