Claimants face up to deferred maintenance

Years of neglect by the Office of Treaty Settlements could threaten the continued use of former schools which formed part of the Port Nicholson Claim.

Settlement trust chair Sir Ngatata Love says buildings in the former Wainuiomata and Lower Hutt schools have been let out to community groups.

He says since the assets came over in September the trust has been assessing what needs to be done to tidy up the buildings, and it's concerned many are in a dangerous condition.

“When a school closes I think they just let it deteriorate and people use it and when you get down to it like we have found they’re not compliant with the regulations both of the local government and of fire standards and so we are not prepared to let that keep going. It’s got to be fixed or the people have to be out,” Sir Ngatata says.

The Port Nicholson Trust doesn't want to put anyone's safety at risk.

YEAR AHEAD LOOKS MORE PROMISING FOR SOUTH ISLAND IWI

Ngai Tahu is optimistic about the future despite a poor financial performance this year.

In the year to the end of June the South Island iwi's commercial activities reported an after tax profit of $13.3 million compared to $58.2 million in 2008.

However Ngai Tahu Holdings chair Trevor Burt says earnings were affected by foreign exchange loses, a drop in tourist numbers and a slump in property operations.

He says the year ahead looks much better.

“We're sort of cautiously optimistic. I don’t think anyone wants to say things are completely turned around but we’ve certainly done some things to rectify our exposure round foreign currency and we’ve reviewed our total treasury policy. Our trading operations in seafood actually look pretty positive,” Mr Burt says.

Ngai Tahu has budgeted for similar levels of tourism as last year, but property is picking up with a number of residential properties sold since June.

PRE-RECRUITMENT PROGRAMME GETTING RESULTS FOR POLICE

Hard times in the job market are helping to the police Maori recruitment strategy.

Auckland district Maori responsiveness adviser Glenn Mckay says an introduction programme run by Te Wananga o Aotearoa coming off the back of the police roadshow Te Haerenga earlier in the year, has flushed out many Maori wanting to join the force.

He says a lot of work has gone into improving the students' maths, abstract numerical reasoning and physical fitness in preparation for police entry exams.

“We're at week 15 of 18 and there’s been some huge success stories of people on the course. They tested on Saturday, not too sure of the results yet, won’t find out for another week, but I’m hoping for big things for them all,” Senior Sergeant McKay says.

FOREST AND BIRD SNAPPER WARNING UPSETS TAU

An iwi leader and Maori fisheries commissioner is rejecting advice from Forest & Bird that people shouldn't eat snapper and other popular species.

The Best Fish Guide release this afternoon rates snapper, scallops, skate, bluenose and yellowfin tuna among the worst choices for seafood consumers.

It says people should eat anchovies, pilchards and sprats, with karehu or cockles and kina also ranking high.

Ngapuhi chair Sonny Tau says the organisation should stick to saving forests and birds rather than getting itself in deep water with unscientific lists.

“Telling people not to eat snapper is like telling you and I not to eat vegetables. That is ingrained in the Kiwi diet and snapper is one fish that is available all over the place, and I think in terms of our fishing operations, we’ve complied with the laws, we’ve complied with the fisheries quota management system, I don’t see what more we can do,” Mr Tau says.

NO SECOND CHANCE FOR MEN AT WANANGA

Wananga are missing out on providing second chance opportunities to Maori men.

Victoria University's Institute of Policy Studies has looked at what tertiary institutes have been doing to help the large number of young Maori men who leave school without basic skills such as reading and writing.

Deputy director Paul Callister says polytechs are doing the best at the task, but perceptions that wananga are doing well in the provision of second chance education were proved wrong.

“Here is a market that wananga should be tapping. It’s unclear why they are not attracting young Maori men and now it’s up to the wananga themselves to look at the data and think is this a target group we are interested in and if we are how do we attract them," Mr Callister says.

Wananga have been very successful in getting older Maori women back to school.

MAORI MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT ROTORUA ARIA COMPS

Waiata Maori may be a crucial point of difference when young singers head from Aotearoa into the crowded overseas opera market.

Monty Morrison, who organised the Waiariki Maori Song Contest within last weekend's New Zealand Aria competition, says it attracts not just budding opera singers but also kapa haka performers who want to test their vocal skills.

They also relish the chance to sing with a full orchestra... the Auckland Philharmonia was in Rotorua for the weekend.

While many competitors stuck to classics like E Rere and Pokarekare Ana, some branched out.

“Still the traditional songs being sung but a lot of the Maori entrants a writing their own songs and singing them as part of the competition,” Mr Morrison says.

Piripi Christie won the Waiariki contest with his own composition ... Ranginui... a homage to the sky father.