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Hamilton City council says te reo Māori names

Hamilton City Council's Community Committee has approved te reo Māori names for new parks in Rototuna and Rotokauri as part of the council's commitment that 'te reo Māori is seen, heard and celebrated throughout the city'.The council says te reo Māori names chosen for a new pocket park and a future sports park reflect the rich history and cultural significance of the whenua (land).Tuna Kai is the name of the small pocket park on Tenille St, in Rototuna in recognition of the traditional food s...

When your teen tells you something worrisome about a friend,

It can be startling, what parents of teens can overhear or otherwise learn about their own child’s friends — who's getting in with a misguided crowd, who's taken up a not-so-secret vaping habit, who seems depressed or even suicidal.And sometimes, the instinct to reach out to the parent with news that their teen might be in trouble can be a strong one — especially when your child comes directly to you with the information.But when is that helpful and important — and when is it...

World-first Māori psychology learning

A world-first kaupapa Māori minor in psychology is starting at Waikato University next month.The minor programme (a secondary subject in a bachelor’s degree) has been developed by associate professor Bridgette Masters-Awatere (Te Rarawa, Ngāi te Rangi, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau).She expects it to add real value to the perspectives of Māori, Pākehā and other ethnicity students.Link to article: World-first Māori psychology learning coming to Waikato University | Stuff.co.nz...

The history of the Kīngitanga and

The Kīngitanga or Māori King movement is one of the most enduring Māori institutions that emerged in colonial times, and is one of the longest-running political institutions in New Zealand. Originating in 1858, it has continued into the 2000s. Kīngi Tūheitia is the seventh successive sovereign since the inception of the Kīngitanga.There was no single Māori sovereign when Europeans first came to New Zealand. Instead, Māori tribes functioned independently under the leadership of their own ...

Oranga Tamariki bill could make youth homelessness worse,

Youth homelessness may get worse if the proposed Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill is passed in its current form.The warning from Manaaki Rangatahi, a collective which supports homeless teens, comes as the Government looks set to pass the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill, despite widespread criticism.Manaaki Rangatahi member Aaron Hendry, who is also the youth housing service lead for Lifewise, has launched a petition calling for the Go...

Māori, Pasifika describe racist encounters

The Hawke's Bay District Health Board has been called racist following an internal review into how it treats Māori and Pasifika patients.Board members were told about the patients' experiences at their last ever meeting this week.The internal review was a "proactive piece of work" by the DHB, which partnered with Māori cultural communication agency Tātou and strategy advisers Rutherford Consulting to improve its referral process.About 40 people were interviewed such as whānau and GPs as well...

Connections with iwi

An advocate for the revitalisation of te ao Māori says making a genuine connection with local iwi is vital for schools to successfully integrate Aotearoa New Zealand histories into their curriculum.But developing those relationships will take time, iwi leaders say.The Ministry of Education earlier this year released the Aotearoa New Zealand histories curriculum, which aims to see local histories being taught in schools. The move has been welcomed by some teachers and educators who believe it ca...

Iwi confirm ownership

Te Atiawa has confirmed its purchase of a long-vacant New Plymouth building which is set to be demolished.Plans are in place to dismantle the six-storey Education House, on the corner of Eliot and Courtenay streets, which has been empty of tenants since 2011.Demolition work is set to begin on July 4 and will likely take about six months, leaving the site ripe for re-development.In a statement issued on Monday, Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa said it had bought the property from Toitū Te Whenua/Land ...

Health NZ chair to clean up

The boxer Mike Tyson once said "everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face". Well, says new Health NZ chair Rob Campbell, our health system is wearing those punches now.Speaking at the Health Tech Conference in Auckland, Campbell is this morning declaring war - he uses that term - on those he says are exploiting the health system for their own gain.The brutal warning comes from a man who has worked as both a unionist and as a director of big listed companies like SkyCi...

Kāinga Ora suspends Auckland social housing project

Kāinga Ora has “suspended” plans to build 37 houses for people without a home in Auckland’s Millwater following an outcry from neighbours concerned for their property values.The government agency said it was taking the time to get feedback from the public to hear its “aspirations” for the neighbourhood.Kāinga Ora confirmed that it had met with representatives of a group of neighbours opposed to the project last week.Regional director Taina Jones said she acknowledged many M...

Tihei:

It's been almost a month since Ngāti Kahungunu's fisheries business, Takitimu Seafoods, downsized to one fish 'n' chip takeaway shop, combined with its fresh fish and third-party retail outlet, and a strong wholesale and online wing for valued customers to maintain purchasing high-quality fish delivered straight to their door.On May 30, around 25 staff and 10 iwi representatives met at Takitimu Seafoods in Napier to join in a refreshing ceremony to welcome everyone in the team to a new start fo...

Review:

What better way for movie lovers to honour the wairua of Matariki than taking a big-screen journey into the inspirational life of Dame Whina Cooper.Whina is a feature film tracking the life of a phenomenal woman who broke gender and cultural barriers her entire life. We bear witness to her as a daughter, a wife, a mother, and an activist.The importance and relevance of seeing Aotearoa's history play out through Dame Whina's eyes and the lens of Māori cannot be understated, as co-directors ...

Papakura High School faces accusations of racism and bullying

Now students and the community are upset there hasn't been enough communication and are calling for the Board of Trustees and the principal to go.There's been an outcry of support from around 100 students and community members for their Māori teachers.After one teacher from Papakura High School's Māori unit was let go, three others including Harono Teiringa resigned in protest."I resigned to stand in solidarity with my colleagues and I felt culturally unsafe with what was happening."Accusation...

Ten key words to unlock understanding

The primary purpose in these columns is to clarify as much as possible the differences between contemporary English and te reo Māori.To that end some of main differences tend to be re-examined from various alternative perspectives. It’s hoped such additional explanations, besides offering access to new readers, also reinforce understanding of earlier explanations.In the last column it was mentioned that te reo Māori was used as a code-language by New Zealand troops in Italy during World War ...

Matariki 2022:

For centuries, Māori have marked the reappearance of the small cluster of Matariki stars in the mid-winter sky, by gathering to enjoy the bounty of harvest from the earth, sea and sky.It is a time for remembering - particularly those who have passed away in the past year - enjoying being together with good food, and looking forward to all that the coming year will bring.But there's also much more to discover about Matariki, with stories to be shared, as well as the rich symbolism in traditional...

In Pictures:

Matariki refers to the star cluster also known as Pleiades, which disappears from view at the beginning of the cold months. When the stars reappear in the pre-dawn sky in the middle of winter, it signals the Māori New Year. The holiday is a time for gathering with friends and whānau to reflect on the year that has been, making the most of the present, and looking forward to the year ahead. Link to video and article: In Pictures: Aotearoa comes together for Matariki | Stuff.co.nz...

Planting by the Māori lunar calendar

It’s the whistling and singing that provide Peter Klaus with the surety that his wife can be found in the garden. “As soon as I go out there I either sing or whistle – maybe not so much of the whistle as the puckering is not so good for the wrinkles,” Pauline Klaus laughs.“Being in the garden really makes me feel happy and at peace. I am so lucky to be here, absolutely privileged to live here.”Link to video and article: Planting by the Māori lunar calendar has changed this Roto...

Thousands gather to embrace Puanga Twilight Festival

The chill in the air was no match for the warmth of song and solidarity at Manawatū’s largest Matariki celebration.Thousands of people gathered beside the awa for the Puanga Twilight Festival at Ahimate Reserve in Palmerston North on Friday.Beneath strings of bright lights, and beside the dark sparkle of the Manawatū River, communities came together to mark the first Matariki public holiday with kapa haka, musical performances, kai and fireworks.Palmerston North City Council and Rangitāne o...

Matariki: Marking the Māori New Year

Luke David Adams arrived about 2.30am alongside a number of parents and staff to get the fires burning for the kai."We've got two hāngi going - one for our umu kohukohu whetū, and the hautapu, which is the ceremonial one, and they've got four baskets that we wove."There's four stars all to do with kai - one for fresh water, one for salt water, one for kai above the ground, and one for kai below the ground. Each basket, we've put one of the different food groups in there, which we won't eat. We...

Spy:

Conversations with Friends' star Sasha Lane may be American-born, but we are claiming the beautiful and talented wahine as a Kiwi and we know she won't mind. The actress, who originates from Houston, Texas, is of Māori heritage. Her mum, from Taumarunui, married an African American man with whom she had two children but the pair split and she stayed in the US to raise Lane and her brother.As her star has ascended, so has Lane's interest in finding out more about her heritage in Aoteoroa. A fern...

Tauranga District Court Judge slams Spring Hill prison

A District Court judge has slammed the "utterly unacceptable" management of a prison after failures that will result in a Tauranga man locked away for months for crimes he may not face an actual prison term for anyway.Now the director of the prison has apologised, launching a review into what went wrong.Eighteen-year-old Noah Thompson appeared before Judge Paul Geoghegan in Tauranga on Wednesday, to be sentenced after pleading guilty to three charges each of burglary and driving while suspended,...

Cheat sheet:

FIRST OFF: ‘MANAWATIA a MATARIKI’ Matariki refers to the rising of the star cluster known as Pleiades. For Māori and those who follow the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) this marks the end of one lunar cycle and the beginning of another – te tau hou Māori (Māori new year).WHAT DOES MATARIKI REPRESENT? Matariki represents an opportunity to fine tune our senses and connection with cosmic processes and cycles, as Lambert notes. But do we only connect with the taiao during one week or on...

School brings people together

Children at a Palmerston North school should be well versed in the meaning of Matariki.West End School held a day of Matariki events on Thursday, inviting family to school to take part in Māori games and activities, including kapa haka and shared kai.But the children have also in recent weeks been learning about the meaning of Matariki, the Māori New Year, which will be marked for the first time by a public holiday on Friday.Principal Matt Kennedy said Matariki was about more than just one day...

Māori, council co-management

The first project on the books connected to a co-management partnership between Māori and New Plymouth’s council is full steam ahead, with more in the pipeline.Waitara’s Marine Park, and its planned re-development, is the inaugural one based on a relationship created between New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) and Te Kōwhatu Tū Moana (TKTM), which owns the site.In March 2019, NPDC signed an agreement with Te Atiawa iwi, and Manukorihi and Otaraua hapū regarding how the outcomes of the N...

Whānau gather under the southern stars

A fire crackles in the frosty morning air as whānau speak the names of their loved ones who’ve passed this year, allowing them to become stars.The sun hasn’t even begun to rise yet, but they’ve gathered at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff – New Zealand’s southernmost marae – for hautapu.The pre-dawn ceremony gives thanks to the stars and nourishes the atua (gods) as whānau ring in the Māori New Year.Te Rūnaka O Awarua Kaiwhakahaere Dean Whaanga carefully opens offerings of kūmar...