Waatea News Update

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

My Photo
Name:
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Dover not over just yet

Dover Samuels is pouring cold water on reports he's stepping aside for fellow list MP Shane Jones.

It was claimed this week that Mr Samuels would hand over his ministerial roles when he gets back from leading a Maori tourism delegation to China.

These include associate tourism, housing and economic development portfolios.

By he says journalists were interviewing their typewriters.

“It's amazing what comes out in the media when you’re not even around. It’s quite fantastic. Unusual. But that’s typical of the media. It would have been nice if they’d contacted me and asked me in fact what my thoughts were,” Mr Samuel says.

He has indicated he won't seek reselection.

SECOND MAORI TELEVISION CHANNEL ON THE SATELLITE

Maori Television is taking advantage of the Freeview digital service to launch a second channel.

Chief executive Jim Mather says the channel will go to air next year with three hours a night of ad-free Maori language content.

He says Maori Television has achieved its statutory objectives of broadcasting in English and Maori to a broad audience.

“However we feel we’re now at the point of our development where it’s important that we’re meeting the needs of our core constituents, primarily fluent reo Maori speakers, Maori language learners and all other New Zealanders who want to immerse themselves in the language,” Mr Mather says.

The channel will be funded out of the extra $23 million in funding in this years budget for the shift to digital broadcasting.

MAORI MAKE CHRISTCHURCH FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Maori performers have finally made it onto the programme of the Christchurch Arts Festival.

The Mauriora Series, which starts today, includes performances by Lyttelton-based singer/songwriter Ariana Tikao, Christchurch band Te Huaki Puanaki, Ruia Aperahama, Brannigan Kaa, and the Mamaku Project.

Series curator Michelle Harrison from Ngati Porou says because it the South Island has a relatively low Maori population, it's been hard to sell Maori acts to festival organisers.

“We have a really lovely contained series, and the thing is if we pull it off and it’s well received, then that just opens the door for 2009, which is the next arts festival, and hopefully opens it up to a lot more Maori art forms,” Ms Harrison says.

WAIKATO LAUNCHES BILINGUAL PAPER

Waikato Polytechnic has published a bilingual newspaper to mark Maori Language Week.

Ko Piitoitoi te ingoa mo tetehi nuipepa hou kua whakamaanuhia e Te kura tini o Waikato hei whakanui i te wiki o te reo Maori.

Na nga kaiako me nga tauira o mua o te kuratini i tuhi, aa, hei taa Mikaere Taitoko, he pouako Maori i tauaka kura tini.

He maha nga kaupapa kei roto hei whakarata i nga kaipaanui.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TOWARDS MAORI ATTACKED

Local government is ignoring the Maori right to be represented.

That's one of the findings of a Massey University study of Maori participation in local politics.

Researcher Veronica Tawhai says the report tries to identify ways councils can improvement their engagement with Maori communities.

She says self-government is considered a measure of community well-being.

“That's just knowing that your needs and desires and values are being represented in government, and that simply is not happening for Maori. Many do not even know who their representatives are, and when it comes to candidate voting it’s the same, they haven’t heard of any candidates and so Maori are choosing to abstain from voting,” Ms Tawhai says.

Councils also need to up their performance in reaching out to young people.

NGARIMU SCHOLARSHIP SHOULD REMAIN OPEN

A long serving former member of the Ngarimu VC Scholarship board says the award should be available to all Maori.

The current board chaired by Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia has limited the scholarship to decendants of Maori Battalion members.

Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan served on the board in her role as MP for Southern Maori.

She was also part of the fundraising effort when the scholarship was set up in 1948 to remember Victoria Cross winner Te Moananui a Kiwa Ngarimu.

She says the nature of the prestigious award means it has to be open.

“It includes academic ability and leadership. That is available throughout Maoridom. It’s not confined to the descendants of the Maori Battalion and I think the wider the field, the greater the uptake from a wider variety of young Maori applicant,” Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan says.

Almost every Maori family was involved in the war effort, so it makes no sense now to advantage one group of Maori over another.

MINISTER PRAISES TE REO TV PLAN

Maori Minister of Maori Affairs says the launch of a Maori language-only television channel is a tribute to the hard work and considerable achievmeents of the Maori Television Service.

Ka whakatuu teetahi pouaka whakaata reo Maori anake e te ratonga whakaata maaori.

Koira te koorero a te minita mo nga take maaori a Parekura Horomia i te raa nei.

Hei taa Parekura, koianei te hua nui kua puta i nga mahi rangatira a nga kaimahi a te ratonga whakaata Maori ki te piikau i to taatou reo ki te motu whaanui, ara ki te ao.

Parekura Horomia on the Maori language channel, which will run nightly on the digital Freeview service from early next year.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home