Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Landcorp breathing space

Labour's Maori caucus chairperson says Landcorp's decision to put off any sale of its Whenuakite and Rangiputa farms for a year should give claimant groups a chance of negotiating a satisfactory outcome.

Shane Jones says the Maori Caucus will keep up pressure for surplus land identified in a review of the government's sale processes to be used for treaty settlements.

Mr Jones says the Maori Party had nothing to do with the Landcorp decision, but is trying to claim credit for the efforts of claimants and the Maori caucus.

“These are issues that have to be dealt with judiciously but dealt with conclusively and we’ve reached a conclusion. The land will not be sold, It’s reflective of the vigorous lobbying behind the scenes that the Maori caucus does because we’re part of government, and you have to maintain a very professional approach to maintain the confidence of the public when you’re in government, We don’t have the option of yelling and screaming like the Maori Party do,” Mr Jones says.

He now wants to see the Treaty Negotiations Minister sit down with the representatives of Ngati Kahu, Sir Graham Latimer and Niki Tauhara, to discuss the future of the Rangiputa Block.

VENUE FOR NGAPUHI-ARAWA MEETING QUESTIONED

Ngapuhi maverick David Rankin is challenging the venue for an historic meeting between the northern iwi and Te Arawa this week.

Te Arawa and the mayor of Rotorua are due at the Kaikohe offices of the Ngapuhi Runanga on Friday to discuss comments by a Rotorua councillor who compared 19th century Ngapuhi leader Hongi Hika with Nazi leader Adof Hitler.

Mr Rankin says any such meeting between iwi should be on a marae.

“The runanga office at 16 Mangakahia Road has no mana. We haven’t laid our dead there, we haven’t mihied, and we haven‘t expressed our things that are Maori inside the runanga office or the council office. The mauri for us as Maori belongs on the marae,” Mr Rankin says.

He says because the meeting isn't on a marae, he is withdrawing his offer to return a two hundred year old taiaha, Wii Te Parahi, which was captured by Hongi from Te Arawa on Mokoia Island.

BROWN FACE FUTURE FOR CRICKET

A Black Caps team full of Maori and Pacific Island players.

That's the future as seen by Counties Manukau Cricket chief executive Bryan Dickinson.

The association is trying to interest more Maori and Pasific Island children in the sport, sending coaches out to south Auckland primary schools to run clinics and cricket-related activities.

He says Maori and Pacific Island children show the hand-eye coordination, agility and sharp reflexes needed ikn cricket.

“You see them playing kilikiti, they’ve all got the natural talent. We’re just seeing if we can tap into that and get them playing cricket as well,” Mr Dickinson says.

MIGRANTS WANT INTRO TO MAORI

The Race Relations commissioner says migrant communities want to learn more about Maori, but most don't know where to ask.

Joris De Bres says International Race Relations Day today is a reminder of the culturally diverse country New Zealand has become.

He says there is room for improved cultural understanding between Maori and new arrivals to the country.

“If Maori communities take the initiative to initiate the welcome, I think that would be repaid in kind in terms of understanding and appreciation of indigenous culture. I think there’s a lot of receptiveness to that amongst migrants, but sometimes they don’t know how to uplift that opportunity,” Mr De Bres says.

CURRICULUM MAKES REO MORE ACCESSIBLE

The Minister of Maori Affairs says the draft te reo Maori curriculum launched today will make the language more accessible to more people.

The draft will be open for discussion for three months, and the final version will be released next year.

Parekura Horomia says while there has been a curriculum in kura kaupapa for 10 years, there have never been set guidelines for teaching te reo in mainstream schools.

He says the Maori language is unique to New Zealand, and should be available to all students.

“Promised those who challenged us that we had a full draft Maori curriculum coming out and this is the start of it, and certainly to make sure that it’s not just in the kura or the wharekura but it’s available to teachers, boards in all schools,” Mr Horomia says.

He says New Zealanders are increasingly supportive of Maori being used in public settings.

WAKA BUILDER SEEKING HAWAIIKI TRIP

A Tainui waka builder is looking for sponsors to fund a return voyage to Hawaiiki.

Hoturoa Kerr, the kaiarahi of waka programmes at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, has built a double-hulled, nine-metre waka similar to those his ancestors sailed to Aotearoa on.

He wants to build a 20 metre version, at an estimated cost of $280 thousand, to make the return journey ot eastern Polynesia.

Mr Kerr says it's a way for young Maori to learn where the come from, in a physical and cultural sense.

“So where in the old days people were sailing from Hawaiki across the horizon to find a new land to live on, we say that’s great, but now in this day and age lets use the same kind of vehicle, a waka, to extend the horizons for our rangatahi and our people today,” Mr Kerr says.

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