Maori Party finds reasons to support ETS

The Maori Party's environment spokesperson says Maori will be directly affected by any sea level rise caused by global warming.

National needs the party's votes to get its changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme through, after it failed to get select committee support for the bill.

Rahui Katene says the Maori Party is seeking concessions to protect Maori from flow on effects such as a energy price rises and restrictions on land use.

She says National's scheme is significantly better than Labour's, and doing nothing wasn't an option.

“A lot of our marae are built at sea level and even when they’re built a bit higher, with sea level coming higher, they’re going to be getting I guess you could call them refugees from the coast,” Mrs Katene says.

The legislation is on track to be passed before the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen next month.

DIABETES HUGE RISK FOR MAORI

Trimmed down Maori entertainer Ruia Aperahama has joined the chorus urging Maori to get checked for diabetes.

The composer of the most played reo Maori song on iwi radio this year says years of eating the wrong foods has caught up with him, and he's made lifestyle changes to avoid the need for dialysis.

He says Maori make up a disproportionate number of the nearly 200 thousand New Zealanders who have undiagnosed diabetes, so it is vital they take time for check up.

Diabetes Awareness week starts tomorrow

MAORI CONTRIBUTION TO SOCCER JUST STARTING

The best ever Maori soccer player says Maori are poised to make a bigger contribution to New Zealand football than ever before.

Wynton Rufer from Ngati Porou was in Wellington on Saturday night to watch Rory Fallon, who also has whakapapa connections to the East Coast, land the goal that put Bahrain out and New Zealand in to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Oceania player of the Century, who runs the Wyners Soccer Academy in Auckland, says with the right support Maori players can go all the way.

“The programmes have gt to be set up all round the country so we have a pathway going right through to professional football. You can see the kids that have come through our programme. We had a young Maori lad, he was on a three year scholarship to Japan, and there’s more of them there, so get them to give me a call,” Mr Rufer says.

Maori and Polynesian players featured prominently in the New Zealand squad for this year's under 17 World Cup and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

BARRETT LEGACY WILL BE LEGION OF MAORI DIPLOMATS

The country's most senior Maori diplomat, Tia Barrett, is lying in state at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahi, where his Ngati Maniapoto and Tainui people are remembering his contributions to Maori and New Zealand.

Mr Barrett died in Auckland on Sunday aged 62 after being taken ill in the Cook Islands, where he was High Commissioner.

Writer Witi Ihimaera, who entered Foreign Affairs with Mr Barrett in the early 1970s, says his shoes will be hard to fill.

He says Mr Barrett patiently worked to create a Maori dimension to the way New Zealand represents itself overseas, and he created opportunities for other Maori to enter the diplomatic service.

“As a consequence there are so many many Maori now who are representing New Zealand in overseas posts throughout the world so that is something he was very proud of. We have people who are working at all levels now and wherever I go in the world I’m constantly thrilled excited that Tia’s legacy is there and of course it will live on because he was such and inspiration to all of them,” Mr Ihimaera says.

Tia Barrett will be at Turangawaewae until Thursday, when his body will be taken to Kahotea Marae in Otorohanga for burial.

WANANGA CONTRIBUTE TO TARANAKI FESTIVAL SUCCESS

A thumbs up for the first Taranaki Maori Festival held in Waitara over the weekend.

Waatea News reporter Te Kauhoe Wano returned home for the gathering which brought together the region's eight iwi for two days of sports and kapa haka.

There were also wananga where reo experts like Huirangi Waikerepuru and Ruakere Hond shared their knowledge of the region's distinctive tikanga and dialect.

“They were conducting wananga, whether it be waiata or tribal history, talking about our mita, all those things that make us Taranaki and reinforces our pride in ourselves as a people and coming together makes us a stronger force and that’s a goal for years to come,” Mr Wano says.

Organisers will consider whether to make the festival an annual event, to capitalise on the momentum created over the weekend.

TEXT ON POU INFLUENCES SCULPTOR

A whare tupuna has inspired a Maori visual art student's contribution to a show at Palmerston North's Te Manawa, Museum and Art Gallery.

Karangawai Marsh is one of five Massey University degree and masters students represented in Te Awatea Matatau, the dawning of light and knowledge.

Her three free-standing pou made of dowels, cable ties and flourescent lights are inspired the pou pou of her ancestral meeting house, Te Tokanganui a noho in Te Kuiti, which incorporate text.

As a Maori language teacher, she's intrigued by the way words can be used in the visual arts.

Te Awatea Matatau is on display at Te Manawa in Palmerston North until early February.