Marley interest in Aotearoa tweaked

A strong contingent of the late reggae musician Bob Marley's whanau are
thinking of visiting Aotearoa to meet with Maori reggae musicians.

This follows the visit to Jamaica of musician Ruia Aperahama to make a
documenatry on the influence of reggae music on Maori.

He met with Bob Marley's youngest daughter Stephanie Marley, and presented
her with two cds of her father's songs... sung in te reo Maori.

Ruia Aperahama says the Jamaicans with their history of colonial
dispossession... have many experiences in common with Maori.

He says although the level of poverty was very intimidating many of the
Carribeans commented positively on the Maori culture's emphasis on
whakapapa.

Bob Marley's sons... Ziggy and Stephen Marley... are taking part in the
Raggamuffin concert in Rotorua on Waitangi Weekend with the late Bob
Marley's birthday falling on Februrary 6.

Ruia Aperahama says other family members... including Bob Marley's widow,
Rita... are now thinking about joining them in Aotearoa to have further
discussions with Maori musicans.

MAORI PARTY LIST MATHS SPELLED OUT

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says if all Maori went on the Maori roll
and voted for the party it would have 16 seats in parliament and would be so
powerful it would have to be in any government into the future.

Pita Sharples says with just four seats at present the party may as well not
be in parliament but if all Maori got behind the Maori party there could be
real progress in achieving Maori aspirations.

He says fellow Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's call for Maori to
split their votes between Labour's Nanaia Mahuta and the Maori party's
Angeline Greensil in Waikato/ Hauraki should be seen as a micro regional
strategy and not as abandonment of the party's two ticks stratgey.

KEEN INTEREST IN SPORTS AWARDS

Nominations are pouring in for the Maori Sports Awards to be held in Rotorua
in early December.

Organiser of the Awards Dick Garrett says while there are many high profile
nominations such as Rueben Wiki for Maori Sportsperson of the Year there
are many young Maori throughout the country going largely unnoticed.

Nominations for the various categories will close in a week.

MINIMUM WAGE BOOST ETTER THAN TAX CUT

The Maori Party says raising the minimum wage and having a $25,000 tax free
threshold rather than National or Labour's tax policies would make a real
difference to people on lower incomes.

Co-leader Pita Sharples says National and Labour are indulging in tit for
tat politicking when real measures are needed to put cash out there so
people can keep buying and the economy keep going.

He expects that the Reserve Bank will lower intrest rates
by three quarters of a percent within two weeks which will further stimulate
the economy.

ACT CANDIDATE DIPS TOE IN FORESHORE CONTROVERSY

The ACT candidate for Te Tai Tokerau, Peter Tashkoff, has come out strongly
against the Foreshore and Seabed legislation.

Peter Tashkoff says New Zealand should not be telling other countries such
as Fiji and Zimbabwe what they should be doing when its own record on human
rights is not good.

Peter Tashkoff says truth and justice should begin at home and New Zealand
needs to clean up its own backyard before getting high and mighty with
others.

NEW ATTEMPT AT BIGGEST HAKA

The earth throughout the country is literally expected to move at 11 o'clock
on November 7.

That's the day a simulatanous haka is being planned to get into the Guiness
Book of Records.

Organiser Wiremu Maato of Harbour Sport says the number participating will
be recorded on the organisation's website.

A dummy run last year drew more than 16,500 participants
and he is expecting many more for the real thing.