Iwi part of privatization strategy

A former Minster of Maori Affairs is warning iwi they could be used as pawns in the government's privatisation plans.

Parekura Horomia says post-settlement iwi are keen to invest in the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, hospitals and schools.
He says National is still looking for ways to sell off state assets, and selling them to Maori is seen in some quarters as a politically viable option.

He's concerned iwi may underestimate the risks involved.

“I don't want to put a dampener on Maori who have the capability to invest in infrastructure but I want to flag to them, everything ain’t cosy and rosy there. You’ve got to look at the SOE returns. Some do it, some don’t. And I wouldn’t want us to be the leverage so they are able to say these Maoris want to do it so let’s privatize everything else,” Mr Horomia says.

He says the government needs to put its cards on the table to the public can see the whole picture.

AUT TAKES MAORI DICTIONARY TO MOBILE PHONES

Auckland University of Technology's Te Upukare National Maori Language Institute is launching an application to put the Te Aka online Maori dictionary into iPhones and MP4 players.

Institute director Tania Ka'ai says the application will also users to text a word and get it back translated into te reo Maori.

They can also download podcasts of lessons from John Moorfield's Te Whanake Maori language series.

The iPhone application, which was created by the same company that digitised the Maori dictionary, is being launched in time for next week's Maori Language Week.

BIRTHDAY OF OLDEST SURVIVING SELWYN CHURCH MARKED

South Auckland's Anglicans are celebrating the country's oldest surviving Selwyn church, carved 150 years ago from the stones of Te Maunga o Mangere.

Ngati Mahuta rangatira Tamati Ngaporo donated most of the money and labour for St James Church in Mangere Bridge, which replaced an earlier raupo whare karakia.

Les Dixon, the priest in charge, says the Crown ordered Ngapora to leave Mangere the following year because of tension over the first Taranaki Land war, but the partnership between Maori and Pakeha cultures remains an important part of church life.

“There have been some strained relationships around the land acquisitions of that time but we would like to think that we have tried to overcome these here anyway and keep that historic link and certainly remember that the church wouldn’t have been here if not for the cooperation of both Maori and pakeha,” Reverend Dixon says.

Guests at tomorrow's anniversary will include bishops from the three tikanga of the Anglican church and descendants of the original church builders.

OVERSEAS INVESTMENT REGIME CHANGE NEW THREAT TO MAORI

A treaty lawyer says alarm bells should be ringing for Maori about proposed changes to the overseas investment regime.

Annette Sykes says Maori leaders are being softened up for a new wave of privatisation, with iwi chairs this week being briefed on the possible sale of parts of the Landcorp portfolion.

She says protections but in place as the result of Maori opposition to the corporatisation of state assets in the 1980s are under threat.

“We see this week the classification of what is a sensitive property being relaxed, the levels in which foreign investment can occur increased and the availability it seems of properties that may include Landcorp and other properties now coming on to the open market,” Ms Sykes says.

Rather than selling New Zealand's heritage to foreigners, the Government should look at the kind of New Zealandisation through Maori ownership represented by the Sealord fisheries and Treelord forestry settlements.

NGATI KAHUNGUNU FIGHTING SUBDIVISION ON STONE GARDENS

Iwi in south Wairarapa are fighting a residential subdivison on a waahi tapu which contains rare pre-European stone gardens.

Haami Te Whaiti from Kahungunu ki Wairarapa says the land at Waiwhero was formerly a fish factory.

He says the South Wairarapa District Council should have known about the land's importance to the iwi through the national archaeological database, but failed to tell the new owner it was unsuitable for intensive development.

“The council didn't investigate that and advise the landowner. They just let him go on his merry way and do a subdivision. His consultants who put the proposal together didn’t investigate it either and this is publically available information recorded by the New Zealand archaeological association,” Mr Te Whaiti says.

As well as being a former papakainga, the land was the site of a battle when the stream ran red with blood - hence the name Waiwhero.

LIBRARY MAKES TUKUTUKU PANELS TO MARK HISTORY

South Library in has this evening unveiled 32 tukutuku panels made by staff and users to mark 150 years of library services in Canterbury.

Carolyn Robertson, the manager of the Library Information services unit, says all 19 libraries in the region contributed.

That meant learning not only the weaving techniques but the design concepts needed to put stories of their own areas into the panels.

The 32 panels will be on display at South Library for a month before they are returned to the branches where they were crafted.

Tainui confirms $65m airport hotel deal

The head of Tainui Group Holdings says the tribe's investment in a $65 million hotel at Auckland Airport has been made for purely commercial reasons.

Tainui Group Holdings, Auckland International Airport and French hotel operator Accor Hospitality plant to have the 260-room Novotel open in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Mike Pohio says Tainui can draw on its experience developing and running the Novotel and Ibis hotels in Hamilton.

He says even though it's a high-status project, the money counts for more than the mana.

“Looking at the skills, experience, assets that we have and making long term investments that have solid cash flows that provide dividends to our shareholder, that’s what this is about for us. The added benefits come from infusing those connections and heritage into the developments,” Mr Pohio says,

Tainui Group Holdings will fund the project with a mix of equity and debt, and has already received positive responses from lending banks.

TRAINING SCHEME AIMS TO RESTORE PAST SUCCESSES

The Minister of Maori Affairs says trade training worked for a generation of young Maori men and can work again.

Pita Sharples today launched a new Maori skills development programme which industry training organisation InfraTrain, in partnership with Te Puni Kokiri, will roll out over the next year in Auckland, Northland, Waikato, East Coast and Hawkes Bay.

He says there is a demand from Maori communities for a return to trade-focused training.

“Those guys that went on the trade training programmes in the 60s and 70s particularly have done well because that was the time when you went to work and everyone was expected to be at work and they made a career and a life for themselves and their families, so this is coming up again, we’ve got to do the same this time,” Dr Sharples says.

The 250 trainees will be ready for jobs in the infrastructure projects which the government is planning.

WHANAU SUPPORT FOR HEART REHABILITATION PROGRAMME

A doctor behind a new home cardiac rehabilitation programme says involving whanau is the key to wellness.

George Gray says Te Hotu Manawa Maori's Heart Guide Aotearoa programme trains nurses to deliver home based services to people with heart problems.

He says social support is more effective and the patient's better when the whole whanau is involved.

“These are the people who can motivate the participant, who can take them t other appointments with specialists and help them with maintaining an approved diet or exercise programme,” Dr Gray says.

Maori don't respond well to conventional clinic-based approaches, which have a focus on education and individual participation.

TRADE TRAINING AIMS AT REAL JOB SECTORS

The head of Te Puni Kokiri says a new trade training programme is taking what worked in the past and updating it for today's conditions.

Industry training organisation InfraTrain is taking 250 Maori trainees and teaching them what they need to get jobs on some of the infrastructure projects the government is promoting.

Leith Comer says in putting together the initiative, Te Puni Kokiri talked to people who learned their trades through the Department of Maori Affairs in the 1960s and 70s.

He says the recipe for success was keen rangatahi, good trainers and a goal at the end.

“What I think is really important is that we are preparing people for an industry that’s going to happen. Often we prepare our people for industries that are just about to close. So that’s why it’s a really good day," Mr Comer says.

He says being able to put food on the table is a great boost to self esteem.

VOLUNTARY INTERN PROGRAMME COULD BENEFIT IWI

The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector says Maori could benefit from the Community Internship Programme.

This year $420,000 has been allocated to 17 non-profit and grassroots organisations to take on skilled professionals from the government, private and community sectors for short term roles.

Tariana Turia says the idea is to improve understanding and collaboration among the three sectors.

She says it's a scheme which can appeal to Maori working in the state sector.

“The kind of skills that they’ve developed over the years are very important skills and particularly more so as we get our assets back and begin to manage them and some of them have been working of course in the area of community development so they could play a critical role,” Mrs Turia says.

The next funding round closes September 14.

TANGATA WHENUA DRAWN INTO TAURANGA MOANA CLEAN UP

Collaboration between Massey University and tangata whenua could clean up Tauranga harbour.

The Foundation for Research Science and Technology is giving the Taha Moana project $6.6 million over six years.

Project leader Raewyn Bennett says scientists will work with hapu groups to study issues like the effects of sedimentation on waterways and coastline, improving kaimoana stock and cleaning up recreational areas.

She says Paheha often don't see past the way the area looks.

“From the hapu's perspective it’s about their relationship that has been interfered with by sedimentation taking over the place and it has not only caused a problem for their kaimoana, it’s about sandy beaches where they used to play, it’s about other taonga,” Ms Bennett says.

The budget includes up to $40,000 a year for hapu members working on the Taha Moana project to study at Massey at post-graduate level.

Ngati Tama opt-out dangerous precedent

The chair of the Maori Affairs select committee says a clause allowing Ngati Tama to opt out of the Wellington treaty settlement should not set a precedent.

Legislation enacting the Port Nicholson Block Settlement is going through Parliament now, with the third reading expected next week.

It allows those members of Ngati Tama who do not consider their claims to be settled by the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust to opt out and begin a separate negotiation with the Crown.

Tau Henare says that stemmed from a promise made by former treaty negotiations minister Margaret Wilson in the early stages of the negotiations, and it has been a recipe for dissent.

“To my knowledge there are two or even three Ngati Tama organisations all scrambling to be recognized as the Ngati Tama group and what the last government created was the ability for some organisations to opt out, go it alone, and you’re just creating a rod for your own back if you do that,” Mr Henare says.

He says the Ngati Tama clause had to remain because the Crown can't be seen to renege on its commitments.

MORE WARDENS, NOT POLICE SAYS KAUMATUA

An Auckland kaumatua wants to see more resources for Maori wardens rather than more Maori police officers.

The police are trying to boost recruitment among Maori, contracting Te Wananga o Aotearoa to run pre-training programmes.

Matiu Tarawa says the Maori Wardens reflect the principles of tino rangatiratanga or self government, which Maori need to regain control of their own lives.

He says more Maori police will just enforce Pakeha law and philosophies.

MAORI CHOOSING BIRTH WITHOUT DRUGS

The use of epidural pain relief in birthing is on the increase, but not for Maori.

Gaylene Lovell, a Maori midwife, says Maori women are less likely to use pain relief while in labour.

She says they appear to have less fear of birthing process.
“It's a perception out there Maori and Pacific women birth better whereas other ethnicities are not as confident in themselves in the whole childbirth process and they’re more likely to rely on western medicine so I think Maori and Pacific still have a hesitance about trusting in western medicine and are more confident in their own abilities,” Ms Lovell says.

FLAG FARCE DISGUISES ATTACK ON MAORI WORKERS’ RIGHTS

A Northland Labour MP is accusing the Maori Party of undermining Waitangi Day while seeking to drape itself in the Maori flag.

Shane Jones says the consultation process on the flag to fly on the Auckland Harbour Bridge next February the 6th is an expensive farce, because the winner will be the tino rangatiratanga flag which has become a Maori Party symbol.

He says while that is going on in public, behind the scenes it is working with National on changes to the Holidays Act.

“They're actually delivering trinkets and they’re undermining the rights of Maori workers by working to secretly unravel the Holidays Act and a range of other labour regulations. You can’t have them both. You can’t have a flag that perpetuates the Mari Party but by buy into policies which undermine Maori people. I vote for Maori people every time. The Maori Party has apparently forgotten about them,” Mr Jones says.

He says the Maori Party risks eventual electoral annihilation if it fails to deliver more than symbolic gestures to Maori.

TRUANCY SOLUTION NEEDS WIDER COMMUNITY APPROACH

A south Auckland truancy officer says parenting classes may be needed to ensure whanau get their children to the school gate.

Bill Takerei has 95 schools in his catchment area.

He says truancy is a community problem which needs a smarter approach than current strategies, especially in dealing with Maori and Pacific Island communities where the bulk of truants come from.

Bill Takerei says the Manukau truancy service has established a free calling number for the public to report school age children on the streets.

FILM COMMISSION REVIEW NEEDS MAORI MANDATE

Maori filmmakers are concerned a review of the Film Commission will ignore the needs of Maori.

The Government has asked Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, a past critic of the commission's funding policies, to examine its legislation, functions, powers and finances.

Pita Turei, the executive director of Nga Aho Whakaari, says Maori in film and television feel they are treated like charity cases, rather than as having a legitimate treaty right to a fair share of funding.

“There is no reference to the treaty in the act that established the film commission. There is no reference in any policy with the film commission to deliver parity to their treaty partner. Consequently you have the majority of films funded by the film commission on Maori subjects made by somebody from another culture,” Mr Turei says.

He says Peter Jackson needs to look at how Maori can tell their own stories.

Fix in for grievance flag

The search for a single Maori flag is actually a Maori Party plan to hijack Waitangi Day, according to Labour MP Shane Jones.

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira is heading a round of consultation hui, and says it's a clear choice between the flag adopted by a northern Confederation of chiefs in 1834 and the tino rangatiratanga flag designed in 1990 for a competition run by Mr Harawira's protest group Te Kawariki.

Mr Jones says the fix is in.

“The Maori Party are choosing the rangatiratanga flag which is actually the Maori Party flag and that’s a part of their strategy to claim Waitangi Day as a Maori Party flag. But what they’re overlooking is that flag is essentially a grievance flag and what they’re building into all our symbols and icons is a culture of grievance,” Mr Jones says.

He says while the Maori Party is fighting for political trinkets like the flag, it is secretly working with the National government on changes to the Holidays Act which will undermine the ability of Maori workers to celebrate Waitangi Day.

MAORI VALUES COULD HELP POLICE CULTURE

The head of Te Wananga o Aotearoa wants police to adopt more Maori values.

The wananga has started a new pre-training progamme aimed at increasing police recruits in the Counties Manukau region.

Bentham Ohia says taking on Maori values would benefit the area's high Maori population.

“Maori have innate values including manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, tautoko. Those values of reciprocity, of respect, of care, are I think vital elements that Maori can contribute to the New Zealand police force,” Mr Ohia says

TAINUI BRINGING IN MUSCLE TO MANAGE BANKS

Tanui's commercial arm is looking to boost the senior management team handling the tribe's half billion dollars in assets.

Tainui Group Holdings' chief executive Mike Pohio says two years ago the company was working from cash in the bank, but it now has a $150 million dollar debt facility to fund its developments, of which it has drawn down about $70 million.

It must also manage the compensation money due for the Waikato River claim, so it needs a treasury section headed by someone with high level banking experience who can deal with the banks on a daily basis.

“There's a degree of sophistication with that. We’re recognizing we don’t currently have that level of expertise within the group. We’re looking to draw that in. While we’ve taken an interim step to set up a treasury operation by outsourcing some of the transactional stuff, what we need is some of that high level managerial experience and expertise to support the decision making at the respective governance and management levels,” Mr Pohio says.

Tainui Group Holdings' financial results will be released next week, Mr Pohio is refusing to confirm early reports of a $15 million operating profit and balance sheet losses of up to $20 million through property revaluations.

NEW PLYMOUTH CONSIDERING COMPULSORY TAKE FOR TUNNEL

The New Plymouth District Council is threatening to use the Public Works Act to take Maori land at Tongaporutu for access to an historic stock tunnel.

Te Horo Stock Tunnel is classified as a public road, but cliff erosion along the coast means the only way to get to it is over land belonging to the Gibbs whanau of Nga Hapu o Poutama.

Peter Handcock, the council's property assets manager, says the council wants to repair the 95 metre tunnel and incorporate it into the Whitecliffs Walkway.

He says the landowners have denied council vehicles the access they need to do the repairs.

“We would like to think there’s still room for negotiation. Unfortunately over the last seven to eight years we’ve had no success in coming to a negotiated settlement, so as a last resort we’re looking to use the Public Works Act but we will continue to still negotiate for the next three months,” Mr Handcock says.

The New Plymouth District Council will consider the compulsory acquisition at next month's full meeting.

TUNNEL PROJECT CONTINUED RAUPATU

Meanwhile, the landowner says the proper place to decide the issue is the Maori Land Court.

Russell Gibbs says the council, lines company vector and oil exploration company Maui Development all want access to the land.

He says all three had agreed to go through the court, but now the council seems to be seeking to gain some advantage.

Haumoana White from Nga Hapu o Poutama, which is supporting the Gibbs whanau, says it's another confiscation.

“The raupatu is still happening tody, The Crown uses its legislative powers for commercial advantage and Maori land is an easy target. The war is ongoing.
Mr White says.

He says the New Plymouth District Council only recognises Poutama when it suits.

POLICE GIVEN LESSONS IN INCIDENT SITE KARAKIA

Police officers are being taught karakia they can say at the site of fatal incidents.

Senior Sergeant Gordon Rongonui teaches the blessing ceremony in tikanga Maori classes at the Police College in Porirua.

He has also taught tikanga to Department of Labour staff, and plans to work with firefighters and ambulance staff.

He says the non-denominational karakia is printed in Maori and in English and helps to safeguard the dignity of the deceased and their whanau.

“Instead of me being called out, these little karakia cards we’ve made up fit into their notebooks. They just open the notebooks up and away they go. If there is kaumatua kuia there, or a clergy, give them that opportunity. But if whanau say can you do our karakia, hey, you’ve got it right there,” Mr Rongonui says.

Performing the blessing was a cultural act, open to any ethnic background or religious denomination.

Prison business needs to be rehabilitation

A former prison officer has joined the call for Corrections to get back into rehabilitation as a major part of its work.

Hori Hauraki says when he worked for the prison service inmates were taught trades and skills which equipped them for the outside world.

“And the majority in my time never came back. In recent times the government changed the polices. It’s a failure. The prisons are filling up. They don’t know where to take the fellows,” Mr Hauraki says.

He agrees with former New Zealand First MP Ron Mark that the answer does not lie in an amnesty for prisoners as suggested by chief justice Dame Sian Ellis but in putting proper rehabilitation and education programmes back into the prisons.

WANANGA CELEBRATES RELATIONSHIP WITH POLICE

While one Maori is calling for a return to teaching prisoners trades and skills the Maori university Te Wananga O Aotearoa yesterday launched a programme to teach Maori to be police officers.

CEO Bentham Ohia says the 18 weeks programme with modules on critical thinking, reasoning, math, fitness, Te Ao Maori and transformative leadership training is a joint effort between the wananga and the New Zealand Police.

“Programmes like this create employment opportunities for our people. We’re privileged to be in a relationship with the police, but it’s all geared to whanau transformation through education which is our core business,” Mr Ohia says.

The programme is expected to help boost police numbers to fill up to 400 new recruits required in the Counties Manukau region.

SMACKING A PAKEHA IMPORT

A West Auckland child advocate says smacking tamariki is not a traditional Maori practice and was imported by Pakeha.

Sue Ngawati Osborne from the Tu Wahine Trust, says it is well documented by early pakeha settlers that Maori had a very relaxed and tolerant method of child rearing.

Ms Osborne, of Ngati Hine, says tamariki were seen as taonga and any form of abuse was unaccepted.

“Our culture says that our tamariki are carriers of whakapapa and mana and they must be respected for that so physically disciplining our tamariki was frowned upon because they were held in such high regard,” Ms Osborne says.

Tu Wahine Trust is encouraging whanau to tick yes in the upcoming referendum.

MAORI VOICE SILENT IN ACADEMIC GOVERNANCE

Maori are still behind the eight ball when it comes to representation on university councils according to the Maori students association.

Nga Tauira is trying to get Maori a seat on council at Victoria University.

President Victor Manawatu says polytechnics often have Maori student representation at the council level but universities rarely allow that to happen.

“If the government and its institutions are serious abut looking at Maori success in tertiary education, we believe Maori should be a part of all aspects of decision-making areas so we have representation on faculty and academic committee and academic board but never at the governance level,” Mr Manawau says.

The University of Canterbury is the only university to allocate a specific Maori seat on its council which is filled in consultation with Ngai Tahu.

TELEVISION CHANNEL TO GET HEALTH MESSAGES OUT

A Ngati Porou entrepeneour is tailoring television to target Maori in an effort to spread health and wellbeing information.

Travis O'Keefe is the founder of Health TV which sends tailored programmes to television screens in general practices around the country.

He says specific content like smoking cessation and diabetes information can help increase access to services for Maori therefore allowing them to manage their health earlier.

Travis O’Keefe received the Eye of the Needle’ Maori Innovation Icon award at Atamira - Maori in the City earlier this month.

He says Maori are more receptive to messages about lifestyle change and health once they are facing the reality of being in a medical centre with a health problem.

CRASH COURSE IN TRANSLATION FOR SPONGEBOB

The team teaching popular children's television cartoon character Sponge Bob to speak Maori have just a week to do so.

Nicole Hoey of Cinco Cine Films, which put forward the idea of producing five episodes of Sponge Bob Squarepants speaking te reo, says funding for converting the programme which screens on Sky TV's Nicholodeon channel into te reo for Maori Language Week has only just come through from Te Mangai Paho, the Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency.

“It’s a really quick turnaround but we did a little of the work beforehand in terms of figuring out how we are going to do it and we have an awesome production team,” Ms Hoey says.

Sponge Bob and his sea-dwelling Bikini Bottom friends, including Squidward, Mr Krabs and Patrick, will be speaking in te reo Maori for five days next week.

Wananga takes on police pre-training

A partnership programme between the Police and Te Wananga o Aotearoa looks set to change the face of New Zealands police services.

The pilot, which launched today and will roll out nationally in 2010, is expected to boost police numbers to fill up to 400 new recruits required in the Counties Manukau region.

Yvonne Hawke, the Wananga's Tamaki Makaurau manager, says the idea was to increase Maori police recruits to better reflect the community they served.

“In lots of our whanau, hapu and iwi, being a police officer is not something historically that Maori aspire to so a big part of this is around transforming the perception of the police service,” Ms Hawke says.

The Certificate in Vocational Preparation (Police), Level 3 runs over 18 weeks, and is modeled on a successful programme run by Unitec.

SPECIALIST MAORI BUDGETING SERVICE NEEDED

The CEO of Waipareira Trust believes there is a need for a specialist Maori budgeting service.

John Tamihere says there are Maori health, social and education providers but what whanau need in this recession is a place that offers sound budgeting support and advice.

At all our Maori health organisations and elsewhere, if you haven’t got the service inside the engine room they’ll be able to refer you to helpful and supportive service outside it. You’ve got to go to credible services,” Mr Tamihere says.

The Waipareira Trust regularly sees whanau who are in desparate need for financial assistance.

RUGBY TOUR SUBJECT OF SHORT FILM

The short film Warbrick, by Ngati Raukawa brothers Mahana and Pere Durie, will debut tonight (Tues) at the International Film Festival in Auckland.

Mahana Durie says it is based on Joe Warbrick, the captain of the New Zealand Natives' rugby tour of Britain in 1888-89.

Mr Durie says the Natives team lay the foundations to Aotearoa being recognised as a great rugby nation.

“I think for my brother and I it’s really that the story in many respects remains largely unknown. Part of our kaupapa has been to try to tell the story to a wider audience, mainly so people can appreciate the enormity of their contribution not only to rugby but to the history of our country as well,” Mr Durie says.

The brothers are working on their next production which will also have a kaupapa Maori theme.

LOW PRIORITY FOR OBESITY WILL AFFECT MAORI

Labour leader Phil Goff says Maori will be particularly affected by the government's decision to scrap fighting obesity as as a top priority.

Phil Goff says according to the OECD New Zealand is the third worst country in the world as far as obesity is concerned.

“That relates directly to heart disease and diabetes. These are two major causes of death and particularly in the Maori community. Labour was trying to address that as one of the 10 top health priorities. National scrapped that. Well, that seems real dumb,” Mr Goff says.

Labour also brought in the "fruit in schools" programme to feed kids coming to school hungry and to teach good eating habits which is another thing the government has scrapped along with guidelines for tuck shops to provide healthy foods.

SMACKING NOT PART OF TRADITIONAL MAOIR CHILD REARING

A West Auckland child advocate says abusing tamariki is a custom brought to Aotearoa by pakeha and is encouraging whanau to tick yes in the upcoming referendum on smacking.

Sue Ngawati Osborne from Tu Wahine Trust says the history of legally being able to physically discipline tamariki was legislated by the first Pakeha settlers.
Ms Osborne says those settlers were amazed at how Maori raised their tamariki with patience and aroha.

“There was surprise by those who observed how tolerant they were how loving they were and particularly Maori men to their tamariki mokopuna, so those accounts are well documented and they are documented because they were seen as unusual,” Ms Osborne says.

SPONGEBOB GOES TO THE KOHANGA

One of the world's most famous children's cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants is learning Maori.

And he's set to make his debut in te reo Maori next week on Sky TV's Nichelodeon channel as part of Maori Language Week.

Nicole Hoey of Cinco Cine Films which has produced te reo episodes says Sponge Bob and his sea-dwelling Bikini Bottom friends, including Squidward, Mr Krabs and Patrick, will be speaking in Maori all next week.

Nicole Hoey says Maori is the 25th language that SpongeBob has learned, and translation costs are coming from Te Mangai Paho, the Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency.

Wananga takes on police pre-training

A partnership programme between the Police and Te Wananga o Aotearoa looks set to change the face of New Zealands police services.

The pilot, which launched today and will roll out nationally in 2010, is expected to boost police numbers to fill up to 400 new recruits required in the Counties Manukau region.

Yvonne Hawke, the Wananga's Tamaki Makaurau manager, says the idea was to increase Maori police recruits to better reflect the community they served.

“In lots of our whanau, hapu and iwi, being a police officer is not something historically that Maori aspire to so a big part of this is around transforming the perception of the police service,” Ms Hawke says.

The Certificate in Vocational Preparation (Police), Level 3 runs over 18 weeks, and is modeled on a successful programme run by Unitec.

SPECIALIST MAORI BUDGETING SERVICE NEEDED

The CEO of Waipareira Trust believes there is a need for a specialist Maori budgeting service.

John Tamihere says there are Maori health, social and education providers but what whanau need in this recession is a place that offers sound budgeting support and advice.

At all our Maori health organisations and elsewhere, if you haven’t got the service inside the engine room they’ll be able to refer you to helpful and supportive service outside it. You’ve got to go to credible services,” Mr Tamihere says.

The Waipareira Trust regularly sees whanau who are in desparate need for financial assistance.

RUGBY TOUR SUBJECT OF SHORT FILM

The short film Warbrick, by Ngati Raukawa brothers Mahana and Pere Durie, will debut tonight (Tues) at the International Film Festival in Auckland.

Mahana Durie says it is based on Joe Warbrick, the captain of the New Zealand Natives' rugby tour of Britain in 1888-89.

Mr Durie says the Natives team lay the foundations to Aotearoa being recognised as a great rugby nation.

“I think for my brother and I it’s really that the story in many respects remains largely unknown. Part of our kaupapa has been to try to tell the story to a wider audience, mainly so people can appreciate the enormity of their contribution not only to rugby but to the history of our country as well,” Mr Durie says.

The brothers are working on their next production which will also have a kaupapa Maori theme.

LOW PRIORITY FOR OBESITY WILL AFFECT MAORI

Labour leader Phil Goff says Maori will be particularly affected by the government's decision to scrap fighting obesity as as a top priority.

Phil Goff says according to the OECD New Zealand is the third worst country in the world as far as obesity is concerned.

“That relates directly to heart disease and diabetes. These are two major causes of death and particularly in the Maori community. Labour was trying to address that as one of the 10 top health priorities. National scrapped that. Well, that seems real dumb,” Mr Goff says.

Labour also brought in the "fruit in schools" programme to feed kids coming to school hungry and to teach good eating habits which is another thing the government has scrapped along with guidelines for tuck shops to provide healthy foods.

SMACKING NOT PART OF TRADITIONAL MAOIR CHILD REARING

A West Auckland child advocate says abusing tamariki is a custom brought to Aotearoa by pakeha and is encouraging whanau to tick yes in the upcoming referendum on smacking.

Sue Ngawati Osborne from Tu Wahine Trust says the history of legally being able to physically discipline tamariki was legislated by the first Pakeha settlers.
Ms Osborne says those settlers were amazed at how Maori raised their tamariki with patience and aroha.

“There was surprise by those who observed how tolerant they were how loving they were and particularly Maori men to their tamariki mokopuna, so those accounts are well documented and they are documented because they were seen as unusual,” Ms Osborne says.

SPONGEBOB GOES TO THE KOHANGA

One of the world's most famous children's cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants is learning Maori.

And he's set to make his debut in te reo Maori next week on Sky TV's Nichelodeon channel as part of Maori Language Week.

Nicole Hoey of Cinco Cine Films which has produced te reo episodes says Sponge Bob and his sea-dwelling Bikini Bottom friends, including Squidward, Mr Krabs and Patrick, will be speaking in Maori all next week.

Nicole Hoey says Maori is the 25th language that SpongeBob has learned, and translation costs are coming from Te Mangai Paho, the Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency.

Mark unhappy with prison rehab

Former New Zealand First and Maori MP Ron Mark has criticised what he describes as the appalling failure of rehabilitation programmes in prisons which he says are run by idiots who should have been fired years ago.

Ron Mark says the suggestion of Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias of amnesties for prisoners is not the answer but good rehabilitation programmes are.

He says a study he undertook during 12 years as an MP showed that of 20 rehabilitation programmes run by the Corrections department 17 made virtually no difference with three of the programmes actually resulting in increased reoffending.

He says the programmes are badly designed, making unrealistic demands that inmates must demonstrate they no longer use drugs before getting treatment.

Ron Mark says as well as a lack of rehabilitation programmes the Corrections department has failed to provide education in prisons which would have turned repeat offending.

NEW ZEALAND FLAG WINS LITTLE SUPPORT AT HUI

In spite of the fact that many Maori fought under the New Zealand flag it has gained little support as an option for the Maori flag at consultation hui being held around the country.

Consultation leader Hone Harawira says it has come down to two options, the flag of the 1835 United Tribes of New Zealand and the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.

“Of the couple of hundred odd who have been through the exercise so far, I don’t think anyone voted for the New Zealand flag. There were a number of old soldiers there as well. I think they clearly recognise that possibly that it’s the flag the New Zealand nation fought for and marched under but not particularly reflective of us as Maori,” Mr Harawira says.

He says debate surrounding choice of a flag has been romantic, edgy, and at times aggressive because people are passionate about Maori having a single flag.

MAORI AUDIENCES PICKING UP LAYERS IN NEW FILM

The writer of the latest Maori film to make a splash at international film festivals is enjoying watching it among Maori audiences.

The Strength of Water is about a mysterious stranger arriving in a remote New Zealand coastal town and affecting the lives of young pair of twins.

It was filmed in the north Hokianga with a largely amateur cast of locals, with help from veterans Jim Moriarty and Nancy Brunning.

Briar Grace Smith attended the New Zealand premier at the Auckland film festival.

“It was just wonderful on Saturday night seeing all of our people in the theatre because it’s already been shown in Berlin and Rotterdam. It was lovely sitting among Maori in the audience and hearing them get the different layers like those other layers in the film perhaps they didn’t pick up on in Europe,” Grace-Smith says.

GAMBLING A PROBLEM FOR MOST SERIOUS IN RECESSION

A long time worker in the field of Maori problem gambling says a drop in the overall amount being spent on pokies has not reduced the serious problems they cause in Maori communities.

The Department of Internal Affairs says spending on pokies is at a seven-year low but still amounts to nearly $900 million a year.

Zoe Martin who is the kaiwhiriwhiri kaupapa problem gambling at Auckland's Hapai Te Hauora Tapui says low income communities including many where there are large numbers of Maori are still struggling with problems from gambling.

She says the people still gambling in the face of the recession are the ones with a real gambing addiction.

NEW ZEALAND FIRST A PETERS’ CONFIDENCE GAME SAYS MARK

Former New Zealand First and MP Ron Mark who is no longer involved with the party but still a member says the challenge now for the New Zealand First is for leader and fellow Maori Winston Peters to build confidence in the public eye.

Ron Mark says despite the appalling way the Owen Glen affair was handled, where donations to the party by the ex-pat millionaire were questioned, Winston Peters is a good and honest man albeit a bit of a lone ranger.

“Things that he was saying which were considered dinosauric economic policies are pretty much the vogue these days because the greedies have all had their day and now they’ve crashed and burned and the taxpayers are propping them up all over the world.

“I guess it’s about confidence and I guess he needs to rebuild that confidence in him in the eyes of the public and that’s the challenge for New Zealand First,” Mr Mark says.

He says people forget that Winston Peters was the first to raise the issue of the Bank of New Zealand's tax avoidance which has now been upheld by the court and that he led the charge against the sale of state assets such as New Zealand Rail which the previous government bought back.

PLANNING PRACTICES VARY WIDELY AROUND MOTU

A project aimed at helping urban Maori to participate in city planning has found a wide variation of practices in different areas around the country.

Kaitiakitanga o nga taone Nui project leader Shaun Awatere says there are plenty of first generation iwi management plans out there but the struggle is in getting that matauranga Maori into the local government planning process.

“In some areas it is much more clear cut who are the kaitiaki for that particular area. There’s legislative guidance. But in other areas it’s a bit more murky that you have not only iwi and hapu in a particular area but you also have large populations of Maori who may not necessarily whakapapa to that area,” Mr Awatere says.

In some cities the situation can get quite messy when talking about Maori kaitiakitanga alongside local government.

Two choices for Maori flag

It's come down to two options for the Maori flag.

That's the word from Maori Party MP Hone Harawira who is leading consultation hui on the flag around the country.

He says after a number of hui involving more than 200 participants two options are clearly favoured, the 1835 flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand and the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.

“It’s about making sure that what we decide at the end of the day is a reflection of our history a reflection of us and embodies a lot of our hopes and aspirations for the future,” Mr Harawira says.

A decision on which flag which represent Maori will be made by mid-September.

TUREI URGES MINISTER TO RESPECT JUDGE’S EXPERIENCE

The Greens Party co leader Meteria Turei says there is merit to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias' idea of easing prison numbers with an amnesty for prisoners.

Ms Turei says the current system of longer sentences and tough parole hearings is clearly not working and it's time to look at alternatives.

She says the government has shown an unwillingness to look at any other options when the minister of Justice Simon Power, dismissing Justice Elias's comments.

“We don't care about your 40 years of experience of actually dealing with criminals on a daily basis, we’d rather talk to ourselves and our mates. He’s wrong to do it. He’s wrong to dismiss her experience. He’s saying it’s not working and there’s got to be other ways of doing stuff,” Ms Turei says.

The Greens join the Maori party in supporting Justice Elias with co-leader Tariana Turia saying prisons are a bottom of the cliff solution, while Dr Pita Sharples points to the doubling of the prison population as proof that the way we are deal with crime is not working.

MARK HAS NO TIME FOR CRIMS FULL STOP

However Former New Zealand First spokesman for crime and punishment, Ron Mark, says Chief Justice Sian Elias has crossed the line with her suggestion of amnesties for prisoners.

Mr Mark, of Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Porou, Ngati Raukawa and Te Arawa says people go to prison as a punishment for repeated criminal activity.

AUCTION HOUSE AXES ALLEGED HEKE FLAG POLE SALE

An auction house planning to sell an alleged piece of the Waitangi Treaty grounds flagpole Hone Heke cut down in 1845 have pulled the item from sale for a second time.

David Rankin, a Ngapuhi descendant of Hone Heke's eldest brother, lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and threatened a hikoi regarding the plans by Dunbar Sloane to sell the relic.

A previous auction of the wood was cancelled in March this year amidst worries over whether it was authentic, after experts said the wood was Oregon pine while the original flagpole was totara.

Mr Rankin says he did not want Hone Heke's name associated with anything that could be considered fake.

“Hone Heke is a national icon of the country. He’s up there with Sir Edmund Hillary. If we used Sir Ed’s name with something that wasn’t quite right I’m sure the Hillary family would speak out and as Hone Heke’s not here today to defend himself, it falls on the family and the hapu,” Mr Rankin says.

He does not believe the item was pulled from auction due to the threat of protest as some have suggested but because of authenticity issues.

TUHOE POSITIVE FOR FUTURE AFTER ECONOMIC SUMMIT

Tuhoe came away from their first economic summit at the weekend with the message to move on from a grievance mode.

Spokesperson Chas Te Whetu says participants looked at the economic situation facing the tribe during the recession and what the iwi can contribute to the global economy.

He says the hui at Maungarongo Marae in Ohope heard inspirational words from pioneer treaty negotiator Sir Tipene O’Regan.

“It uplifted most of the people who were present out of the grievance mode made them look forward to the next 40, 50 to 100 years looking to a global view and they touched on China as a country and what reserves they had in order to look at investment and what Maoridom have to explore and develop and not just Tuhoe,” Mr Te Whetu sys.

WHANU TIES HELP MAORI ATHLETES DRIVE TO SUCCESS

Maori athletes who have close ties to their whanau and whakapapa are more likely to succeed.

That's the word from former Silver Fern Margaret Foster, who has started a mentoring programme Whakahihiko He Tangata for Aspiring Young Athletes.

Ms Foster, from Ngai Tahu, says the aim of the programme is to assist up and coming Maori athletes reach their full potential.

“We see sport as being a really powerful vehicle for developing better Maori people and obviously they are going to be better leaders and stronger whanau but I think the underlying current was about being proud to be Maori,” Ms Foster says.

A Whakahihiko He Tangata was held earlier this month and three more workshops will be held this year in Christchurch before the programme is taken around the country.

Project to boost Maori planning input

Landcare Research has won a grant from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to increase Maori involvement in urban planning.

Shaun Awatere, the leader of the Kaitiakitanga o nga Taone nui project, says the crown research institute is working with Ngati Whatua o Orakei in Auckland and Ngai Tahu in Christchurch.

He says despite best intentions, local government isn’t sure how matauranga Maori or Maori knowledge can be incorporated in its processes.

He says cities include streams, rivers, and indigenous vegetation which tangata whenua have guardianship responsibility for.

“There used to be mahinga kai and there used to be wahi tapu located in those areas so this project is aiming to develop an assessment framework and process so that planners in local government and iwi and hapu resource managers or kaitiaki can use to plan and evaluate the incorporation of matauranga Maori within local government decision making, policy and plans,” Mr Awatere says.

The Kaitiakitanga o nga Taone nui project will get $825,000 over three years.

CULTURAL PRIDE PART OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT REGIME

Cultural awareness and pride is being tipped as the key to helping young Maori who are getting into trouble with drink and drugs.

Robert Steenhuisan, the manager of Waitemata District Health Board’s community drug and alcohol services, says 10 percent of 16 to 24 year olds have drug and alcohol issues, and it’s a factor in 80 percent of cases that come before the youth court.

He wants to see more Maori focused programmes in schools.

“People who feel secure in who they are as a Maori person or a Pacific person or European person and feel confident and feel supported by their family are much less likely to continue to or start abusing drugs than people who are not, so cultural identity is an important part of any kind of programme,” Mr Steenhuisan says.

In many households drug and alcohol use is seen as normal, giving vulnerable rangatahi the wrong signals.

MASSEY TRIES MAORI BOOK AWARDS

Massey University believes Maori books don't get a fair crack at the main book awards ... so it has started its own.

Kaihautu Spencer Lilley says the Ngä Kupu Ora Awards are open to any book by a Maori or on a Maori topic published in 2008 or 2009.

The shortlist includes Monty Souter’s The Price of Citizenship and Paul Spoonley's biography of academic Ranginui Walker.

He says other book awards consistently failed to include Maori material, with Souter’s Maori Battalion history only slipping into the first book category of this year’s Montana New Zealand awards.

“When they come up against other books that are shortlisted for awards such as the Montana Book Awards, very hard for them to compete because of their limited appeal to the wider mass so they don’t tend to get shortlisted yet there are a number of Maori books out there that are absolutely wonderful,” Mr Lilley says.

Winners of the first Ngä Kupu Ora Awards will be announced at the end of the month.

NGATI RANANA MARKS HALF CENTURY WITH EXPATRIATES

London-based culture group Ngati Ranana celebrated its 50th birthday this weekend.

More than 100 former members gathered in Rotorua to swap stories about their OE and link by video with current members in London.

Maori Party co-leader and kapa haka expert says the roopu have been tremendous ambassadors for Maori and New Zealand for the past half century.

The club is a focal point for Maori living in Britain.

“We go to Britain and we immediately join up with them, because someone’s always got a relation in there, and they support groups that are going over, so Ngati Ranana, I’m so glad, I salute them, they’re us. They might be in London but they certainly are us,” Dr Sharples says.

MARISTS PREPARING TO QUIT TARANAKI AFTER ALMOST 150 YEARS

When the Marist mission in Waitara shuts its doors next month, it will be the end of a 150 relationship between French missionaries and the Taranaki Maori community.

Priests Earl Crotty, Gordon Kerins and Frank Twiss are moving to Hawkes Bay and priests attached to the Catholic diocese are taking over their parishes.

Father Twiss says the Society of Mary arrived in Taranaki in 1860 as missionaries to work with Maori and European during the Land Wars.

He says they leave a legacy of good relationships with Maori.

“Bishop Viard who was the first bishop of Wellington in 1850, his instruction to his French priests were they had to learn English and indispensably Maori because otherwise they would only be half missioners,” Father Twiss says.

Yesterday the Marists presented a medal from Pope Benedict to Waitara kuia Anne Pratt for her support of the mission.

KEEN INTEREST IN REVIVAL OF OLD GAMES

A group of Maori teachers have spent their holiday playing ancient Maori games.

Wiremu Mato from North Harbour Sports says the demand was so great that more than 40 people had to be turned away from the Nga Taonga Taakaro wananga at Hato Petera College in Northcote.

He says ball games like Ki-o-rahi and kite-making and flying have value as exercise, and they are also a way to open students’ eyes to ancient Maori life.

There is keen interest from Maori education and health sectors, with those attending the wananga in a position to pass on the games to others in their communities.

He says it would be good to see the Maori games incorporated into the wider New Zealand sports culture.