Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, February 14, 2011

Maori board budget defended

A member of Auckland city’s independent Maori board says he’s standing by its bid for a $3.4 million annual budget.

The budget will be considered by the full council tonight, with mayor Len Brown saying it’s likely to get pared back.

But John Tamihere says the figure he presented to the council’s strategy and finance committee last week is a fair estimate of what he board needs to fulfill its statutory obligations.

“We are a cheaper alternative to the eight authorities who multiplied their costs by eight. We are an immediate example of the super city working a lot better and a lot smarter,” he says.

Mr Tamihere says it wasn't Maori who created the appointment process for the board, so the politicians now need to accept and fund the structure they created.

RATANA WAITING FOR FIBRE HOOK UP

Users of a new public access computer hub at Ratana Pa want to see a fibre optic link to the small settlement near Whanganui.

Puawai Haggar, who runs the facility in an old post office, says the government’s rural broadband plan should bring a fibre connection to Ratana Primary School.

Supporters of the ICT hub hope they can get in on the act.

“We are really playing cards at the moment to say how about bringing it through especially to the church office and the community. Information communication technology and fibre optics are going to be the future and if we want to continue and be sustainable we definitely have to look at trying to get this into our community as a whole,” Mrs Haggar says.

AUCKLAND MAORI COUNCIL ANGRY AT TAKUTAI MOANA BILL

The Auckland District Maori council is calling on all New Zealanders to prepare for a hikoi against the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill.

Spokesperson Ngaire Te Hira says the bill reported back to Parliament last week is no advance on Labour’s Foreshore and Seabed Act.

She says a meeting of the council last Friday resolved action was needed to stop Maori rights being further weakened.

“For all Maori and for all people in Aotearoa we are sending out a call to prepare for a hikoi to carry on and continue our opposition of takutai moana,” Ms Te Hira says.

The Auckland District Maori Council also expressed a lack of confidence in Maori Party leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia for their support of National’s Marine and coastal Bill.

SHARPLES GETS READY FOR SWANSONG HAKA

Meanwhile, Pita Sharples has his mind on his kapa haka swansong at this weeks' Matatini national competition starting on Thursday in Gisborne.

The Minister of Maori Affairs will again take the stage with his west Auckland group Te Roopu Manutake.

He says he offered to make room one of the younger performers, but group members insisted Papa Pita take his spot at the head of the group he founded more than 40 years ago.

“This is probably my last performance but I just couldn’t resist so I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to seeing 40,000 Maori gathered there to celebrate their culture which is going to be great,” Dr Sharples

MAORI PHILOSOPHIES IN SEX EDUCATION KIT

Family Planning has developed a new resource has been developed to help kaiako in kura kauapapa teach students about sexuality.

Its Maori development director, Rawhia Tehau Grant, says it’s the first Maori language sexuality education resource released nationally.

She says while many kura have developed their own resources, many don’t have the specialist expertise to ensure rangatahi are aware of issues around sexuality.

“Te Huarahi Hokakatanga is meant to be a resource that teachers can use and it can support them in their teaching of sexuality, which some teachers aren’t very comfortable with teaching, or a lot of the resources that have been made and some kura use are in English, and they don’t have Maori philosophies or they aren’t from a Maori perspective,” Ms Grant says.

The kits are for year 7 and 8 students.

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