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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tainui looks to share wealth

Tainui is looking at starting an iwi savings scheme as its commercial arm continues to return solid results.

Tainui Group Holdings yesterday reported a $54 million dollar profit in the year to March 31.

While that was 20 percent down on last year, rent reviews meant cash earnings were up, and assets now stand at almost half a billion dollars.

Mike Pohio, the chief executive, says a dividend of 10,5 million dollars was paid to Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust for tertiary scholarships, kaumatua grants for things like hearing aids and glasses, and capital works grants for marae.

He says the tribe is looking improving the wealth of its members, but its savings scheme will differ from Ngai Tahu's Whai Rawa plan.

"Ngai Tahu is more dedicated as a savings scheme. What we are trying to recognise the opportunity within the Kiwisaver scheme framework , so it's ore of a superannuation scheme rather than straight savings," Mr Pohio says.

Tainui's strong balance sheet means it's in a good position to take advantage of investment opportunties thrown up by the tough economic conditions.
 
RESEARCH LOOKS AT WAYS TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY

A researcher on food security says it's unacceptable more than a third of Maori families run out of food.

Delvina Gorton, from the Auckland University's clinical trials research unit, says food shortages are caused by low income, larger household sizes, loss of land and pollution of kaimoana collecting spots.

The next step will be to look at solutions by running community workshops, with recommendations prepared for the Ministry of Heath and Health Research Council.

The research was a collaboration between Gorton's unit, Canterbury university, Wellington school of Medicine and Te Hotu Manawa Maori.
 
DELEGATION TAKES CULTURE TO PACIFIC STAGE

More than 100 Maori and Pasifika artists, including a 40-strong kapa haka group, are getting a chance to launch their international careers.

They're leaving today for America Samoa and the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts.

Muriwai Ihakara, Creative New Zealand's manager of Maori art at Creative New Zealand, says it's a great chance to build networks with other Pacific artists and cultures.

As well as visual artists, carver, weavers and ceramacists, the Aotearoa effort in Pagopago will include performances from Te Matatini winners Whangara Mai Tawhiti, Dam Native, Pacific Underground and King Kapisi.
 
TRIBUNAL ON ROAD TO HIGHLIGHT CLAIMS DEADLINE

The Waitangi Tribunal is going on the road to make people aware of the September deadline for lodging historic claims.
Member Craig Coxhead says the deadline applies to breached of the treaty which occurred before 1992.

He says the tribunal's experience is that when it goes into an area, other claimants will come forward with their stories.
Judge Coxhead says there's no pressure to lodge claims, and direct negotiation is always an option.

"They don't need to come through the tribunal route and a number of iwi choose not to. We want to make sure that for those inquiry areas we haven't had inquiries in, that the groups, if they do choose to go to the tribunal, then they are ready and the first step in getting ready is ensuring they have lodged a tribunal claim," Judge Coxhead says.

The tribunal will be in Opotiki today, and holds hui in Otaki, Taihape and Auckland next week.
 
OLYMPICS PUT MAORI IMAGE FORWARD

New Zealand's Olympic campaign is taking on a Maori flavour.

The team in Beijing will have its own kaumatua - Amster Reedy from Ngati Porou, who played a similar role in the last Olympics.

The waharoa used at Athens will again mark the entrance to the kiwi village, and Ngai Tahu has supplied a mauri stone and pounamu pendants for all team members.

The chef de mission, Dave Currie, says Athens proved that Maori culture could be a unifying force for all members of the team, whatever their whakapapa.

"Wherever team members come from, whether they were born here or Australia, Germany, China, the sense of wanting to identify with things that are uniquely New Zealand and that are important and empowering to us, has been amazing," Mr Currie says.

The flag bearer at the opening ceremony will again wear a korowai presented by the late Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
 
MEETING HOUSE THE PLACE FOR HUI FAR FROM HOME

Organisers of an exhibition of Maori contemporary art in Chicago have drawn on a traditional institution to set the kaupapa on the right track.

Close Encounters at the Hyde Park Art Center next year will feature Daniel du Bern, Maddie Leach, Lisa Reihana and Wayne Youle, working alongside four American Artists.

Co-curator Bruce Phillips says the Field Museum in Chicago is home to the whare Ruatepupuke II from Tokomaru Bay, so he and Hyde Park director Chuck Thurow used it to bring the artists together for the hui in May.

"Chuck and I saw a great opportunity to approach both the whanau and the museum to hold a hui there to open our project. We were interested in an art project that started off with a discussion and dialogue between artists and communities rather than just putting up some pretty paintings on the walls," Mr Phillips says.

As well as the hui, the curators took the artists on a field trip of the communities around the gallery to open them up to new ideas.

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