Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Maori challenge DoC for greater role

Maori are challenging the Department of Conservation to involve them more in the management of the nation's natural heritage.

Environmentally-minded Maori met in Wellington yesterday at a hui called by the Maori members of the New Zealand Conservation Authority, Piri Sciascia, Lorraine Stephenson and Charles Croft.

Tata Lawton, the department's Maori issues manager, says while the department has made an effort over the past five years to connect with te iwi Maori, it is still struggling.

He says that raises some important questions the hui tried to tackle.

"How do Maori participate and what's their role? Succession planning for Maori members on the conservation boards and authority, communication in that iwi interface and how come we're not getting of major buy in by Maori," Lawton said.

Tata Lawton says the department has established programmes to prepare its staff to engage with Maori.

RONGOWHAKAATA KEEN TO DIVIDE CATCH

The head of Gisborne iwi Rongowhakaata, Stan Pardoe, is confident agreement can be reached with neighbouring tribes about the final size of their fisheries settlement in time for the October fishing season.

Te Ohu Kaimoana fisheries settlement trust has ruled that Rongowhakaata Charitable Trust has the mandate to represent the tribe, so it can receive $2.1 million in assets, including cash, shares in Aotearoa Fisheries and 75 percent of its deepwater quota.

The inshore quota and remaining deepwater quota will be handed over when a deal is struck with Ngati Porou to the north and Aitanga a Mahaaki in the south.

Mr Pardoe says it's not so much a case of drawing a line in the sand as dividing the catch.

"There are areas that we all shared. It will probably be more likely we agree on some sort of percentage of the coastline. We shared that whole coastline. We are just trying to be fair to everyone, because at the end of the day if we whakapapa, we're all linked," Pardoe said.


COLONISATION AFFECTING MAORI DRUG NEED

The head of Auckland Maori public health organisation Hapai Te Hauora says drug and alcohol programmes for Maori need to recognise the experience of colonisation.

Hapai Te Houora presented its Mauri Ora healing model to a New Zealand Drug Foundation hui at Orakei Marae yesterday.

Chief executive Kathrine Clarke says Maori need to develop their own strategies to address drug and alcohol abuse, which have a community and historical perspective.

"Substance use is a substitute for something else. And one of those something else is that lack of tino rangatiratanga really that we all feel. The treaty is considered one of the issues in terms of disparities of health and until we actually address the issues around the treaty we are always going to have this gap that needs filling."


Kathrine Clarke says young people need to be supported to come up with their own anti-drug programmes.

She says international experience presented to a New Zealand Drug Foundation hui at Orakei Marae yesterday confirmed what people here have learned, that most school anti-drug education doesn't work.

Ms Clarke says young people respond best to their peers.
"We need to actually give then the resources and the tautoko so that they can actually develop strategies that work for them. And as adults, we need to provide the infrastructure and the support for that to occur. We just need to understand that our role as whanau in that is to tautoko."


Kathrine Clarke says Maori have particular issues to cope with regarding substance abuse, so they can't be expected to accept outside solutions.

POUWHENUA FOR NATION DREAM

A man who helped co-ordinate the construction of pouwhenua in the Hokianga is hoping other iwi will do the same.

Patariki Briggs from Kohukohu says the three poutiaki in the township have been warmly received by Maori and non Maori residents, as well as tourists visiting the area.

The carvings, called tika , pono and aroha, stand over three metres tall, and were completed by students working under master carver Nopera Pikari.

They represent the kaitiakitangaa, or guardianship of the foreshore and seabed, and add to those already erected in Ahipara, Pangaru and Rangi Point.

Mr Briggs says pouwhenua are a bold statement of Maori identity, and he'd like to see other iwi do the same.

MANUTUKE IN SWING OF MARAE DIY

Manutuke Marae, just south of Gisborne, is resounding to the sound to hammers, paintbrushes and concrete mixers.

Whaanu have arrived from all over the country to give the complex a makeover for Maori Television's Marae DIY series.

Marae spokesperson, Jody Toroa, says the marae carvings have just been restored with the help from the Historic Places Trust, and this weekend's makeover is icing on the cake for the whanau.

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