Key wrong on offshore drilling risks - Greenpeace

A spokesperson for the coalition of iwi and environmental groups fighting deepsea oil exploration says the Prime Minister seems ill informed about the risks of the Petrobras operation off East Cape.

Yesterday John Key told Waatea News that Petrobras would not be drilling in waters as deep as those in the Gulf of Mexico where last year's BP disaster happened.

But Steve Abel from Greenpeace says the exploration zone in the Raukumara basin is two or three times deeper than where the doomed Deepwater Explorer was drilling.

“I certainly hope it give him pause to take another look at this proposition because perhaps he doesn’t realise the level of risk that is involved and perhaps he has been poorly advice by his ministry and the other ministers about the viability and safety of this practice,” Mr Abel says.

He says the oil industry's environmental record in the Taranaki offshore field isn't as good as the prime minister is making out.

RUGBY FUNDS WIND UP IN MINISTER’S ELECTORATE

Labour MP Shane Jones says Maori around the country are missing out while the Minister for Maori Affairs lavishes Rugby World Cup funds on his own electorate.

The list MP is contesting the Tamaki Makarau seat held by Pita Sharples.
Mr Jones says the $2 million to be spent on a waka shaped pavilion on the Auckland waterfront during the cup means there will be nothing left to promote Maori culture in other centres.

“The world cup is up and down Aotearoa. There’s a whole lot of other communities, I can guarantee you, they’re getting three cents of jack, and I’m just not happy that the entirety of this funding should have been made available to one hapu in only one part of New Zealand called Auckland when there are thousands of Maori up and down the country who won’t get a look in,” Mr Jones says.

He says there is nothing particularly Maori about building a plastic pavilion that will only be used for 17 days.

KIWA’S QBOOKS MAKE WORLD SUMMIT E-MEDIA AWARDS

Maori-owned Kiwa Media Group will soon find out if it has made the top 40 in the United Nations-backed World Summit Awards for multimedia and electronic content.

Kiwa's QBook interactive digital book technology won the e-learning and education section of the New Zealand awards, and it will be scrutinised by the grand jury in Hong Kong over the next week.

Kiwa head Rhonda Kite of Te Aupouri says it's an honour to make the finals.

Other New Zealand finalists include the Gibson Group for an interactive video wall in Copenhagen, the MiniMonos online virtual world for children, the Sparx computerised self help program for young people with depression, and the Environment Ministry's LUCAS Land Use and Carbon Analysis System for tracking New Zealand's contribution to fighting climate change.

NGA HAU E WHA TO HOST CRIMINAL LIST

The Minister for Courts says Nga Hau e Wha Marae in Christchurch will provide a critical service by hosting criminal courts.

Georgina te Heuheu says the main meeting house will be used for up to 120 list cases a day from April 18.

She says with the main Durham St courthouse still behind a cordon, the marae is an important stopgap.

The marae trustees will transfer the mana of the marae to the ministry to allow its use as a court.

Georgina Te Heuheu says the marae will be used until the Justice Ministry can prepare the Maori Land Court building on Peterborough Street to hold the criminal list hearings.

LOUISA WALL WELCOMED BACK INTO LABOUR CAUCUS

Labour's Maori caucus has welcomed back Louisa Wall from Ngati Tuwheretoa, who is returning to parliament to take up the list seat vacated by Darren Hughes resignation.

Fellow MP Shane Jones says the former netball and rugby international turned union official knows her way round the building, having come in on a list seat in 2008.

He says the next eight months should help raise her profile in her run for the Manurewa seat at the election, and if she wins the safe labour seat she will have a long future in politics.

SCIENCE EDUCATOR RECOMMENDS ENGAGING MAORI PUPILS

The author of a report recommending a radical overhaul of science education says teachers should exploit the natural interest that young Maori have in the natural world.

Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, the Prime Minister's chief science advisor, says Maori and Pacific students are under-achieving in the subject.
He says that needs to be addressed at primary school level and carried on through the education system.

“Maoris control and own a large amount of the resource of New Zealand and to exploit that optimally for the benefit of Maori requires use of science and technology in everything that we do,” Sir Peter says

Young Maori may be more interested in the sciences if they saw how it relates to opportunities in environmental protection, health, and other careers.

Herenga waka on Auckland waterfront

The designer of the $900,000 Waka Maori waterfront pavilion for the Rugby World Cup says it will be a great place to introduce foreign visitors to Maori culture.

Renata Blair from Ngati Whatua o Orakei says the 70 metre long structure on Auckland's Viaduct Basin will be made from the same high tech fabric as the Queens Wharf party central Cloud.

Over the 17-day carnival it will showcase Maori business and culture.

He says the inspiration was the idea of Auckland as Tamaki Herenga Waka, the place where canoes are moored.

“Everybody's going to explore their way around the world down to Aotearoa and so part of that exploration, people will be tied into something like a waka and travel so this is Maoris way of showing to the world that we are the greatest explorers in the world and also we are some of the greatest rugby players in the word so let’s combine the two at the World Cup,” Mr Blair says.

Ngati Whatua is putting up $100,000 of the $2 million cost of the overall project, with the rest coming from various government departments.

GOVERNANCE AND TRAINING KEY TO LIFTING LAND USE

Agriculture Minister David Carter says improving governance and increasing training opportunities could help Maori landowners bring more land into production.

A report on Maori agribusiness prepared by his ministry estimated more than a million hectares of Maori land isn't delivering on its potential.

Mr Carter says the issues around multiply-owned Maori land are well known and need to be addressed.

“When they're multiple-owned, it is often difficult initially to get good governance structures that allow somebody to show some leadership and progress so governance is one of the big limitations we have identified. Next thing is many Maori haven’t got enough skills and education in the primary sector so governance and upskilling we need to address if we are going to unlock this huge potential,” Mr Carter says.

He says higher commodity prices should help Maori make the investments they need in their land.

TAMATI STORY GETS TO HEART OF VIOLENCE

The face of the It's Not OK anti-violence campaign says he's amazed at the maturity of the students he's spreading the message to in Taranaki.

Vic Tamati was asked by Taranaki Safe Families Trust to speak at eight secondary schools in the region.

He says the students are taking the issue seriously and respond to his story of overcoming his own anger issues after a violence-blighted childhood, and some have come up to say he is telling their own story.

MAORI FAMILIES’ TIES TO CHRISTCHURCH TENUOUS

Christchurch Maori academic Rawiri Taonui says many Maori are abandoning the city because they don't have an ownership stake in rebuilding it.

While there is no official count, Mr Taonui says number of children attending some kura kaupapa Maori has halved since the February quake.

He says many came from families renting state houses in the eastern suburbs.

“A lot of them have left the city because it’s not the same as owning a private house. There’s not the same sense you have to stay there and defend it and patch it up to the last so to speak and I think that’s one reason why they've left,” Mr Taonui says.

Maori who own their homes are also weighing up whether to leave, because it could be hard to reinsure houses in the eastern suburbs.

NEW MINISTER CAN’T FILL EMERGENCY RESPONSE HOLE

Greens co-leader Meteria Turei says attempts by acting Resource and Energy Minister Hekia Parata to down play the risks of drilling off the East Coast won't fool the locals.

Te Whanau a Apanui and Ms Parata's own Ngati Porou iwi are leading the charge against Brazilian oil giant Petrobras's prospecting off their coast.

She says as a new minister Ms Parata doesn't know the portfolio well enough to mount a credible argument.

“She might say nice words up there but she isn’t going to be able to deal with the hard issues which is this oil drilling is going to happen three kilometres down in the ocean floor and if anything bad happens New Zealand has no capacity at all to manage the environmental disaster that could occur and nothing she can say can fix that,” Ms Turei says.

She says National will eventually be forced to back down over deep sea oil drilling, as it did over mining in national parks.

BRIAN BRAKE WORK CHALLENGING FOR MAORI PHOTOGRAPHERS

Writer Witi ihimaera says he's like to see more Maori photographers extending on the innovations of the late Brian Brake.

An exhibition of 40 years of Brake's work is currently at Te Papa, including his distinctive images of the artifacts in the Te Maori exhibition of the 1980s.

Mr Ihimaera says his friend captured the wairua of the taonga and his images encouraged people to them as works of art rather than anthropological curiosities.

“Brian Brake would be really disappointed if we didn’t come along with our own people photographing our own work because I think then the art of Maori photography will really be seen because it will be coming from inside a Maori manawa and Maori ngakau,” he says.

Witi Ihimaera says Maori photographers like Maureen Lander, Norman Heke and Margaret Kawharu have taken some very fine catalogue photographs of Maori material.

Ngati Whatua defends waka pavilion

Ngati Whatua o Orakei says the waka-shaped pavillion which will be the centre for Auckland's Maori cultural activities during the Rugby World Cup takes up a tiny proportion of the event's $265 million promotion budget.

Spokesperson Ngarimu Blair says the high tech pavilion sited near the Queen's Wharf party central venue will showcase Maori arts, culture, business and enterprise.

He says the $2 million price tag is split between government ministries and the hapu.

“It is a marquee in the form of a waka. It’s not a real waka. It’s only $900,000. The other $1.1 million will go into the amazing events and activities we will put over the 17-day period. So it represents the typical Maori spend, the lower spend, and like everything we do it on the smell of an oily rag with awesome outcomes,” Mr Blair says.

Ngati Whatua developed the project because it was concerned the Rugby World Cup lacked a Maori face.

FUNDS SHIFTED FROM SOCIAL MARKETING TO FRONT LINE

Associate Social Development Minister Tariana Turia says changing social attitudes to family violence means it's time to shift funds from the It's Not OK campaign to frontline services.

Mrs Turia says the Government spends $62 million a each year on contracted family violence services, including $1.6 million on It's Not OK.

It's shifting $11 million of that to five initiatives, including half a million dollars to get out the message that "It’s OK to ask for help" and the same amount for the E Tu Whanau campaign encouraging whanau to look after their own safety.

“I think back to when I was a kid. We had very little state intervention or service provider intervention in my families lives, in fact I don’t know of any Maori family at that time who were involved in the state, in fact there were very few. We’ve got to start restoring to ourselves the responsibility and right to take care of our own.
Mrs Turia says.

Some $8.5 million will go into a fund for direct services to families and whanau where family violence has occurred.

PALMERSTON NORTH CONSIDERING MAORI WARDS

Palmerston North City council is considering introducing dedicated representation for Maori.

Council lawyer John Annabel says depending on population the city could have one or two Maori wards.

He says the aim is for a franchise based on the Maori electoral roll, rather that the appointment process that has caused so much controversy in the Auckland super city council.

KEY PLAYS DOWN EAST CAPE OIL RISK

Prime Minister John Key says the level of risk created by oil prospecting off East Cape is manageable and acceptable.

Te Whanau a Apanui is leading a protest against Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, which has a five year exploration permit.

Mr Key says the tribe's use of last year's Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico as an example of what can go wrong is misleading.

“Any offshore drilling operation, there’s obviously environmental risks, but New Zealand has proven it can manage those risks. I don’t think it’s in anywhere as deep water as we saw in the Gulf of Mexico and as the people of Taranaki will tell us, we have been very successful for a long time. We have high environmental standards and in fact the government is in the process of improving its environmental standards in the EEZ,” Mr Key says.

The Deepwater Horizon was drilling in 1500 metres of water when it exploded, while the drilling in the Raukumara Basin could be in up to 3000 metres of water.

SAMUELS WARNS OF PLASTIC TIKI RISK

Former associate tourism minister Dover Samuels says promoters of a $2 million waka shaped pavilion for Rugby World Cup events need to be careful they don't cheapen the Maori experience.

Ngati Whatua o Orakei is building the 70-metre long pavilion at Auckland's viaduct to host kapa haka performances, art and culture demonstrations and Maori trade events during the 17-day carnival.

Mr Samuels says the Maori business tours he hosted as minister unearthed a desire among foreign visitors for genuine experiences, and plastic or fiberglass copies don’t work.

WAIRAKEI TERRACES WINS BUSINESS STRATEGY PRIZE

The tourism company that took out the strategic planning prize at the University of Auckland Maori Business Awards says its success comes from the hard work of hapu members.

Wairakei Terraces near Taupo attracts 30,000 visitors a year to its living Maori village and artificial geothermal feature, created with silica-laden water diverted from Contact Energy's Wairakei bore field.

Chief executive Jim Hill of Ngati Tuwharetoa says it took sixteen years for the hapu to redevelop the geothermal attraction it lost in the 1960s when hot streams were diverted for the power station.

Wairakei Terraces is building a health clinic and spa to keep visitors coming through the off-peak winter months.

Taranaki boys get anti-violence message

The future of the It's Not OK anti-violence campaign may be in doubt pending next month's Budget, but the campaign's face is keeping as busy as ever.

Vic Tamati, who appears on the campaign's advertisements - is speaking at eight secondary schools in Taranaki this week.

Marion James from Taranaki Safe Families Trust, which organised the roadshow, says the aim was to get Mr Tamati before younger audience who might benefit from his experience of receiving ... and meting out ... domestic violence.

She says they focused on boys’ schools with high Maori rolls, because it’s important young men have good role models talking to them about family violence.

Ms James says from feedback so far Mr Tamati's message seems to be getting through.

TOLD YOU SO SAYS SUPER WINSTON

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Maori would be a lot better off today if his compulsory superannuation plan had been adopted.

Mr Peters says because Maori are more likely to die younger than non-Maori, they are the big losers when it comes to collecting the superannuation they paid their taxes for.

“Now the compulsory super plan of 1997 was that if anyone died before age 65 their wife or husband or family would get the benefit of the savings from 40, 45 years of work,” he says.

Mr Peters says Maori people voted yes in the referendum at twice the rate of non-Maori.

MAORI DIABETES SUPPORT GROUP FORMED

A group of west Aucklanders has set up a Maori diabetes support group after undergoing a six-week self management programme run by Waitakere Hospital.

Airini Titirangi says the Manaaki Whanau Oranga group will pick up where the clinical programme left off.

It's an opportunity for whanau members and people with diabetes to come together, support each other and test out new behaviours.

Manaaki Whanau Oranga has already attracted about 30 members.

JONES KEEN TO SEE LEADERSHIP WRANGLING END

Labour MP Shane Jones says Maori want the party to stop wrangling over its leadership.

Pressure is coming on in the wake of the resignation of MP Darren Hughes, with former MPs and people close to the party saying Labour can't win the election with Phil Goff in charge.

But Mr Jones, who was deliberately left off the front bench in yesterday's reshuffle, it's not the issue Maori supporters are most concerned with.

“Talk of changing the leader is just going to worsen the prospects for Labour and many Maori, all they want us to do is to talk about the day to day issues that need to be addressed in order for them and their children to live more meaningful and empowering lives,” Mr Jones says.

HIKOI TELLS TEENS OF COMMUNITY ANGER

A hikoi appears to have stemmed the anti-social behaviour of a small group of young people who were terrorising a Whangarei suburb.

Noreen Moorhouse, the president of the Otangarei branch of the Maori Women's Welfare League, says a group of mainly young teen girls was hanging out behing the local marae, breaking bottles, partying till all hours and graffitiing walls in the area.

She says more than 200 children and adults marched through the suburb last week in protest.

Graffiti seems to have eased off, and the girls are going home more.

Moreen Moorhouse says the hikoi included league members, pupils from two kura kaupapa and many residents both Maori and Pakeha.

CONTEMPORARY MIXED WITH CLASSICAL ART AT TE PAPA

Te Papa Tongarewa is using the return of traditional taonga Maori from a show in Japan to highlight some contemporary Maori Art.

Curator Rhonda Paku says E Tu Ake: Standing Strong displays the taonga tawhito alongside works by the likes of Shane Cotton, Robyn Kahukiwa, Lisa Reihana and Brett Graham.

She says people may be surprised how old taonga can speak to modern kaupapa.

“It shows that our contemporary artists are still drawing heavily on the kaupapa of our ancestors and from our art forms. Together it will be a stunning fusion of taonga tawhito and contemporary artwork with some really lovely stories as well as case studies of significant political activism of our people in the journey towards self-determination,” Ms Paku says.

E Tu Ake starts on Saturday.

Maori land law changes mooted

The co-author of a new report on the aspirations of Maori landowners says law changes are needed.

Whaimutu Dewes from Ngati Porou also helped write Te Turei Whenua Maori Act, which was passed in 1993 ... almost 20 years after the New Zealand Maori Council first called for an overhaul of Maori land law.

He says Maori society has changed, and while many Maori land trusts are working well, others struggle because the law does not meet current needs.

“Decision making processes were designed with a particular framework in mind and that is owners engaged, appointing their trustees or incorporation committees who then made decisions on their behalf. That was valid in the 1970s and even through the 80s. By the time we get to 2011 the one size fits all certainly needs examination now,” Mr Dewes says.

The report, which was done for Te Puni Kokiri, was released at the same time as a Ministry of Agriculture report which estimated more than 1 million hectares of Maori land is under-used or under-performing.

MAYOR KEEN FOR TAMAKI TO WELCOME TOURISTS

Auckland Mayor Len Brown wants the super city to replace Rotorua as the place where foreign visitors get introduced to Maoritanga.

The mayor is planning a round of hui to discuss how Maori see their role in the city's development over the next 30 years.

He says tourism is a part of that, and he doesn't want to see tourists arriving at Auckland International airport heading straight off to Rotorua.

“If they want to see tangata whenua, their first experience should be in Auckland and that might be at Orakei or Hoani Waitiiti. The sense of Auckland and its tourism products being first represented by the mana whenua, tangata whenua of our city is critical,” Mr Brown says.

He says the city also needs to plan for the resources coming back to mana whenua iwi through the claims process.

CULTURE VERSUS THE OIL DRILLERS

Labour Maori Affairs spokesperson Parekura Horomia says Petrobras should not under-estimate the cultural strength of Te Whanau a Apanui people.

An iwi-led is protest against the Brazilian oil giant's prospecting in the Raukumara basin drew 600 people and a flotilla of boats to Whangaparaoa Bay on the weekend.

Mr Horomia, whose Ikaroa Rawhiti electorate adjoins the iwi's rohe, says living out near East Cape makes people resilient.

“It takes a long time to get to Whananu a Apanui. They’re right out and that’s a real strength at Cape Runaway where they have preserved life as they know it and nobody should put it asunder. Those people are strong and steeped in their culture and they live it,” Mr Horomia says.

TREATY OF WAITANGI IDEAL FOR PARTY BRANDING

A leading member of the New Zealand Maori Council member wants Hone Harawira to call his new party the Treaty of Waitangi Party.

Maanu Paul says if the former Maori Party MP wants to contest the party vote in this year's election, he will need to appeal to voters beyond the Tai Tokerau seat he now holds.

He says a parliamentary party with the kaupapa of upholding the treaty should get widespread support.

“There is a huge groundswell of support by people other than Maori. A lot of Pakeha, a lot of new migrants, are supportive of the Treaty of Waitangi, are supportive of Maori getting a fair deal,” Mr Paul says.

He suggested to Mr Harawira he should join forces with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, but accepted the MP's view that there would not be room for the two leaders in one party.

SHAPLES KEEN FOR MAORI INQUIRY INTO MILK PRICING

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples wants the Maori Affairs select committee to conduct an inquiry into the price of milk.

The Commerce Commission is considering an inquiry into whether the price of milk should be regulated.

Dr Sharples says after its success in taking the tobacco industry to task, the select committee would be an ideal body to find out why there is a big difference between what farmers get for their raw milk and what customers pay over the counter

“I just think special allowances for our home products; milk, meat, timber, all the things we produce plenty of and specialize in, there should be some allowance some way so that we don’t have to pay overseas prices or such high prices,” he says.

Dr Sharples says many Maori among those most affected by price increases.

BAD TEETH AFFECTING MAORI JOB PROSPECTS

The co-author of a new book on Maori oral health says bad teeth can mean bad job prospects.

Bridget Robson from the Eru Pomare research centre says because dental services are largely privately funded, many Maori miss out on preventive, restorative, or rehabilitative dental care.

She says this has long term social and economic effects, because of the stigma attached to having missing teeth.

Ms Robson says a WINZ-funded programme in Hamilton for people to get their teeth fixed, which led to people getting work.

Oranga Waha aims to promote more research into Maori Oral Health

Violence funds shifted to front line

The Associate Minister of Social Development, Tariana Turia, wants whanau to get more involved in stopping family violence.

Mrs Turia says next month's Budget will shift $11 million of the $62 million spent on family violence services into five new initiatives.

This includes a half million dollars for an E Tu Whanau campaign to encourage whanau to take actions which make their families safer.

“I do expect the money to be utilized at the front line where it will make the biggest difference and that is in the homes of families. We need to be stopping violence right there within the home,” Mrs Turia says.

She says while the It's Not Okay campaign led to a lot more people reporting family violence, there wasn't enough money allocated to follow up.

RESEARCH AGENDA TO CHANGE MAORI ORAL HEALTH CARE

The Ministry of Health and the Health Research Council have mapped out a research agenda aimed at addressing the dire state of Maori oral health.

Oranga Waha - Oral Health Research Opportunities for Maori was launched at last week's Maori Dentists Association conference in Waitangi.

Co-author Bridget Robson says Maori are keen to get more information about how their health, what dentists are available and possible complications with diseases like diabetes.

“Our communities that were involved with partnership with this research were saying knowledge is power and they wanted a lot more information about their entitlements, how to look after their teeth and those of their whanau, especially people with disabilities,” Ms Robson says.

She hopes Oranga Waha will lead to a policy shift towards preventive care and restorative treatment, rather than just emergency dental care.

ROCK ART CLEARED FOR REOPENING

The Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Centre hopes to get one of its significant sites re-opened in time for next summer's peak visitor period.

The Takiroa site near Duntroon in North Otago was damaged by heavy rain and slips almost a year ago.

Amanda Symon says the latest geotechnical report is says the outcrop is stable, and people are assisting, such as the Otago Branch of the NZ Alpine Club which is abseiling to clear off loose rock.

Takiroa could be re-opened as early as September.

Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira is giving the public two weeks to come up with suggestions for a name for his new political waka.

He's indicated the decision will be made at the end of the month whether to create a left-leaning Maori-oriented party.

Mr Harawira says people have been suggesting possible names, so he's thrown the exercise open up for wider participation.

People can suggest names or vote on existing ones at hone.co.nz, or by ringing 0800 TOKERAU.

The names at the top of the list so far are the Mokopuna, Mana, Kaitiaki or Maui party.

JONES ENDORSES PRESIDENTIAL PICK

Labour MP Shane Jones says new Labour Party president Moira Coatsworth is a friend of Maori.

The Coromandel-based child psychologist replaces Andrew Little, who stood down to concentrate on his run for the New Plymouth seat.

Shane Jones says she is a formidable personality within the party.

“She’s been a very strong supporter of developing, retaining and attracting Maori talent into the Labour Party. I think we are very fortunate having someone who wants to take on this role at a time where we are having to show sharp elbows in the world of the media to get adequate cover for our Labour message,” he says.

Mr Jones says Moira Coatsworth's long involvement in Coromandel anti-mining asnd other eco-issues is a strong credential at a time when mining and oil exploration are likely to be major election issues.

TREND SHOWS SECONDARY IMPROVEMENT BUT GAP PERSISTS

A te reo Maori teacher at Opunake High School, Rangiroa Rongonui, says Maori educators won't be celebrating yet at figures showing an achievement levels improving for Maori secondary students.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority says last year 60.8 percent of Maori year 11 students gained level 1 NCEA, up from 56.8 percent in 2009.

Mr Rongonui, who is on the PPTA national executive, says there's still a gap, with the overall pass rate about 75 percent.

“For a number of years we’ve seen this trend that we still sit below so there is a concern among Maori and Pacific educators that this gap be closed,” he says.

Mr Rongonui says initiatives to improve Maori education achievements are working and need to be extended to all schools.

Jones keen to maintain poll direction

Labour MP Shane Jones says a poll showing he is making in-roads into Pita Sharples' support in the Tamaki Makaurau electorate should set the tone for the year's electioneering.

A Horizon Research poll taken last week showed the Maori Party co-leader is only five percentage points ahead of Mr Jones, compared with the more than two to one trouncing he gave Louisa Wall in 2008.

Mr Jones says Maori voters can see through the rhetoric.

“It does reflect I think a sense of disenchantment amongst the garden variety of Maori families in Tamaki Makaurau that the Maori Party has drifted away form them, the Maori Party became too enmeshed in historical grievances such as the seabed and foreshore which have very little to do with the day to day woes that Maori face,” Mr Jones says.

Horizon Research director Graham Colman says while the panel of 1,472 respondents means a margin of error of 2.6 percent nationwide, at an individual electorate level results are indicative only, with an 11 percent margin of error.

WEEKEND HUI REINFORCES PEIWHAIRANGI CLAIM

A Waitangi kaumatua says the turnout for a weekend foreshore and seabed protest in the Bay of Islands indicates feelings are still running high over the issue.

About 100 members of Ngati Rehia and Ngati Kawa gathered on the beach in front of Te Tii Marae to reinforce their claim of customary ownership of Peiwhairangi, the Bay of Islands.

Kingi Taurua says they want the Crown to acknowledge that, rather than making them jump through the hoops of court action or direct negotiation set by the new Marine and Coastal Area Takutai Moana Act.

“We believe we are the caretakers of the Treaty of Waitangi and the 1835 Declaration of Independence and in those articles it doesn’t day anything else but we have the right to the seas and our toanga.
Mr Taurua says.

The hui endorsed the stance Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira took against the legislation.

KEEN INTEREST IN NAPIER IRONMAORI TRIATHLON

All the places for this year's Iron-Maori in Napier have been snapped up in just 11 minutes.

Organiser Healther Skipworth says the event is half an ironman competition, with individuals or teams of two or three competitors doing a 2 kilometre swim, 90 kilometre cycle and a 21.1 kilometre run.

She says the December event is attracting attention far outside Ngati Kahungunu, with big groups coming from Kaitaia, Wellington and Auckland, and some non-Maori athletes also signing up.

She says about 10 percent are elite competitors, and the rest just want to be part of a Maori event.

People can still go on a waiting list in case any of the 350 competitors drops out before December.

WHANAU A APANUI KEEN TO JOIN PROTEST

Whanau a Apanui says the iwi's fishing boats will join the Greenpeace flotilla protesting oil exploration by Brazilian company Petrobras.

The flotilla gathered in Whangaparaoa Bay west of Cape Runaway at the weekend.

Iwi spokesperson Rawiri Waititi says the next step is to drive away the boats undertaking a seismic survey in the Raukumara basin.

“Where they are proposing to drill in the Kermadec trench is in the migratory path of the sperm whales, hence the name Whangaparaoa, bay of the sperm whales,” he says.

Mr Waititi says the target area is three times the depth of the exploratory well that blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, and any accident could contaminate not only the Bay of Plenty and East Coast area but past Kaikoura in the South island.

HARAWIRA KEEN TO AVOID CONFLICT RIGHT

Independent MP Hone Harawira says he's not setting out to replace the Maori Party.

A meeting of his Tai Tokerau electorate on the weekend gave Mr Harawira the go ahead to form a new party.

He says he will respect the agreement not to stand candidates against sitting Maori Party MPs.

“I'm not in this to fight the Maori Party, to try and break down the Maori Party. I’m in this because I think Maori people deserve a truly independent voice in Parliament and they don’t have one. If that can be achieved through the list without us having any conflict with the Maori Party, I would be just as happy,” Mr Harawira says.

The final decision on forming a party will be announced April 30 at Te Mahurehure marae in Auckland.

TURIA SEES PARTY THREAT TO LEFT

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says Hone Harawira's new party could be more of a threat to the Greens than to his former colleagues.

Mrs Turia says it's tragic the Tai Tokerau MP is talking about setting a party of the left, rather than one based on kaupapa or tikanga.

“I think that his party could have a huge impact on the Greens who of course are the most left wing party who do work quite hard to address what we would consider are left-wing issues,” she says.

Mrs Turia says it has taken years for Maori to be able to sit at the table with Government to advance their aspirations.

Gates welded shut at Maungatautari

A Waikato iwi has made good on its threat to ask the Maori Land Court to preserve public access to the Maungatautari ecological reserve.

Ngati Koroki spokesperson Willie Te Aho says the iwi sought an injunction last week when Maungatautari 4G4 Trust welded shut gates leading to the mountain.

He says while some landowners may be frustrated at the pace of negotiations over compensation for land in the reserve, the trust went too far.

“The act that was taken against Maungatautari was aggressive and trapped two people within the maunga and that’s why we’ve got our people in 24-7 guarding that entrance not only to protect the mana of our word to the public and to the Crown but more importantly from a health and safety issue to ensure no one suffers any personal injury,” Mr Te Aho says.

There are 20 separate blocks within the fenced reserve.

TAMAKI MAKAURAU POLL PICKS CLOSE BATTLE

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples is shrugging off a poll which shows him losing ground to Labour’s Shane Jones in his Tamaki Makaurau electorate.

With campaigning yet to start in earnest, Horizon Poll indicated Dr Sharples majority of 7540 would drop to just over 1000.

He believes the Maori Party still has strong backing.

“I stand on my track record and if I’m not elected, that’s fine. If people don’t want you, you don’t want to be there so I’ll just stand and if they think I’m still ok, I'll get in,” Dr Sharples says.

SMOKING TARGET FOR ASTHMA ACTION

The new head of the Asthma Foundation wants to increase its focus on preventing asthma in children.

Angela Francis is a former deputy chief executive officer at the Eastern Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation.

She says Maori are two and a half times more likely to have asthma and respiratory problems than non-Maori, so it's important to work with organisations like the Smokefree Coalition.


She says smoking is a principal cause of asthma.

The Asthma Foundation might also look to closer links to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, because helping people to keep their homes warm and dry is a way to prevent asthma.

SLAVE LABOUR CONDITIONS ALLEGES IN IWI QUOTA USE

Labour MP Shane Jones says iwi aren’t doing enough to ensure fair working conditions on foreign fishing boats that catch their quota for them.

A Sunday newspaper investigation revealed government awareness of low pay, sweatshop conditions and violence against workers on the boats.

Mr Jones, a former chair of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission, says some iwi are working through shady agents.

“I don’t think anyone, when we conceived and executed the Sealord fisheries settlement, ever imagined that Maori quota would be swooped upon and used by unscrupulous agents as a basis for enriching themselves but treating Ukranians and Asians as a form of slave labour and unless the iwi quota owners can hop on top of their days of flicking the quota on for a quick buck may be very well coming to an end,” he says.

Mr Jones says it’s better for the industry and New Zealand’s reputation is iwi lease their quota to Sealord, which they own shares in.

SHARPLES SEEKING IWI PARTNERS FOR WHARE ORANGE AKE

Associate Corrections Minister Pita Sharples says a contract should be signed soon with Hawkes Bay iwi to help run the Whare Oranga Ake unit attached to Wakaria Prison.

The 32-bed Hastings unit and one at Spring Hill Prison south of Auckland will use a combination of work experience, tikanga-based counseling and whanau support to get Maori inmates back into the community faster.

Dr Sharples says his aim is to get the inmates out of the system once and for all.

“And hopefully recidivism, returning to prison, will be at a minimum if not nil for these (units), and imagine that, 64 less each six months, it’s going to be really amazing to the figures because we’re terribly overpopulated, Maori in the jails,” Dr Sharples says.

NGATI MAKINO CELEBRATES RESISTANCE AND SETTLEMENT

Bay of Plenty iwi Ngati Makino signed its $11.9 million settlement with the Crown at the weekend.

The iwi, whose rohe stretches from Maketu to Matata and inland to lakes Rotoiti and Rotoma, split from umbrella group Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa to seek a separate resolution to its historical claims.

Negotiator Annette Sykes says the process brought the iwi together and there was a sense of unity as a separate group within te Arawa, one not prepared to compromise like Te Pumautanga, and one proud to stand up as descendants of those called rebels for the fight their tipuna made.

She was gratified to see the large number of young people who turned out to the signing at Otamarakau marae near Maketu.

EmplOyment law will hurt Maori workers: CTU

The Council of Trade Unions' Runanga is slamming new employments law that came into effect today.

As well as allowing all employers to arbitrarily dismiss workers in their first 90 days, the law restricts union access to worksites, allows employers to demand medical certificates for a single day of sick leave and allows the fourth week of holiday entitlement to be traded in.

President Syd Keepa says the law change will have a significant impact on Maori workers because of the position they occupy in the workforce.

“It will have a big effect because unfortunately a lot of our people are on the margins, they’re in the low pay, low skill jobs, and it’s in those areas that it will have the most effect,” he says.

Mr Keepa says rather than attacking workers, the Government should look at ways to create jobs in areas such as forestry, which is a big employer of Maori.

NEW PRISON SIGN OF FAILURE

Associate corrections minister Pita Sharples says this week's opening of the new Mt Eden remand prison was a sign of social failure.

Dr Sharples has been visiting the rock, as the old prison is known, since the 1960s when the late Peter Awatere was held there.

He says no amount of kapa haka training behind the walls can hide the fact it's a dreadful place.

He's keen to see his Whare Oranga Ake units open in Hastings and Spring Hill prisons in July to show an alternate way to get Maori inmates back into the community as fast as possible.

RUGBY RESOURCES TRANSLATED INTO MAORI

Auckland's Rugby World Cup Maori engagement manager has a special task in mind for pupils in Maori immersion classes.

Lucy Tukua today launched the te reo translation of the school activity packs, which include sport development ideas and an "adopt a second team" scheme.

She says 38 out the 50 kura kaupapa and bilingual units in Tamaki Makaurau will take part in the programme in Term 3.

She is hoping to use the kura in activities like airport welcomes.

HARAWIRA PLAYING ON DESIRE FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

There could be a new Maori political party by the end of the weekend.

Independent MP Hone Harawira is meeting his Tai Tokerau electorate committee in Whangarei on Sunday to decide whether to start signing up enough members to get a party registered before the election.

He says he's buoyed by what he's hearing from the rest of the country.

“The response has been awesome, really positive. People are disappointed with where the Maori Party is at. People are disappointed they don’t see their MPs any more. People are disappointed the party is too close to National. They just want something different,” Mr Harawira says.

A party means he can try to attract list votes and bring other MPs into Parliament with him if he retains Te tai Tokerau.

SHARPLES CLAIMS NORTH WANTING MAORI PARTY PRESENCE

But the rebel MP may find he has pushed his former party too far.

Despite a non-compete agreement at the time of the split, Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says Nga Puhi leaders want the party to stand a candidate in tai Tokerau against Hone Harawira.

“We've had Ngapuhi leaders growling us becaused we’ve deserted them up north and I mean the leader leaders, the ones you see on tv doing all the claim and speaking on behalf of the iwi at Waitangi and everywhere else . They’ve had meetings and they’ve been in touch with me personally, they’ve been in touch with Tariana Turia and with the president to come up north and reestablish our branches up there,” Dr Sharples says.

He doesn't believe Mr Harawira's claim that support for him to form a new political party is coming from Maori Party branches around the country.

WHIRIMAKO BLACK FOR TITIRANGI FESTIVAL SHOWCASE

Maori singer songwriter Whirimako Black is one of the star attractions at this weekend's Titirangi Festival of Music.

Artistic director cat Tunks from Whakatohea and Te Whanau a Apanui says the four-day festival in Auckland's west showcases local and international talent.

There are also workshops in instrument construction, ukulele, hand drumming, and music marketing.

She says Whirimako Black plays the 90-seat theatre in Lopdell House on Saturday.

Earthquake movements could affect MP numbers

Electoral Enrolment Centre national manager Murray Wicks says the centre is still on track to hold the Maori electoral option next year ... as long as there is a Census.

Because of the Christchurch earthquake the Government postponed the March 8 census, and no decision has been made on when it will be rescheduled.

Mr Wicks says the electoral option, where Maori can shift between the Maori and general electoral rolls, happens immediately after a census except in election year, when it is done the year after.

Once the four month Maori electoral is complete, the Government Statistician works through the results with relevant Census data and makes recommendations on the number of electorates, after which the Representation Commission is formed and starts working with the surveyor general on boundaries.

Because electorate size is based on there always being 16 South island general electorates, a significant reduction in the South Island population because of the Canterbury earthquakes could lead to more Maori seats and more general seats in the North island, with fewer list MPs.

HEALTH SURVEY MOVES TO ROLLING FORMAT

A new national health survey will try to capture a more accurate picture of the health of Maori.

Mark Jacobs, the acting chief medical officer of health, says the Ministry of Health is moving from a three-yearly survey to a rolling survey, starting in Northland, Auckland and Waikato this week.

He says considerable work has gone into making sure the Maori component of the sample is large enough to provide useful data.

Dr Jacobs says the new method will give health planners more timely information, rather than coming at three yearly gaps.

MARAE USED FOR GUN LESSONS

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council is joining with iwi and police to offer firearms safety training on marae around the country.

Council chief executive Darryl Carpenter says pilot programmes run at marae in Te Uruwera and the East Coast have been very successful.

He says while most people on rural marae were proficient hunters and competent firearms users, a lot of youngsters were being exposed to firearms without formal training in firearms safety.

Respected hunters in each community are being trained to run the programmes.

HARAWIRA SHOWS SOLIDARITY WITH MURIHIKU PROTEST

A protest in Murihiku today may get some help from a protest expert from Muriwhenua.

Te Wharekura o Arowhenua in Invercargil is holding an open day to show community support to stop the Education Ministry demolishing its 500-seat auditorium.

Protest organiser Keita Wainui says after a call to the Maori Party went unheeded, she contacted independent Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira ... who was in the southern city the next day showing solidarity.

Hone Harawira says he will be back in Invercargill today, before travelling to the east Coast to support Te Whanau o Apanui's protest against offshore oil exploration on Saturday.

COASTAL CLOUD OVER NGATI MAKINO SETTLEMENT

One of the negotiators of the $11.9 million Ngati Makino settlement says the passing of the Marine and Coastal Area - Takutai Moana Act will put a damper on any celebrations by the Bay of Plenty iwi.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Christ Finlayson will sign the deed at Otamarakau Marae near Maketu tomorrow.

Annette Sykes says it's likely to be overshadowed by new grievances the marine act creates.

“The land has been taken from under our feet, placed in this nonsensical legal notion that no one owns it. If we don’t claim it back in the next six years, then the Crown will own it for ever more, and those things very much undermine in the longer term our fight for independence, out Te Arawatanga and our sense of identity,” she says.

Ngati Makino, whore role stretches from Maketu to Matata and inland to lakes Rotoma and Rotoiti, was the only te Arawa iwi whose land was confiscated after the wars of the 1860s.

TUHOURANGI USING TOURISM TO RETURN TO TARAWERA

A Tuhourangi kaumatua says tourism ventures are allowing tribal members to return to land considered tapu since the 1886 Tarawera eruption killed many of their ancestors.

Anaru Rangiheuea says his family were the first to return to the area 15 years ago.

The Tuhourangi Tribal Authority is seeking a 30 year lease from the Department of Conservation on the launch masters cottage above Tarawera landing to use for tribal and tourism-related activities.

“We've been showing and interest to come back but we had to develop employment for them to come back to and papakainga housing for them to live in so that’s the big job ahead of us,” Mr Rangiheuea says.

A new walkway around the walkway is due to be opened on June 10 to mark the 125th anniversay of the eruption.