Goff praises Harawira frankness on foreshore

Labour leader Phil Goff says maverick MP Hone Harawira is closer to the truth than his Maori Party leaders.

The Tai Tokerau MP broke ranks with over yesterday's deal on the reform of the Foreshore and Seabed Act, saying what Maori people were really after was Maori title

Mr Goff says that shows up the claims by co-leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia that last minute negotiations had won changes to what the government intended to do anyway.

“I mean both John Key and Hone Harawira are saying the same thing. This is no difference in essence from what was already in law. The Maori Party leadership is pretending it is and of course they must pretend that because this is the reason the Maori Party was set up,” he says.

Mr Goff says the Maori Party has been rolled on the foreshore and seabed, just as it was on the GST increase, the minimum wage and Maori seats on the Auckland super city.

SPRONGBOK CAPTAIN CONSIDERED POSITIVES OUT OF PROTEST

The caption of the 1981 Springboks says the protest-wracked tour of New Zealand may have led to positive change in both South Africa and New Zealand.

Wynard Claasen told Maori Television's Native Affairs programme he's keen to return the New Zealand with some of his teammates to apologise for the disruption caused by the tour ... and he's keen to make that apology on Gisborne's Poho o Rawiri marae, if the chance were offered.

He says the protests may have had the effect of telling South African society that the apartheid policies were unsustainable.

“I think maybe the New Zealand tour had that lesson to the South African people and I think also from a New Zealand point of view a lot of Maori people I’ve spoken to over there during the time said they also haven’t got land rights, so while the tour was bad from a social point of view, maybe it was good for both countries,” Mr Claasen says.

He says the players were surprised by the strength of the protests.

WOMEN’S SEVENS CELEBRATES ROMA WIN

The coach of the Aotearoa Maori Women's Sevens says the world-beating team should be better known in its homeland.

The team won the Roma 7s in Italy last week, beating France 19-5 in the final.
Peter Joseph of Te Arawa says that capped a decade of success, and their presence generated huge interest from the start of the competition.

The team was on Italian TV every night it was there, with the media describing them as the Women Maori All Blacks.

Peter Joseph says the Roma 7 organisers were happy to pick up many of the costs of having the team at the tournament, because there was no funding from the New Zealand Rugby Union.

MAHUTA SLAMS TAINUI’S PRISON AMBITION

Labour's new associate law and order spokesperson has spoken out against her own tribe’s desire to get involved in running private prisons.

Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta was promoted to number 11 in the caucus reshuffle sparked by leader Phil Goff's demotion of Shane Jones, Mita Ririnui and Chris Carter for flouting rules around ministerial spending.

Her Tainui iwi is among those who have talked with private prison operators about future investment or involvement, but Ms Mahuta says privatision won't benefit Maori.

“Some iwi have said they are open to that particular proposal but I think it’s a no go zone for Maori. We’re better placed to ensure we have good rehabilitation programmes and urban Maori who want to participate in that space I’m sure could do a really good job,” she says.

She is against the building of more prisons because they will just be filled by Maori, and it's better to spend the money on crime prevention

STUDY TO IDENTIFY RISKS TO MAORI BABIES

University of Otago researchers want to find out why Maori infants are more susceptible to preventable illnesses than non-Maori.

The Health Research Council is giving $1.2 million over three years to Dr Beverley Lawton from the department of general practice to study barriers to care for young pregnant Maori women and their infants.

She says that means examining the social, economic and policy factors that affect health.

“We're looking at why these differences are there and it’s sort of like taking the women and the infant and the whanau and putting them at the centre and we’re looking at sort of the box of things around them because it’s really the structural determinants of health that are making the difference so we want to explore them and priorities the women and their family,” Dr Lawton says.

The study may help Whanau Ora providers develop programmes to reduce mortality and disability in Maori infants.

MAORI MUSCLE IN ALL WHITES SQUAD

Tonight's World Cup clash should give the All White's four Maori players a chance to shine.

Kick-off against Slovakia at Rustenburg is at 11.30 tonight New Zealand time.
Sports commentator Te Kauhoe Wano says Maori players are starting to make an impact in a code Maori haven't traditionally been linked with.

Coming off the starting bench are striker Rory Fallon from Ngati Porou, wing Leo Bertos who has a Maori and Greek whakapapa, and Winston Reid, who moved to Denmark when he was 10 with his Maori mother and Danish stepfather.

“He's won a defending spot which has pushed Viselich into mid field. It means Jeremy Christie, the other Ngati Porou boy in the team misses out on a starting spot but I’m sure he will get game time coming off the bench,” Mr Wano says.