Landcorp properties not for sale

Hauraki land claimants are celebrating the for sale signs coming off a piece of ancestral land.

The Government today announced a new process for sale of Crown land, to take into account heritage, cultural, local and recreational values.

As a result it is paying Landcorp more than $100 million over four years to hang onto nine properties, including Whenuakite on the Coromandel Peninsula.

John McEnteer, the claims manager for the Hauraki Maori Trust Board, says it shows the occupation of the land earlier this year was justified.

“The board, along with the people of Ngati Hei, we had two objectives. The first was to stop the land sale and the second is to get the land back. We’re quite delighted that the Government has taken Whenuakite off the open market. They’ve taken the for sale sign down permanently, so we’re please about that. We can now focus on getting the land back,” Mr McEnteer says.

Hauraki is keen to see the detail of the new policy, and how it can advance its settlement.

TECHNOLOGY TIKANGA TASK FOR NEW MEMBERS

The Bioethics council Toi te Taiao is set to tackle ticklish questions on the tikanga of biotechnology.

It's just taken on three new Maori members - former Ngai Tahu chief executive Tahu Potiki, scientist Brett Stephenson and Huia Tomlins-Jahnke, an associate professor of Maori education at Massey University.

John Pennington, the council's programme leader, says they bring valuable skills, experience and insights which should help Toi te Taiao become more responsive to Maori concerns.

“One of the things thart has been on our programme for a while is project on tikanga and biotechnology, of which some initial work has been done, so I’m hoping now that now we’ve got a solid group of Maori council members, we’ll be able to take this forward in the near future,” Mr Pennington says.

The Bioethics Council is a ministerial advisory body established as a result of a recommendation by the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.

ATAMIRA USES CARVINGS FOR CHOREOGRAPHY

Atamira has pole position at Auckland's Tempo Festival of Dance, premiering its new show tonight at the Town Hall Concert Chamber.

Dolina Wehipeihana, the creative producer, says the dance co-operative has developed two new work, Symbole et Realite by Kanak choreographer Richard Digoue and Whakairo by Moss Paterson.

Whakairo examines contemporary New Zealand society and Maori responsibility, and features a barbed wire whare hanging over the stage.

Ms Wehipeihana says Mr Paterson has gone a step further from his earlier works based on kowhaiwhai and carving patterns.

“Originally he just looked at the designs and looked at ways he could put those into movement, purely by looking at the patterns and doing those with his body. But in this particular piece he’s gone a bit deeper and he’s looked at the origins of whakairo and the legends by that and used that as influence conceptually in how he can bring in some of the ideas,” she says.

Whakairo runs through to Monday.

MAORI CAUCUS CLAIMS LANDCORP CREDIT

Labour's Maori Caucus is claiming credit for a Government U-turn on the sale of Landcorp properties.

The Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Trevor Mallard, today announced nine properties, including two occupied by land claimants earlier this year, will be put into a new Landcorp holding company.

Other surplus Crown land with high heritage, cultural or recreational value could also be put under Landcorp management.

Shane Jones, the chair of the Maori Caucus, says Labour's Maori MPs have been working behind the scenes for this outcome.

“It was an issue that was referred to us, in very very strenuous ways for Maori claimants. We took up the challenge, and lobbied away with our senior colleagues including Mr Mallard. So it’s a victory for the Maori caucus, it’s a victory for the claims process and anyone concerned about access to open space around the coastline,” he says.

Mr Jones says the land needs to be protected because the title is still in dispute until claims are resolved.

NEW HAPU STYLE ACROSS TASMAN

Maori are creating hapu away from home.

That's how Pita Sharples sees the shift of Maori across the Tasman.

Te Puni Kokiri is tomorrow releasing a major report on Maori in Australia - who is there, why they're jumping the ditch, and what they're doing there.

The Maori Party co-leader says many of the patterns which Maori established when they moved to the cities in the 1950s and 60s are being repeated.

He says many are drawn into hapu like structures.

“If they can create a hapu situation based on residence, not blood, then they’ll do it, and that’s what’s happened in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast. They’re living like hapu, and yet they’re not related. They’re Maori living together and carrying the traditions on together, so that carries them on, for the time,” Dr Sharples says.

He expects to see more marae being built in Australia as Maori there seek to hold on to their culture.

MAORI TAUTOKO TONGA FOR WORLD CUP BID

New Zealand is awash in Tongan pride.

In Auckland's southern suburbs where many Tongan families have settled, the red and white flags of the small Pacific nation are everywhere, as excitement builds for tomorrow night's World Cup showdown against England.

Matt Te Pou, the former New Zealand Maori coach, had the unique experience of having two sons line up in opposing teams when the Maori squad played Tonga.

That's because his wife is one of the many New Zealanders with both Maori and Tongan whakapapa.

He says Tongan team deserves its moment in the sun.

“They got a reason to feel proud. That team’s got an opportunity to go through to the quarters and the Tongans have never done that, and a lot of their players are playing for other countries, and for once they’ve been able to muster a lot of their top line players into one area, so we wish them well,” Mr Te Pou says.