Divisive water campaign decried
Labour list MP Shane Jones says the Maori Party is trying to sow division in its latest campaign over water ownership.
The party last week claimed the Government's proposed Sustainable Water Programme of Action assumes the Crown owns the country's water, overriding any Maori customary rights.
The Government says the water is a public resource managed by government and local authorities on behalf of all New Zealanders.
Mr Jones says rather than tackling some of the real problems around allocation and use of water, the Maori Party is trying to make political capital out of the issue.
“My experience is that people have had a gutsful of the Maori Party whipping up fervor which only leads to dissension and fear and quite frankly I think it’s disappointing for us as Maori that that’s happening but politically the more the do it I think the sooner we’ll see them disappear,” Mr Jones says.
KAHAWAI TRADE OFF BETWEEN MONEY AND RECREATION
Ngati Awa chief executive Jeremy Gardiner says iwi can't lose from a High Court direction that Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton reconsider the way his predecessor set kahawai quota levels.
The minister was taken to court by recreational fishing groups, who argued the importance of the fish to the recreational sector had been underestimated.
Mr Gardiner says any reduction in commercial quota will affect iwi as quota owners, but iwi members could still benefit.
“On the positive side I guess there’ll be more kahawai available to recreational fishers of which Maori are a big component. There are some positives and negatives but it’ll really depend on what the minister comes back with in his new decision,” Mr Gardiner says.
RECIPE FOR WINNNG POLYFEST
Otara school Te Wharekura o Piripono has won the coveted Auckland secondary schools Kapa Haka title of Auckland at the 32nd ASB Polyfest.
Runners up at the four day event were Manurewa's James Cook High and Auckland Girls Grammar.
Polyfest judge Paora Sharples says Piripono stood out for the energy they put into their performance.
“When you're after winning kapa haka you’ve got to lift everyone up and keep everyone up there. So if you’ve got a few not so good items, it brings everyone back down again. But they were pretty consistent with the quality and the sound, so they were up there the whole time,” Mr Sharples says.
Polyfest is the largest event of its kind, with more than 9000 students from almost 50 Auckland schools competing.
MANIAPOTO MOVING FAST ON FISH
Ngati Maniapoto is looking to finalise its fisheries asset allocation as soon as possible.
The King Country iwi last week had its mandate confirmed to receive the population-based portion ot its settlement, amounting to $18 million in deepwater quota, cash and shares in Aotearoa Fisheries.
Chairperson Tiwha Bell says now that all iwi in the Tainui waka have received their mandates, it is time to start work on securing the inshore part of the settlement, which is based on each tribe's coastline.
Mr Bell says it should be possible to do that without reviving age-old battles.
“We have to get our inshore settled. We have to hui with our neighbours with Waikato and Ngati Tama. We have to talk and agree on the mark in the sand of how we’re going split that lot of fish up. So we’re going to split the fish, we’re not going to split the whenua,” Mr Bell says.
He says the inshore settlement is likely to depend on Ngati Tama to the south, which has still not sought a mandate.
CALL FOR POPULATION-BASED SEATS
A Maori academic says the number of Maori seats should be calculated on the proportion of Maori in the total population, rather than the voting age population.
Rawiri Taonui, head of Maori and indigenous studies at Canterbury University, says that would mean 11 Maori seats, rather than the current seven.
Mr Taonui says it's a way of reflecting the relative youth of the Maori population.
“A majority of our population are too young to vote yet, and they have an interest in the future and adopting this system will protect them, It will also give them double protection against demographic swamping through immigration,” Mr Taonui says.
TE WAIPOUNAMU PUTS STAMP ON RUGBY
The new power in Maori rugby is in Te Waipounamu.
The Southern region completed a clean sweep of the three major Maori titles when the senior men's team beat Te Hiku Northern region 39 to 22 at Eden Park as a curtain raiser to the Blues NSW Super 14 clash.
Their aggregate gave them the George Nepia Taonga for best region.
Maori coach Donny Stevenson says their experience shone through.
“A lot of good leadership out there. They had a few of the good heads in the forwards that have played a lot of rugby, the likes of Piri Te Whare and Mana Harrison and Tane Puke and them very talented, so there are some good prospects for the future,” Stevenson says.
The party last week claimed the Government's proposed Sustainable Water Programme of Action assumes the Crown owns the country's water, overriding any Maori customary rights.
The Government says the water is a public resource managed by government and local authorities on behalf of all New Zealanders.
Mr Jones says rather than tackling some of the real problems around allocation and use of water, the Maori Party is trying to make political capital out of the issue.
“My experience is that people have had a gutsful of the Maori Party whipping up fervor which only leads to dissension and fear and quite frankly I think it’s disappointing for us as Maori that that’s happening but politically the more the do it I think the sooner we’ll see them disappear,” Mr Jones says.
KAHAWAI TRADE OFF BETWEEN MONEY AND RECREATION
Ngati Awa chief executive Jeremy Gardiner says iwi can't lose from a High Court direction that Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton reconsider the way his predecessor set kahawai quota levels.
The minister was taken to court by recreational fishing groups, who argued the importance of the fish to the recreational sector had been underestimated.
Mr Gardiner says any reduction in commercial quota will affect iwi as quota owners, but iwi members could still benefit.
“On the positive side I guess there’ll be more kahawai available to recreational fishers of which Maori are a big component. There are some positives and negatives but it’ll really depend on what the minister comes back with in his new decision,” Mr Gardiner says.
RECIPE FOR WINNNG POLYFEST
Otara school Te Wharekura o Piripono has won the coveted Auckland secondary schools Kapa Haka title of Auckland at the 32nd ASB Polyfest.
Runners up at the four day event were Manurewa's James Cook High and Auckland Girls Grammar.
Polyfest judge Paora Sharples says Piripono stood out for the energy they put into their performance.
“When you're after winning kapa haka you’ve got to lift everyone up and keep everyone up there. So if you’ve got a few not so good items, it brings everyone back down again. But they were pretty consistent with the quality and the sound, so they were up there the whole time,” Mr Sharples says.
Polyfest is the largest event of its kind, with more than 9000 students from almost 50 Auckland schools competing.
MANIAPOTO MOVING FAST ON FISH
Ngati Maniapoto is looking to finalise its fisheries asset allocation as soon as possible.
The King Country iwi last week had its mandate confirmed to receive the population-based portion ot its settlement, amounting to $18 million in deepwater quota, cash and shares in Aotearoa Fisheries.
Chairperson Tiwha Bell says now that all iwi in the Tainui waka have received their mandates, it is time to start work on securing the inshore part of the settlement, which is based on each tribe's coastline.
Mr Bell says it should be possible to do that without reviving age-old battles.
“We have to get our inshore settled. We have to hui with our neighbours with Waikato and Ngati Tama. We have to talk and agree on the mark in the sand of how we’re going split that lot of fish up. So we’re going to split the fish, we’re not going to split the whenua,” Mr Bell says.
He says the inshore settlement is likely to depend on Ngati Tama to the south, which has still not sought a mandate.
CALL FOR POPULATION-BASED SEATS
A Maori academic says the number of Maori seats should be calculated on the proportion of Maori in the total population, rather than the voting age population.
Rawiri Taonui, head of Maori and indigenous studies at Canterbury University, says that would mean 11 Maori seats, rather than the current seven.
Mr Taonui says it's a way of reflecting the relative youth of the Maori population.
“A majority of our population are too young to vote yet, and they have an interest in the future and adopting this system will protect them, It will also give them double protection against demographic swamping through immigration,” Mr Taonui says.
TE WAIPOUNAMU PUTS STAMP ON RUGBY
The new power in Maori rugby is in Te Waipounamu.
The Southern region completed a clean sweep of the three major Maori titles when the senior men's team beat Te Hiku Northern region 39 to 22 at Eden Park as a curtain raiser to the Blues NSW Super 14 clash.
Their aggregate gave them the George Nepia Taonga for best region.
Maori coach Donny Stevenson says their experience shone through.
“A lot of good leadership out there. They had a few of the good heads in the forwards that have played a lot of rugby, the likes of Piri Te Whare and Mana Harrison and Tane Puke and them very talented, so there are some good prospects for the future,” Stevenson says.
posted by Adam | 11:04 pm
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