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Latest Waikato-Tainui Treaty settlement

The latest $101.5 million Waikato-Tainui Treaty of Waitangi settlement relativity payment announced Friday takes to $390 million the total the iwi has gained including its original $170 million in 1995. Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei. The relativity payments – pushed by the tribe’s principal negotiator the late Sir Robert Mahuta – were designed to ensure the iwi wasn’t penalised by being a first-...

Psychological distress,

High rates of psychological distress and discrimination are impacting Māori wellbeing, according to a new paper. Trends in Māori Wellbeing and The distribution of advantage in Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the evidence were released on Tuesday by the Treasury. The two papers are the latest in a series supporting the Treasury's first wellbeing report Te Tai Waiora: Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022. The first paper explores emerging trends in Māori wellbeing using He...

Kāinga Ora's social housing development

Kāinga Ora is putting one of its Auckland social housing developments on hold until the new year, after backlash from the neighbourhood. The development on Bonair Crescent in the northern suburb of Millwater has been controversial since the beginning, with Kāinga Ora apologising for "missing a step" and not opening the project for community consultation.The development was initially the construction of two-storey townhouses on Millwater Street and would add 37 two-bedroom social houses to the ...

'Many' injustices to Kāpiti Māori

The Waitangi Tribunal has found the Crown committed "many" Treaty breaches on the Kāpiti Coast - including in the founding of the town of Waikanae and the acquisition of land for an airport - that resulted in significant prejudice "that is still felt today." A 992-page report released on Thursday is the latest in the ongoing Porirua ki Manawatū inquiry, this time detailing the 17 claims of Te Ātiawa/Ngāti Awa around Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Paekākāriki. It found Te Ātiawa/Ngāti Awa are ...

Some Shelly Bay land returned to iwi,

About 1.7ha of land at Wellington’s Shelly Bay will be returned to Taranaki Whānui as construction on a housing development there finally gets underway, the Herald can reveal. The $500 million development, featuring 350 new homes, has divided an iwi, caught the eye of a famous film-maker, and launched a mayoral campaign. But after years of unrest, everyone in the waka is paddling in the same direction.Link to video and article: Some Shelly Bay land returned to iwi, construction...

Māori cancer boy’s legacy

A mum who set up a charity to support whanāu who have a child with cancer has been awarded a community research grant from the Health Research Council (HRC) to explore Māori perspectives on bone marrow donation. Keri Topperwien (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou) and her husband established the Dream Chaser Foundation following the death of their son. Chace (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe) was 3 when he died in 2012 after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive type of cancer of t...

Wiki Hā:

One of the biggest events on the Māori school calendar is being held this week in Taranaki and Whanganui. RNZ reporter and former competitor Pokere Paewai takes us into the world of Wiki Hā. When I think of my final days at kura, I think of Wiki Hā. A large final gathering of the kura kaupapa bubble, before stepping out into the big wide Pākehā world. Te Wiki Hākinakina o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori - Wiki Hā, as it's more commonly known - is one of the biggest sporting events on the kura ca...

Rāhui prohibiting blackfoot pāua

The decision comes after a hui run by Ngāti Kere Hapū Authority at Pōrangahau Hall at the start of the month, prompted by discussions between mana whenua group, Ngāti Kere Tangata Kaitiaki and community group Te Taiāpure o Pōrangahau. Jim Hutcheson, chairman of the Ngāti Kere Tangata Kaitiaki group, said ordinary people have trouble gathering kaimona.Link to article: Rāhui prohibiting blackfoot pāua take from Pōrangahau reef now in place - NZ Herald...

Health overhaul:

This year has seen the beginning of a complete overhaul of the health system, from our hospitals to primary care,  and everything in between. Rob Campbell is the chair of Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand which was established in July, along with the Maori Health Authority. He is tasked with bringing 20 DHBs together, including 80,000 staff and more than 200,000 staff in funded agencies,  with a focus on reducing inequity, while eliminating duplication, waste, and bureaucracy. But...

Universities urged to

Colonial approaches to data by universities are harming Indigenous communities throughout the world. That’s a finding from the 10th International Indigenous Research Conference, hosted in Aotearoa last month and attended by more than 600 researchers from across the globe. Now, a collaboration of academics from the conference are urging universities to fundamentally shift the way they collect, analyse, store and distribute indigenous data. AUT Professor Jacquie Kidd (Ngāpuhi) was part of that ...

Next-generation wool yarns

A Māori wāhine at one of the country’s largest woollen carpet exporters is utilising her skill in traditional raranga (weaving) to turn next-generation wool yarns into original artworks. Sheryn Rerekura, a textile worker at Bremworth, spent two years completing a diploma in traditional Māori weaving at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, before combining her passions for sustainability and art. The wool used in the production of the artworks is sourced from Bremworth’s research and development divisi...

Hundreds gather to protest Kaipara mayor

Hundreds gathered in Dargaville to protest against the Kaipara mayor on Wednesday morning. It come two weeks after Craig Jepson repeatedly interrupted councillor Pera Paniora when she tried to open a hui with karakia. He has since permitted karakia on a rotating basis just before meetings but not in them. Paniora (Te Roroa, Ngāti Whātua), who represents Te Moananui o Kaipara, said the mayor's behaviour had been "disheartening". "He states that he wants everyone to be included an...

Some primary school teachers

Some primary school teachers are modifying their teaching patterns due to "maths anxiety", new research has found. A study from Julie Whyte, a teacher educator in the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) programme at EIT Te Pūkenga, found in her study some primary maths school teachers are struggling to do basic equations as they suffer from maths anxiety that stems from when they were students. "Society as a whole has this thing about maths," Whyte said. "Most people can relate to sitting around a d...

When tourists go rogue

‘Tis the season once again. Nope not Christmas, it’s the return of the misbehaving tourist. Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei. As the warm weather rolls in, so does the more frequent use of the term ‘unruly’, which perhaps reached its zenith in the summer of 2019 as one family left an indelible mark on the country’s psyche. Of course not all these ne'er-do-wells are from overseas, t...

High hopes for 'vertical papakāinga'

Vertical papakāinga​ could play a major role in Māori being able to live on the whenua they whakapapa back to, an Auckland hapu believes. Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei​ is a hapu of the Ngāti Whātua​ iwi in Tāmaki Makaurau​ Auckland, and it’s work developing the concept of vertical papakāinga (housing) has been showcased in the Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua​ book published by Bridget Williams Books. The hapu’s long-term vision is to ensure its people enjoy a high level of physical, emo...

Youth worker:

Young criminals will now have a support plan put in place within 48 hours of offending. The Government is launching a  $2 million youth crime package to fund locally-led solutions in Auckland, Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty. A new, fast-tracked intervention approach will be taken for children aged 10 to 13 - dubbed serious or persistent offenders. Youth worker Aaron Hendry told Tim Dower it's important children who offend get support as soon as possible.Link to podcast and article:&nb...

Covid-19 impact on schools:

Newly released official documents provide a strongly worded warning about the damage Covid-19 has done to the school system. The Cabinet paper and Education Ministry briefing papers explain the urgent need for a $43 million package announced in September to recruit more teachers and provide catch-up learning for thousands of teenagers. The documents said there was a small window of opportunity to head off significant ill-effects to both student achievement and the supply of teachers. "The impact...

Patricia Grace, Briar Grace-Smith & Miriama Grace-Smith:

The idea of inherited creativity is not obviously supported by history, though anyone looking for a plausible case can’t resist that of Patricia Grace, her daughter-in-law Briar Grace-Smith, and her granddaughter (Briar’s daughter) Miriama Grace-Smith, who were recently brought together in a panel discussion at this year’s Semi Permanent festival, held at St James Theatre in Wellington. A large part of the fascination with these three women, an all-star team with the strongest of imaginati...

Ōpihi burial ground:

Māori groups in Whakatāne have welcomed a decision to pause the development of a retirement village by an urupā. The Environment Court was due to hear an appeal against a Heritage New Zealand decision to grant approval for the development. But the sitting was adjourned after the developer and iwi groups agreed to out-of-court discussions to try to resolve the dispute without litigation. Protect Ōpihi Whanganau Kore spokeswoman Merenia Hudson said tangata whenua were relieved.Link to article:...

High cost of living is squeezing East Coast whānau,

A parenting survey shows managing the family and household is the greatest source of stress for parents in the current economic climate. The State of the Nation Parenting Survey by health insurer Nib New Zealand shows how the rising cost of living is shaping parenting. Some 62 per cent of parents surveyed said the rising cost of living affected their ability to bring up children. Māori - at 72 per cent - reported they were feeling the crunch to a greater degree and to make ends meet, they were ...

New ACC campaign wants shy Māori

ACC has launched a new campaign Kia Mahea Kia Puawai - Making It Clear So We Can Flourish. The by-Māori, for-Māori strategy is created to disseminate useful knowledge about the resources and support accessible to whānau when they are injured. According to the ACC, Māori are 2.5 times more likely to suffer a serious injury but 25 per cent less likely to claim ACC compensation for it. In 2019, a research insight showed that half of New Zealanders and almost 60 per cent of Māori had low awaren...

Staff and students 'concerned'

Staff and students at Canterbury University are concerned about a proposal to restructure its equity team, but it says the aim is to improve academic leadership to “meet modern tribal needs”. A document was released to staff that proposes a reshuffle of reporting lines and separating off the Pacific and rainbow staff from the Office of Māori, Pacific and Equity - Te Waka Pākākano (TWP). Stuff was told by numerous students and staff they are worried about the undoing of progress ...

Māori youth are expressing who they are

A group of rangatahi Māori in Tunatahi (Dargaville) are participating in a nationwide mural campaign called Tūmanako – Hope. The initiative, led by prolific Māori visual artist Mr G (Ngaiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Awa), uses murals to communicate messages of hope to rangatahi. “Collaboration with mana whenua, kaumātua and rangatahi is the key to help weave those messages into the art,” Mr G says.Link to article: Māori youth are expressing who they are through their art...

Educational groups at odds

Organisations representing early childhood services and teachers are divided over calls for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse but united in their belief that teachers need more training. Dame Karen Poutasi's joint review into the children's sector, following last year's murder of five-year-old Malachi Subescz by his caregiver, recommended professionals working with children should be required to report suspected abuse and they should also receive compulsory training. Teachers at ...

Wairarapa Māori win legal battle

The Supreme Court has found in favour of Wairarapa Māori, who have been fighting for the site of a hydro-electric power station in Waikato. The land at Pouakani was given to Wairarapa Moana, who affiliate with Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, in 1916 as compensation when the Crown took the Wairarapa lakes.But a large swathe of that land was lost when the government occupied the lands without their consent to build the Maraetai hydro-power station, which is now owned by Mercury Energy. Wairarapa M...