Quota sale flies in face of iwi support

A prominant fisheries negotiator is disappointed Chatham Island Moriori are considering selling their deepwater fishing quota.

The Hoketihi Morioiri Trust Board is holding a postal ballot seeking 75 percent support to sell the quota to raise money for inshore and on-land activities.

Ngahiwi Tomoana on Ngati Kahungunu, who is now the deputy chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana, says iwi throughout the country came together in support of Moriori being allocated quota over a 200 mile limit, and he would be surprised if they now turned around and sold the quota.

"It just flies in the face of every iwi and I'm talking about Ngapuhi and Te Arawa and we all stood together on that even though we duked it out with each other on other issues, we were in total unity with the Chathams on that on that," Mr Tomoana says.
 
TAX REFORM WILL HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT SAY GREENS

Sue Bradford, the Green's resource development spokesperson says Government moves to reform tax laws are insane.

Ms Bradford says Labour's proposed Taxation Bill introduced in Parliament last week, which gives tax breaks to New Zealand-owned companies operating offshore,  will destroy manufacturing in this country pushing workers onto benefits and the social inequities created will take generations to address.

She says the changes would have particularly disastrous effects for Maori who occupy many of the manufacturing jobs which would be lost.

"Connection between unemployment and poverty, then all the other health and justice and criminal and family breakdown and violence out there comes as a result of that, why they can't see that connection I simply don't understand. We should be dong everything we can to foster jobs in this county, to foster our own home base manufacturing, to keep the factories open, to keep the businesses going and to keep the jobs here," Ms Bradford says.

The Greens will strenously fight the legislation.
 
TAUMATA FOUNDER REMEMBERED

A leading Northland kaumatua has joined the chorus paying trbute to a prominant Northland kuia who died over the weekend.

Del Wihongi was one of the original claimants on the Wai 262 claim on flora and fauna, still unresolved although lodged  nearly 20 years ago.

Kingi Taurua from Waitangi says Del Wihongi was a tirless worker for Maori causes in the North, and in the early nineties was a principal mover in the establishment of an influential forum for Taitokerau, the Taumata Kaumatua o Ngapuhi.

Del Wihongi will be laid to rest tomorrow beside her old people at Mangamuka.

IWI KEEN TO TAKE UP SPURNED FISHING QUOTA

There is a  prospect of Iwi combining to buy Moriori offshore fishing quota if the Chatham Islands iwi decides to sell its interest allocated as part of a Treaty settlement.

Ngati Kahangunu fishing negotiator Ngahiwi Tomoana says Iwi throughout the country would be surprised and disappointed if Moriori agreed to sell the quota after a ballot currently being held, but if they did other iwi may well be interested.

"Well we'd put our hands up along with other iwi, if it means keeping it within the integrity of the settlement I'm sure we would be part of a consortium having a look at it. There would be great commercial interest from the different commercial boards too," Mr Tomoana says.

While Kuhungunu would be interested from a political point of view the iwi now has a company  running its commercial affairs and they would have to look at it in a commercial light 
 
REPLANTING PROGRAMME SUCCESSFUL IN CLEANING UP STREAMS

Mahara Okeroa, the associate Minister of Conservation will be in Taitokerau on Wednesday to celebrate the success of a replanting programme to cleanup wetland areas and streams.

Mike Mohi, the kaitakawaenga for Te Whenua rahui who are overseeing the restoration project at Poroti,  says local farmers and tangata whenua have planted out thousands of seedlings along the banks of the Waipou stream.

He says tamariki living in the settlement  20 minutes north of Whangarei are helping drive the project, which is being supported by the local farming community.

Mr Mohi says farmers have been given three years by Fonterra to ensure streams on their land are fenced off from stock, but many are getting in early.

"Rather than holding the gun to people's heads, it's so much easier to do it, and farmers are finding that they increase production by having the wetlands and the streams fences, so it's really quite a successful project actually," Mr Mohi says.
 
NEW BOOKS A WELCOME ADDITION TO SHELVES

A Christchurch based academic says new books are helping to change old views on Maori history.

Rawiri Taonui, from Canterbury University says books such as the award winning work by John and Hillary Mitchell are hugely important.

Te Ara Hou: The New Society, the second volume of the Nelson's pair's history of Te Tau Ihu o te Waka, won the history section of this year's Montana book awards.

Mr Taonui says the book, along with Nga Iwi O Aotearoa produced by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage two years ago, addresses common misconceptions of Maori history.

"We just have to remember that sometimes when we think of the tribal landscape of the country, it has often been written by Pakeha simply through the strength of their publications. These books are really really important about revitalising the perception of our own world, our ancestral world and our perceptions in this world today," Mr Taonui says.