Back to Blog

28th Māori Battalion Battle Honours memorial flag

For the first time in 76 years, the 28th Māori Battalion Battle Honours memorial flag will be fully displayed and recognised in Rotorua for Waitangi Day.It will be presented at Muruika, Ohinemutu on 6 February by Tā Robert Gillies, the last remaining member of the 28th Māori Battalion who served in B Company during World War II from 1942-1945.Last year he was knighted for a second time after previously turning it down twice, accepting it on behalf of the soldiers he fought alongside.The Batta...

‘Knocking down’ wallaby populations in Rotorua,

Wallaby populations are continuing to grow in Aotearoa, including the dama wallaby in Rotorua, prompting the launch of the first nationwide predator-free awareness campaign.The Tipu Mātoro: Wallaby-free Aotearoa campaign launched this summer highlights the damage the animals do to the environment and asks New Zealanders to report any wallaby sightings to help stop the spread of these pests and knock down their growing populations.Biosecurity New Zealand’s director of response John Walsh said ...

Stone sculptures attracting attention

It seems everyone has a different favourite when it comes to the stone sculptures on display on New Plymouth’s Coastal Walkway.Whether it is Pirongia artist Bill Devoy’s Tui on the Kowhai, Whangarei artist Trisha Fisk’s Moe – Gentle Sleep or the work of Gisborne sculptor Karaitana Akroyd’s with his piece Rangitukia - there have been no shortage of visitors to the exhibition.Hundreds of people have been taking the opportunity to stroll through and admire the work from the biennial Te Ku...

Rātana mission complete for Christopher Luxon,

ANALYSIS: The annual trek to Rātana was a contrast of Chrises: believing different things and making different points, while also having different objectives from the day.For Christopher Luxon it was mission accomplished, although not particularly well. One of the things that he will have to work on is the fact that a lot of his speeches sound either like a basic stump speech with ‘insert name/sector/audience here’ or they come across as some sort of politics 101 primer.His speech at Rātan...

Jacinda Ardern makes final speech

“This is for him to carve out his own space, be his own leader," the outgoing prime minister said of her successor Chris Hipkins as she arrived for a final speech at Rātana.Ardern said she was ready to be a backbench MP and step back from the “centre” of politics, during her last formal engagement in the top job.Ardern praised the incoming leadership of Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni.“I can say hand on heart this is a group of exceptional people who have the privilege of leading New Z...

Winston Peters takes centre stage

Followers of the Rātana Movement - and politicians - are heading to the Rangitikei village of Ratana to celebrate the 150th birthday of the movement’s founder, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana.Thousands of Mōrehu (followers) are expected to descend upon the small Māori village during the three days of celebration.But it was New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters who was the first politician out of the gate.The former deputy Prime Minister, made a no controversy surprise visit to the Pā, where h...

Quickfire Q&A:

Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he wants to lead a government that's clear and transparent in its communications.He told Checkpoint that meant New Zealanders knowing what the government was doing, and why."I want to lead a strong and stable government, I want to lead a government that's focused clearly on the issues that are most pressing for New Zealand."The cost of living was right at the top of issues most important to New Zealanders, he said."I will be doing a bit of programme rat...

'Can't remember the other':

Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins wasn't able to name all three of the Treaty of Waitangi articles during his first press conference as the incoming Prime Minister.Speaking on Sunday after successfully being elected by the Labour caucus as the party's new leader, Hipkins was asked to name the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi.After briefly umming and ahhing, he successfully named two out of the three articles."We have Kawanatanga, Tino Rangatiratanga, and, actually no, I can't remembe...

Kāinga Ora pays $4.5m

Kāinga Ora has bought six existing houses worth $4.5 million in Northland and is accelerating the pace of new-builds, including the region’s largest social housing development in Tikipunga, Whangārei.The six existing houses in Whangārei, Kawakawa and Kerikeri bought in the last quarter of 2022 consisted of two two-bedroom, three three-bedroom and one four-bedroom homes.These include five standalone homes and a duplex home.Kāinga Ora regional director for Northland Jeff Murray said the $4.5...

How iwi, DOC and a community trust

Motutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf has become a test case for how iwi, the Department of Conservation and community groups can work together. But as Tony Wall and Maxine Jacobs report, it hasn’t been easy.Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.In February 2020, James Brown, then-chairman of the Ngāi​ Tai​ ki​ Tāmaki​ iwi, wrote an angry letter to Department of Conservation staff and members of the Motutapu Re...

'People are angry':

Carmel Sepuloni's appointment as Deputy Prime Minister is being celebrated as a win for the Pacific community.The West Auckland-based MP will become the first Pasifika person to take on the role. But there's only one issue concerning voters in her area.West Auckland's Avondale Market is not far from Carmel Sepuloni's Kelston electorate and was busier than ever on Sunday. And there's no doubt the cost of living is the major concern here."At the moment, we are really in a hard situation," another ...

Learning te reo

COLUMN: A good understanding of how nouns, verbs and particles are used to form phrases and sentences in te reo Māori doesn’t detract in any way from the importance of the principle, described in Bruce Biggs’ Let’s Learn Maori, that “The phrase, not the word, is the unit of Maori speech which should be emphasised in learning”.Indeed, focussing on phrases that for one reason or another seem particularly memorable is almost certainly a very good way of increasing one’s vocabulary and ...

Top scientists confirm

University of Auckland researchers have found more than 60 biologically active compounds in kawakawa leaves.Aotearoa New Zealand scientists are proving the health effects of kawakawa, a plant revered as taonga and long used in Māori medicine, or rongoā.In the latest paper, researchers from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, in partnership with hapū-owned Wakatū Incorporation from Te Tauihu at the north of Te Wai Pounamu, applied liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identi...

Manawatū:

Tangata whenua in the small Manawatū town of Kimbolton hope a meeting this weekend will help bring the community together.Controversy was kicked up when posters appeared around the town for a Settlers Day event to be held on Waitangi Day - but no mana whenua were invited.The organisers of the event will meet with local iwi, Ngāti Kauwhata, on Monday to discuss the history of settlement in the Oroua Valley.The hui comes after comments were made by some locals questioning whether there had been ...

'Ruthless' and 'down to earth':

The news that Chris Hipkins is set to be New Zealand's new Prime Minister has made its way around the world.International media outlets are doing their research on the man who is in line to replace Jacinda Ardern as leader.Hipkins' considerable experience and humour are being highlighted in news articles online, but there have been questions raised about whether his role in New Zealand's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic could hinder or help the Labour MP.While Hipkins still needs to be formally...

Whanganui village wipes name of Scottish military leader

The small settlement of Pākaraka outside Whanganui has wiped the name of a Scottish militia leader from the map.Formerly known as Maxwell, it was named after Sergeant George Maxwell, who led a massacre of Māori rangatahi more than 150 years ago.Replacing the road sign and replacing a name associated with one of the little-known dark chapters in our history, officially returning the name of this small settlement near Whanganui.Link to video and article: Whanganui village wipes name of Scot...

Waste firm promises iwi $10m

A contentious proposal to build a “mega” 26 million cubic metre landfill north of Auckland has made a significant step forward, securing the support of local mana whenua Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust.In a memorandum released to Stuff, Waste Management has agreed to pay $10 million if the landfill should “threaten the integrity” of the nearby Hoteo River.The river feeds into the Kaipara Harbour, and the possible poisoning of waterways should the landfill leak was a major concern discus...

From homeless to Eco Warrior, our first Māori Environment Commissioner

Aotearoa’s first Māori Environment Commissioner. Eco-Warrior. Lawyer. Wāhine Toa Journalist. Broadcaster. Television Presenter. Teacher. Global Goodwill Ambassador.Kiri Danielle’s CV reads like a wish list of Māori excellence. But behind her pageant-worthy smile lie memories that still bring her to tears.Danielle shared her heartbreaking past in an emotional and honest Facebook post to her 20,000 followers.“In 2016, in my personal life, everything collapsed.”Link to article: From...

Local Focus: Fun for Rotorua’s Eastern families

Every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 10 weeks East Side Fun Days are being held to strengthen communities and create opportunities for Rotorua whānau.The events, led by Healthy Families Rotorua, are to help entice whānau to use community areas.Mariana Vercoe from Healthy Families Rotorua is passionate about the project and the impacts it will have on the East.“Our first point is generally getting people moving for physical health benefits. But we’ve noticed it’s a real way of getting ...

Housing provider Kāinga Ora

Housing provider Kāinga Ora is planning to buy 18 new homes in Richmond, with more on the way.Five properties on Bateup Rd are currently under construction, expected to be finished later this month, with Kāinga Ora taking ownership upon completion, said Julia Campbell, regional director Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast.The homes, built by Ewi Developments, will be modern and comfortable, and will fit in well in the neighbourhood, Campbell said.They’ll also help to address some of the incre...

Information gleaned in NZ government contractor hack

Information gleaned in a Russian or Eastern European cyberattack, which hit organisations working for Te Whatu Ora Health NZ and the Ministry of Justice, has been released on the dark web.Some private companies were also targeted in the attacks. The exact nature of information placed on the dark web is not yet known.In response to questions, Ministry of Justice – Te Tāhū o te Ture acting chief operating officer Jacquelyn Shannon on Tuesday evening confirmed a "development with the recent cyb...

Māoridom reflects on Jacinda Ardern's premiership

Jacinda Ardern-led governments advanced Māori health reforms, widened Māori representation in governance, and introduced the Matariki public holiday and the teaching of this country's history in schools.Several Māori leaders across the motu reflected positively on those achievements when Ardern announced her resignation on Thursday afternoon.But there was also frustration among some sectors of Māoridom at the pace of reform, criticism of Crown overreach into Māori affairs, and ongoing inequ...

Call for later start

Researchers are seeking the views of teenagers, whānau and schools as they put forward an argument that senior secondary students should start school later.An editorial article published in the New Zealand Medical Journal today, titled Sleep-in to stay well: addressing school start times for the health and wellbeing of teens in Aotearoa, argues a start time of 9.45am is a "public health imperative"."Teen sleep is really problematic… they have really poor sleep, very sleep-deprived because the...

Rāhui placed over 'dangerous' beach

A rāhui has been placed over the “dangerous” beach where a mass rescue of a family of seven unfolded on Wednesday.But a 15-year-old boy still remains unaccounted for, police said in an updated statement.It comes after a second day of search efforts for the missing teenager.A number of people, services and resources had been involved in the search, accompanied by a fixed wing aircraft, Acting Senior Sergeant for Whangamatā Police, Will Hamilton said. They were not successful.Link to video a...

Risk of debilitating illness from long Covid could grow -

A prominent epidemiologist says the risk of chronic and debilitating illness from long Covid could grow as more people are re-infected.The latest figures, released by the Ministry of Health on Monday, showed the rolling average of new daily cases dropping slightly to 2738.While widespread vaccine coverage has helped keep New Zealand's mortality rate low, compared to nations which suffered waves of infection earlier in the pandemic, not everyone completely recovers from the acute stage of the inf...