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.

Bad faith act threatens treaty policy

The Maori Party is asking whether Prime Minister John Key has broken the treaty settlement process.

Co-leader Tariana Turia says Mr Key's vetoing of a proposal to return Te Urewera National Park to Tuhoe showed bad faith.

The Prime Minister has denied there was agreement the park land would be included in the final settlement package, but Mrs Turia says all the signs are it was.

“Tuhoe clearly believed from a hui that they held just the day before that they had an agreement in principle and who have that withdrawn in the way that it was has created a feeling that anybody’s settlement can be withdrawn at whim,” Mrs Turia says.

She says John Key's action was clearly driven by the National Party's polling and by pressure from party members attending a regional conference the previous weekend.

GEOTHERMAL PROFITS TO FUEL HAPU DEVELOPMENT

A Taupo Maori trust intends to use profits from a new geothermal power station for development of the whole hapu rather than paying individual dividends to beneficiaries.

Tauhara North Number 2 has a 25 percent stake in Mighty River Power's 140 megawatt Nga Awa Purua plant at Rotokawa, which opened at the weekend.
Trust chief executive Aroha Campbell says the 785 Ngati Tahu owners agreed to forego annual dividends.

“The challenge for the trustis to come up with new ideas round sponsorships, scholarships, education and well being,” Ms Campbell says.

She says the trust is also working closely with the Ngatu Tahu Ngati Whaua Runanga in Reporoa on ways to benefit the hapu as a whole.

Construction on the second of three power stations the trust is building with Mighty River Power will start later this year.

VETERAN DANCERS SHOW OFF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MOVES

Contemporary dancer Taane Mete says tonight's performance at the Hawkes Bay Opera House will give his whanau to see how his career developed after he left his Napier home more than two decades ago.

Mr Mete, from Ngati Koroki, developed Tama Maa with fellow dancer Tai Royal for the Tempo Dance Festival in Auckland in 2008.

He says it's an autobiographical work, showing the transition from boyhood to manhood, and allows them to show off the skills they've mastered.

They have taken parts of the piece to a dance festival in the United States, and they will tour it to Australia later this year.

BULK UP MESSAGE FOR WHANAU ORA

The minister in charge of the new Whanau Ora programme wants social service providers to team up to deliver services.

Tariana Turia says there is huge interest in the policy, with hui to explain the new funding model attracting between 300 and 600 people.

She says delivering a wrap-around health and welfare service to families will stretch the capacity of many existing organisations, and they may need to reconfigure themselves or merge to realise the programme's potential.

“This is not another opportunity to industrialise our whanaus’ misery. We’re saying to people, ‘do not see this as a programme, do not see it as an opportunity to get a lot more money.’ We want this money to be as close as possible to the whanau, hence whanau ora,” Mrs Turia says.

There will only be 20 accredited Whanau Ora providers, so the size of those providers will be an important factor in who gets the contracts.

HAURAKI SHARE SENSE OF BETRAYAL WITH TUHOE

The chair of Hauraki's kaumatua council says the Government's refusal to return Te Urewera National Park to Ngai Tuhoe is mirrored by his iwi's experience.

Jim Nichols says in both cases the Crown acquired land unjustly, and it's refusing to give it back.

He says like Tuhoe, Hauraki is still waiting for the government to honour commitments made in the late 19th century.

“In Hauraki they said ‘we promise to give you your land back, we only want it to mine the gold.’ When the gold mining ceased, they did not give the land back. And that is the basis our treaty claims are in front of the Crown right now,” Mr Nicholls says.

The Hauraki Kaumatua Kaunihera delivered a firm message last week to Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee that the iwi will oppose his plans to reopen the Coromandel for mining.

MAORI ARTISTS FLY FLAG FOR AOTEAROA IN WORLD MUSIC

Despite it being New Zealand Music Month, Maori musicians say they're doing better on the world market than at home.

Ngahiwi Apanui, the chair of Puatatangi Contemporary Maori Music, says lack of airplay outside of iwi stations means Maori acts aren't picking up the local sales they merit.

That's forcing many to look for opportunities offshore.

“Talking to people who have been going overseas, groups they talk about are not ones you hear about through the mainstream press like OpShop. They’re talking abut groups like Wai, Moana and Pacific Curls, they’re the people that are distinctive for New Zealand on the world music scene,” Mr Apanui says.

This year's Pao Pao Pao symposium and concert at Pipitea Marae on Friday and Saturday could uncover the next Maori world music star.

Whanau Ora policy to be revealed

The wraps come off the government's Whanau Ora policy today, two months after a task force headed by Sir Mason Durie delivered its report on a better way to deliver health, welfare and education services to Maori.

Prime Minister John Key says the government hasn't accepted all the recommendations of the as yet secret report, but budget decisions have been made.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia, the Associate minister for social development, says families need to be given the power to make decisions for themselves.

“For a long time Maori have been criticised roundly for not addressing significant issues that are impacting on their families, and this is an opportunity for not only them to do so but also we are looking at Pacific peoples and the general population,” Mrs Turia says.

NEW VISION OF SERVICE DELIVERY

Meanwhile, Te Whanau o Waipareira is awaiting today's release of the government's whanau ora policy to see how it ties in with its own vision of social service delivery.

The west Auckland trust is tagged as one of the lead agencies for the policy, and chief executive John Tamihere says it has been training its staff for three months to see beyond their immediate specialties.

He says while the policy is primarily about health, it needs to break down boundaries.

“I suspect what will be announced is what most Maori organisations have been working for and striving for, that is a totally integrated family management type programme reaching across health, welfare, education and justice so that no individual will fall through the huge number of gaps that occur right now,” Mr Tamihere says.

More important than today's announcement will be finding out how much is committed for Whanau ora in next month's budget.

OHIO COLLECTION BOUGHT BACK TO AOTEAROA FOR AUCTION

An Auckland auction house has won the right to sell a collection of Maori and Pacific taonga being made surplus from an American museum.

Neil Campbell from Webb’s says he was approached by the Zanesville Museum of Art in Ohio to value the items, which were being cleared to make room for more Native American artefacts.

Much of the collection was gifted by foreign aid worker Eric Young, who was based in the south Pacific in the 1950s and 60s.

Mr Campbell was able to convince the museum board that repatriating the collection was the right thing to do.

“The material is probably worth more in New York than it is here which is a great irony I guess. On a global setting (Maori) is considered one of the highest forms of indigenous applied arts. The guys that are collecting this sort of material recognize Maori applied arts as some of the best,” Mr Campbell says.

The Zanesville collection will be auctioned in mid-June, and by law the Maori items will have to stay in the country.

WAIPAREIRA FAMILY NAVIGATORS POISED TO START

Today could mark a new era for social service delivery.

The government will announce how much of the Maori Party's whanau ora agenda it is willing to fund.

John Tamihere from West Auckland's Waipareira Trust, which is expected to be a lead agency for the policy, says millions of dollars could be saved by bulk funding Maori providers to work on a whole of family basis.

He says Waipareira has been retraining its health and welfare staff in expectation of the new model.

“Instead of calling people your mental health worker, your social worker, this and that, all they are is whanau navigators. They help you navigate through your health plans, through the education plan for your children through to yourself and what you might want to do in terms of upskilling yourself. They will help you through your welfare difficulties, and if there is a justice issue, we will plug that in too,” Mr Tamihere says.

He says tackling tough social problems at a whanau level is an investment in the health of the whole community.

ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY SACKING THREATENS IWI INPUT

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei is warning the decision to fire the elected members of Environment Canterbury could shut Maori out of decision-making in that region.

Ms Turei says the appointment of commissioners by Environment Minister Nick Smith and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide derails democracy.

She says mana whenua will struggle to have a say.

“It unhitches the relationship between Ngai Tagu and the council, Environment Canterbury. It makes it uncertain then what the relationship of the iwi are to the council decisions so all the work that has gone into those relationships could be completely undone,” Ms Turei says.

She says the decision by National and Act to shut Maori out of both the Auckland super city council and Environment Canterbury is a disturbing trend.

MONEY AND MENTORING FOR ASPIRING NOVELISTS

The Maori Literature Trust is looking for six Maori writers who are serious about creating a bestseller.

Chair Robyn Bargh says the trust will pay the writers a living allowance for six months and provide mentors to critique their work weekly.

She says the initiative is a way to address the under-representation of Maori work on the bookshelves.

“There's an interesting cross cultural dimension in New Zealand that really isn’t being explored adequately in our literature and so I think this is a good opportunity to encourage Maori writers to actually talk about what it looks like form their perspective and create characters who have different perspectives on life on Aotearoa,” Mrs Bargh says.

Applicants for Te Papa Tupu need to submit a finished piece or working manuscript of more than 5000 words by mid-May.

Turia challenges schools to change

Associate social welfare minister Tariana Turia says schools need to become more culturally relevant for Maori children.

The Government is putting more money into cracking down on absenteeism and truancy in schools, after an Education Ministry survey found 30,000 students a day were skipping classes, more than half of them Maori and Pacific Island.

Mrs Turia says while teachers don't like the government's proposal to make them more accountable through national standards, too many students aren't inspired by what they get in the classroom.

“Schools need to change. I know schools don’t like change and they don’t like people being critical of them but we can blame parents as much as we like but in the ends schools have to step up to the mark and provide a culturally competent environment for Maori kids to be in,” Mrs Turia says.

She says because of the deficiencies in schools, Maori money has been invested teaching non-Maori teachers how to teach Maori kids.

JACKSON DEFENDS DESTINY EFTPOS COLLECTION BOWL

Manukau Urban Maori Authority chief executive Willie Jackson is defending Destiny Church founder Brian Tamaki from charges his church is a cash cult.

The broadcaster and former Alliance MP says he's impressed with how Bishop Tamaki has turned around the lives of many Maori.

Mr Jackson says there's a racial edge to the attacks.

“This Maori’s sort of got so big for his boots it’s just not funny. That’s the reality. Look, all the churches have been tithing since the beginning of time. This guy’s come out with more innovative, in your face ways of doing it and it’s offensive to people because people say ’You can’t do it like that Brian, you don’t actually go and put an eftpos machine in the church.’Well I suppose he wants to make sure of his 10 percent,” Mr Jackson says.

The latest scrutiny of the Destiny Church was sparked by its Brisbane pastor walking out with many of the congregation in protest at increased levies to buy more television time for Bishop Tamaki.

SPECTRUM NEEDED TO ENSURE FUTURE OF LANGUAGE

The executive officer of Maori film and television group Nga Aho Whakaari says getting te reo Maori onto the Internet and cellphone screens is the new frontier for keeping the language alive.

Pita Turei says if spectrum freed up by the switch to digital television is reallocated by open market auctions, Maori don't stand a chance against telecommunication giants like Telecom and Vodafone.

He says as other devices replace today's televisions, Maori are entitled by the Treaty of Waitangi to a fair chunk of spectrum.

“Our battle is to ensure that we get a slice of that, that the ruling of the Privy Council and the Waitangi Tribunal is respected in that this is to be regarded as a taonga because it is a mechanism we need to keep our language and our culture alive in the modern world,” Mr Turei says.

RAHUI PLANNED IF GENETIC MODIFICATION TRIALS GO ON AT RUAKURA

Waikato hapu Ngati Wairere is planning to put a rahui over land at Ruakura Research Centre to provide additional protection if trials to put human genes into goats, sheep and cows are given the go ahead.

Spokesperson Wiremu Puke says the trials could have long-term benefits for Maori if they lead to the production of compounds which address diseases like diabetes.

He says while the hapu is confident everything is being done to make sure the trials are safe, making the land tapu would give even greater protection.

“We'd look at getting a pou rahui put up to indicate to people that beyond these pou rahui is a defined boundary that you don’t go on to unless you have authorization to do so,” Mr Puke says.

He says some Maori who oppose the trials are acting in faith-based ignorance rather than trying to understand the science.

SYDNEY-ROTORUA FLIGHTS PLEASING MAORI TOURISM FIRMS

Rotorua's deputy mayor says the take up of direct flights into the sulphur city from Sydney is exceeding expectations.

Trevor Maxwell says bigger visitor numbers since the first flight in December creates more opportunity for the region's Maori tourism operators like the Mitai Experience and the Tamaki Village.

Long term prospects are encouraging, with loadings already at 85 percent.

He says everyone in Rotorua is working hard to encourage the service in the hope other centres like Melbourne and Brisbane will also offer direct flights.

KATERINA MATAIRA TRANSLATION SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD

Veteran children's writer Katerina Mataira has made the shortlist for the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards with Hu Hu Koroheke, a translation of Kyle Mewburn's Old Hu Hu.

Paora Tibble, the awards' te reo Maori advisor, says the Raglan-based author uses rich descriptive kupu to complement Rachel Driscoll's illustrations.

He says it's sure to appeal to young learners of Maori, as Mataira’s words bring the story alive in te reo.

The English language edition is also in the finals, with the winner to be announced on May 19.

Ngapuhi line-up preparing for hearing

Northern iwi Ngapuhi is fine tuning its attack for next month's opening hearing on its claim over the meanings of the Treaty of Waitangi and the 1835 Declaration of Independence.

Mere Mangu, who coordinated a meeting this week of Te Kotahitanga o nga hapu o Ngapuhi, says the iwi is adamant their tupuna never conceded sovereignty.

She says the hui was impressed by the line up of kaumatua and tribal scholars who will put the case.

“Nuki Aldridge is talking about the world view of Maori. Rima Edwards will concentrate his korero on the word ‘mana’ in He Whataputanga. Patu Hohepa has a paper on the language that was used in both He Whataputanga and Te Tiriti,” Ms Mangu says.

A further Kotahitanga hui will be held in a fortnight on Oromahoe Marae.

CONSTITUTIONAL ROAD TRIP GOODBYE PORK BARREL

Meanwhile, Maori Party MP Hone Harawira wants this year's promised constitutional review to be taken out to the nation.

With the party's co-leaders now government ministers, the Tai Tokerau MP and protest leader has been delegated to front the issue for the party.

He says it's not something that can be left to Wellington.

“We have to make sure it gets on the road, it stays on the road, we get it onto Maori radio, it becomes something people can talk about and understand and not just up there in the air. We’ve got to keep it low to the ground. There’s the whole issue of Maori rights, human rights,” Mr Harawira says.

He's optimistic the Moana Jackson-led roopu put together by the Iwi Leaders Forum to work on the review will provide a useful balance to the official process.

PROBLEM GAMBLING SETS UP PASIFIKA UNIT WITH MAORI INPUT

The Problem Gambling Foundation's new Pasifika unit is drawing on the experience of Maori-focused services.

Mapu Maia unit manager Pesio Ah-Honi Siita says gambling causes huge problems in both Maori and Pasifika communities.

She says the challenge is to create culturally focused interventions, including talking to people in their own languages and less emphasis on counseling.

“We don't have that concept in the Pacific. We call it talanoa which is talking, sharing stories and talking about our families and where we are connected and building that trust first before we can talk about the problem so developing different ways of doing things and delivering those services in a Pacific effective way,” Pesio Ah-Honi Siita says.

WHANAU ORA TAILORED FOR MAORI PROBLEMS

Associate social welfare minister Tariana Turia says if non-Maori want whanau ora, they can develop their own version.

In this week's statement to Parliament, Prime Minister John Key said the Government will ensure Whanau Ora is available to New Zealanders of all races who are in need.

Mrs Turia says while she doesn't mind other people having the same opportunities, the Whanau Ora taskforce led by Sir Mason Durie is working on Maori solutions to Maori problems.

“It's not a welfare progamme but when you transform people’s lives to take back more control over their lives, to be more self-determining about their future, to reconnect them to the essence of who they it is no doubt that we, through doing this, will address many of these social ills that impact on our people,” Mrs Turia says.

TE ARAWA SEEKS TO LEARN FROM WAIPAREIRA EXPERIENCE

Now it has completed its land settlement, Te Arawa is talking with other Maori groups around the country about social services.

Police superintendant Wally Haumaha from Ngati Ngatauranui was part of a Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa group which met with Te Whanau o Waipareira.

He says the West Auckland trust has built up considerable expertise in service delivery which the iwi can draw on.

“Now that we’ve come through treaty settlements and mapping our economic future within the tribe, we’ve also got to look at what that means for the well being of whanau, so our social programmes and social development aren’t left behind and forgotten,” Superintendant Haumaha says.

It's important to develop service delivery structures which are tailored to Maori needs and aspirations.

OWAIRAKA KAUMATUA PUT TOGETHER ROOPU TO OFFER MARAE HELP

A kaumatua group in Auckland has reformed to offer assistance to urban marae short on speakers.

Te Roopu kaumatua o Owairaka ki Tamaki was started in 1992, but went into recess a few years later.

Yesterday about 40 kaumatua met to breathe life back into the kaupapa.

Spokesperson Hone Komene says all members are over 60, and have put their hand up to help wherever needed.

The group will meet to learn waiata, tikanga and kaupapa which will help on the marae.

Hone Komene says as well as strengthening paepae when invited, the kaumatua roopu will continue to visit maori inmates in jail.

Choppy reaction to foreshore ownership compromise

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia is rejecting the Prime Minister's suggestion no one should own the foreshore.

John Key put up the option as a way around one of the most controversial aspects of Labour's Foreshore and Seabed Act, that it vested title in the Crown until proven otherwise.

Mrs Turia says that would satisfy neither the Maori Party nor iwi generally.

“That's about the Crown taking a property right away from our people and it’s not something they do to anyone else in this country and that’s why there was such an outrage in the original foreshore and seabed issue where Labour took the ownership of the foreshore and seabed away from our people and put it into Crown hands,” Mrs Turia says.

HOUSING SCHEME OUT OF REACH IN TRIBAL HEARTLAND

A northern iwi leader is sounding a note of caution over the new Kainga Whenua housing loan scheme.

Housing New Zealand will guarantee Kiwibank loans of up to 100 percent for Maori building homes on multiply-owned land.

Haami Piripi from Te Rarawa says the bar is set too high, and he can't see a stampede of Maori signing up.

“You have to have a household income of $85,000 a year. In my iwi, the average income for a Maori male is $14,800. To have an annual incomes of $85,000 you have to have two people working in a relatively well paid job,” Mr Piripi says.

SCIENCE SKILLS NEEDED TO DEVELOP MAORI ECONOMY

There's a call for more Maori scientists to develop the Maori economy.

A survey by the New Zealand Association of Scientists has found that Maori make up just 1.7 percent of the science workforce.

Association president James Renwick says while that is double the figure of 15 years ago, there is a matter of great concern that Maori are not attracted to work in the area.

“Science and technology are crucial to our economic future and it’s pretty well recognised Maori are entrepreneurial and capable so bringing science and technology to the fore can only be a good thing,” Dr Renwick says.

More study is needed into why more Maori are not entering the sciences.

GST HIKE NOT ENOUGH TO SINK CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY AGREEMENT

The Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has ruled out splitting with the government over a 20 percent hike in GST.

Te Tai Tonga MP Rahui Katene says walking away is an option if the government doesn't compensate low income people for the increase.
Mrs Katene has produced a bill to exempt so called healthy food from the tax.

But Mrs Turia says it's not an issue that will break the support agreement.

“In signing up to confidence and supply on all matters that are related to tax or to finance we are bound to vote with the Government so it does but you into a Catch 22 situation of having to vote for some things you certainly do not agree with,” Mrs Turia says.

FORESHORE OWNERSHIP FORMULA POLITICAL DECEPTION

A lawyer involved in the Iwi Leaders' Forum's talks on the reform of the Foreshore and Seabed Act says it's political deception to say no one will own the beaches.

Prime Minister John Key says removing the assumption of Crown ownership is one of the options under consideration.

Moana Jackson from Ngati Kahungunu says by saying it will remain silent on ownership, the Crown is really saying its ownership will continue.

“There a bit of deception in the proposal and rather than looking at something that might be different than the previous legislation, it sounds like it will be more of the same with more sensitive-sounding language,” Mr Jackson says.

He says Maori have always said they would give the public access to the beaches.

ADAM BLAIR TOP INTERNATIONAL PLAYER AFTER MAGNIFICENT YEAR

Kiwi Rugby league coach Steven Kearny says Adam Blair fully deserves the NZRL International player of the year award he picked up last night.

It's been a tumultuous seven-year journey for the Melbourne Storm backrower since he was spotted as a 16-year-old Whangarei schoolboy by a Queensland club.

Mr Kearny says with 76 NRL games and 16 tests under his belt, the 23 year old, 108 kilo Kiwi vice captain is on top of his game in both domestic and international competition, and his performances last year were magnificent.

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.

Seeka deal creates opportunity for Maori growers

The chief executive of Tauranga Maori kiwfruit company Te Awanui Hukapak says amalgamation with the region's biggest processor will allow shareholders to benefit from changes in the sector.

Hemi Rolleston says by joining with Seeka Kiwifruit Industries, the company started 25 years ago by a group of Maori land trusts goes from processing 5 percent of the crop to 25 percent.

He says the added size means it can take advantage of new varieties and new ways of going to market, including bringing more Maori land into production.

“When you're investing in new developments you certainly need a partner and we’ve been doing it with a lot of our Maori orchards but we’re getting a little too small in terms of scale in able to finance some of these transactions and Seeka has a history of assisting Maori orchards and joint ventures to develop the land so we think there are some exciting opportunities for Maori to create economic development and employment and utilise our land so it ticks a lot of boxes there,” Mr Rolleston says.

The $24 million deal includes provision for Te Awanui to continue marketing kiwifruit overseas under its own brand.

MINISTERIAL INFLUENCE LAST CHANCE FOR POLYTECH POSITIONS

The Maori Party will try to get Maori representatives on polytechnic councils through the back door.

The party failed this week to get an amendment to the government's polytechnic reforms, and withdrew its support as the bill was passed with ACT's support.

The bill scraps dedicated seats for Maori and other stakeholders on polytechnic councils.

Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell says as associate education minister, party co-leader Pita Sharples gets another chance to influence how the new law is implemented.

“We are hopeful of working behind the scenes with the minister to set up some rules that say if you are going to have ministerial appointments then the ministerial appointments that appoint up the rest of everyone else on the councils, then we need to put some rules there that say they must give consideration to ensuring that mana whenua or Maori are represented on the council,” Mr Flavell says

He says polytech councils need Maori on board so Maori training needs are catered for.

MAORI SQUADS PREPARE FOR INDIGENOUS TOURNAMENT

There'll be only a smidgeon of Christmas cake for members of the national Maori touch squads chosen to contest the world indigenous touch tournament in Rotorua late next month.

Carol Ngawati from Maori Touch says the three open teams chosen at last weekend's nationals will be up against the best in the Pacific as they vie with Australian Khoori, Cook Islands and Chinese squads for the world title.

The Maori tournament attracted 80 teams, with strong growth in younger grades as well.

The World Indigenous Touch tournament starts on January 27.

MAORI COUNCIL REJECTS ROGERNOMICS TEST ON TREATY CLAIM

The Maori Council is rejecting criticism from ACT that its fourth generation spectrum claim was a waste of time and money.

ACT economic spokesperson Sir Roger Douglas says instead of going to the Waitangi Tribunal, the council and fellow claimants Nga Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo and Graham Everton should address issues like Maori educational under-achievement.

Jim Nichols, the council's deputy chair, says the former Laour finance minister's recipe for Maori development is a proven failure.

“When he was in government, they made no effect at all in the changing of the Maori economic position. The spectrum can make a very significant contribution to Maori well being in terms of education and the significant influence that Maori television and Maori broadcasting has had talking Maori into the lounges of people throughout the country,” Mr Nichols says.

He says the claimants are being forced back to the Waitangi Tribunal because the Crown is yet again making decisions about resources in which there is a proven treaty interest without properly consulting its treaty partner.

The Waitangi Tribunal will hold a hearing on the claim in late January.

TURIA EXPLAINS WHANAU ORA POLICY

Associate health minister Tariana Turia says her policy of whanau ora isn't hard to understand.

Families Commission head Jan Pryor last week told a parliamentary committee she could not explain the fledgling policy because as a middle class white woman it included concepts she was unfamiliar with.

Mrs Turia says whanau ora recognises that you can't treat individuals or issues in isolation.

She says Maori families in crisis may become involved with multiple government agencies.

“What this is about is turning all that around to provide the opportunity for our families to start looking at the issues that are impacting on all of them and to work with them in the first instance to change that themselves rather than having other people always telling them how to be, always telling them what to do,” Mrs Turia says.

She says her integrated approach is getting support from people right across health and social sector.

WHANAU RETURN TO LEND SKILLS TO PARIHAKA PEACE FESTIVAL

Organisers of the 5th Parihaka Peace Festival are buoyed by support from Taranaki whanau who are pitching in to create a better event.

Director Te Miringa Hohaia says the three day festival, which starts on January 7, draws on to the village's record of passive resistance to land confiscations after the Taranaki wars.

He says up to 10,000 people are expected to hear artists like Tiki Tane and Fat Freddy's Drop or take part in other events such as discussion forums, and whanau have been returning home to help the hau kainga run the event smoothly.

“Of the 25 managers we’ve got, 23 of them are Parihaka people. We’ve pulled home also a lot of our skilled people. We didn’t realise we had so many people involved in production, film, theatre, media and that helped us to upskill people who are here on the ground,” Mr Hohaia says.

Te Awanui Hukapak joins industry heavyweight

The largest Maori kiwifruit processor, Te Awanui Hukapak, has amalgamated with the country's largest processor, Seeka Kiwifruit Industries.

Chief executive Hemi Rolleston says the $24 million deal gives Hukapak 17 percent of the Seeka, and the combined business will account for a quarter of New Zealand's kiwifruit exports.

Te Awanui will continue to pack some fruit under its own brand, which is well known in Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Mr Rolleston says Te Awanui, whose shareholders are Bay of Plenty land trusts, also bought back the three hectare block at the port of Tauranga where its packing facility is located, and is leasing it back to Seeka.

“The site has a special connection to us. It’s where the company was set up on our own land to develop our own part of the industry. I think we’ve achieved quite a bit out of this because we’ve retained the land but we’re getting commercial returns on the land as well,” Mr Rolleston says.

He says Seeka has a good record of working with Maori growers, and the being part of a larger business will create oportunity for the Te Awanui growers.

TRUST CONSIDERED FOR MAORI FLAG REVENUE

Now it's official, the custodians of the tino rangatiratanga flag are working out how they will keep up with demand.

Cabinet this week approved the flag as the one to fly on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and other official sites on Waitangi Day.

The red and black flag with a white koru, designed by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Dobson and Linda Munn won a 1990 competition by the Kawariki protest group in 1990 for a national Maori flag.

Maori Party MP and Kawariki founder Hone Harawira says it was made available for use by kura, marae, sports teams and other Maori groups.

“We've been happy for that but it’s now got into a situation where there’s considerable money being made out of it and I think that the intention of the Kawariki is to set up some kind of trust. I know Linda’s said to us that one of the original intentions was to create a kind of trust for the continuation of Maori artistic design, so I know that Linda and Hilda are talking about hw that can be managed into the future,” Mr Harawira says.

TURIA PERKY AFTER STOMACH OPERATION

Meanwhile, Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has a clean bill of health after her stomach stapling operation three weeks ago.

The associate Minister of Health says all signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma are gone.

“I’m feeling really really well in myself and that’s the reason for doing it. It’s been all good and looking forward to next year, having a lot more energy and being able to put longer hours in at work,” Mrs Turia says.

She has been back at work for a few hours each day this week.

SPECTRUM CLAIMANTS SECURE WAITANGI TRUBUNAL HEARING

The Waitangi Tribunal has agreed to an urgent hearing on whether Maori should get a share of spectrum freed up by the shift from analogue to digital television.

Jim Nichols from the New Zealand Maori Council says the claimants, who also include Nga Kaiwhakapumau i Te Reo and 3G spectrum claimant Graeme Everton of Ngati Raukawa, felt they were being shut out of decision-making.

He says spectrum has become an important not just for protecting te reo Maori but for wider Maori development.

“Maori Television is part of that. Maori broadcasting is part of that because without it we don’t have Maori broadcasting. Two Degrees and Te Huarahi Tika Trust without which we don’t have a mobile communications network. Regional Maori television which we need to secure for the likes of Tairawhiti and in Kaitaia,” Mr Nichols says.

The tribunal says it will hold a hearing on the claim on January 28.

BOARD REPRESENTATIVES HELP BREAK POLYTECH PREJUDICE

The head of Maori studies at Canterbuy University says Maori on the boards of tertiary institutions help break down prejudice.

Rawiri Taonui says all tertiary institutions are dominated by Pakeha, and formal steps are needed to get representation from Maori, Pasifika and Asians who make up an increasing percentage of the student population.

He says moves by Education Minister Anne Tolley to radically trim the size of polytech councils by getting rid of dedicated seats for Maori and other stakeholders is a leap backwards.

“The biggest barrier to the success of our people is prejudice or obstructive processes at the level of middle management and the only way you are going to break that down is if you have our people sitting on councils and making those people more accountable,” Mr Taonui says.

If New Zealand is to be one nation of two peoples and many cultures, it needs to give voice to the concerns of people from non-European communities.

GREENS BACK NEW MAORI FLAG WITH RESERVATIONS

The Green Party is backing the tino rangatiratanga flag.

Co-leader Meteria Turei says it's wrong to dismiss the symbol Maori activists have rallied around since 1990s as being only a protest flag or a Maori party flag.

She says there's room for multiple flags.

“I know that Pakeha often get into this idea that all Maori are all the same and that’s just not true and it’s not true for this flag either. So there will be place and there will be people for whom this just does not represent them and there should be no sense that this is about all of us,” Ms Turei says.

She says tino rangatiratanga means not imposing symbols on others.

Aquaculture ban lifted in billion dollar push

Maori are welcoming the lifting of the ban on new marine farms.
Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced the end of the moratorium at the aquaculture industry conference in Nelson yesterday.

He said allowing marine farming outside the current aquaculture management areas can help marine farming become a billion dollar industry within a decade.

Coromandel mussel farmer Harry Mikaere says the ban has stalled the industry for the past decade.

He says the minister's promise to adopt the recommendations of a technical advisory group headed by former Fisheries Minister Sir Douglas Kidd was music to the ears of the delegates.

“It's going to make it a lot easier, it gives us confidence, I think the durability we were looking for in terms of this allows our industry to be more confident about that and we applaud the government for taking this particular review on,” Mr Mikaere says.

The Kidd report upholds the principle that at least a fifth of marine farm area should be for Maori while containing strong measures to protect the environment from the over-expansion.

MAORI JOB LOSS OUTSTRIPPING REST OF SOCIETY

New figures show Maori are suffering the brunt of job losses caused by the recession.

The Household Labour Force survey shows in the past year Maori unemployment has rocketed from 9.6 percent to 14.2 percent.

That’s an increase of almost 10 thousand out of work.

Pakeha unemployment has only gone from 3.1 to 4.5 percent.

Council of Trade Unions secretary Peter Conway says the recession has hit hard in the construction and manufacturing sectors, which employed large numbers of Maori.

“Maori are also a younger population on average and youth unemployment is now above 25 percent so part of it is that and there also may be still some discrimination in the labour market. I’m not saying it’s there but others say it’s there and hitting Maori hard,” Mr Conway says.

The CTU says the government needs to take specific action to fight Maori unemployment or the social consequences will be around for generations.

BILLY T’S MUSICAL ROOTS BOOSTED COMEDY CAREER

He may be remembered as a comedian, but the late Billy Taitoko James started his entertainment career as a musician in Maori showbands.

Biographer Matt Elliott says Billy T's comic success before his early death almost 20 years ago have overshadowed his musical prowess.

But he says for the boy from the small Waikato town of Leamington, that early experience playing and singing in bands like the Maori Volcanics paved the way for that later success.

“New Zealand performers are always talking about cracking it overseas. Well the showbands were doing that. They were playing the top venues in the UK and the states and Germany and Bermuda, they were packing houses out, and Billy really did learn how to work an audience and the stage with the showbands,” Mr Elliot says.

He says part of Billy T's comic genius was his ability to find humour in racial stereotypes without favour to Maori or Pakeha.
"The Life and Times of Billy T James", is published this week.

PARIS JAUNT A BREACH OF PUBLIC TRUST

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says Hone Harawira's Paris holiday was a breach of trust from his party and the New Zealand public.

The Tai Tokerau MP skipped meetings with European Parliament MPs in Brussell to take wife Hilda to the French capital 300 kilometres to the south.

Mrs Turia says Hone Harawira was the leader of the parliamentary delegation, and his actions bring the credibility of the Maori Party into question.

“All of us have to be really conscious as to the perception that’s created as to how we use public funds. The public doesn’t actually fund us to go on holiday and have a look around and that's the reality,” Mrs Turia says.

She says she understood Hone Harawira was too sick to make the meetings, until he revealed the side trip in a newspaper column.

CALL FOR RETHINK OF AFGHAN OCCUPATION

The anniversary of the last military action of the land wars has brought a call for New Zealand to rethink its involvement in the Afghanistan conflict.
It's 128 years since 1500 armed constabulary and militia invaded the coastal Taranaki settlement of Parihaka to end a campaign of passive resistance to land confiscation.

Te Miringa Hohaia, the director of the Parihaka International Peace Festival, says that gives the community a unique perspective on the National Government's decision to escalate its involvement in the conflict from peacekeeping to combat.

“We're there as an occupation army. Parihaka was occupied so I’m not at all happy with the fact the New Zealand government can continue to corrupt the psyche of the nation in the same way that occurred in 1881 without there being a robust referendum with the ability of the nation to decide are we going to war or are we not,” Mr Hohaia says

He says Parihaka leaders Tohu Kakahi and te Whiti o Rongomai were called dangerous fanatics, the same language that is employed against Afghanistan's former Taliban government.

MAORI SICK OF BEING ARCHITECTURAL AFTERTHOUGHT

A leading Maori artist says Maori are sick of being an afterthought when public buildings are planned.

Judging of a design competition for the redevelopment of Queens Wharf has been deferred because city leaders were unhappy with the entrants.

That could open the door for Ngati Whatua ki Orakei, which criticised the process because it did not specify Maori or Pacific involvement.

Derek Lardelli, whose work in the new Gisborne Maori Land Court helped architects Nicholl Blackburne win a regional architecture award, says getting involved early makes a difference to the quality of the final product.

“We're so strong at giving the afterthought that people wake up to it, so now we’re starting to say you need to get Maori involved at the beginning, not the end, because they’ve had enough of being an afterthought. They need to be heard in the beginning because they are the point of identity. When you travel internationally, it’s the indigineity of our culture that stands out,” says Mr Lardelli, from Ngati Porou and Rongowhakaata.

Unity needed to benefit from health reforms

A series of hui to inform Maori providers about proposed changes in primary healthcare finished in Christchurch yesterday with a call for greater unity in the sector.

Simon Royal, the chief executive of a new coalition bringing together 11 Maori public health organisations, says Maori are keen to integrate health and other community services, in line with the whanau ora model being promoted by associate health minister Tariana Turia.

He says to have a say in the reforms, Maori providers need to bulk up so they can bid for contracts under the new system.

“We need size and we need scale. In order to play this game effectively, we need to be working together, all Maori organisations, and inviting other organisations that philosophically are aligned to ours, we need to come together as a large grouping rather than going in as individual pockets because I don’t think we are going to get advanced very quickly,” Mr Royal says.

The National Maori PHO Coalition wants to see the establishment of a whanau ora commissioning agency which will take over responsibility for directing Maori primary healthcare funding.

NGAPUHI SEEKING MANDATE THAT IS NOT A MANDATE

Ngapuhi is taking another step towards identifying who should negotiate a settlement for the Northland iwi.

It's embarking on a series of hui around the country, starting at Waikato University in Hamilton tonight.

Ngapuhi Runanga chair Sonny Tau says the tribe has been given a valuable breathing space by the decision of the Waitangi Tribunal to put off the start of its claim hearings, which will initially focus on traditional understandings of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the earlier Declaration of Independence.

He hopes the hui will agree on how to give a mandate to the groups or individuals who can represent the iwi, which has more than 100,000 members in 300 hapu.

“That doesn't mean to say that they have the power to go ahead and negotiate with the Crown. All it means is they have a definitive ti9me to hold the mandate for Ngapuhi and defend it, and their job is to provide the facility where Ngapuhi can get together and talk and then appoint negotiators to the Crown,” Mr Tau says.

The next hui is tomorrow in Wellington.

NGATI KURI WEAVER WINS MANA WAHINE AWARD FOR STUDIES

A Ngati Kuri weaver has received a women's suffrage award aimed at helping women develop their potential through further education, research or training in areas which are of value to the country.

Bethany Edmunds will put the $2500 Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust prize towards her costs completing a Masters degree in costume studies at New York University.

The 31-year-old says her studies are giving her the chance to study how American museums conserve, store and display the korowai they hold.

Bethany Edmunds completed a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Maori Design and Technology at Northland Polytechnic in 2000.

TE MANGAI REACHES OUT FOR FEEDBACK ON EFFECTIVENESS

Te Mangai Paho wants to know whether it's are doing a good job in revitalising the Maori language through its funding of Maori broadcasting.

The agency is holding three hui to get community feedback on how they can assist Maori to speak te reo better, more often and in more places, but particularly in the home.

Facilitator Dennis O’Reilly says it's seeking a range of opinions.

“It’s asking people who may be fluent in the language how they can do better through its programming and support for broadcasters and it’s asking people who may not be using the language but have a desire to do that,” Mr O’Reilly says.

The first hui was in Wellington today with another in Auckland on Thursday then the last in Napier next week.

PARENTS MISSING OUT ON EYE TESTS BUT TAMARIKI TESTED

Maori parents are looking after their children's eyes better than they are looking after their own

The survey by the New Zealand Optometrists Association has found a third of Maori and Pacific Islanders have never had their eyes tested, compared with just 20 percent of Pakeha..

National director Dr Lesley Frederikson says the picture is quite different when it came to their kids.

Maori and Pacific children are having their eyes tested and getting appropriate care at the same rate as the rest of the population.

“They're certainly stepping up to the mark and making sure their children are getting appropriate care and I just wonder sometimes if it’s a case of mum and dad being at the end of the queue. As a parent you tend to put you children first and this is an area where parents should think about taking care of themselves as well,” Dr Frederikson says.

About 20 percent of cases of blindness could have been prevented if people had been tested and got the necessary treatment.

HIGH SPEED NETWORKING BRINGS NELSON COMMUNITY TOGETHER

Whataku marae has held its first speed-networking day, giving Nelson organisations the chance to outline what they do and how they might work together.

Organiser Carol Hippolite says the 82 participants had just five minutes to meet and greet their neighbour before moving onto the next person.

She says the marae is often asked to hold networking events, so this time it gave speed-dating a go, asking people to talk about their job and the services they provide to the wider community.

The entry fee was $10 and an item of food for a food bank.