Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, February 19, 2007

Otakanini land occupied

Long running disputes in a south Kaipara Maori land incorporation have led to a group occupying a block of land near Helensville.

One of them, Denise Hapeta, says up to 100 people have been camping since Boxing Day on the block which is administered by the Otakanini Topu Incorporation.

Mrs Hapeta says the majority of landowners have no say over what happens on the incorporation's blocks, and they fear the committee of management is consolidating its hold by buying up any shares which come on the market.

“Three quarters of the family business is owned now by the managers and a lot of the owners have been left out, some of the owners haven’t been paid any dividend whatsoever for over 30 years, and it’s not one or two. The people are just feeling so disenfranchised,” Mrs Hapeta says.

Otakanini Topu Incorporation chairperson Hemi Rau says he will not comment while the occupation continues.

MAORI SPUR FOR WORLD HERITAGE EFFORT

Representatives from Pacific island counties are in Tokaanu this week to learn how some of their unique environments may win world heritage status.

Department of Conservation Tongariro conservator Paul Green says the UNESCO World Heritage Council workshop is being held in the shadow of Mount Ruapehu because Tuwharetoa chief Tumu te Heuheu is the council's current chair.

Mr Green says Maori have been involved in the granting of world heritage status to Tongariro, parts of Fiordland and the sub-Antarctic Islands, and can share their experiences with Pasifika, which has only one world heritage area.

“What New Zealand can do is to play a role and particularly the Maori people can be seen as encouraging and giving a bit of confidence to these much smaller nations to work out ways they can protect their taonga and receive some benefits from it,” Mr Green says.

OLD TROUPERS TAKE THE BOARDS AT TE MATATINI

Some of the old sounds and voices of Maori performing arts will be heard again at the Te Matatini kapa haka competitions later this week.

Takiura is a special roopu of 300 performers aged 55 years and over who will perform waiata from 14 traditional composers including from Tuini Ngawai, Henare Waitoa, Kohine Ponika and Kingi Ngahiwi.

Organiser Puti Mackey says people will be able to hear how much performing styles have changed since the national festival started in 1972.

“The use of language and the simplicity of language and how you sung it, in comparison today the language is quite different in its composition and I guess that’s because the majority of them may be second language learners,” Ms Mackey says.

Taikura will perform in 10 minute blocks between every third group on Friday.

CREATIVE NZ CASH FOR JUNKETS, NOT ARTISTS

The arts council won't help fund two Maori artists to show their work at this year's Venice Biennale, but it is prepared to spend 67 thousand dollars sending people to write a report on it.

Creative New Zealand chief executive Stephen Wainwright says because there will be no official New Zealand presence at the art world's most prestigious fair, it can't offer any help to Brett Graham and Rachel Rakena.

A collaborative work by the pair has been picked by the biennale's curator for inclusion in the collateral event, which runs alongside the main festival.

Mr Wainwright says it's too late for Creative New Zealand.

“We've done three Venices and we’re having an intake of breath and a look art Venice in terms of our wider international strategy, so we’re actually supporting a delegation who’s going to go to three major events in Europe, including Venice, and they’re going to research opportunities provided by those events and provide recommendations to our council so that in the future we’re able to get the best possible benefit we can,” Mr Wainwright says.

The five member study group includes artists Lisa Reihana and Gavin Hipkins, dealers and curators.

PRESSURE TO KEEP TREATY IN SCHOOLING

The head of the School Trustees Association says there is pressure on the government to leave study of the Treaty of Waitangi in the school curriculum.

Lorraine Kerr says the majority of Maori parents send their children to mainstream schools, and it's important they have access to accurate treaty information.

She says the government’s statements about why it dropped the treaty reference from the draft curriculum don't make sense.

“They're looking at removing that, saying it’s in the Maori curriculum, and I’m saying ‘How can you remove it from one and put it in the other?’ when as I said over 75 percent of our Maori children are in mainstream, so it needs to stay there,” Ms Kerr says.

TE MATATINI LAUNCH FOR CODE THREE

Maori Television will launch the third season of its sports entertainment show CODE this week with a 90 minute live special from the Te Matatini Kapa Haka Nationals at Palmerston North.

The show will feature some of the country's finest Maori athletes and role models.

Executive producer of sport Bailey Mackey says the show has succeeded because of the atmosphere created by the hosts.

“It's the laid back Maori manner, very familiar to all of us, that we’re able to see in a lot of sports stars. That’s provided by Tawera Nikau and Jenny Mae Coffin, and Matua, and obviously Oz, and Wairangi, and Ritchie, and this year we’ve got Farah Palmer,” Mr Mackey says.

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