Te Rarawa reaches $20m settlement

At Panguru today, Northland tribe Te Rarawa will sign an agreement in principle to settle its treaty claims.

While the iwi was part of Muriwhenua Claim before the Waitangi Tribunal, it conducted separate negotiations so its settlement could include hapu in the north Hokianga, which is outside Muriwhenua.

Chairperson Haami Piripi says while the Government values the settlement at $20 million, it will be worth more to the iwi because it boosts the value of other investments in eco-tourism, farming, fishing and forestry.

The package, hammered out over five years of monthly meetings, includes former Lands and Survey farms at Sweetwater and Te Karae and 29 percent of the Aupouri Forest, along with accumulated rentals.

“One of the things that emerges as a useful tool in discussions is the historical analysis of happenings in this area over the last 170 years and it’s very clear that Te Rarawa has played a very powerful leadership role in iwi affairs in this area and it’s appropriate that we receive redress that’s commensurate with the status that we once held when we welcomes the Pakeha into our area,” Mr Piripi says.

A key part of the settlement is acknowledgement Te Rarawa holds the mana whenua over the Conservation estate, which makes up a third of the tribal rohe.

NO COWS FOR WATER SUPPLY

A Northland marae no longer has to worry about cows getting into its water supply.

Whakapara Marae has secured an $18,000 grant from the ASB Community Trust to drill and 85 metre bore.

Trustee Moeawa Hall says the 25-year old marae often had to buy water in for tangi and hui.

That's because the existing supply wasn't reliable.

“The water source came from across the road in a farmer’s paddock and it came from a spring, where the water was fresh but if the cows got in to the hole we had a big mess and we had to clean it all up so it meant nearly 10 years of going across the road and looking at our water source over there,” Ms Hall says.

THOUSANDS TANGI SID JACKSON

Activist and unionist Sid Jackson will be buried today at his family marae near Hastings.

Up to 20 thousand mourners have been through Matahiwi Marae over the past three days to mourn the man who challenged not just Pakeha but Maori over issues like the need to revive the Maori language and give Maori a control over their own affairs.

Relative Parekura Kupenga says the funeral ritual led by Ngati Porou tohunga Amster Reedy will respect Mr Jackson's pursuit of tino rangatiratanga.

“The family has asked that only karakia Maori be preached on the day – none of the modern type karakia that comes from the Bible – but those which are back according to Maori philosophy,” he says.

Thousands of people have been passing through the gates of Matahiwi Marae near Hastings to pay tribute to the late Sid Jackson.

The unionist, activist and advocate for Maori cultural, economic and political self-determination died on Monday of cancer.

Parekura Kupenga says Ngati Kahungunu has done an extraordinary job welcoming and feeding the huge number of mourners.

He says the speeches have focused on the major impact Mr Jackson has made on New Zealand.

“They've talked about his early years in Nga Tamatoa and the kind of korero he had been introducing our people to, to which there was a lot of resistance, not just by politicians, Pakeha, but by our own people, which hurt him of course, but he understood why our people resisted,” Mr Kupenga says.

The funeral, which starts at 11, will be conducted according to pre-Christian Maori rituals.

SCOTTY MORRISON PICKS UP PROFESSORIAL ROLE

Te Karere presenter Scotty Morrison is to combine the autocue with the blackboard.

The face of Television New Zealand's Maori news has been appointed an adjunct professor of Te Reo Me Nga Tikanga at Unitec's Puukenga school of Maori education.

Mr Morrison, from Ngati Whakaue and Te Arawa, has lectured at the west Auckland polytechnic since 2002.

He says the appointment marks a new focus on teaching Maori arts like weaponry, tikanga, language, culture, history and weaving at an expert level.

“We realise there's a lot of tertiary providers out there that have got the beginners’ courses and a lot of intermediate courses in all those different fields, but there’s not a lot of tertiary providers that have got the actual expert level there, so we’re looking at developing expert level courses in those fields so we can develop experts basically, and that ought to tie in with our marae which ought to be opening sometime next year,” Mr Morrison says.

He’s working on a PhD studying Maori broadcasting.

SAM RAPIRA SHOWING OUTSTANDING WARRIOR CLASS

Replacements are starting to emerge for some of the key Warriors players.

There's a lot of concern about whether Wade McKinnon's ankle or Ruben Wiki's ribs will survive tonight's final eight clash with Paramatta at Mt Smart Stadium, let alone the rest of the series.

But former coach Tony Kemp, says front rower Sam Rapira, who was this week named the club's Young Player of the Year, is proving a formidible player.

The 20-year-old played every game this year, as well as making his international test debut.

"Pretty easy pick because he’s been an outstanding player this year. To keep a player like Reuben Wiki pushed out to the back row is no easy feat, and it just goes to show you the talent this kid has. And of course Sammy, coming from a staunch rugby league family in the Waikato, Rapira’s been around a long time that name in the game down there, and he’s doing his whanau proud,” Mr Kemp says.

Tonight's game kicks off at 8.30 before a sell out crowd.