Harawira paranioa misplaced says Whatua

The chair of the Ngati Whatua Runanga, Naida Glavish, is defending the right of the Iwi Leaders Forum to talk with the Government about alternatives to the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira attacked the forum in a speech to Parliament this week, saying many of the leaders were absent from the 2004 foreshore and seabed hikoi to Parliament.

Ms Glavish says the Tai Tokerau MP is seeing conspiracies where there aren't any.

“We're not there with the Prime Minister or the Attorney General negotiating on behalf of our people. What we are actually doing is entering into discussion and then there had to be going back to the people,” she says.

LABOUR FORESHORE MODEL HARD TO REPLACE

Meanwhile, Waikato-Hauraki MP Nanaia Mahuta says National and the Maori Party are finding it hard to come up with anything better than Labour's foreshore and seabed legislation.

Ms Mahuta, who extracted significant changes to the Act before it was passed, says it allows iwi and hapu to negotiate with the Crown about foreshore and seabed issues in their area.

She says it protects treaty settlements and provides a mechanism for the courts to recognise customary rights.

“National and the Maori Party have realised that actually it’s a lot harder to try and deliver a result that’s better than is already there, and at the end of the day people all want to go to the beach and they currently can,” Ms Mahuta says.

She says it’s clear the government intends to ignore the recommendations of the review panel on the Foreshore and seabed Act.

SURVIVOR GIVES ADVICE ON LONG VOYAGE

The former Navy diver who survived three days in the waters off Kapiti Island has a new job.

Since his ordeal, Rob Hewitt has led water safety campaigns and coached league.

Now he's training crews from around the Pacific for the seven double hulled fibre glass waka which will sail to Hawaii in April to rekindle knowledge of the original waka voyages which brought Maori to Aotearoa.

The waka are being built in Greenhithe on the upper Waitemata.

POLICE ROOKIES NEED SENSITIVITY FOR SOUTH AUCKLAND STREETS

The patron of the latest wing of police college graduates says it's important they don't unfairly target young Maori because they don't understand their cultural behaviour.

All but one of the 38 graduates are bound for Counties Manukau as part of the government's commitment to put 300 extra cops into the area this year.

Sir Wira Gardiner says it's an area with a high Maori and Pacific presence, so it's important the increased level of policing does not lead to a disproportionate number of rangitahi being arrested.

“I suspect that a lot of young Maori get arrested because they act in a particular manner and I think that;’s why it;’s important for uyoung constables to be trained in a way they recognize the signs, that they are not a threat sign, the are a behavioural sign, soi they are better able to accommodate a response,” Sir Wira says.

He would have liked there to be more than six Maori in the group which also includes officers from South Africa, India, Portugal and Great Britain.

COCA COLA HAKA AN ATTACK ON THE CULTURE

A Maori academic is calling for a boycott of Coca Cola until the soft drink giant fixes up an ad featuring a pseudo haka.

Rawiri Taonui from Canterbury University's school of Maori and indigenous studies the chant used to sell a variety of no sugar cola in Japan is gibberish.

He says it's made worse by the fact the company originally approached Ngati Toa about using its haka Ka mate, and then withdrew from discussions.

He says the meaningless grunting in the ad denigrates the haka and is an offence to Maori culture.

“They could have done better. I reckon they should change it, and if they don’t change it, we should stop drinking Coca Cola until they do,” Mr Taonui says.

AWANUIARANGI SIGNING UP DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN NORTH

Whakatane-based Maori university Te Whare Waananga o Awanuiarangi's move into Tai Tokerau is paying off, with five candidates wanting to complete doctorates through the Whangarei campus.

Operations director Te Tuhi Robust says candidates must whakapapa to Te Tai Tokerau but don't have to be Maori.

He says Awanuiarangi is the only one of the three wananga which can provide PhDs, and it provides a real alternative for people who want to explore aspects of te ao Maori in depth.

“People used to have to go overseas, it was suggested they go overseas to study but now it has been accepted that what we have in New Zealand and now in the Tai Tokerau is equivalent if not better of course if it’s to do with Maori studies and indigenous studies than anywhere else in the world because it’s benchmarked against all of those universities from overseas,” Dr Robust says.

The doctoral candidates are studying everything from the role of Maori women in business leadership to church and family histories the cultural importance of William Shakespeare to Maori.

Flag baggage sign of fading generation

Bulletins December 17, 2009

A Maori educationalist says pakeha who see the country having two flags as separatist and divisive should get over the baggage they are carrying.

Rawiri Taonui who heads Canterbury University's Maori and ethnic studies department says Pakeha familiar with Maori ways have no problem with the tino rangatiratanga flag.

But he says Pakeha who have not had much to do with Maori can see it as separatist.

“The good thing is that population is declining and the good population in increasing. In 10, 20 years time this will just become two flags on Waitangi Day as a matter of course and our children won’t really be bothered,” Mr Taonui says.

FLAVELL SAYS FLAG CONTROVERSY WILL BE SHORT LIVED

Maori party MP Te Ururoa Flavell agrees with Maori academic Rawiri Taonui that Pakeha who know something about Maori have no problem with the tino rangatiratanga flag.

Mr Flavell says it’s the same with attitudes towards the Maori party.

“There won’t be riots in the street. The tino rangatiratanga flag has been round at Waitangi for yonks. Like the singing of the national anthem in Maori, in 10 years time we will look back and say what the hang was all the fuss about,” Mr Flavell says.

He says Maori and Pakeha have lived well together for generations and they will go on doing so with the tino rangatiratanga flag flying.

EUPHORIA OVER STREAMLINED RIVER SETTLEMENT

There's a sense of euphoria among many Waikato Maori today with the signing of a revised deed of settlement covering the Waikato River.

That's the word from Tukoroirangi Morgan who negotiated the deal with the Crown which sets up a Waikato River Authority to look after the awa.

This single body... with equal iwi and Crown representation... replaces the six statutory boards envisaged when the original deed of settlement was signed last year, but never put into effect.

The authority will have $210 million to spend on a river clean-up.

Mr Morgan says the signing finally looks like righting wrongs done 146 years ago when colonial troops invaded the Waikato taking 1.2 million acres and the Waikato river.

“There's a sense of euphoria, a sense of deep satisfaction that we are a long way down the track now. What remains is the legislative process. The deed of settlement has to be enshrined in law, and that point it will be a momentous opportunity for the people of this tribe,” Mr Morgan says.

TURIA DEFENDS FUNDING SHIFT FOR VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN

Associate social development minister Tariana Turia has accused former health Minister Annette King of using the family violence issue for mischievous political point scoring.

In parliament this week Mrs King questioned whether the “It's not OK” anti-family violence campaign was being replaced by a new campaign aimed at Maori.

She said 33 women had been killed through family violence so far this year, double last year's figures.

Mrs Turia who heads the ministerial committee on family violence says the "its not ok" campaign is not being stopped.

“Its hugely disappointing that we would use family violence as a political point-scoring opportunity as Annette King did in the House because it’s really mischievous to use statistics without sourcing where they’ve come from,” Mrs Turia says.

She says the Aroha in Action campaign is being paid for with unused money set aside for victim advocates, as anti-violence practitioners see targeting communities rather than individuals as better use of the money.

PARAONE KEEN TO HELP NZ FIRST BACK INTO PALIAMENT

Former New Zealand First MP Pita Paraone is keen to get back to Parliament.

Mr Paraone went back to his former job as a regional manager with Te Puni Kokiri in Tai Tokerau, and he's also been made chair of the Waitangi National Trust.

But he says the party founded by Winston Peters still has some life in it yet.

“Comments that have been made around the country as New Zealand First visits have been very positive and so I’d certainly like to be part of the team that helps to see New Zealand First back in parliament,” Mr Paraone says.

HANGI CHOICE PLANNED FOR KAWHIA KAI FESTIVAL

Visitors to next year's annual Kawhia Maori kai festival on Waitangi Day will face a HUGE problem.

That is which hangi to chose... from around 6000 being put down to meet demand for food cooked the traditional way.

The festival sees the population of the West Coast township where the Tainui canoe landed in the 14th century leap from 380 to nearly 10 thousand, as curious foodies lineup for a taste of delicacies such as huhu grubs, dried shark, and mussel chowder.

Organiser Lloyd Whiu says hangi is the undoubted favorite which is why twice as many will be cooked next year.

He says when the festival started six years ago they wanted to celebrate February 6th in a unique way but no one expected it would be so popular.

“Out of that whakaaro the kai festival grew. It’s about bringing people together from different backgrounds and celebrating something everyone likes doing, that’s eating,” Mr Whiu says.

He says hangi are extremely popular with Pakeha many of whom have never tried the earth-cooked kai.

GREENS OPPOSED TO NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS

Greens co-leader Meteria Turei says national education standards won't benefit Maori.

Ms Turei says international research from around the world shows that indigenous people do worse under such assessment regimes.

She says they create winners and losers among schools and students, and the resources end up going to the winners, with the rest left behind.

“For low decile schools and for Maori kids who are often in those lower decile schools, this is going to be a disaster for education and I think the teachers are right to oppose it. The schooling system has gone through a huge amount of reform in the last 10 years, just a ridiculous amount, and this is another huge burden,” Ms Turei says.

She says schools find ways around testing some kids so they don't bring their averages down, and the practice will become widespread if national standards are introduced.

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.