Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, July 31, 2006

Woolerton wanting clarity on principles deletion bill

New Zealand First MP Doug Woolerton says his Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Deletion Bill is necessary because the party can't get straight answers about what the principles are.

The bill has been referred to the Justice and Law select committee with government support, but Labour says that's where its support ends.

Mr Woolerton says New Zealand First has been asking for straightforward definitions of the principles for years, without success.

He says if anyone does know what the principles are, they should turn up to the select committee and lay them out.

“If there is clarity, if there is a definition comes out of this, fine. We will know all of those things openly and publicly after it’s been to the select committee, and we can say it didn’t achieve what we wanted achieved in the first instance, but something was achieved,” Woolerton said.

MAYOR APOLOGIES FOR GISBORNE PARK OVERSIGHT

Gisborne mayor Meng Foon has apologised for not properly consulting tangata whenua before making changes to a city park.

Parliament last week passed the Alfred Cox Park Validation Bill, which allows the council to control activities on the popular reserve.

The land was taken from Rongowhakaata owners under the Public Works Act and transferred to the Council in 1944.

Mr Foon says the council wanted to clarify the status of the land, but didn't handle the process as well as it could have.

“In terms of Rongowhakaata, I think we should have been proactive. Even before we advertised it in the paper we should have met with them to discuss the validation, the issues surrounding Alfred Cox Park. I got to say regretfully we never did that,” Foon said.

NO MAORI TEAM FOR WORLD CUP

A push to include a Maori side in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup has failed.

The event is co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, and Maori Rugby League chairperson Howie Tamati is upset the international Rugby League Board has Maori and Aboriginal cases for inclusion.

The Maori squad took part in the competition in Great Britain in 2000.

Mr Tamati says his board gave the bid its best shot.

“I don't think they understand if you don’t make the Kiwi side, the mana and status accorded to Maori players who play for New Zealand Maori is just as strong and just as passionate as if you were representing the Kiwis. It’s very hard in a 20 minute presentation to get that across to them, but we did our best,” Tamati said.

Howie Tamati says he will now push for a Maori team to play an Aboriginal selection as a curtain-raiser to the World Cup final.

HAURAKI TRIBES NEED TO TALK TO POROU

Hauraki and Ngati Porou ki Hauraki tribes need to sit down and talk about their foreshore and seabed grievances before they talk with the Crown.

That's the view of Korohere Ngapo who has whakapapa ties to both camps caliming mana over Kennedy Bay and Mataora of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Ngati Porou ki Hauraki is already discussions with officials, and some members of Ngati Maru, Ngati Tamateraa and otherl Hauraki iwi say their traditional interests are being ignored.

Korohere Ngapo says the Crown is buying trouble in future if it only talks to one side in the Coromandel.

ACT SAYS KNEEJERK RESPONSES WON’T WORK

ACT list MP Heather Roy says proposals thrown up in the wake of the Kahui case for more monitoring of beneficiaries and children are unworkable.

National wants a smart card system to monitor beneficiary spending.

Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro is suggesting a national database to track tracking children.

Ms Roy says those are kneejerk responses which will to disempower large sectors of the community:

COMMITMENT TO LANGUAGE TOO WEAK

Maori Tertiary Students Association president Veronica Tawhai says the Government's commitment to the Maori language is half hearted.

TV1's Marae programme has revealed about 80 percent of Maori secondary students receive no Maori language tuition at all, and what the balance get is of variable quality.

Ms Tawhai says that affects the options Maori students have when they study at higher levels.

She says more needs to be done to uphold the Treaty guarantees to protect the language, as established by the Te Reo Maori claim before the Waitangi Tribunal.

Veronica Tawhai says there should be a 100 percent subsidy for all te reo lessons.

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