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Step forward as students

Students at Christ's College in Christchurch can now finally wear ie faitaga to school instead of grey trousers.It is described as a more formal version of a lava lava. The garment is called ie faitaga in Samoan, tupenu in Tongan and sulu in Fijian.The school's principal said the addition to the official College uniform could be worn by Pasifika students in place of their trousers throughout the year.Student Jayden Sa, 17, grew up in a hard-working Samoan family; he is a New Zealander but is pro...

Worries over teen vaping

Highlands Intermediate has disciplined 17 students so far this year for vaping on school grounds - which has been legally prohibited since last year.Principal Mark Luff was so worried about an increase in the number of students caught vaping or vaping equipment that he sent out a general alert to parents."We're not seeing huge numbers, but it's just a consistent flow of it and we're realistic we're not the only school in New Zealand experiencing this."We know when we talk to colleagues it's happ...

The Hui meets academic who uncovered his family's involvement in invasion of Parihaka

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RAISING SUCCESSFUL KIDS I talked to 70 parents who raised highly successful kids—

What is a parent’s role in raising smart, confident and successful children? What matters? What doesn’t? Though I am the mother of two happy and driven entrepreneurial sons, these are questions I never thought to ask.Looking back, I would have loved to have read stories about how entrepreneurs had grown up — not just Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, but people who we could actually identify with.Entrepreneurs, in my view, are not just founders of for-profit businesse...

Tihei:

Ngāti Kahungunu has entered into a housing investment partnership with the Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga Crown agencies Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and Te Puni Kōkiri - The Ministry of Māori Development.A total of $45.3 million has been granted to Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi to achieve their housing plans to build warm healthy and affordable homes for whānau who need them most.The binding of the relationship was sealed by the signing of the heads of agreeme...

Finding my taha Māori

I’ve always been fascinated by the night sky, purely because it’s so beautiful. When I was growing up, it baffled me that the people around me were never interested in it. There’s this vast expanse above us, full of beautiful shimmering lights, and nobody seemed to care. After a long stint in hospitality, I decided to study environmental science, but what I really wanted was to learn more about the stars. So, I decided to volunteer at the Stardome Observatory in Auckland as a telescop...

Matariki:

When looking to the sky in midwinter, Matariki is the cluster of stars that marks te Mātahi o te Tau/ the Māori New Year. Celebrating it as an official public holiday is an acknowledgement of traditions that were on the brink of being lost forever. It is also an opportunity to better understand what Matariki has meant to generations past and what it could mean for those to come.Link to video: Matariki: Stories behind the cluster of stars (1news.co.nz)...

Jennifer Ward-Lealand debuts as director

The devastating impact of meth or 'P' on a family is the theme of a new short film by actor turned director Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand.The 13-minute film, called Disrupt, has featured at a film festival in Hawaii and last week it screened at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Wairoa Film Festival, where it won the audience voted Tinirau Prize.It is also in the programme for the Whānau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival in October and is a...

Māori say time,

Māori who feel alienated or rushed are more likely to avoid routinely vaccinating their tamariki, an immunisation report by health boards in the Wellington region has found.The report, commissioned by Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley health boards and obtained under the Official Information Act, has led to a raft of recommendations on how to improve childhood immunisation services, which cover vaccines against the likes of measles, rotavirus and chickenpox. Broadly, participants shared how ...

Matariki:

Aotearoa’s newest public holiday is fast approaching as the country celebrates Matariki.It’s a great chance to get outdoors and enjoy the amazing beauty here in New Zealand, and fingers crossed, you’ll have a clear night too.Here are some top locations for an overnight trip to celebrate Matariki while stargazing.Link to video and article: Matariki: The best overnight hikes for stargazing | Stuff.co.nz...

Free programme making hundreds of north Waikato

A Huntly family living in two cabins is just one of thousands of whānau in Waikato who needed help making their home healthier this year.Sheryl Matenga, her partner, baby, and three children moved into a whānau-owned home in Huntly when their rent was increased beyond what they could afford in 2019.They were one of 223 families in north Waikato helped by the Waikato District Health Board’s free Whare Ora programme.Link to article: Free programme making hundreds of north Waikato homes wa...

Online backlash to drag performers shocks community:

Sunita Torrance and Daniel Lockett perform as Coco and Erika in a show which encourages inclusivity and kindness.On a New Plymouth District Council Facebook post promoting the Puke Ariki and Waitara Library appearances, the pair were accused of indoctrinating children and recruiting for the Rainbow community.Torrance said that was unfair."It's not about trying to create some kind of gay army or create some kind of agenda."Some of these kids have two mothers, two fathers, they've got a rainbow br...

Matariki Tauranga:

Matariki Tauranga Moana celebrations are in full swing, and everyone’s invited! Check out these special events taking place next week.Tauranga City Libraries presents an evening with Robert McGowan, Queen Service Medal, on Wednesday, June 15.Robert, an author, conservationist, practitioner, and educator, has contributed to the revival and restoration of Rongoā Māori (traditional Māori healing).Robert will speak of his journey to knowledge and share experiences and steps that we can all take...

Don't look to Auckland Art Gallery

OPINION: “Can you please tell us where we can see work by Māori artists?” I asked staff at Auckland Art Gallery one recent Sunday. Their eyes widened, as they blanched at a question with no satisfactory answer. “Um,” said one. “There’s Guide Kaiārahi outside?”Yes, I could have turned around and walked back outside, in the cold, to see Reuben Paterson’s glorious waka looming large. But the few pieces of Māori art currently inside are mostly shoved in back corners or are lo...

Five planets and the Moon

Star-gazers searching for the Matariki constellation will be treated to a rare alignment of five planets and the moon.The alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the morning sky from Friday, and joined by the Moon on June 21, in time for Matariki or the Māori New Year. The Matariki constellation will be just below Venus, which will be the brightest planet in the sky."It is a total coincidence, but it is very special that this happens to fall on the same day as t...

Iwi gain equal say over Taranaki Maunga

A new group called Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi - half appointed by iwi and half by the Crown - will develop future management plans for Te Papakura o Taranaki (currently Egmont National Park). Plans will then need joint approval from both the Minister of Conservation and another group, Te Tōpuni Ngarahu, made up of representatives from the eight iwi of Taranaki.Co-governance of Taranaki Maunga has been hammered out between the Crown and iwi negotiators. They agreed in 2017 that the mountain and rang...

Iwi keen to explore cultural centre

A Marlborough iwi has asked the council to fund a feasibility study into a cultural centre, which could finally see artefacts stored in Christchurch returned to the region.Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust general manager Corey Hebberd presented at the council’s annual plan hearings on Wednesday – telling councillors the project, Ngā Wairau o Ruatere, is something they’ve had their sights on long before their 2010 settlement was even signed.Hebberd said while there had been a&n...

Hinemoa Elder on wellbeing, writing and Millie

Once she was known for being a children's TV presenter and wife to Paul Holmes. Now at 56, Dr Hinemoa Elder has found her place in the world as a psychiatrist, health researcher, successful author and proud Māori woman.She will mark Matariki by taking the stage at M9, a new speaker and performance event.Are you excited to be involved with the inaugural M9 event?I'm so looking forward to it. M9 is the work of musician Ria Hall, who has put together an eclectic combination of Māori women to pres...

Iwi's big CBD plan:

Hamilton’s biggest CBD landowner has revealed bold plans to reimagine the central city, anchored by a major redevelopment of Centre Place.Iwi-owned Tainui Group Holdings (TGH), in partnership with Kiwi Property, plans to reimagine the inner-city mall, turning it into a mixed-use precinct, complete with high-rise apartments and multi-storey office blocks.The remodelling of Centre Place is part of TGH’s 20 – 30 year vision to reinvigorate the central city and create a “vibrant heart” for...

Learning a code language

The simple English sentence “This is good.” consists of two phrases –with the phrase-break coming between “This” and “is good.”A sentence of similar meaning in te reo is: Ka pai / tēnei. (“Is good / this.”) also two phrases, but in reverse order.Apart from the reversal of the phrase- sequence, however, there is another difference between these two sentences which is of much greater significance.This column focuses on further clarifying this particular difference.Link to video ...

Te Papa opens interactive Matariki exhibition

The exhibition made up of three interactive parts including past, present and future was blessed this morning by mana whenua.Te Papa kaitiaki and design team lead Crystal Jones said the first part focuses on the star "Pōhutukawa" and looks at remembering those who have died in the last year."You come up and you push one of the buttons and you think about the person or people or say their names out loud. In historic times, you would call their name out to the stars and Pōhutukawa would take you...

Dame Silvia Cartwright to head inquiry

Dame Silvia Cartwright will head the independent inquiry into abuse at Dilworth School.Eleven men linked to Dilworth School have been charged over historical assault, totalling over 50 separate charges. Three have pleaded guilty and two have been sentenced to prison.Dame Silvia, a former Governor-General and hight court judge, led the inquiry into the Earthquake Commission's handling of the Canterbury earthquake claims, and the 1988 Cartwright Inquiry into cervical cancer treatment at Auckl...

Gaps in learning, behavioural issues worsening as students struggle in pandemic -

Principals and teachers warn they are seeing worse behaviour and achievement after two-and-a-half years of pandemic disruption.They told RNZ many young people were doing well, but some had gaps in their learning and had missed basic routines and socialisation that helped them get along with one another and with their teachers.They said the situation was worst in Auckland, where schools had lost more time to lockdowns than schools in other parts of the country.Link to article: Gaps in learni...

Seventh report:

In this, the Seventh report of the Family Violence Death Review Committee, we draw attention to the concept of a duty to care. It is related to but distinct from a common concept in a western framework: a ‘duty of care’, which is a legal obligation to ensure the safety or wellbeing of others.This report explores factors that have pushed Aotearoa New Zealand away from caring for people who experience family violence, reinforcing messages that no one is there to help them.The&nb...

Māori organisations lead way in dealing with family violence -

The latest report from the Family Violence Death Review Committee (FVDRC) is calling for government agencies to be more responsive to whānau. A duty to care - Pūrongo tuawhitu: Me manaaki te tangata from the Family Violence Death Review Committee draws on findings and recommendations from in-depth reviews conducted between 2019 and 2021.Link to article: Māori organisations lead way in dealing with family violence - report (1news.co.nz)...