Game to get Maori voters on side

Political commentator Chris Trotter says new National Party leader John Key knows how to play the game to get Maori on side.

Mr Trotter says below the friendly persona, Mr Key is a hard-nosed Tory.

He says he knows what it takes to win, and if that means making overtures to the Maori Party, he will do that.

The swing vote at the next election will be the Maori Party. The Maori Party will make or break Labour or National in terms of who goes into office, and I think John Key understands Maori are rapidly becoming the swing vote in New Zealand politics, and therefore their concerns, their aspirations have to be taken seriously by any party with aspirations to govern,” Mr Trotter says.

He says while former leader Don Brash scared large sections of the electorate, Mr Key will be out to charm.

MAORI PRIOPRITY SOUGHT FOR CANCER CURE

A cancer researcher says Maori women should be given priority in a proposed cervical cancer immunisation programme.

Beverly Lawton, the director of Otago University's Womens Health Research Centre, says the Gardasil vaccine is an exciting advance in cancer prevention.

The Ministry of Health are thinking about putting Gardasil into its national immunisation schedule from 2008. Australia plans a mass vaccination campaign starting next April.

Dr Beverly Lawton says Maori women are five times more likely to die from cervical cancer than non Maori, with those in rural areas particularly vulnerable and more likely to be diagnosed with the illness at a later stage.

“We see this as a unique opportunity to get involved with rural Maori communities and to go through some of these issues and to consult, because this is a very new type of vaccine, it’s an anti-cancer vaccine and it’s very exciting, and we should all work our way around so we can have the maximum impact,” Dr Lawton says.


LABAN CONGRATULATES BOARD FOR BROWN FACE
Sports commentator Ken Laban says the board of New Zealand League has made a contribution to addressing the shortage of brown sports administrators by seconding former Kiwi and NRL coach, Tony Kemp.

Mr Laban says the Taranaki-raised Kemp, who was the first Maori to coach in Australia's National Rugby League, has always been willing to challenge the status quo.

As an 18 year old with the chance to play for Newcastle in the NRL, Kemp won a restraint of trade case against the New Zealand League, who demanded a transfer fee because he had played junior international football.

Ken Laban says there should be many fights still to come.

“And one of the things that’s frustrated me about our sports administrative bodies is that we run the risk of having games that are administered by Pakehas but played by brown people, so to have someone of Tony Kemp’s stature recognised for his contribution so far and recognized for what he cam contribute to its continued growth is very good for the game,” Mr Laban says.

WANANGA TEAMS WITH UNION TO REACH WORKERS

Te Wananga o Aotearoa has teamed up with the Unite Union to offer courses to low paid workers,

Unite director Matt McCarten, who is also a member of the wananga's board, says workers have been asking for opportunities lo learn things such as literacy, computing and business skills.

He says upskilling will help many workers move into higher paid jobs and the wananga has the expertise to help make it happen.

“Well it's trying to capitalize on what the wananga does really well, which is to do courses aimed at people who haven’t done formal education for a long period of time,” Mr McCarten says.

He says the union will be trying to get firms to see the benefit of letting staff do the courses, while the wananga is also trying to strengthen its relationships with employers.

MIXED RESULT IN BANKS VS MAORI TV

A Maori Television spokesperson says the channel is disappointed its complaints against talk back host John Banks have been knocked back.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority upheld the channel's contention that some of the former National MP and Auckland mayor's comments in a July broadcast were inaccurate.

But it said Mr Banks' description of Maori TV as the "money guzzling apartheid state owned Maori television channel" was clearly opinion, so it was not subject to the accuracy standard.

And because Maori Television is a statutory body, it doesn't enjoy the protection in the Broadcasting Standards Act against denigration of individuals.

Maori Television marketing manager Sonya Haggie says despite the result, the complaint may have stemmed some of the the abuse coming across the airwaves from Mr Banks.

“He does seem to be staying away from the whole issue at the moment, so that’s been a positive outcome for us, because we seem to have shut him down, hopefully, but at the same time we didn’t win in terms of the BSA,” Ms Haggie says.

She says Maori Television is unlikely to take the issue further.

TAURA WHIRI TO WORK WITH TOURISM ON STANDARDS

The Maori Language Commission intends to work closely with the tourism industry over the next year to improve the presentation of Maori culture and language.

Chief executive Haami Piripi says it will partner with Tourism New Zealand to show operators the potential of a Maori element in their products.

He says it's good for business and good for national identity.

“People who come to New Zealand look for that sort of cultural element. When you can properly integrate that cultural element into a national ethos instead of sitting side saddle, you are getting to a point when you are starting to mature as a nation and beginning to reflect your demographic reality,” Mr Piripi says.

He says the commission is also looking at ways to make Maori work with translation software.