Waatea News Update

News from Waatea 603 AM, Urban Maori radio, first with Maori news

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, June 30, 2008

Treelord cheap deal for Crown

A former Labour cabinet minister says the government is getting a cheap deal out of the latest treaty settlement.

John Tamihere says last weeks's Treelord agreement, which will put 176,000 hectares of forests and $220 million in the hands of central North Island iwi, is 20 years overdue.

That's how long it is since Maori stopped the privatisation of state forest assets.

He says since then the forest rents have been building up in the bank, with the interest funding the claim process.

“The Crown Forest Rental Trust has come out to pay millions of dollars up and down the country to a bunch of iwi to resource them to stand up against the Crown, get historical evidence up, get economic evidence up, get iwi-based evidence up. Pakeha New Zealand have never woken up to this, because it looks like the Government and they have been beneficent towards the Maori populations. Quite the reverse in this case,” Mr Tamihere says.

He says the Crown has made the treaty process unnecessarily tortuous.

MURIHIKU IWI PUSHING FOR TRADITIONAL TOHEROA RESERVE

Southland iwi hope a traditional fishing reserve will lift toheroa numbers.
Te Runanga o Waihopai wants to create a mataitai over 12 kilometres of Oreti Beach

Michael Skerrett says the iwi want to stop commercial dredging and limit anything but customary harvest of the giant shellfish.

It won't stop public access to the beach or floundering.

He says the iwi is keen to do further research on the toheroa fishery to understand more about the biology of the bivalve and the effects on them of traffic and environmental considerations.

Mr Skerrett from says the mataitai plan has won the backing of the Invercargill City Council, and the next step is to apply to the Fisheries Ministry.

MAORI ALL BLACK HIT THHE NIPPON GROOVE

The Maori All Blacks finally found their groove with a ten try haul against Japan in Napier on Sunday.

A hat-trick of tries to replacement wing Hosea Gear and two each from Zar Lawrence and Callum Bruce added to the 65-22 scoreline.

The New Zealand Maori team takes on Australia A in Sydney next Sunday to decide the winner of the Pacific Nations Cup.

Commentator Te Kauhoe Wano, who was at the game, says fans of the Maori team have been looking for more cohesion in the backline.

Te Kauhoe Wano says given their form in the tournament, it's disappointing neither Tanirau Latimer nor Liam Messam got the call for the All Blacks ahead of an aging Chris Masoe.

TE TAI TONGA ASPIRANT GRUMPY AT RESELECTION PLAN

A unsuccessful aspirant for the Maori Party's Te Tai Tonga nomination is unhappy at the way the reopened selection process is being run.

Edward Ellison says he has not heard formally from the party since the sudden death of candidate Monte Ohia earlier this month.

He says February's selection was extraordinarily thorough, and it was clearly stated at each of the 10 hui that any of the three candidates would be supported by the party faithful.

“With the passing of Monte, I’m struggling to understand why they’ve moved from that process without explaining why they haven‘t looked at the runner up and why they’ve made that change to go to a compromise process that may or may not throw up the best candidate to win the seat,” Mr Ellison says.

He won't be putting his name forward for the new selection process.

OLD KNOWLEDGE NEEDS TO BE RECORDED

Nga Puhi kaumatua James Te Tuhi wants to set an example for elders up and down the country.

He has just written his first book, Toheroa, about the history and protection of the native shellfish.

Mr Te Puhi says knowledge is different than formal education.

He says kaumatua should ensure their words, and the lessons they got from their tupuna, were recorded, if not by themselves, then by their children and mokopuna.

Mr Te Tuhi has an honorary degree from Auckland University of Technology for his work preserving toheroa.

ORIGINS OF OWAE MEETING HOUSE EXPLORED

Ngati Porou joined Taranaki iwi this weekend to rediscover some important historical connections.

Maui Pomare weekend at Owae Marae in Waitara at the end of June celebrates the life New Zealand's first Maori doctor and minister of health, Maui Pomare.

Organiser Ruakere Hond says there was a special focus on the house Te Ikaroa a Maui, which was built with help from Apirana Ngata and carvers Pine and Hone Taiapa.

Ngati Porou was invited to come over and share what they knew about how the house was created.

He says the day is also a chance for Taranaki people to reconnect with their reo and tikanga.

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