Two thirds of tribes now signed up for fish deal

The Whakatohea and Ngati Wai Trust boards have been won approval to receive fisheries settlement assets on behalf of their tribes.
Te Ohu Kaimoana chief executive Peter Douglas says Opotiki-based Whakatohea will receive $5.9 million in deepsea quota, cash and shares in Aotearoa fisheries.
Ngati Wai, whose rohe stretches along Northland's east coast and out to Great Barrier, will initially receive $2.4 million in assets.

Mr Douglas says the decisions mean mandated iwi authorities have now been determined for significant chunks of the country, and the tribes can now work with their neighbours on where their boundaries lie, so they can pick up their inshore quota.

“They fill in the jigsaw I guess in terms of helping the iwi on either side of them, so that they’re able to work out their inshore agreements with each other, and you’re able to work these inshore agreements out when you are a MIO (Mandated Iwi Authority). Them being a MIO makes it easier for everybody,” Mr Douglas says.

Peter Douglas says 37 of the 57 iwi now have mandated iwi organisations, and 65 percent of fisheries assets have been allocated.

KEY LINING UP CHOICE FOR MAORI SLOT

New National Party leader John Key says whoever becomes the party's Maori affairs spokesperson today will have a good handle on Maori issues.

It's expected Gerry Brownlee will hand over the job to either Georgina te Heuheu, who is considered to have good relations with other parties and Maori MPs, of former Maori affairs minister Tau Henare, who will be expected to make his mark in the debating chamber.

Mr Key says it's a tough choice.

“Our ideal options are Georgina and Tau Both of them have strong skills. We’re trying to work out a solution whether can use both, but it definitely will be a Maori and a Maori speaker,” Key says.

PAPAKURA SCHOOL GOES ON AIRWAVES

Papakura's Kelvin Road Primary School is launching the country's first school based radio station.

Principal Thomas Robertson says the station will broadcasts can be heard within 6 kilometres of the south Auckland school on 107.1 FM.

He says 72 percent of the roll is Maori, and the school tries to reflect community needs.

“The board are of course reflective of the community and over 80 percent of them are Maori as well, and the board were extremely receptive and very supportive and can see the advantage for the tamariki at the school for the future. Because what we are trying to do is ready our kids for a digital future,” Mr Robertson says.

Kelvin Road School hopes to involve with the local intermediate and Papakura High School in the project.

NGATI WAI CELEBRATES FISH FIGHT END

Northland's Ngati Wai Trust is celebrating its achievement of mandated iwi organisation status to receive Maori fisheries assets.

The iwi will initially receive $2.4 million in deepsea quota, cash and shares, but there is more inshore quota coming once it gets agreement on boundaries with neighbouring iwi.

Ngati Wai broke with other northern tribes during the long running fisheries debate, and along with Hauraki it joined the Ngai Tahu-led treaty Tribes group pushing for allocation to be determined by a tribe's coastline length.

Trust chairperson Laly Haddon says it was a long and tiring battle.

“Well it's sort of been frustrating but we’ve got there. That was always the main objective, to get the rights back for the beneficiaries of Ngati Wai. We’ve achieved that. We haven’t the big amounts of other iwi, but we have to make sure it’s transferred an made the best advantage for the beneficiaries of Ngati Wai,” Mr Haddon.

Te Ohu Kaimona Fisheries Settlement Trust also approved the mandate of Opotiki-based Whakatohea Trust Board, meaning 37 out of 57 iwi have now been recognised.

DISAPPOINTMENT AT RIGHTS DECLARATION DELAY

Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell says the failure of the United Nations General Assembly to vote on a draft declaration on indigenous rights is a huge disappointment after 20 years of work.

The assembly's human rights committee agreed 82-67 with a Namibian proposal to open up the declaration for further consultation.

Mr Flavell says New Zealand voted for the delay, and seems determined to block the declaration.

“There are some key statements in there about the rights of indigenous peoples to self determination. Every other nation of the world, bar the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand is supportive of this declaration,” Mr Flavell says.

He says the government needs to come back to Maori and consult on the position it is taking over recognition of indigenous rights.

TRADITIONAL VALUES DRAWN ON FOR ANTI VIOLENCE WORK

Taitokerau Maori are using traditional methods to address domestic violence.

Nineteen iwi social workers have just completed a 10 month Mauri Ora programme giving them the skills to teach whanu the Maori principles which might help break the cycle of intergenerational violence.

They also learn ways to help distressed families to improve their overall wellbeing.

Ngamaru Brown from Ngapuhi Iwi Social Services says the hope is that the techniques wll spread out in the community.

"It's more like teaching them to teach the next one. We’ve been taught to be practitioners as well as facilitators,” Ms Brown says.

She says Mauri Ora is a holistic approach, dealing with the spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical wellbeing of their clients.