Atareta Maxwell dies
Te Arawa is mourning the loss of one of its most respected kuia and a major contributor to the national kapa haka scene.
Atareta Maxwell, who along with husband Trevor was the force behind the Ngati Rangiwewehi group for 30 years, died last week aged 61.
Her nephew, broadcaster Scotty Morrison, says Aunty Dina, as she was known to her whanau, demanded total commitment from performers.
Mr Morrison says his aunt's professionalism helped Ngati Rangiwewehi win the national kapa haka title in both 1983 and 1996.
“She instilled a lot of discipline into Ngati Rangiwewehi, helped them to a new level of performance though some at the time exceptional and very rare choreography that hadn’t been seen before and she was behind the new performance styles that Ngati Rangiwewehi came up with,” Mr Morrison says.
He says Atareta Maxwell believed kapa haka should be used to develop people not just as performers but as people.
NEW FISHERIES COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED
The Maori electoral college, Te Kawai Taumata, has gone for a mix of old and new hands to take the Maori fisheries settlement forward.
It's the first time fisheries commissioners have been chose by iwi rather than the Minister for Maori Affairs.
Former commissioner Naida Glavish, the deputy chair of the 11 member college, says iwi put up nine candidates for the four open positions.
The new commissioners are Rikirangi Gage, the chief executive of Te Whanau a Apanui, and Ngati Kahungunu chairperson Ngahiwi Tomonana.
Two commissioners were reappointed.
“Koro Wetere and Archie Taiaroa both rolled over because there was an expression of absolute appreciation of their institutional knowledge, not only of the fisheries but also the knowledge the hold with regards all iwi,” Ms Glavish says.
She says the challenge for the commission this year is to compete allocation of fisheries assets to the 22 iwi who have not yet completed the mandating process.
KITE FLYING TO BRITISH MUSEUM
Otaki artist Suzanne Tamaki is waiting for MAF clearance for her kite Manu Wahine to travel to the British Museum.
Clearance is needed because the kite is builtr in the traditional fashion with feathers and natural fibres.
Ms Tamaki was commissioned by the museum to make a companion piece to the kite it holds in its collection by a unknown Te Arawa artist from 1843.
She says the museum is making an effort to shine a contemporary light on some of its Pacific collection.
“They see that there’s a big movement of that happening here and Europe is really paying attention now to what’s happening here, and I think that’s really in response to what we are experiencing overseas,” Ms Tamaki says.
She hopes to get to London when her manu wahine is exhibited at the British Museum later in the year as part of a major Pacific show.
MAHAREY ASSURES KOHANGA FUNDING POSSIBLE
Education Minister Steve Maharey says the government is working with the Kohanga Reo National Trust on ways kohanga can qualify to provide free pre-school education.
The 20 hours free pre-school education promised in last year's budget only applies to centres with registered early childhood teachers.
Because kohanga reo are whanau led, similar to the Playcentre model, they don't qualify.
Mr Maharey says the door has not been closed on kohanga.
“This policy is about early childhood education. That relates to teachers being present, them being registered and qualified, and that’s the issue that Kohanga needs to look at – do they want to move down the road of having qualified teachers. My understanding is increasingly they do, and if they do of course they’ll simply access the policy,” Mr Maharey says.
He says the Kohanga Reo National Trust needs to work with the Qualifications Authority to get its three year whanau whakapakari qualification accepted as a formal teaching qualification.
ORGANISERS AIM FOR LOW KEY WAITANGI DAY
Organisers of this year's Waitangi Day in the Bay of Islands are aiming for a low key and uncontroversial event.
Organising committee chairperson Pita Paraone says the national day of February 6 will kick off with a dawn service on the Treaty Grounds, followed by the Navy's flag raising ceremony.
The Prime Minister will host a breakfast for invited guests at the Waitangi Copthorne Hotel, while a fleet of waka launch from Hobson Beach.
An interdenominational church service, entertainment and sporting events make up the rest of the programme, which ends with a Navy sunset ceremony at the flagpole.
Mr Paraone says organisers don't want to open up any wider debate about the role of the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori and the Crown.
“We're just commemorating the fact that it was signed on that day, and given some of the adverse activity that’s taken place in recent years, we just want to focus on a programme that will bring people back to Waitangi,” Mr Paraone says.
MAURI ORA OPENS IN TOKYO
For our last story we go to the Tokyo, where in the next hour a group of kaumatua led by Maori King Tuheitia will hold a dawn ceremony to clear the Japanese national museum for an exhibition of 120 artifacts from the Museum of New Zealand.
Te Papa Maori manager Te Taru White says major pieces in the Mauri Ora exhibition include the front of Tokopikowhakahau, a meeting house carved in the Waikato in the 1870s, and a 6 metre canoe hull which stood for many years at Pipiriki as a memorial to Whanganui rangatira.
He says Mauri Ora will raise the profile of Maori in Japan.
“We take our culture out there, we take out taonga out there with pride, and people get to see who we are in their back yards. If we can excite people about being the unique and indigenous culture of Aotearoa New Zealand, then we may excite them enough to visit new Zealand. And of course that has spin offs for tourism, for business, and highlights Maori as the unique peoples of the South Pacific,” Mr White says.
After the official opening of Mauri Ora this afternoon, King Tuheitia and his wife Te Atawhai will have a private afternoon tea with the Japanese Emperor.
Atareta Maxwell, who along with husband Trevor was the force behind the Ngati Rangiwewehi group for 30 years, died last week aged 61.
Her nephew, broadcaster Scotty Morrison, says Aunty Dina, as she was known to her whanau, demanded total commitment from performers.
Mr Morrison says his aunt's professionalism helped Ngati Rangiwewehi win the national kapa haka title in both 1983 and 1996.
“She instilled a lot of discipline into Ngati Rangiwewehi, helped them to a new level of performance though some at the time exceptional and very rare choreography that hadn’t been seen before and she was behind the new performance styles that Ngati Rangiwewehi came up with,” Mr Morrison says.
He says Atareta Maxwell believed kapa haka should be used to develop people not just as performers but as people.
NEW FISHERIES COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED
The Maori electoral college, Te Kawai Taumata, has gone for a mix of old and new hands to take the Maori fisheries settlement forward.
It's the first time fisheries commissioners have been chose by iwi rather than the Minister for Maori Affairs.
Former commissioner Naida Glavish, the deputy chair of the 11 member college, says iwi put up nine candidates for the four open positions.
The new commissioners are Rikirangi Gage, the chief executive of Te Whanau a Apanui, and Ngati Kahungunu chairperson Ngahiwi Tomonana.
Two commissioners were reappointed.
“Koro Wetere and Archie Taiaroa both rolled over because there was an expression of absolute appreciation of their institutional knowledge, not only of the fisheries but also the knowledge the hold with regards all iwi,” Ms Glavish says.
She says the challenge for the commission this year is to compete allocation of fisheries assets to the 22 iwi who have not yet completed the mandating process.
KITE FLYING TO BRITISH MUSEUM
Otaki artist Suzanne Tamaki is waiting for MAF clearance for her kite Manu Wahine to travel to the British Museum.
Clearance is needed because the kite is builtr in the traditional fashion with feathers and natural fibres.
Ms Tamaki was commissioned by the museum to make a companion piece to the kite it holds in its collection by a unknown Te Arawa artist from 1843.
She says the museum is making an effort to shine a contemporary light on some of its Pacific collection.
“They see that there’s a big movement of that happening here and Europe is really paying attention now to what’s happening here, and I think that’s really in response to what we are experiencing overseas,” Ms Tamaki says.
She hopes to get to London when her manu wahine is exhibited at the British Museum later in the year as part of a major Pacific show.
MAHAREY ASSURES KOHANGA FUNDING POSSIBLE
Education Minister Steve Maharey says the government is working with the Kohanga Reo National Trust on ways kohanga can qualify to provide free pre-school education.
The 20 hours free pre-school education promised in last year's budget only applies to centres with registered early childhood teachers.
Because kohanga reo are whanau led, similar to the Playcentre model, they don't qualify.
Mr Maharey says the door has not been closed on kohanga.
“This policy is about early childhood education. That relates to teachers being present, them being registered and qualified, and that’s the issue that Kohanga needs to look at – do they want to move down the road of having qualified teachers. My understanding is increasingly they do, and if they do of course they’ll simply access the policy,” Mr Maharey says.
He says the Kohanga Reo National Trust needs to work with the Qualifications Authority to get its three year whanau whakapakari qualification accepted as a formal teaching qualification.
ORGANISERS AIM FOR LOW KEY WAITANGI DAY
Organisers of this year's Waitangi Day in the Bay of Islands are aiming for a low key and uncontroversial event.
Organising committee chairperson Pita Paraone says the national day of February 6 will kick off with a dawn service on the Treaty Grounds, followed by the Navy's flag raising ceremony.
The Prime Minister will host a breakfast for invited guests at the Waitangi Copthorne Hotel, while a fleet of waka launch from Hobson Beach.
An interdenominational church service, entertainment and sporting events make up the rest of the programme, which ends with a Navy sunset ceremony at the flagpole.
Mr Paraone says organisers don't want to open up any wider debate about the role of the Treaty of Waitangi between Maori and the Crown.
“We're just commemorating the fact that it was signed on that day, and given some of the adverse activity that’s taken place in recent years, we just want to focus on a programme that will bring people back to Waitangi,” Mr Paraone says.
MAURI ORA OPENS IN TOKYO
For our last story we go to the Tokyo, where in the next hour a group of kaumatua led by Maori King Tuheitia will hold a dawn ceremony to clear the Japanese national museum for an exhibition of 120 artifacts from the Museum of New Zealand.
Te Papa Maori manager Te Taru White says major pieces in the Mauri Ora exhibition include the front of Tokopikowhakahau, a meeting house carved in the Waikato in the 1870s, and a 6 metre canoe hull which stood for many years at Pipiriki as a memorial to Whanganui rangatira.
He says Mauri Ora will raise the profile of Maori in Japan.
“We take our culture out there, we take out taonga out there with pride, and people get to see who we are in their back yards. If we can excite people about being the unique and indigenous culture of Aotearoa New Zealand, then we may excite them enough to visit new Zealand. And of course that has spin offs for tourism, for business, and highlights Maori as the unique peoples of the South Pacific,” Mr White says.
After the official opening of Mauri Ora this afternoon, King Tuheitia and his wife Te Atawhai will have a private afternoon tea with the Japanese Emperor.
posted by Adam | 10:35 am
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