Foreshore ownership formula fiction

A Maori lawyer says the Government's proposal that there be no owner of coastal space is fundamentally dishonest.

Among the options for replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act is to replace the Crown title to land below the high tide mark with a new concept of public domain or takiwa takiwa iwi whanui.

Annette Sykes from Ngati Pikiao says there are at least 42 laws managing the rights around coastal space which assume de facto ownership by the Crown.

She says the Government's position is immediately undermined by the mining licenses it has issued for coastal areas.

“Now if the Crown is saying they don’t own it and Maori don’t own it, when they discover minerals and there is royalties due, who is going to receive the royalties. If the Crown doesn’t own it, then they shouldn’t get it. If Maori don’t own it, we’re not going to get it, so who is going to get those royalties? Is China going to say ‘We have got a licence so we own it,’” Ms Sykes says.

The Government is holding at least 11 consultation hui on the foreshore and seabed proposal, starting in Marlborough on April 9.

INFORMATION LACKING ON RECREATIONAL FISH TAKE

The head of Te Ohu Kaimoana is calling for better accounting of what is taken by recreational fishers.

Ngahiwi Tomoana says if fisheries are to be managed sustainably, people need to know what is out there.

While customary and commercial fishers must account for what they catch, there is no requirement for recreational fishers to account for what they take ... even though for some species the total would be far more than the other two sectors combined.

“You can't really plan to have a healthy fishery in 10 years time if you don’t know what one sector is catching, and that’s the recreational sector, and there seems to be no political will or courage to find what they're taking,” Mr Tomoana says.

Ngahiwi Tomoana says politicians are afraid to go up against the large and well funded recreational fishing lobby.

APPLICATIONS BUT NO ACTION ON KAINGA WHENUA

The Kainga Whenua housing scheme is off to a slow start.

Chief advisor Maori, Tamati Olsen, says about 200 applications have been received for Housing New Zealand to guarantee Kiwibank loans build on multiply-owned Maori land, but none have yet been approved.

He says applying for kainga whenua money is arduous, with as many as eleven steps to go through.

“A lot of that is outside our control, the issues round multiply owned Maori land and licence to occupy, working between ourselves, Kiwibank, the Maori Land Court and local government to get all these things, it’s an arduous process,” Mr Olsen says.

Housing New Zealand is also selecting proposals for its Maori Demonstration Partnerships programme, which has a putea of $5.5 million in matching funding to back innovative housing projects put up by iwi of Maori trusts.

HIGH BAR TO PROVE CUSTOMARY TITLE

An expert on Maori law and resource management says the proposed rewrite of the Foreshore and Seabed Act puts an unfair onus on Maori to prove customary rights.

Auckland University law professor Ken Palmer says Maori have to prove they have a continuing interest in specific coastal areas through activities such as collecting shellfish.

He says it should be the Crown's responsibility to show Maori have abandoned their stake.

“The present act is not particularly attractive because it puts a huge challenge on Maori to prove their continuing existence with these particular coastal areas and it’s rather hard to do at the moment with other people using them and there’s a financial challenge of getting expert, getting lawyers, and of course trying to meet the Crown who have got endless funds on their side,” Professor Palmer says.

The Prime Minister's expectation there will be a relatively small number of claims could be way off the mark, as Maori will be keen to asset their ancestral relationships.

ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY COUP PART OF WIDER ATTACK

Labour list MP Shane Jones says the Government's takeover of Environment Canterbury is part of a deliberate strategy to dismantle regional government in New Zealand.

Parliament under urgency last night passed the law replacing of Canterbury's regional councilors with commissioners.

Mr Jones says environment and local government ministers Nick Smith and Rodney Hide are moving resource management back into central government.
He says the new act gives the minister power to make decisions above the new commissioners.

“Our fear is that these commissioners will be pressured by the minister to reward the users of the water which is predominantly the agricultural community who have not shown a lot of interest in cleaning up their act in terms of cleaning up our streams and rivers,” Mr Jones says.

He says just as Mr Hide has done in the Auckland super city, authority has been taken away from democratically elected local representatives

MEN’S GROUP SPARKS INTEREST IN GARDENING

An East Coast mana tane roopu will be showing off its newly aquired horticultural skills at the region's first traditional Kai Festival at Whakarua park in Ruatoria on Saturday.

Event coordinator Rozanna Milner says the men's group formed through Ngati Porou Hauora encouraged members to share skills including fishing, hunting and eeling.

They also set up community gardens in Ruatoria, Tikitiki, Rangitukia and at Te Puia Hospital.

Rozanna Milner says seed funding for Saturday's festival comes from the sale of excess produce from the gardens, and the men have also formed a collective to supply a stall at the Gisborne farmers market.

Foreshore formula sparks backlash fear

Labour MP Shane Jones says giving hapu veto rights over coastal development will create a backlash.

The proposal is contained in a consultation document on possible changes to the Foreshore and Seabed Act released yesterday.

Mr Jones says after a long and expensive process, the National Government has ended up in the same place as Labour was in 2004 in terms of recognising Maori customary rights.

The main difference is it is reopening the door to litigation, and giving hapu the final say on coastal development if they can establish customary title.

“Without accountability, without professional structures, you can see all sorts of developments held up, and in fact unlikely to go ahead unless there is a transfer of wealth etc. Hapu are taking a very treacherous step if they think the public will tolerate them having veto rights without them showing any obligation to wider community,” Mr Jones says.

He says the National government is lowering the bar for iwi to prove customary rights, but it's also diluting the value of those rights.

MANA TRUMPS TITLE IN FORESHORE DEBATE

Meanwhile, Ngati Porou runanga chair Api Mahuika says recognition of mana is more important than title over the foreshore and seabed.

Options for replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act released yesterday range from leaving coastal areas in Crown title, assuming it is under Maori title, or giving it a new status of public domain/ takiwa iwi whanui.

Mr Mahuika says Ngati Porou negotiated its own foreshore settlement based on tikanga and mana, rather than getting bogged down in arguments over title.

“The individualization of titles to land has resulted in alienation, confiscation, so what we are saying is the key to mana is it is an inherited right. Through that mana we then have a kaitiaki right which allows us to look after the foreshore, the land etc in our lifetime,” Mr Mahuika says.

He says the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act will give the East Coast tribe the chance to renegotiate aspects of its settlement, which has been signed off but still not passed into law.

GROUPS KEEN TO JOIN INNOVATIVE HOUSING PILOT

Housing New Zealand has been flooded with interest from Maori groups wanting to undertake innovative housing developments.

Tamati Olsen, the corporation's chief Maori advisor, says 16 runanga have applied for the half dozen or so Maori Demonstration Partnerships.

Typical of the schemes wanting to tap into the $5.5 million putea is a Northland runanga that wants to build ten communal houses.

“The houses have chopped down living spaces so it’s more about sleeping in the houses and small living spaces and one big communal area for the whole of the ten houses,” Mr Olsen says.

Some asset rich, cash poor iwi have missed out because of a requirement partners put up half the cost of the project.

FORESHORE ACT REPLACEMENT FALLS SHORT OF IWI DEMANDS

The iwi leaders group is disappointed at the proposed replacement for the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

The group says the plan released for consultation yesterday may not satisfy the rights, expectations and values of iwi and hapu.

Matiu Rei from Ngati Toa says the offer doesn't acknowledge Maori mana over the takutai moana, and falls far short of the customary authority that was sought.

“The crown was never able to prove they had extinguished the title Maori claim to the foreshore and seabed so we’re not so happy there has been no recognition of our enduring mana over the foreshore and seabed,” Mr Rei says.

It's likely hapu and iwi will end up in court or negotiating with the Crown to have their rights recognised.

ALARMS RINGING ON SCOPE OF CANTERBURY COUNCIL TAKEOVER

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira says principles introduced in a bill for managing Canterbury rivers will effectively replace the Resource Management Act, to the huge detriment of Maori and the nation as a whole.

The Environment Canterbury Bill was introduced yesterday, a day after the Government sacked Environment Canterbury regional council and replaced it with commissioners.

Mr Harawira says the bill was sneaked into parliament during the foreshore and seabed debate as a local measure, but in fact it gives unelected commissioners total administrative power, cutting out the Minister for the Environment and the Environment Court.

“You are taking out of the hands of government agency an asset that has critical value to the whole nation and putting it in the hands of officials who are appointed by a Government hell bent on commercialising assets,” he says.

Mr Harawira says the asset grab won't stop at water but will include other minerals and natural resources.

IT’S IN THE BAG REVIVAL GOOD FOR TOOGOOD

The Toogood whanau from Ngai Tahu will be closely following the revived It's in the Bag as it moves around the country over the next three months

Spokesperson Kit Toogood says the family was happy to pass over the rights when Maori Television wanted to resurrect the quiz show, with up to 40 percent Maori language content.

His father Selwyn Toogood launched the series in the 1950s and continued it on television into the 80s, tempting thousands of contestants with the money or the bag.

“My father was very proud of his Ngai Tahu whakapapa and we thought it was an interesting proposition to take the show back to the smaller centres which is really where it originated, particularly in the radio days,” Mr Toogood says.

His late father would have been thrilled to see how much reo the mainstream audience at the pilot filming understood and how they responded to presenters Pio Terei and Stacey Morrison.

Filming starts in Dargaville on April 7.

Foreshore consultation deadline irks Greens

The Green Party says the Government isn't giving Maori enough time to respond to proposed alternatives to the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Co-leader Metiria Turei says it's too early to say if the party will support legislation which may come out of the discussion document released today.

She says while there are some positive changes, the overall structure and intent remains the same as Labour's 2004 Act, with the Crown retaining the ultimate say.

Ms Turei says the four week consultation includes the Easter Break and 2 weeks of school holidays.

“I'm dismayed that John Key could start this process with a threat which is that if Maori don’t like what the Government proposes, then the existing legislation will stay in place. That is no way to start a legitimate consultation with the community,” Ms Turei says.

WORLD TOO BIG FOR IWI IDENTITY

The chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana says the Maori may need to leave their tribal identities at home when they get into the business of exporting fish.

The fifth Maori Fisheries Conference has just wrapped up in Napier.

Ngahiwi Tomoana says attendance at the conference has shifted from iwi politicians arguing about allocation to the managers talking about how they can work together to get the most value from the quota their tribes hold.

“Barriers have come down, walls have been buried about allocation, and new opportunities are there on the horizon. Amongst us there is still a lot of mana motuhake but when we go offshore we need to be more coordinated and reflective of us as Maori rather than going off as individual companies or individual tribal entities,” he says.

Ngahiwi Tomoana says while some larger quota holders like Ngai Tahu have established successful brands in some overseas markets, other iwi may be better off working through existing Maori companies like Aotearoa Fisheries and Sealord.


KERIKERI PUTEA REDIVERTED TO KURA KAUPAPA

The government's decision to shelve a proposed $10 million primary school in Kerikeri and put the money into kura kaupapa elsewhere in Northland is being welcomed by one of the beneficiaries.

Half the money has gone to Te Kura Kaupapa Maori Whangaroa for new classrooms, which will open in May.
Kura chairperson Terry Smith says they have been 20 years in coming.
He says Ministry of Education research shows Maori pupils are doing better in total immersion schools than those in mainstream schools.

Mr Smith says Maori communities want their children to be confident, respectful of each other and speaking their own language.

The ministry is also buying property for a new kura kaupapa at Pukemiro in Kaitaia.

NGATI POROU WELCOMES FORESHORE ACT REPEAL

The chair of the Ngati Porou runanga is welcoming the Government's proposals for replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

The East Coast iwi is the only one to have negotiated a settlement under the 2004 Act, but it has held off finalising its deal.

Api Mahuika says the consultation document released today, which proposes replacing Crown ownership of the takutai moana with a new public domain/ takiwa iwi whanau title, is more than a cosmetic change.

“I don't see it as cosmetic to the extent some people may because repealing the act allows us to renegotiate our position in terms of the foreshore and seabed, and at the end of the day that’s all it is, a consultation document seeking our views,” Mr Mahuika says.

Ngati Porou's aim is recognition of its mana over the foreshore and seabed, rather than seeking a title which introduces the notion of sale.

MINING PLANS THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION

Green co-leader Metiria Turei believes Maori businesses will suffer if National allows mining on the conservation estate.

She says there has been strong Maori support for the Green's push to stop mining on Schedule 4 lands.

She says the economic argument for mining does not stack up, when account is taken of its impact on the thousands of Maori and other businesses that use New Zealand's clean green brand for export marketing.

“That brand is coming under severe strain with newspapers like the Guardian and international organisations all condemning National’s plans to mine in these places. If brand New Zealand is undermined because of the mining proposal, many other New Zealand businesses will suffer,” Ms Turei says.

She says the National Party also needs to come clean with iwi such as Ngati Rehua on Great Barrier Island about what mining means for their Treaty settlements.

TUA HAS KNOCKOUT RECORD GOING INTO FIGHT

Boxer Shane Cameron is backing David Tua to win tonight's fight against Friday Ahunanya in Auckland.

Cameron's only two career losses have been against the two heavyweights.

The Rongomaiwahine boxer says Friday "the 13th" has never been knocked out, while the Tuaman has knocked out 43 of his 51 professional opponents.

Cameron is taking time out from training for his second fight since his loss to Tua to be at Auckland's Trust's Stadium for tonight's bout, which will be shown on Maori Television.

Party scrapping undermining welfare policy

Labour leader Phil Goff says conflict between National and the Maori Party is creating confusion in welfare policy.

Mr Goff says a claim by associate social development minister Tariana Turia that she was only informed at the last moment of benefit changes indicates a huge rift with the senior minister, Paula Bennett.

He says that doesn't bode well for the Maori Party's flagship health and welfare initiative, the whanau ora system for service delivery.

“The government and he Maori Party have left a huge amount of confusion, one Tariana saying it’s by Maori for Maori, John Key saying it’s for everybody. Well, it can’t be both. The real question is how the money is going to be spent, who it’s going to spent on, where that money comes from and whether there are proper accountability mechanisms. Now all of those are big questions. None of them have been answered,” Mr Goff says.

The Maori Party has announced that it will be casting four votes against the government's welfare crack down, but Mrs Turia will vote in favour in line with her ministerial responsibility.

WHANGAREI KEEN TO SELL LAND BEFORE CLAIMS PROCESS

Whangarei Maori are crying foul over Whangarei District Council's plan to sell former Northland Harbour Board land.

Businesses which occupy the land, most of which is under perpetual lease, have been asked if they want to freehold.

Mike Kake, the chair of neighbouring landowner Rewarewa D Incorporation, says the land was taken from Maori under the Whangarei Harbour Vesting Act, and it should be returned to the original owners if it's surplus.

He says the council is running scared of what might come up in the forthcoming Waitangi Tribunal investigation of Northland land claims.

“There's been no consultation with tangata whenua at all. They look like they’re cashing up and I believe a lot of this activity is to get in before the treaty settlements. Once the hearing is done the pressure could come on,” Mr Kake says.

He says councils in other parts of the country have been prepared to make former harbour board land available for treaty settlements, but not Whangarei.

NEW NETBALL CENTRE MAGNET FOR RANGATAHI

Rangatahi in west Auckland have a new sports centre.

Te Pai in Henderson has reopened after a four year, $7 million refit.
It includes indoor netball courts and facilities for other codes.

Eru Thompson from Te Kawerau a Maki, who blessed the new building, says it's an investment in the city's future leaders.

He says Waitakere is taking the lead in programmes and facilities for Auckland's young people, especially rangatahi Maori.

TAMIHERE LISTS OBSTACLES IN MAYORAL RACE

Waipareira Trust head John Tamihere says he's not the man to become the third candidate for the the Auckland super city mayoralty.

The former Tamaki Makaurau MP has denied reports he's seeking the number two spot on Auckland mayor John Banks' ticket.

He says Waipareira, rolling out whanau ora and his talkback radio gig are keeping him busy ... and there are also major hurdles in the way of anyone contemplating taking on Mr Banks and rival Len Brown.

“You've got two candidates who have national political organisations, one National and one Labour. That’s a formidable organisatIonal base to overcome. As a consequence they’ve got a lot of money behind them. That’s something you have to overcome,” Mr Tamihere says.

He'd like to see a well funded, high profile alternative candiate emerge, because the current contest is a big yawn for Auckland voters.

FORESHORE DISCUSSION DOC WILL TEST RELATIONSHIP

Former Alliance president Matt McCarten says today's release of the Foreshore and Seabed Act rewrite will be a real test for the National-Maori Party relationship.

Mr McCarten says tensions between the two partners over things like welfare policy, Maori representation on the Auckland super city seats and the introduction of standards testing in primary schools are natural.

But if the Government does not deliver real gains on the Maori Party' defining issue, its supporters will be asking questions.

“If they don't get anything, I think they’re in real trouble, the Nats and the Maori Party both. I think you may see the relationship, the warm personal relationships they have will come under because the Maori Party will legitimately have to say what’s our role here,” Mr McCarten says.

He says the Maori Party needs to show what is offered is better than it got under Labour.

HARAKEKE WORKER CHOSEN ARTIST IN WAITAKERE RESIDENCE

A Ngapuhi flax artist is to serve as Auckland Regional Council artist in residence in the Waitakere ranges.

Maureen Lander was taught korowai and other weaving skills by the late late Diggeress Te Kanawa, and went on to teach Maori material culture at Auckland University's Maori studies department.

She says Waitakere has long been a source of inspiration, as well as the place she gets raw materials for her weaving and installation work.

She’s excited by the number of younger weavers emerging who are going back to traditional sources for inspiration.

Foreshore changes to be rushed through

Labour leader Phil Goff says the government isn't giving enough time for debate on its alternative to the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

A discussion paper will go out tomorrow, and the Prime Minister, John Key, says there will be four weeks of consultation.

Mr Goff says is seems the government intends to push through its changes in the same way it is opening the conservation estate to mining.

“These are areas that were preserved, protected under law by bi-partisan agreement in the parliament over many many years. Suddenly the proposal is there, we’re going to mine and there’s six years there for the public to make submissions. Likewise with foreshore and seabed,” Mr Goff says.

He expects the government will try a sleight of hand, saying it is repealing the law but leaving the underlying customary rights regime in place.

TAINUI TAKES ON HAMILTON CITY OVER VARIATION 21

Waikato Tainui is in the High Court challenging a Hamilton City Council district plan change that blocks further development of Tainui's Base retail complex at Te Rapa.

Variation 21, which was rushed through in September under the old Resource Management Act, aims to restrict all office and box store development to a commercial service zone in the central business district.

Tainui Group Holdings chief executive Mike Pohio says the case is over the council's deliberate failure to consult.

“They did not believe that any consultation with Waikato Tainui prior to the issuing of variation 21 would have made any changes. That is a key issue if Waikato Tainui are to make a submission. If in issuing variation 21 there wasn’t going to be change, what’s the chance of any change through the submission making process,” Mr Pohio says.

If it is allowed to stand, Variation 21 will mean a major financial loss to Tainui and its 50,000 members.

The hearing finishes tomorrow.

NGATI REHIA KAUMATUA JUDAH HEIHEI DIES

Ngati Rehia and Ngapuhi are mourning Te Hurihanga Judah Hei Hei, who was buried today at his whanau wahitapu – Te Ahirau - at Te Tii in the Bay of Islands.

Mr Heihei, a diabetic, died in an ambulance on Friday on his way to Kawakawa Hospital. He was 69.

He was a leading member of Te Taumata Kaumatua o Ngapuhi and was also prominent in the Hokianga Accord, which tries to build consensus between customary, recreational and commercial fishers in the north.

Ngati Rehia kaumatua Kingi Taurua says his whanaunga was a true gentleman who always put his whanau and hapu first.

He was descended from Tareha from Ngati Rehia who refused to sign the Treaty of Waitangi.

TAMIHERE RULES OUT MAYORAL RUN

Former Tamakai Makaurau MP John Tamihere is ruling out a run for mayor or deputy mayor of the Auckland super city.

Television Three yesterday claimed Mr Tamihere's team had sounded out Auckland mayor John Banks about running as his number two.

But the Waipareira Trust chief executive and radio talkback host says he has made no such approach, and ruled out a return to politics at this stage.

“My life is going extraordinarily well without getting involved in it. My social conscience work at Waipareira and whanau ora is going extraordinarily well. The commercial side of my life is going extraordinarily well. Why would you want to ruin that for the likes of political pundits like Willie Jackson, Matt McCarten, Matthew Hooten and the rest of the shooting match,” Mr Tamihere says.

He says anyone wanting to enter the mayoral race would need a lot of money, a high public profile and an organisation to match the resources National and Labour will be putting into the campaigns of John Banks and Len Brown respectively.

TE OHU KAIMOANA SEEKING STRATEGY AND ROLE

Te Ohu Kaimoana wants to take the lead in finding a balance between customary, commercial and recreational fishing interests.

The fisheries settlement trust outlined its growth and seafood strategy to the fifth Maori Fisheries Conference in Napier today.

Chief executive Peter Douglas says people in the various sectors need better information so they can see the impact of their activities have on the overall fishery.

Peter Douglas says more cooperation is needed throughout the fisheries sector.

BOY HIT IN FIRST DAY AT BOX OFFICE

The producer of Taika Waititi's new film says its popularity is due to its ability to connect with all people.

Boy premiered in Auckland last week.

Producer Ainsley Gardiner says she's confident Boy will do well because of word of mouth and positive media coverage from the Sundance and Berlin Film Festival ... bar one review.

“The negative one said he had scrubbed it of all its cultural specificity. Basically they were saying where were the grass skirts, where were the karakia, where are the whales, where are the fistfights and the drinking so we didn’t put a lot of stock in that particular review,” Ms Gardiner says.

Boy earned more at the box office on its first day than Whale Rider, The World's Fastest Indian and Sione's Wedding.

Benefits seen in language agency merger

Former Maori language commissioner Patu Hohepa is backing his successor's call for Te Taura Whiri to be merged with funding agency Te Mangai Paho.

Erima Henare recommended the merger as a way to cut down administration costs and get more money to community and iwi language development initiatives.

Dr Hopeha says the combined organisation would have greater clout.

“By having the two working closer together, there will be a greater sharing of getting te reo Maori more and more into radio, television, schools and I hope it will also shift some of the thinking of Te Puni Kokiri,” Dr Hopeha says.

RURAL STUDENTS READY FOR TERTIARY STUDY

Rural Maori students are more prepared for university than their urban cohorts.

That's one of the findings of the Auckland University Starpath project, which looked at barriers to tertiary study for Maori.

Director Liz McKinley from Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Ngai Tahu preparation is the key to success as students make the transition from high school to tertiary study.

“The students from more rural areas do have to manage a lot of change at the same time. However they know that and I think the schools know that. I think they’re better prepared because they do the preparation before they come. They not only get their enrolment done from the school end, they organised all their accommodation,” Dr McKinley says.

Many students don't know about the Maori support centres in universities, and better communication is needed.

HERAMAIA SIDESTEPS WAY INTO WARRIORS

Sports commentator Te Kauhoe Wano says Aaron Heramaia is fast becoming the Warriors' ace in the hole.

The diminutive halfback turned hooker was outstanding as the Auckland-based team posted its biggest win over NRL powerhouse the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday.

Mr Wano says Heremaia showed promise as an 18 year old, winning a Bartercard championship with the Hibiscus Coaast Raiders before heading to Australia and England.

After a year in the Warriors' feeder club the Vulcans, Heremaia's trimmed down frame makes him a potent ruck runner.

“Little step in traffic he’s got and then he still has some pace to burn if he does make a gap, throwing good passes so it’s looking pretty good for the Warriors at the moment,” Mr Wano says.

The Warriors' other Maori players, Russel Packer, Lance Hohaia and Kevin Locke all shone in the 48-16 demolition of Brisbane

EXPERIENCE SHARED FOR CHINA FISHING PUSH

Maori fishing companies are looking to China and other offshore markets as they plot a course ahead.

Iwi and fishing interests are in Napier for the fifth Maori Fisheries Conference.

Te Ohu Kaimoana chief executive Peter Douglas says this year's Shanghai expo has focused attention on one of the largest markets for seafoods.

Speakers pointed out it was not one large market but a series of significant regional markets for particular products, which needed to be handled carefully.

“The idea that you might be able to have a small visit where you might be able to sell 50 cases of this or that isn’t the best way to go about your business in the Chinese market. The best way to do it is to do it in a collaborative sense, making use of people’s experience, connections,” Mr Douglas says.

The acrimony and conflict which marred the Maori fisheries sector in the past has gone, and iwi are now looking at ways they can do business together.

The hui finishes today.

PARTY AMBUSHED ON WELFARE CHANGES

Associate social welfare minister Tariana Turia says the Maori Party did not see details of the welfare reforms before they were announced last week.

Mrs Turia says with many Maori out of work and whanau struggling to cope, it's not the right time to be overhauling the system.

She had no chance to object to measures such as making solo parents look for part time work as soon as their youngest child turns six.

“They came out and then we asked to see them, they were sent over to us. We didn’t agree with the way they were couched,” Mrs Turia says.

She was upset by Welfare Minister Paula Bennett's statement the dream is over for many beneficiaries, as being on a benefit was anything but a dream.

WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL USE FOR REMOTE MAORI LAND

The chief executive of the Wind Energy Association sees potential for Maori to be a growing part of a sector that will one day provide up to a fifth of the countrys electricity needs.

The organisation started its annual conference in Palmerston North yesterday, and Frazer Clarke says Maori landowners are well positioned to get involved.

One major land trust south of Kawhia has already got projects under way.

“Taharoa C are scratching the surface of potential opportunities that might exist; good land holdings in potentially good windy locations, good opportunity to diversity from farming and forestry, potential to take advantage of that wind resource and the land,” Mr Clarke says.

Turia defends whanau ora from Peters’ race attack

Tariana Turia is accusing New Zealand First leader Winston Peters of playing the race card with his weekend attack on her whanau ora policy.

At a public meeting in Tauranga, Mr Peters said using Maori providers to deliver social services was separatist and opened the door to back-handers and nepotism.

Mrs Turia, the associate minister of social development, says as a former minister Mr Peters knows Maori health providers have received government funding since 1993 ... and whanau ora merely streamlines the process.

“For Winston to turn around and make out that what’s going on is somehow denial of everybody else, he misses completely the point and whanau ora will provide a new way forward, and if Winston gets back into Parliament, he better get used to it,” Mrs Turia says.

She says most New Zealanders want better results from the billions in health and social spending, and whanau ora can provide those results.

MINERALS SOUGHT WITH HAURAKI SETTLEMENT

Hauraki iwi says their treaty settlement must include not only conservation land on the Coromandel peninsula but all the minerals underneath that land.

Paul Majurey from the Marutauhu confederation says the government's plans to open up parts of the peninsula to mining can't be divorced from the settlement negotiations.

He says recent Crown agreements in principle with other iwi have shown conservation land is not off the table as far as settlements are concerned.

“Our people have called for the land to come back, so if the land comes back then all those resources that go with it are what is being sought as well,” Mr Majurey says.

He is looking forward to talking with the government on this subject.

POOR PREPARATION LETS DOWN MAORI TERTIARY STUDENTS

The latest findings from Auckland University's long running Starpath research project shows most Maori students from low decile schools aren't properly prepared for university.

Director Liz McKinley says as a result their chances of success are lower than non-Maori.

She says many stumble with external exams, because at high school they tended to choose internal assessment.

“Many students who did not have the experience of have a lot of experience in sitting external exams at school suddenly found the external exams they were made to sit at university quite difficult to manage, almost as if they weren’t practised or skilled enough in approaching examination type conditions,” Dr McKinley says.

Maori students need good advice from early on about which subjects will better prepare them for university.

FISHFISH BETTER THAN SHELLFISH FOR AQUACULTURE COMPO

Salmon rather than shellfish are likely to be the focus of future Maori investment in aquaculture.

Parliament last week passed the Maori Commercial Aquaculture settlement, under which South Island and Hauraki iwi share $97 million.

Richard Bradley from Marlborough based Rangitane says the negotiation process involved a thorough analysis of the state of the industry, and it's clear from the price difference in water space that the future is in finfish rather than mussels.

“NIWA's been doing a lot of research around finfish and of course a lot of people are telling us it’s too early yet. When I hear that I know they’re in there and don’t necessarily want us there. The key part now is Maori are cashed up and want to invest in the top part of aquaculture, not just in contract gangs to open shellfish,” Mr Bradley says.

Aquaculture was on the agenda at today's Treaty Tribes Coalition Maori Fisheries Conference in Napier, along with a presentation on whaling by Dan Goodman from the Cetacian Research Institute in Tokyo.

ELIMINATION OF CARIES AIM OF DENTAL STUDY

The lead researcher for a 5-year study on how caries in early childhood affect long term Maori health patterns says his aim is to eliminate dental decay.

John Broughton from the Ngai Tahu Maori Health Unit at Otago University will work with Te Raukura Hauora O Tainui to track pregnant women and their offspring and monitor their dental health.

He says the $2 million project, funded through the International Collaborative Indigenous Health Research Partnership, should make a difference.

“The thing about oral disease, it’s all preventable, and there’s no reason with young children, why as they grow and develop and maybe get secondary teeth, they can go right through life without getting a filling in their mouth, and that’s the aim,” Dr Broughton says.

KAPA HAKA NEEDING EXPERIENCE TO CREATE NEW TEAMS

The head of the Wellington Maori Cultural Society says kapa haka from the region are disadvantaged by entry rules for the national Te Matatini competition.

Hema Temara says Pukeahu, which placed third at the Whanganui a Tara regionals on Saturday, was of national standard.

But because only seven teams competed, only winners Tu Te Maungaroa and runners up Nga Taonga Mai Tawhiti are off to Gisborne.

Mrs Temara says more rangatahi want to join roopu than there are places, and the region needs experienced tutors of the calibre of Auckland's Bub Wehi and Pita Sharples to form new groups.

Maori Party eying council election

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says the party will support candidates in the first election for an Auckland super city council.

Auckland mayor John Banks has encouraged the party to get involved, saying it has people capable of serving on the new body.

Dr Sharples says it will be tough to get a Maori elected, but the effort must be made.

“Obviously we’re going to be looking with Maori organisations to put some good people up for that council. There’s no doubt about that. We would still like those guaranteed seats because history shows we don’t make many councils at all,” Dr Sharples says.

ADDED 29/3: A party spokesperson says at this stage the party has not decided whether it will field a candidate under its own banner.

TRIO TOP RESEARCHERS FOR INDIGENOUS HEALTH

The head of the Health Research Council, Robin Olds, says the Maori health researchers chosen to head up three major projects are some of the best in the country.

John Broughton from Otago University and Sue Crengle and Rhys Jones from Auckland will head multi-year studies on dental health in young children, heart disease education and whether better training of health professionals can improve outcomes for Maori.

Dr Olds says the projects are part of an international initiative involving New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

The research will be shared with indigenous counterparts from Australia and Canada.

KAITANGATA TWITCH IN LINE FOR PRIZES

Maori Television’s new children’s drama is gaining international acclaim.

Kaitangata Twitch, based on a novel by Margaret Mahy, is a 13-part series about a young girl growing up in both Maori and Pakeha worlds.

It’s been shortlisted for two major international children's television awards – the Munich-based Prix Jeunesse and the WorldFest in Houston, Texas.

Director Yvonne Mackay says it’s a great way to get the series known, and it’s good to have the point of difference being the Maori side.

Kaitangata Twitch, which starts here in May, has been sold to Australia, Canada and Sweden, and the award nominations should open up sales in other countries.

SEPARATIST POLICY LEAD TO RACE TO BOTTOM

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is accusing the Maori Party of pushing racist and separatist policies.

The former Tauranga MP told a public meeting in the city on Saturday that the planned whanau ora policy of using Maori providers to deliver government health and social services to Maori opens the door to backhanders, nepotism and bottomless funding.

He says Maori Party leader Pita Sharples’ advocacy of tribal seats on the Auckland super city council shows disdain for democracy.

“When you get people saying they don’t want one person one vote and that they want a race-based system, they’re really looking at clans or tribes, the shape, character and form of which you can see in parts of Africa, and they are an absolute abomination to humanity, to any system of natural justice and fair play, and in the end those countries are all failed states. This is the kind of thing that will take us there if it is allowed to get currency in this country,” Mr Peters says.

He says National is going along with separatist policies because it wants Maori Party support for its far right policies.

CLASSROOM SKILLS KEY TO RAISING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Maori resource teachers have concluded they need to improve the skills of their classroom colleagues to make an impact on Maori educational underachievement.

The Resource Teachers for Learning and Behaviour Association’s Maori caucus held a four day conference in Wainuiomata last week addressing the needs of Maori boys.

Organiser Jackie West says while family support and more help from other government agencies is part of the solution, what happens in the classroom is the key.

“We need to ensure we have the right kai ako fronting our Maori kids, and if we have got teachers that have a lot of Maori kids it is the responsibility of schools to make sure their teachers have a bicultural understanding of what Maori children need,” Ms West says.

She says the under-achievement of Maori boys is a community problem that demands a multi-faceted response.

TU TE MAUNGAROA SHOWS CLASS AGAIN

In a repeat of 2009, Tu Te Maungaroa and Toi Mai Tawhiti took the top two spots at the Whanganui a Tara regional kapa haka competitions.

The placings at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre on Saturday earn them tickets to Te Matatini nationals in Gisborne in February.

Event spokesperson Sandy Barr says the strength of reo in the mainly Tuhoe Tu Te Maungaroa team made it the clear winner, while Toi Mai Tawhiti is known for its beautiful vocals and musicality.

The next region to compete is Waitaha in Christchurch on April 17.