Mana Party misses election funding
Leader Hone Harawira says the Mana Party will be formally appealing the electoral commission's decision not to allocate them any money or time for political broadcasts for the November general election because the party wasn't formed in time.
Mr Harawira says however he doesn't expect the appeal to be successful.
“If we can’t get that money from an appeal, we’ll just have to rely on the support we have always had from people for a party that stands for the rights of those who have nothing anyway,” Mr Harawira says.
BROADCAST TIME CUT FOR MAORI PARTY
The Maori Party is looking at what it can do about what it sees as a scandalous cut in the time and money it has been allocated for its political broadcasts in this year's general election.
President Pem Bird says he's shocked that the Electoral Commission has slashed the amount the party got in 2008 by $90,000 from $248,889 to $160,00 and from 11 to 9 minutes.
“This is the tangata whenua voice, that’s our core constituency, and if you look in the Treaty of Waitangi framework I think we’ve for a fair enough case,” he says.
Mr Bird says it is scandalous to compare the Maori Party which targets seven diverse and spread out electorates with ACT and will be looking at all avenues of redress.
TASKFORCE CALLS FOR POLICY REVERSE
The head of the taskforce on Early Childhood Education which today reported to Education Minister Anne Tolley says its recommendations are good news for Maori.
Taskforce chairman Michael Mintrom says they told the minister that investment in early childhood education is of great value and funding must be directed at Maori communities which are missing out.
He says the communities themselves should then be given the ability to decide how they spend the money.
“Now we are not suggesting that this means doing more of what currently is being done in other parts of the sector. It actually means getting in there and working closely with Maori communities and asking them, what are their needs,” Dr Mintrom says
He says kohanga reo isn't working effectively and it needs far great scrutiny with alternatives for Maori be quite appropriate.
GORDON KEPT PAOA ON STRAIGHT AND NARROW
Ngati Paoa has come together to farewell the woman who put the iwi back on the map.
The funeral from Hariata Gordon was held today at Waiti Marae north of Morrinsville.
George Kahi, the chair of the Ngati Paoa Trust Board, says Mrs Gordon's occupation of a Maori Affairs-run farm on Waiheke in 1984 won the iwi back not only land but recognition.
He says she encouraged the people to learn about their identity and history in the greater Auckland, and to stand up for the tribe's interests to local and central government.
“And if we wanted to maintain that particular stance and that quality, we just needed to do what she did which was maintain the blueprint of Ngati Paoa. If you tended to wander either side of it you end up talking about yourself and not the tribe so her message, she was replicating previous conversations of other ancestors and she kept it straight and narrow,” Mr Kahi says.
TRADITIONAL TIPS FOR INDULGENT MAORI PARENTING
Child welfare advocacy group Te Kahui Mana Ririki hopes its revival of traditional Maori ways of parenting will bring down rates of child abuse.
Director Anton Blank says the trust and Plunket are about to launch a pilot programme in Hamilton, based on research that will be published by the Children's Commission tomorrow.
He says whanau will be shown how to appreciate and react to their children in a non-violent way.
“What we've found was that parenting was quite indulgent and kind and that hitting and insulting children was banned so we’ve taken that knowledge and we’ve adapted it to contemporary settings so we’re connecting whanau back to traditional values but we are making it very relevant for today,” Mr Blank says.
Simple techniques include ignoring behaviour that isn't hurting anyone and distracting children when they're upset to encourage positive behaviour.
COMPANY APOLOGISES FOR HEITIKI FORMULA
The company that used Maori imagery to sell infant formula into China has apologised for what it calls cultural misunderstanding.
Associate health Minister Tariana Turia called for an investigation into the Kia New Zealand International's Heitiki brand, because she said it could be seen as encouraging Maori women to substitute breast milk with infant formula.
Kia advisor John McCaulay says the company will repackage the Heitiki formula, which was all bound for export, so there is no reference to Maori concepts.
“They were looking to take the positive aspects of Maori culture and use it on their product, it really is just a cultural misunderstanding and the issue is they were trying to highlight the positive aspects of Maori,” he says.
Mr McCaulay says the product meets all New Zealand export regulations and is manufactured by a subsidiary of New Zealand listed company New Image.
Mr Harawira says however he doesn't expect the appeal to be successful.
“If we can’t get that money from an appeal, we’ll just have to rely on the support we have always had from people for a party that stands for the rights of those who have nothing anyway,” Mr Harawira says.
BROADCAST TIME CUT FOR MAORI PARTY
The Maori Party is looking at what it can do about what it sees as a scandalous cut in the time and money it has been allocated for its political broadcasts in this year's general election.
President Pem Bird says he's shocked that the Electoral Commission has slashed the amount the party got in 2008 by $90,000 from $248,889 to $160,00 and from 11 to 9 minutes.
“This is the tangata whenua voice, that’s our core constituency, and if you look in the Treaty of Waitangi framework I think we’ve for a fair enough case,” he says.
Mr Bird says it is scandalous to compare the Maori Party which targets seven diverse and spread out electorates with ACT and will be looking at all avenues of redress.
TASKFORCE CALLS FOR POLICY REVERSE
The head of the taskforce on Early Childhood Education which today reported to Education Minister Anne Tolley says its recommendations are good news for Maori.
Taskforce chairman Michael Mintrom says they told the minister that investment in early childhood education is of great value and funding must be directed at Maori communities which are missing out.
He says the communities themselves should then be given the ability to decide how they spend the money.
“Now we are not suggesting that this means doing more of what currently is being done in other parts of the sector. It actually means getting in there and working closely with Maori communities and asking them, what are their needs,” Dr Mintrom says
He says kohanga reo isn't working effectively and it needs far great scrutiny with alternatives for Maori be quite appropriate.
GORDON KEPT PAOA ON STRAIGHT AND NARROW
Ngati Paoa has come together to farewell the woman who put the iwi back on the map.
The funeral from Hariata Gordon was held today at Waiti Marae north of Morrinsville.
George Kahi, the chair of the Ngati Paoa Trust Board, says Mrs Gordon's occupation of a Maori Affairs-run farm on Waiheke in 1984 won the iwi back not only land but recognition.
He says she encouraged the people to learn about their identity and history in the greater Auckland, and to stand up for the tribe's interests to local and central government.
“And if we wanted to maintain that particular stance and that quality, we just needed to do what she did which was maintain the blueprint of Ngati Paoa. If you tended to wander either side of it you end up talking about yourself and not the tribe so her message, she was replicating previous conversations of other ancestors and she kept it straight and narrow,” Mr Kahi says.
TRADITIONAL TIPS FOR INDULGENT MAORI PARENTING
Child welfare advocacy group Te Kahui Mana Ririki hopes its revival of traditional Maori ways of parenting will bring down rates of child abuse.
Director Anton Blank says the trust and Plunket are about to launch a pilot programme in Hamilton, based on research that will be published by the Children's Commission tomorrow.
He says whanau will be shown how to appreciate and react to their children in a non-violent way.
“What we've found was that parenting was quite indulgent and kind and that hitting and insulting children was banned so we’ve taken that knowledge and we’ve adapted it to contemporary settings so we’re connecting whanau back to traditional values but we are making it very relevant for today,” Mr Blank says.
Simple techniques include ignoring behaviour that isn't hurting anyone and distracting children when they're upset to encourage positive behaviour.
COMPANY APOLOGISES FOR HEITIKI FORMULA
The company that used Maori imagery to sell infant formula into China has apologised for what it calls cultural misunderstanding.
Associate health Minister Tariana Turia called for an investigation into the Kia New Zealand International's Heitiki brand, because she said it could be seen as encouraging Maori women to substitute breast milk with infant formula.
Kia advisor John McCaulay says the company will repackage the Heitiki formula, which was all bound for export, so there is no reference to Maori concepts.
“They were looking to take the positive aspects of Maori culture and use it on their product, it really is just a cultural misunderstanding and the issue is they were trying to highlight the positive aspects of Maori,” he says.
Mr McCaulay says the product meets all New Zealand export regulations and is manufactured by a subsidiary of New Zealand listed company New Image.
posted by Adam | 9:18 pm
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