Whanau Ora sale bungled - Peters

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Maori Party has mishandled the development of its whanau ora policy, and it's now unlikely to win the support it needs from either Maori or government.

Associate social development minister Tariana Turia last week received a report from the Whanau Ora Taskforce led by Sir Mason Durie on streamlining delivery of services to struggling Maori families.

But she won't make the report public until Cabinet has considered its recommendations, and Prime Minister John Key is now saying whanau ora must be for all families.

Mr Peters says when he wanted to make major changes in the Maori affairs portfolio in the early 1990s, he didn't give his Cabinet colleagues a chance to rewrite his Ka Awatea policy.

“I went to the Maori people and said here are the details, tell me what you think, it’s been written in consultation widely with you, if you are in and signed up let’s go, if not, let’s not waste anyone else’s time. Then I went to Cabinet. But now, with Whanau Ora, no one in Maoridom knows what's going on,” Mr Peters says.

He says there are arguments for creating Maori-specific service delivery systems, but not for Mr Key's one size fits all approach.

WHANAU ORA CONFUSION COULD STRANGLE POLICY AT BIRTH

Meanwhile, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says the confusion around whanau ora doesn't bode well for what could be a very good programme.

She says the Greens will support programmes by Maori for Maori and anything that reduces inequality and poverty.

But all it's hearing is confusion about how the policy will be funded or delivered.

“This could mean existing services not getting access to funding, those with a track record losing access to their funding, that their won’t be any new money put into it,” Ms Turei says.

There are concerns that public money for whanau ora could go to private for profit service providers rather than the community sector that has a history of supporting whanua.

ATAMIRA SHOWCASES YOUNGER DANCERS

Maori Dance company Atamira is kicking off the year with a showcase of works by its younger dancers and choreographers.

The performance is on the first weekend of March at the Corban Estate in Henderson.

Executive director Moss Patterson says Hou will introduce dance audiences to newcomers like Gaby Thomas and Nancy Wijohn, who use contemporary dance to explore their whakapapa and identity in urban Auckland.

“So really exciting ideas about hw modern dance, contemporary dance and theatre can be used to tell stories of the past and really that’s what Atamira Dance Company is about. It’s about drawing the stories of our tupuna, letting them come through our bodies, letting our bodies be the conduit for those stories and putting them out on to the stage,” Mr Patterson says.

New funding from Creative New Zealand means Atamira can run a full programme of performances this year.

WHANAU ORA A HIGHER TRUST MODEL

The Prime Minister says the Whanau Ora programme is about trusting Maori and other families to take greater care of themselves.

Details of the new service delivery model are yet to emerge, but John Key last week told Parliament the Maori Party initiative will apply to all New Zealanders in need.

He says much of the $20 million spent every day on social welfare is ineffective because government departments don't co-ordinate their activities.

Mr Key says Whanau Ora will move money into the community where families will be expected to take greater responsibility for themselves.

“They have to have their own plan. They have to be ambitious themselves. They have to take some responsibility for themselves and it’s a higher trust model from the state,” Mr Key says.

In some cases that could mean reconnecting Maori families with their iwi.

MAORI PARTY ENDORSES ACT REWRITE OF EDUCATION CHOICE

The Maori Party says it wants to see choice in education for Maori parents and children.

Education spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell was part of an Inter-Party Working Group that recommended the top five percent and bottom 20 percent of pupils should be able to switch schools.

He says the group, which was set up as part of ACT's confidence and supply agreement with the National Party, visited a wide range of schools, kura and teacher training colleges in compiling its report for Education Minister Anne Tolley.

“The whole kaupapa was about choice. Some people might equate that with vouchers. I didn’t necessarily by itself but the whole notion about choice is something that I believe needs to be given some consideration in particular around the under-achievement of a certain percentage of our children in the education system so we need to look at all options,” Mr Flavell says.

It's not acceptable that Maori students are more likely than non-Maori to leave school without qualifications.

TAI MAORI WELCOMES DEMISE OF RIVAL TE WAKA TOI

Arts body Toi Maori is looking forward to a smoother funding relationship with the restructuring of Creative New Zealand.

Arts and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson intends to scrap the separate Maori funding board, Te Waka Toi, and instead have four people with knowledge of Maori arts on a new 13-member arts council.

Garry Nicholas, the chief executive of Toi Maori, says the artists' organisation often found itself competing with Te Waka Toi.

“The Maori staff are still in place which is one of the concerns we had with the proposed changes and we would hope that strengthens so the officers do work directly with organisations like Tai Maori and we can assist them much mire cleanly than the previous structure offered us,” Mr Nicholas says.

The new arts council needs to align its funding more with where artists see their arts going.

Key pleased at Ratana reception

Prime Minister John Key is counting the year's first major hui as a win for National and its partner the Maori Party.

Mr Key says the effusive praise he heard for his government at Ratana Pa over the weekend was a welcome endorsement of the coalition's Maori initiatives.

He says it was a clear sign that the long historical relationship between Labour and Ratana is in trouble.

“My sense is that is not anywhere near as strong as it used to be that tie is fairly severely broken. I think you’d say the majority of that support has gone over to the Maori Party,” Mr Key says.

MOREHU FEELING INTERESTS COMPROMISED BY LABOUR

An emerging Ratana leader says the morehu or church members are sick of being taken for granted by Labour.

Ruia Aperahama says the relationship began in the 1930s when Labour was desperate for votes from Ratana members.

But he says Labour failed to keep its side of the bargain by helping Ratana with serious social and economic issues, and now many members are switching allegiances after staying silent for decades.

“You will find that there are a lot of Ratanas who because of this history have had enough of the compromise. They don’t want to be taken for granted any more. They put their sway behind the Maori Party,” Mr Aperahama says.

He says Labour is good at developing Maori policies but lacks the courage to follow through.

IMMIGRATION POLICIES BREAK UP MAORI WHANAU

Meanwhile, John Key's next major hui may not go so smoothly.

Immigration consultant Tuariki John Delamere says the Prime minister can expect a protest at Waitangi against the deportation of the parents of Maori children.

Mr Delamere, an immigration minister in the 1996 National - New Zealand First coalition, is acting for six families whose fathers have been kicked out of New Zealand as overstayers.

He says the families intend to confront the Mr Key on Te Tii Marae, and emotions may run high.

“They're Maori children, from Whakatohea, Tainui, Te Whanau Apanui, Ngapuhi, and they’re entitled to live in this country because they are tangata whenua and they are citizens and the treaty says they have the right to grow up with their whanau. Well, their whanau includes their father,” Mr Delamere says.

He would like other families in the same situation to join the protest, even if they are not Maori.

WAKA READYING FOR SPECTACULAR WAITANGI REGATTA

Waka are arriving Te Pewhairangi, the Bay of Islands, for the largest gathering of traditional canoes since 1990.

They include Mataatua Puhi, the first waka built by Hekenukumai Busby, Te Toi o Mataatua from Whakatane, the voyaging waka Te Aurere and a waka which will have an all-female crew.

Mr Busby has spent the past few months restoring two Northland waka, Ngatoki matawhaorua, which were commissioned by Princess Te Puea for New Zealand's centenary.

“They celebrated the 1940 commemorations together and this will be the first year, 70 years after, they will actually be on the water together,” Mr Busby says.

More than 300 kai hoe or paddlers have been attending weekend wananga in Auckland, Whakatane and the Bay of islands to fine tuning their paddling skills and learn waiata, karakia and haka appropriate to waka.

WHANAU ORA TOP OF GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES

The Prime Minister says rolling out Tariana Turia's whanau ora family support programme will be one of his government's top priorities for the year.

The scheme will put Maori providers between government agencies and families in need.

John Key says shifting funding from Wellington-based government agencies to social service providers in the community makes sense.

“There no particular reason why Waipareira Trust for instance can’t take responsibility for 200 or 300 families or more, go there and say we will look after all your needs, we’ll work with you. You’ve got some responsibilities but you have too, let’s work our way through it,” Mr Key says.

The principles behind whanau ora could be applied to other groups receiving government services.

AVATAR HAS LESSONS FOR MAORI

The head of arts organisation Toi Maori says the blockbuster Avatar has lessons for Aotearoa.

The James Cameron movie, which includes special effects by Wellington's Weta Workshop and an invented language based on Maori, tells the story of an indigenous race fighting off a ruthless mining corporation.

Garry Nicholas says it's a story indigenous peoples can relate to, and it should serve as a warning to the government over its plans to open national parks up to mining.

“What we saw in Avatar is no different to what’s happened to a number of indigenous people’s throughout the world and the work that is being done now internationally to try and protect those sacred areas, those special areas of uniqueness, I applaud that effort,” Mr Nicholas says.

He says iwi will join with conservation groups to block mining plans.

Alarm bells sound in Murihiku milk investment

Bulletins December 21

The real estate firm acting for the venders of 28 Southland farms worth an estimated $150 million to Maori interests reportedly backed by Arab money remains confident the buyer is genuine.

When news of the potential sales broke on Friday, Federated Farmers warned its members to be cautious and called in the Serious Fraud Office when it learned that a bankrupt Australian claiming kaumatua status although he is not Maori....Shane Wenzel, aka Tane Rakau was involved.

Mr Wenzel is due to appear in the Manukau District Court on Wednesday on 36 charges brought by the SFO involving nearly $4.7 mortgage fraud.

It is understood real estate agents L J Hooker were uncomfortable dealing with Mr Wenzel however agent John Wright says they remain happy with the local hapu.

“Certainly as far as we are concerned we have cross checked from time tio time and we’ve had checks and balances in the process and we have been more than happy along the way so we were dealing with Wynn Murray, who is a local man, who we have confidence in, he is a genuine member of the hapu, and a local solicitor has been vetting all the agreements as they are being processed,” Mr Wright says.

He says to the best of their judgment the Arab backers are also genuine.

He says the unnamed backers have a record of similar food for mortgage money deals with indigenous people in other countries.

HOROMIA HOPES FOR SUPPORT FROM MAORI PARTY

A Maori leader within the Labour Party believes the Maori Party is finally coming around to seeing things in a similar way to Labour.

Parekura Horomia who was Minister of Maori affairs in the last government says at times it’s been a struggle to get the Maori Party MP's to represent Maori interests.

He says the party's decision not to support National, its partner in government, over scrapping dedicated Maori seats on polytechnic councils was a watershed.

“They voted with us so that’s OK but there’s been a half a dozen instances we have had to drive really hard to being them around and it’s good we’ve come together and stood firm on it,” Mr Horomia says.

He claims the Maori party is also starting to understand Labour's position on the Foreshore and Seabed legislation.

WAKA HELPING PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

A South Auckland organisation has found a new tool to help people with mental health issues ... the waka.

James Papali’i from Blue Dove, the co-ordinator of waka ama activities, has spent the past year getting tangata whaiora out on the water with amazing results.

He says when he started many of those involved had such anxiety that they had difficulty leaving their rooms.

However their confidence has built to such an extent that they have even taken part in waka racing.

“They lifted another notch. I almost fell off the back of the waka. All through the winter we haven’t been racing, just teaching the techniques, but yesterday they jumped another level,” Mr Papali’i says.

He says other groups working with tangata whaiora are looking closely at the projects success.

SHARPLES CLAIMS SUPPORT IN CABINET FOR WHANAU ORA

The Minister of Maori Affairs Pita Sharples say the Maori Party has wide support among senior government ministers for its whanau ora plans expected to be introduced early in the new year.

Dr Sharples says funds will be given to proven Maori groups to find solutions their own way as measures to arrest the high numbers of Maori getting into difficulties have not worked.

“There are health groups, there are iwi groups doing wonderful things for their people. Let’s try this idea. There will be repercussions as people don’t like giving people responsibility as opposed to agencies. Well they are going to have to learn because this is the new way and we are going to have to make sure that it happens,” Dr Sharples says.

He expects Labour will support the measures.

TRUST OPENS NEW PREMISES TO CATER FOR THOSE AT BOTTOM

And a predominantly Maori trust which opened facilities in Wellington last week for people on the fringe of society says it is already putting the whanau ora concept into practice.

Consultancy Advocacy and Research Trust chair Denis O'Reilly says the facilities which include a gymnasium, work programmes and health services are for people such as gang members, ex prisoners and those with alcohol and drug issues who are hesitant to use mainstream services.

He says the trust's wrap around approach is similar to the what's being promoted by the Maori Party.

“It's a good example of whanau ora where communities identify for themselves what the issues are that confront them and work out their own solutions and how they are going to overcome it and so in that way it is potentially becoming what will be a more mainstream way of approaching these sorts of,” Mr O’Reilly says.

The CART building near the Basin Reserve was opened by Governor General Sir Anand Satayanand last week on the trust's 20th anniversary.

NEW MARK MOOTED TO PROVE MAORI AUTHENTICITY

The chief executive of Maori arts marketer Toi Maori says a new tohu may be needed to authenticate Maori made products.

Creative New Zealand is poised to axe the Toi Iho mark after lower than expected take-up by Maori artists they expected.

Garry Nicholas says despite the slow uptake for the brand, there is consensus among Maori artists that some official mark of authenticity is needed.

“The great artists of our living time, Paki Harrison, Digger Te Kanawa, those are the names that underpinned the mana of what was intended and that’s why for all of us, we support 100 percent the concept of a Maori made mark. The Toi Iho one, I don’t think it will get up again, but I think we need a Maori-made mark and maybe it’s a brand new one,” Mr Nicholas says.