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Pākaraka: ‘We didn’t pull the trigger, we didn’t swing the bayonet.

The hapū of Ngāti Maika and the farming community of Pākaraka, near Whanganui, are still waiting for new name signs to go up after the first ones were mown down just hours after they were installed.Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says it recognises the importance of the signs to the hapū and community, having worked with Whanganui District Council and Ngāti Maika since late last year to install signs carrying the name Pākaraka.The Pākaraka signs at either end of the settlement previously ...

Kāinga Ora increases security

Kāinga Ora has increased security checks around its proposed Raleigh St housing development area in Palmerston North in the wake of a fire that destroyed a vacant home in late January.The fire was being treated as suspicious.Regional director for Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatū Graeme Broderick said there were 11 empty homes in the area that would be removed “as soon as possible”.“In the meantime we have also increased our checks and presence in the area to keep the sites safe.”Link t...

With or without my reo,

Ramari Jackson-Paniora is the daughter of one of the main faces of the 1972 Māori Language Petition – but her relationship with te reo Māori is more complicated than people may assume.My whānau’s journey with reo Māori is typical of many Māori whānau across Aotearoa. Looking at my parents’ achievements, it may be surprising to some that growing up, te reo Māori was not spoken in our home. There was frequent use of many kupu; everyday Māori words that have since found their way into...

The people behind te reo's massive rise

The Māori music scene has exploded over the past few years.With New Zealand's most popular musicians releasing tracks in te reo, and bilingual bangers such as Rob Ruha's SH35 going viral, the demand for waiata Māori has rocketed.This surge in popularity is no accident.A committed community of Māori musicians has been working hard to bring waiata Māori into the mainstream.In Tribal, a new documentary that meets the creatives behind New Zealand's most incredible music scenes, filmmaker Chris G...

Kāinga Ora invites residents to hear about

Pukehangi residents wanting to hear the latest on three Kāinga Ora developments that will collectively bring 60 new houses to the area are being invited to a community drop-in session in two weeks.There are three major public housing building developments happening in the suburb that will see new residents moving in from the middle of the year.They include Quartz Ave (formerly Collie Dr), which will have 42 new homes, Gem St, which will have 10 new homes, and Roger St, which will have eight new...

‘Kiwis are getting quite good at this’:

New Prime Minister Chris Hipkins followed up an announcement of new cost of living measures on Wednesday with a visit to a North Shore MaraeThe clouds parted and a tableau of brilliant blue rushed in to fill the void as the fledgling Prime Minister made his rounds of Auckland community hubs today.There has been no time for training wheels for the nation's new leader, in a week full with natural disasters, cabinet reshuffles and announcements of cost-saving measures for Kiwis.Visiting Awatah...

Experiences Of Care In Aotearoa 2021/2022

The latest report from Aroturuki Tamariki, the Independent Children’s Monitor, on Experiences of Care in Aotearoa shows that there is not yet a significant improvement in outcomes for children in care, or their whānau and caregivers.Experiences of Care in Aotearoa is an annual check on compliance with the National Care Standards Regulations by agencies with custody and care responsibilities – Oranga Tamariki, Open Home Foundation and Barnardos. Oranga Tamariki had custody of almost 99 perce...

Watchdog finds Oranga Tamariki

Over three years after new legislation set the minimum care standards for a child in state custody, Oranga Tamariki is still failing to meet requirements.That’s the finding of the second annual report from Aroturuki Tamariki, the Independent Children’s Monitor, which was set up to measure compliance with the regulations.The Experiences of Care in Aotearoa report is based on monitoring data and surveys with people involved in the care system.“It remains difficult to measure and understand i...

Māori communities prepare for second deluge

Māori services and schools across Tāmaki Makaurau and Northland are gearing up for a long night, as they anticipate the arrival of another wet front that's set to batter the two regions from tonight.Earlier this afternoon, Northland Regional Council, which consists of the Kaipara, Whangārei, and Far North districts, had put in place a state of emergency for the next seven days.Following the announcement, Far North mayor Moko Tepania said the declaration was needed in order to give appropriate...

Emergency housing providers

Businesses and community leaders in Christchurch are concerned around an alleged increase in crime in western parts of the city.Some believe the government's emergency housing initiatives are responsible for the apparent spike.But the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and an experienced welfare advocate are denying claims there is a clear link to those in emergency accommodation.Cafe and garden centre Terra Viva has been open in the western suburb of Burnside for more than 25 years.The busine...

Hawke’s Bay Waitangi Day commemoration

A commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in Hawke’s Bay is once again being held on Monday, February 6 on the banks of Te Awa o Mokotūāraro (commonly known as the Clive River).This is close to Waipureku, the site where three chiefs - Te Hapuku, Hoani Waikato and Harawira Mahikai Te Tātere - boarded the HMS Herald on June 24, 1840 and signed the Treaty under the watchful eye of emissary Major Thomas Bunbury.The morning’s events begin at 7.45am at Ātea a Rangi, the Celestia...

Oranga Tamariki considering reopening controversial children's home

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.Oranga Tamariki is considering reopening a controversial children's home in Christchurch to meet demand for beds.The child protection agency shut down the 10-bed Te Oranga care and protection house two years ago after video leaked of a boy being held in a headlock.It was now seeking quotes to refurbish the inside of the house, deputy chief executive of service delivery Rachel Leota told RNZ.“Our operations at T...

Provisional data shows school rolls

Most schools in Rotorua are preparing for expanding rolls this year, with estimates showing three-quarters of schools will see a boost in students.Provisional data from the Ministry of Education shows of the 47 schools in the area, 36 are set for an increase compared with last year.The provisional figures are estimates and may change, while the 2022 numbers are based on school roll returns from July 1.Rotorua Boys’ High School is estimated to be Rotorua’s biggest school in 2023, with 1160 st...

Air force wants more wāhine Māori and Pasifika

The Royal New Zealand Air Force opened its Whenuapai air base to 34 teachers, providing them with hands-on experience in aviation and technical roles.The six-day School to Skies camp aims to provide teachers with the knowledge and hands-on experience they need to inspire students, especially Māori and Pasifika wāhine, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.Squadron Leader Lisa Eavestaff says influencing not only Year 13 students but also their tea...

Life sentences found to be unjust

The quashing of three teen murderers’ life sentences will allow other youth killers to appeal their sentences, a King’s Counsel says.Georgia Rose Dickey, Christopher James Brown and Katrina Roma Epiha have all been re-sentenced to finite sentences with a minimum period of imprisonment after a ruling from the Court of Appeal yesterday.Brown, who was found guilty of murder after a jury trial, and Dickey, who pleaded guilty to murder, both received life sentences with a non-parole period of 10 ...

Teen girls choose Māoritanga over Australian birthplace

Two Australian-born girls involved in a transtasman parental dispute have been allowed to stay in Aotearoa after learning to love their Māori heritage.Sisters Ginny and Della Mercer*, now both in their mid-teens, were born in Australia to an Australian mother and a Kiwi father who separated when the girls were small.The father, Piripi Mercer*, returned to New Zealand permanently but the girls remained living in Australia with their mother.They travelled to New Zealand to spend time with their f...

Rain records are going to keep falling

ANALYSIS: Shortly after Auckland experienced about a month’s worth of rain in 60 minutes, mayor Wayne Brown told media: “We just need the rain to stop, that's the main issue.”The heating climate answered by sending a second “atmospheric river” over the city on Sunday, with more heavy rain arriving on Tuesday.Auckland’s clouds will part. But this type of rainfall – a month’s or a season’s worth in a single day – is not just here to stay. Rainfall records are likely to be set f...

Use of motels by Oranga Tamariki ‘deplorable’,

The Children’s Commissioner has slammed the practice of housing young Kiwis in state care in motels and says the situation is a “symptom of a failing system”.And she says some children and teens are being kept in motels “for longer periods than the sentences served by most young offenders”.Last week the Herald revealed that a young person under Oranga Tamariki care lived in a motel for more than 600 days until suitable accommodation could be found.It was also revealed that other young ...

NKII board aims to strengthen relationships

A clear ambition of the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII) board chairman, Bayden Barber, has been to build relationships and connect with other organisations in the community to build on our common goals and aspirations for whānau, hapū, iwi and community development.Late last year, an invitation was extended from the NKII board to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC), and Te Kahui Ohanga (TKO) Post Settlement Group Entities (PSGEs) to attend the first NKII board hui of the new yea...

‘It’s only the beginning’:

A determined group of Northland weavers has fulfilled a challenge laid down a century ago by rediscovering the long-lost techniques used to create a traditional Māori sail.Woven sails were used to propel the waka that brought Māori across the Pacific to Aotearoa but the specialist knowledge used to design and weave them had been lost to time.For centuries the only surviving example of a traditional sail, known as Te Rā, was in a vault of the British Museum in London.Fearing the skills used to...

Why travelling Brits should engage

Brits abroad can be an asset to Aotearoa - but only if we make an effort to engage with te ao Māori, writes Scottish expat Fran BarclayEarlier this week, the UK High Commissioner signalled a promising intention to address the barriers facing young Māori and Pasifika who aspire to travel on the UK working holiday scheme. As a Scottish expat in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, I hope that increased interaction with Māori and Pasifika travellers could improve my country’s cultural understanding of Aotearo...

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe says

Thousands of people have attended Invasion Day rallies across Australia, where speakers addressed a number of issues for First Nations peoples, including the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.Greens senator and DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman Lidia Thorpe was met with cheers from the public in Melbourne when she said Indigenous Australians deserved "real power and action" rather than the proposed Voice.A referendum on whether to constitutionally enshrine the advisory body is due to be...

Indigenous voices are 'being ignored’

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Masterton overdoses:

Some of the 12 people who overdosed in Masterton on fentanyl within 48 hours last year were aware it was the drug they had taken, despite police earlier saying it was sold as either cocaine or methamphetamine.A dozen people were hospitalised in 48 hours after taking a substance in June last year, spaking widespread concern.Police have now revealed an investigation has concluded some users knew the substance was fentanyl.“Other users believed it to be cocaine.”link to video and article: ...

‘Very unlikely’ Australia Day is being celebrated for the ‘atrocities of the past’

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