Budget boost allows kaupapa to grow

The driving force behind a South Auckland initiative to increase Maori and Pacific participation in early childhood education is ecstatic about a Budget day boost for the kaupapa.

The Government says $91.8 million dollars will be spent rolling out the Manukau Education Trust's model to other centres around the country.

Trust chair Colleen Brown says a key element is building early childhood centres on school grounds, so there is a seamless transition from pre-school to primary school.

“Now that has presented some challenges for the Ministry of Education because essentially they are building on Ministry of Education land but then it is a community organisation that runs it so that’s a huge step away from where government thinking has been,” Ms Brown says.

The Manukau scheme emerged from a taskforce looking at long term responses to the death of the Kahui twins.

NEW BASE FOR SECONDARY-TERTIARY SCHOOL

Meanwhile, Education Minister Anne Tolley and tertiary Minister Stephen Joyce were in south Auckland today opening a new building for an initiative at the other end of the education spectrum.

Manukau Institute of Technology's School of Secondary-Tertiary Studies offers an alternative to secondary education by allowing rangatahi to pursue qualifications in areas such as nursing and automotive technology.

Polytechnic head Stuart Middleton says it increases the future employment opportunities for students who might otherwise be tempted to drop out of secondary schools.

He says a third of the current roll is Maori.

Stuart Middleton says the four year programme allows students to gain all levels of the National Certificate of Education Achievement, as well as two years of tertiary qualifications.

RANGATAHI GET HANGI PRACTICE FOR YOUTH WEEK

Rangatahi are being encouraged to strengthen connections with their whanau during Youth Week, which starts tomorrow.

Project manager Njela Sharrock of Ngati Awa says research shows young Maori who have strong family ties are healthier, and happier and more confident in their identity.

She says communities around the country are getting behind the kaupapa, including a Kaikohe Marae which plans to show rangatahi how to lay a hangi, as well as teach them whakapapa and whanau history.

TURIA DEFENDS BUDGET WINDFALL FOR WEALTHY

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia is defending the budget's tax breaks for the rich as a fair representation of their value to the country.

The second Budget under the Maori Party's confidence and supply agreement with National delivered an annual pay rise of more than $300,000 to Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds, and about $3 a week to someone in the Tuhoe area, where the average income is just $22,000.

Mrs Turia says there is a limit to what people are prepared to pay in tax.

“The top earners pay the most tax in the first instance and that money is therefore available to ensure we’ve got the health and social services and other services we need for people who simply can’t afford to pay for those things,” Mrs Turia says.

The Maori Party has identified $266 million in budget spending which will be for the direct benefit of Maori.

PARTNERSHIP NEEDED TO MAKE EDUCATION PLAN WORK

Education Minister Anne Tolley says a $91 million initiative to increase Maori participation in early childhood education will require government, communities and even local government to work together.

Mrs Tolley says she's excited by what the Maunukau City Council-backed Manukau Education Trust is doing to increase the percentage of Maori and Pasifika children in pre-schools, and wants to roll it out to other centuries.

She says the trust has built three pre-schools on the grounds of schools in the region, and more are planned with council help.

“Some places they are even talking about making land available for centres where we don’t have a suitable school site or we can’t buy a section to put a centre on so it is a partnership between the community, the Ministry of Education and in some cases the local authority,” Mrs Tolley says.

She says government spending on pre-school education has almost trebled in the past five years without any real increase in participation.

The initiative will be funded out of money which was supposed to increase the percentage of qualified teachers in early childhood centres.

WARNING ON INCREASED TUBERCULOSIS THREAT

A Maori health promoter is warning Maori to be wary of tuberculosis.

Denise Ewe from Tainui says an awareness programme was shelved last year because resources went into preparing for the swine flu pandemic, but the deadly disease is making a comeback worldwide.

She says it's a particular problem for Maori because it can be easily spread in overcrowded living conditions.

Maori with flu-like symptoms should see a doctor, in case the condition is TB.

Boost for pre-school participation

The government will spend $91.8 million over the next four years on early childhood education for Maori and Pasifika children.

Education minister Anne Tolley says she wants to do somethng about the lower participation rates, with only 91 percent of Maori and 85 percent of Pasifika children attending kindergarten, kohanga reo or other pre-school.

She says a community-based programme in Counties Manukau, started after the 2008 Manukau Early Childhood summit identified long term social problems caused by a lack of pre-school education in the area, has pointed the way forward.

The programme will initially be developed in five centres around the country.

“We're targeting another 3500 children to get them into early childhood because we know it has such a significant effect on their readiness for school but it’s working from the community level up. It’s not to be driven by the communities. It’s no good the government rising in and saying ‘this is what you need,’” Mrs Tolley says.

Funding will come from other areas of early childhood education.

MAORI TRUSTS DENIED TAX HELP IN BUDGET

The chief executive of the Federation of Maori Authorities says his members have been left out of the corporate tax cut.

Ron Mark says most Maori incorporations and trusts are taxed at 17.5 percent, and they could have expected yesterday's Budget to preserve relativity with the main tax.

The former New Zealand first MP says Parliament had good reasons for creating the gap in tax rates in the first place.

“Everybody knows that Maori trusts and Maori incorporations reinvest hugely back into their businesses, and that is where the advantage and that is where the difference is. If we pay out dividends to our people, our people pay tax accordingly depending on their income as they should be, but there were very specific reasons that parliament decided to reduce the tax rate for Maori trusts, Maori incorporations,” Mr Mark says.

He says the extra funding for research and development trumpeted in the Budget won't help Maori farmers who want to add value to their products, and he's skeptical the tax cuts will offset the impact the increase in GST will have on Maori families.

WIDER REINTEGRATION EFFORTS NEEDED IN PRISON SYSTEM

Prison reform advocate Peter Williams QC says the establishment of kaupapa Maori centres to reintegrate Maori prisoners back into their communities is long overdue, and needs to be part of a wider focus on rehabilitation.

Yesterday's Budget included $19.8 million to build and run two 16-bed Whare Oranga Ake units in Auckland and Hawkes bay.

Mr Williams says they will only scratch the surface of what's needed for all prisoners, not just Maori.

“There's a great need for training, job training, there’s a great need for halfway houses so that when particularly long term prisoners come out they’ve got a place where they can live for a while with some supervision and assistance in getting jobs, there’s a tremendous need for rehabilitation facilities in this country,” he says.

Mr Williams says anything gained from the establishment of Whare Oranga Ake units will be more than offset by the new three strikes or Sentencing and Parole Act, which he predicts will cause mayhem in the prison system.

LITTLE FOR MAORI IN ENGLISH BUDGET

The chief executive of the Federation of Maori Authorities says there is little for Maori in Bill English's second budget.

Ron Mark says Maori trusts and incorporations miss out on the cuts to company tax because most are already on a special 17.5 percent rate, and they also won't benefit from changes to funding for research and development.

The former New Zealand First MP says he's also skeptical about the budget tables which claim to show that the rise in GST to 15 percent will be offset by tax cuts, giving people a chance to save and invest.

“The thing that I do know is that for low income earners, wage and salary, Maori, they spend everything. They don’t save anything. Everything that comes into their pocket goes out. By the end of the week or the fortnight, it's gone,” Mr Mark says.

He says the tax changes are for the benefit of the more well off.

NZEI UNHAPPY AT SHIFT OF MONEY TO PARTICIPATION PUSH

The primary teachers’ union NZEI is welcoming a new programme to boost the percentage of Maori and Pasifika children in pre-school education for, but it's upset at how it will be funded.

Education minister Anne Tolley says initiatives will be set up in five centres over the next four years, based on a successful community-based initiative in South Auckland.

Judith Nowotarski , the NZEI's vice president, says the $91.8 million price tag is just a reallocation of existing funding.

“I recognise that they are putting a huge amount of money into participation programmes for Maori and Pasifika children and I wholeheartedly support that, it’s well targeted, but what they’re doing to taking funding away from services that also meet the need of many Maori and Pasifika children,” Mrs Nowotarski says.

One way the programme will be funded is by cutting back on a programme aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in mainstream pre-schools.

MIX OF VETERANS AND DEBUTANTES AT PAO PAO PAO

One of the hottest tickets in Wellington this weekend is for Pao Pao Pao at Pipitea Marae.

Organiser Ngahiwi Apanui says the two-day seminar and concert is a chance for Maori musicians old and new to share their experiences and their music.

He says the line-up for the event, which is in its eight year, includes Maisey Rika, Toni Huata, Whirimako Black and Mina Ripia.

“It also celebrates what we call Te Ara Puoro which is kind of like a home for all Maori musicians, no matter what you play, no matter what genre you’re in, the big thing is that you belong to a whanau which is called Te Whanau o Pao Pao Pao, so there are a number of people playing in Pa Pao Pao this year who will be making their debuts,” Mr Apanui says.

Tolley testing patience of teaching profession

The matua takawaenga for the NZEI primary teachers' union, Laures Park, says the government should put its money into improving literacy and numeracy, not into testing against new standard in schools.

The controversial national standards policy comes into effect today.

Teacher unions say it's inevitable the data collected will become public, creating league tables which will hinder rather than help schools to lift student performance.

Ms Park says the data won't reveal anything new.

“What we would like is something to be done about raising those achievement levels rather than taking a test to tell us something that we already know,” she says.

Many parents are still in the dark about what the new national standards will mean for them.

GOFF BETTER LEADER THAN MEDIA PORTRAYS

Labour list MP Shane Jones has spoken out in support of current leader Phil Goff after a poll showed Maori support for Labour at an all time low.

The Te Karere Digipoll of 1000 voters in the Maori seats found only 18 percent approved of Mr Goff's performance, while 59 said he doesn't provide good leadership on Maori issues.

Even among Labour voters he could only muster 36 percent support.

Mr Jones says Mr Goff hasn't been able to overcome the way his speech last year attacking National's deal with the Maori Party on its emissions tradition scheme was interpreted.

“We just couldn't get a balanced coverage of that speech from the media. They immediately compared it to Don Brash. I mean it’s opposition politics, it’s a bugger of a job leading the opposition party after nine years in government and give the guy some credit. He’s trying to cover all the bases and there’s nothing prejudiced, nothing racist about that man whatsoever,” Mr Jones says.

WIDESPREAD INTEREST IN WAITANGI DAY COMMEMORATIONS

A Waitangi kaumatua is expecting record attendances at this year's treaty commemorations in the Bay of Islands.

The programme includes a major waka regatta as well as the usual sports, cultural and political events.

Kingi Taurua says there is interest not only from New Zealand but overseas, with groups coming from Switzerland, Australia and throughout the Pacific which has never happened before.

He says it’s important visitors realise Maori own Waitangi Day, not the government.

Mana whenua expect to be stretch looking after all the manuhiri, but everything is in place for a successful celebration.

NEGOTIATIONS SET OVER MAORI STAKE IN SPECTRUM

Broadcasting and telecommunications claimants are preparing to negotiate with the Crown about how Maori should share in a major reorganisation of spectrum.

Cabinet wanted to make decisions before Christmas about hundreds of millions of dollars worth of frequencies freed up by the shift to digital television, but was forced to backpedal after claimants went back to the Waitangi Tribunal.

Piripi Walker, the secretary of the Wellington Maori language board Nga Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo, says the Crown ignored tribunal findings on the issue in 1990 and 1999, but this time it may be forced to reach a settlement.

“The Crown assumes its right to ownership, rights to auction, rights to take payment from people over the last 20 years, left Maori out. The Crown’s coming back to the table, Maori would first of all want the Crown to bow its head a little bit and say maybe we weren’t on the right track to throw the tribunal reports in the rubbish tin,” Mr Walker says.

If negotiations break down the claimants can be back before the tribunal with three days notice.

SHARPLES’ STANDARDS’ SECOND THOUGHTS WAY TOO LATE

The Greens' education spokesperson Metiria Turei says Pita Sharples' opposition to national standards comes a year late.

The new testing regime for primary and intermediate schools starts today.

Ms Turei says the Maori Party backed the legislation allowing the standards, despite data from overseas showing students from disadvantaged communities suffer when such national literacy and standards are imposed.

She says it's the price the Maori Party is paying to be in government.

“This is the political reality when you are part of a government that has a radical programme that is bad for your own people, and it’s something the Maori Party is going to have to live with. And it’s really distressing for those of us who support what the Maori Party is trying to achieve but seeing them thwarted every time they try to make progress,” Ms Turei says.

She says Pita Sharples should push for a trial before the standards are rolled out nationally.

EURPOEAN TOUR FITTING END TO MAORI RUGBY CENTENARY

Rugby commentator Ken Laban says Maori rugby deserves a high calibre competition to mark its centenary year.

Players and fans are waiting for the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to confirm games for the Maori All Blacks against England, Ireland and Wales.
Mr Laban says a European tour would be a great opportunity to expose the world to Maori rugby.

“In terms of popularity, outside the All Blacks they would be the second most popular. They’re an integral part of New Zealand society and the national game of rugby, so it would be wonderful if they could pull off a tour of this magnitude at the end of the season,” Mr Laban says.

The lack of New Zealand A Games this year would suggest a Maori is tour is the cards.

"Revolutionary" change led by Maori

Leading Treaty of Waitangi scholar Claudia Orange says Maori have driven a lot of what can only be described as revolutionary change in New Zealand over the past 40 years.

At Te Papa tonight, Dr Orange hosts a debate on the development of Maori activism between Whakatohea academic Dr Ranginui Walker and his biographer Paul Spoonley.

She says change may have happened anyway, but it has been given a push through the treaty process.

“Change has been forced and it has been forced by Maori, sometimes by protest and sometimes by judicious means by a whole range of issues and there have been key Maori leaders at each time in different areas and spreading that drive in a whole range of issues and political persuasions,” Dr Orange says.

The debate and another next week between Massey university professor Mason Durie and political commentator Colin James will be broadcast on Radio New Zealand National.

MAORI FAMILIES UPSET AT IMMIGRATION POLICIES

Immigration consultant Tuariki John Delamere says a planned protest at Waitangi could get heated.

The former New Zealand First MP and immigration minister is acting for six families where the fathers of Maori children were deported as overstayers.

He says the health of whanau is a treaty issue, so the families intend to go to the birthplace of the treaty to make their point.

TOTAL BAN DEMAND ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS

The director of a Maori anti smoking group is calling for a total ban on the sale of tobacco products in New Zealand by 2013.

Shane Kawenata Bradbrook from Te Ao Marama says more than 600 Maori will die this year of a tobacco-related condition.

He says if government can ban party pills, it can ban tobacco.

“Not one death occurred and yet it was gone overnight, yet here we have this situation, 5000 New Zealanders, 600 Maori die each year and there’s no such urgency,” Mr Bradbrook says.

He says this year's Maori Affairs select committee's investigation into the tobacco industry is a chance for Maori to take the industry to task for the damage smoking does to Maori communities.

UNDERSTANDING OF TREATY ON THE RISE

The Human Rights Commission says understanding of treaty issues has risen significantly in the past year.

Race Relations commissioner Joris de Bres says the commission's annual survey found those who considered they had a good understanding of the Treaty rose from 34 to 41 per cent.

He says 56 per cent saw it as New Zealand's founding document.

“Those were good results. The general view still in terms of those surveys is the health of the Crown-tangata whenua relationship has some way to go,” Mr de Bres says.

The government was seen as making good progress with Treaty settlements, despite refusing to allow Maori representation on the Auckland super city council.

TECHERS PREPARE FOR TE KOTAHITANGA ROLL-OUT

It's back to the classroom already this week for teachers in the 17 schools coming in to the innovative professional development programme Te Kotahitanga.

Russell Bishop, the foundation professor of Maori education at Waikato University, says the schools, which include clusters on the East Coast and the Hawkes Bay, bring more than 6000 Maori students into programme.

In-school facilitators are training the teachers about what support they can expect and how they can change their classroom practices and interactions with Maori students to improve outcomes.

Professor Bishop says it's an important week for the 50 schools in Te Kotahitanga.

“Some of these schools are using these weeks now as part of their initiation into the school and so new staff come along and existing staff come in and support them and they use it as a big team building exercise for the start of the year,” he says.

Professor Bishop has just completed a book on how innovation can be scaled up through the school system, and he's writing another one on the lessons of Te Kotahitanga.

EDUCATIONS STANDARDS WILL EXCLUDE MAORI STUDENTS

Meanwhile, Greens' co-leader Meteria Turei says the Government's planned national education standards will hurt Maori students.

In yesterday's cabinet reshuffle, Education Minister Anne Tolley was relieved of her tertiary education responsibilities so she could concentrate on introducing the new testing regime for primary schools.

Ms Turei says it's clear Mrs Tolley is following former United States president George Bush's no child left behind policy, even though it has been shown to have a negative effect on students from minorities.

“In the UK and US the black and poorer students in those countries have suffered the most under national standards because teachers are teaching to the test, there are students who don’t get access to the test because they won’t pass it and therefore the school won’t allow them to sit those tests,” Ms Turei says.

Low decile schools which include lot of Maori children will be hit hardest by national standards.

Teachers invited to be disobedient

Labour list MP Kelvin Davis says Education Minister Anne Tolley is inviting civil disobedience with her threats to enforce national standards.

The minister says she will sack boards of trustees who allow staff to boycott the new assessment regime.

Mr Davis, a former intermediate school principal, says teachers and principals throughout Taitokerau have indicated they're not prepared to experiment with children's education ... and they will stand up to the minister.

“If 80 boards of trustees allow their teachers to not implement the national standards, I think the minister will struggle to sack 80 boards and appoint 80 commissioners, especially 80 commissioners that are going to reflect the Maori nature of the Tai Tokerau so I think she’s got to be careful she doesn’t back herself into a corner and then doesn’t have the means to back up her threats,” Mr Davis says.

He says Mrs Tolley should listen to her educational professionals, rather than imposing a regime which is not backed by evidence.

ANTI-SMOKING MESSAGE NOT REACHING RURAL MAORI VILLAGES

A Northland iwi health worker says rural Maori communities are missing out on help because of their isolation.

Clint Edmonds, the co-ordinator of Ngati Wai's smoking cessation programme, says he's seeing the number of young smokers in the north growing, even as the habit is losing ground elsewhere.

That's because young people see their elders smoking, but programmes to help them quit are just not getting through.

“More than half the families I meet have a youth or someone of that age who is smoking. It’s just a habit we’ve got to change the face of,” Mr Edmonds says.

Smoking is a human disaster as communities lose their old people.

NEW BUILDING NEEDED FOR WAITANGI TREATY TAONGA

The Waitangi National Trust is looking at building a museum on the treaty grounds.

New chairperson Pita Paraone says it has just completed re-roofing the Treaty House, restoring the waka taua Ngatokimatawhaorua and building extensions to the visitors' centre.

He says the trust is concerned about other taonga, and is looking at a “museum-type building” to house artifacts associated with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which are stores in conditions it does not consider sufficient.

Mr Paraone says any extra money needed would come from new sources, rather than by re-introducing entry fees.

PROTEST FLAG BECOMES ONE FOR ALL AND 80% FOR ONE

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira is happy his protest flag has won national acceptance.

Critics says the red and black and white flag which will fly on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and other government sites on Waitangi Day is too closely associated with the Maori Party and the Kawariki protest movement.

But the Tai Tokerau MP says it's the design that was endorsed by 80 percent of those who came to party's consultation hui around the country.

“That flag was born as the Maori flag in 1990. I know that because we launched the competition for a Maori flag and that’s the one that won. It became known as the tino rangatiratanga flag and because there wasn’t a national Maori flag most active Maoris picked it up and so it’s become known as a flag for activists and a flag for protest but it’s always been a Maori flag,” Mr Harawira says.

He says Te Kawariki and the flag's surviving designer are discussing what to do with revenue from increased flag sales.

POLYECH COUNCIL DECISION SIGN OF TRUE FEELING

Meanwhile, Labour list MP Kelvin Davis says the Government's overhaul of polytechnic councils says more about its attitudes to Maori than allowing a Maori flag to fly on the Auckland harbour bridge.

Parliament yesterday debated a bill that would cut polytech councils to eight members, four of them appointed by the Education Minister.

Dedicated seats for Maori, staff, students, employers and other community interests in the region served by the polytech will be scrapped.

“They've done away with the dedicated Maori seats on the Auckland super city. They’re doing away with guaranteed representation on polytechnics. I think it’s time Maori wok up to the fact this government doesn’t really care about the needs and issues for Maori,” Mr Davis says.

He says the changes will make it harder for polytechs to cater for the needs of young Maori, who are more likely to end up there than at universities.

ARTISTS SEEKING OWNERSHIP OF TOI IHO BRAND

Maori artists are squaring off with Creative New Zealand over control of the Toi Iho Maori-made brand.

The arts funding body has cancelled its support of the trademark and demanded artists stop using it.

But Nga Puna Waihanga spokesperson Ata Te Kanawa says there were fireworks this week when CNZ chief executive Stephen Wainwright and staff from Te Waka Toi staff met a delegation led by potter Manos Nathan and furniture designer Carin Wilson.

“Carin announced he refuses to give the mark back. Manos suggested that he would encourage Toi Iho holders to continue to use the mark despite the letter from creative New Zealand saying that it would be illegal if they were to continue to use it,” Ms Te Kanawa says.

The artists want to run the Toi Iho mark themselves and even open it up to a wider range of creative arts.

Hide hand seen behind workstream demotion

Maori officials are upset that the status of a committee looking at how the new Auckland super city will manage its relationships with Maori has been downgraded.

Rewi Spraggon from Waitakere City says the workstream, which brought together officials from eight councils, now comes under the community services banner rather than having the mana of a standalone workstream.

He says members were told the decision came from Auckland Transition Agency chief executive Mark Ford after consultation with Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.

"You know everyone's a bit disheartened with the fact we now come under another tier so we'll see where we go to from here, we want to tell our story, get our profile out there as Maori and the only way to do that is keep on working and putting that collaborative approach together," Rewi Spraggon says.

The officials' group was not consulted about the plan for a Statutory Maori Board to advise the super city council, which emerged out of the Local Government Minister's office last week.

COUNCIL TRANSITION BOSS HAPPY AT MAORI PROGRESS

Meanwhile Colin Dale, the head of the Auckland Transition Agency's community services workstream, says he's happy with progress so far.

He says the ATA's mandate is to ensure continuity of service when the new council comes into being in November next year.

"There's a group of council officials that have come together, gradually working towards the determination of a project plan, we've done discovery around all that's happening in the region with memoranda and Maori engagement processes. It's viewed as a transition project and it's moving along very well," Mr Dale says.

How relationships with Maori will develop in future is a decision for that council.

NATIVE HAWAIIANS ASSESS MARAE SYSTEM

A group of native Hawaiians has been in Aotearoa finding out more about how marae work.

Group leader Mitchell Eli says the aim is to build a marae back on the islands.

He says it's building on the relationships created by previous visitors such as the late George Kanahele, whose book Ku Kanaka opened the eyes of many to Maori values and offered a direction for the Hawaiian cultural revival.

“That along with the opening of schools all the way from elementary to high schools where Hawaiians are learning their language, they’re learning their values and learning to do things like harvesting and planting taro, weaving, navigation, agriculture, so we are here to expand that and look at the next thing which is the spiritual centre that’s needed that brings everything together besides the natural knowledge, that‘s the marae system,” Dr Eli says.

WOMEN’S COUNCIL UNHAPPY AT ACC DELAYS

The National Council of Women says the Accident Compensation Corporation is discriminating against Maori women.

Executive officer Lynda Ripia says the Sensitive Claims pathway introduced in October is causing delays in treating victims of rape or whanau-based sexual abuse.

She says Maori women make up a large number of those affected.

“It means that counselors, Maori providers who are working at the coalface can only fill out a claim form but aren’t able to undertake and actual assessment any more so there are big delays in Maori women being able to receive treatment,” Ms Ripia says.

ACC still hasn't sanctioned a kaupapa Maori treatment model.
Peter Jansen, ACC's senior medical advisor, says that the October changes were aimed at improving services by giving the corporation better information from initial assessments will speed up the process.

STANDARDS’ ROLE IN RAISING ACHIEVEMENT QUESTIONED

Maori academic Rawiri Taonui says the government's planned national standards testing regime won't lift Maori performance.

Tai Tokerau schools are considering boycotting the tests, which Moerewa Primary School principal Keri Milne-Ihimaera says are at odds with the aims of the Education Ministry's Ka Hikitea Maori strategy of valuing Maori knowledge.

Associate professor Taonui agrees the policies coming out of the ministry are contradictory.

“They're saying they want to see improved performance from Maori in all sectors leading in to tertiary but on the other hand they’re very inconsistent when it comes to tikanga and matauranga Maori and when you read the policy it tends to undervalue that and regard it as secondary and almost inferior,” Professor Taonui says.

He says Education Minister Anne Tolley is trying to impose a one size fits all model, which experience shows doesn't work.

NORTHLAND KURA LOOKS FOR LANGUAGE OPTION IN BIG CITY

Meanwhile, it's been a a big day out students from a remote kura kaupapa in Taitokearu.

Thirty students from Te Kura Kaupapa O Waikare northeast of Kawakawa are in Tamaki Makaurau to see where their reo Maori might take them once they've left school.

Tumuaki Noel Te Tai says they're seeing Maori used in work settings, including Radio Waatea, where they put on a live performance for listeners this morning.