Spectrum key to future development

The chair of Te Putahi Paoho, the electoral college which chooses the board of Maori Television, says new spectrum allocations should create a greater capacity for maintaining te reo Maori.

Maori broadcasting claimants have decided to enter negotiations with the Crown over how Maori should share in the digital dividend, the reallocation of spectrum once the switch is made from analogue to digital television.

Tu Williams says the claimants want to see more channels created for regional Maori broadcasters.

He says previous allocation of radio, television and third generation mobile phone spectrum shows what Maori need to benefit economically and culturally from technology development.

That kind of sets a benchmark for opportunities for our people to engage in training, acquiring the skills, in order to meet the rapidly changing technology in this space,” Mr Williams says.

New ways of delivering content create more opportunities to maintain te reo Maori.

MENTAL HEALTH SECTOR NEEDING MAORI INPUT

The Associate Minister of Health, Tariana Turia, says a hui on Maori mental health has highlighted the need to increase the number of Maori working in the sector.

The hui in Whangarei of the New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses looked at workforce development issues and at various strategies for treating tangata whaiora.

Mrs Turia says there are historic and societal reasons for the disproportionate number of Maori with mental health problems.

“The loss of identity. The loss of land. The loss of the essence of who we are as a people. That in itself creates a situation of unwellness in us,” Mrs Turia says.

One in three Maori will have an episode during their life involving mental unwellness.

TAMATI ELLISON HAS YEN TO TRAVEL

A top Maori rugby player is putting family first and heading for the land of the Rising Sun.

Tamati Ellison, the Hurricanes back and All Black utility, is taking up a contract in Japan at the end of this year’s Super 14, ruling himself out for next year’s World Cup.

Sky commentator Karl Te Nana, who played professional rugby in Japan before returning home three years ago, says the 26-year-old is thinking about the financial security of his young family – and Japan is a good place to bring up children.

EFFECT OF PRISON ON INMATES’ CHILDREN TRACKED

The largest study in New Zealand of the effects on children of having a parent in prison has found swelling prison musters are having a devastating effect across Maoridom.

Liz Gordon from Network Research interviewed 137 prisoners, their families and social agencies for Pillars, a Christchurch charity that provides support and training for prisoners’ families.

She says with Maori making up more than half the prison population, thousands of Maori children are highly traumatised.

“That trauma affects every element of their lives. They get poorer. They get sicker. Their education goes backwards. They get angry. Some of them get physically ill and really that anger is stoked right through childhood to adolescence. They have nowhere to go and they start engaging in youth crime,” Dr Gordon says.

She says the answer lies in less imprisonment, not more as is likely under ACT’s three strikes legislation now before parliament.

NEW WEBSITE TO ENCOURAGE HEALTH CAREERS

A new website is being launched today to show Maori secondary school students and people changing careers how they can enter the health workforce.

It’s part of the Kia Ora Hauora project, which aims to recruit 1000 Maori into health jobs over the next two years.

Project manager Tuhakia Kepa says to meet the demand for Maori across the health sector, it’s critical to get to rangatahi before they make decisions about their course of study.

The website will be at KiaoraHauora.co.nz.

CARMEN GIVEN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

It was tranny legend time on K Road last night as Carmen Rupe from Ngati Haua and Maniapoto was named the first recipient of the Mika Haka Foundation’s Aroha Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carmen has lived in Sydney since 1980, but came across to present a floor show for the Aroha Festival harking back to her heyday at Carmen’s International Coffee Lounge and Carmen’s Balcony.

She says her start in show business came through entertainer Lou Clausen from Lou and Simon, soon after she arrived in Auckland from Taumarunui.

“I was working in the hospital at Greenland and he was calling out for talent quests so I got up and he said ‘What do you do?’ I said ‘I do the hula.’ He said ‘OK, come along,’ so I got my hula gear and went along and started off with them,” Carmen says.

All profits from the Kapai Cabaret were to go to a fund to buy Carmen a new mobility scooter.

Iwi links lead to success in tertiary study

Two Canterbury University researchers have identified ways tertiary education can be made to work for Maori.

Janinka Greenwood and Lynne-Harata Te Aika says rather than focus on under-achievement, they looked at successful initiatives like Northtec's social work training,Tairawhiti Polytechnic's Toihoukura art school and Canterbury University's bilingual education course.

Ms Te Aika says their report, Hei Tauira, boils it down to five principles, including the integration of tikanga Maori into the content and style of the programme, strong leadership, mutual respect and the deliberate removal of barriers to study.

“The most successful successful programmes we those where the iwi was involved from the start in the design and delivery of the programme. There was more community buy-in. There was stronger support and ownership from the wider community,” Ms Te Aika says

Hei Tauira is available through the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, Ako Aotearoa.

GAME OVER WHEN POLICE PURSUE

The Auckland police Maori responsiveness says Maori parents need to tell their rangatahi not to try to outrun the police.

There were two deaths over the weekend where drivers tried to evade patrol cars.

Sergeant Glenn Mackay says too many young Maori men and women panic when asked to pull over.

He says even if their car is unregistered or unwarranted, they should front up.

“If you do be caught then you pull over and be held responsible for your actions. You know you’re breaking the law. At the very least you are going to end up with the expense of going to court or whatever, but you are still around to tell the story. Unfortunately as we have seen from the weekend, there are a number of people who aren’t around any more to to tell that story,” Sergeant Mackay says.

AUSTRALIA CREAMING OFF SPORTING TALENT

Sports commentator Ken Laban says the All Blacks might be playing increasing numbers of New Zealanders when they take on the Wallabies in future.

He says there is a definite browning of Australian rugby, with at least five Maori and Pacific island players in the Queensland Reds alone.

Many are of international quality, and are likely to win caps for Australia.
“Richard Kingi, Pek Cowan who is from the Waiwhetu Marae area and now playing hooker for the Force, another kid from here Tim Fairbrother, so it all points to a positive way ahead and some threats for New Zealand rugby as well if Australia is going to continue to be attractive to a lot of those boys,” Mr Laban says.

TALKBACK SLUR EARNS LAWS REBUKE

A south Auckland health educator has had his complaint against talkback host Michael Laws partially upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

Mr Laws told his listeners Boyd Broughton was telling clients that smoking is a Pakeha plot to kill Maori.

The authority says that's not what Mr Broughton's email said, and such blatant misrepresentation cannot be regarded as fair comment.

Mr Broughton says he emailed the Whanganui mayor about the spelling of Whanganui, and was surprised when Mr Laws replied with an email about his Maori anti-smoking work.

He doesn't regret taking on the high profile host.

“He's just a person and not a very clever or wise or intelligent person as I’ve found out in my dealings with him, it pretty much seemed like a waste of time because he didn’t listen t nay sense at all. He’s learnt nothing from it. The main good thing that came from it is on the day, most people rung up to talk about smoking and tobacco rather than to enlarge the controversy he was trying to create,” Mr Broughton says.

He says it may have been a mistake to exchange emails with Michael Laws at 11 at night.

HOANI WAITITI GETS YOUTH COURT SITTINGS

West Auckland's Hoani Waititi marae is looking forward to Youth Court hearings starting next month.

It will be the third rangatahi court in the country.

Spokesperson Paora Sharples says the marae was approached by Judge Heemi Taumaunu, who has presided over similar courts in Gisborne and Manurewa.

He says it requires a change of mindset.

“We are actually taking it out of the court environment and placing it in tikanga Maori in the wharenui so there are a few guidelines that go with it in regards to the whanau and the offenders who want to take part. That’s to abide by tikanga and take on board te reo and tikanga and they’ve incorporate mihi, waiata tautoko, karakia as part of the learning process,” Mr Sharples says.

MAORI FLAVOUR TO HERO REPLACEMENT

Singer and impresario Mika says the festival he's organising to replace the Hero parade will have a distinctly Maori flavour.

The last parade was in 2001.

Mika says the Aroha Taketaapui festival, which starts on March 12, will have 34 events over nine weeks, including his tribal pop opera at the Aotea Centre with the Auckland Philharmonia.

“This is a real first. This is a Maori festival for all New Zealanders with a really strong Maori kaupapa but also Asian and Pakeha, like every good gay and lesbian festival, which is family oriented, we have late night things all over K Road,” Mika says.

As well as guest appearances by Prime Minister John Key and Auckland mayor John Banks, a festival highlight will be presenting a lifetime achievement award to Sydney-based drag queen Carmen Rupe.