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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, August 25, 2008

Flaws in aquaculture plan

Parliament's primary production select committee has highlighted problems with the government's commercial aquaculture settlement with Maori.

Under the settlement, Maori get 20 percent of all new marine farming space created after 2005, and the equivalent of 20 percent of aquaculture space created between 1992 and 2004.

The committee's report on the estimates of the Fisheries Ministry says the government now estimates the cost of the settlement is likely to be between $50 million and $120 million.

National MP David Carter, the chair of the committee, says the Governemnt has so mishandled the aquaculture sector, Maori are getting no benefit.

"The settlements for Maori in aquaculture occur as new aquaculture areas are established but the law now is so bad that no new areas have been established so it's been difficult to progress the settlement with Maori interests with aquaculture space. As some stage in the future, unless new areas are created, the government is simply going to have to write a cheque," Mr Carter says.

Internationally aquaculture provides more than 40 percent of the world's fish supply, but in New Zealand it only accounts for 20 percent.
 
WARDENS MAKING HUGE IMPACT ON CRIME RATES

A senior Maori policeman is crediting Maori wardens with reducing crime in some key provincial areas.

Wally Haumaha, the manager of Maori, Pacific and Ethnic Services, says over the past year dozens of wardens have been through courses at the police College, getting new skills and learning about their unique powers under the Maori Community Development Act.

He says they're been able to bring that training and their understanding of te ao Maori into play in areas like Northland, Gisborne and Rotorua which have high Maori populations.

"It's made an impact already in terms of their presence on the street, they way they talk to our young Maori, the way they connect with a lot of kaumatua, so they are having a significant impact in terms of their communications skills but I think already in the shore term their productivity levels thjat have come back in terms of reducing crime in key areas has made a huge impact," Mr Haumaha says.

He says crime rates in Hamilton and Rotorua dropped by a third over the Christmas period.

HOME MARAE ONLY PLACE TO LEARN DIALECT

A doctoral student is trying to uncover what can't be taught at university about te reo Maori.

Agnes Macfarland, a lecturer at Massey University, is researching the way the language is transmitted, captured and revitalised.

Ms Macfarland says students can't learn dialects in tertiary institutions.

"They need to go home to their wa kainga and learn their own dialect. Here you can perform, you can practice, you can learn the linguistics but you can never learn your dialect in a whare wananga. They need to go home to their own wharekura, their own marae," Ms Macfarland says.

She intends to present her thesis in a Tuhoe dialect,  'Te Käkahu Whakataratara'.

MAORI PARTY DROPS PAKEHA PLACES ON PARTY LIST

It's an all-Maori lineup for the Maori Party in this year's general election.

The top spots on the party list are filled the four existing MPs and the three other Maori seat candidates -  Angeline Greensill, Derek Fox and Rahui Katene.

While Pakeha were included on the list for the last election, this time it's tangata whenua in all of the 19 places.

Naida Glavish, the chair of Auckland iwi Ngati Whatua, who is at number eight, says Pakeha have their place.

"The Maori Party is recognising the strength of Maori within Maori but we all know we're not going to make it on our own so everybody needs good allies, and while we have a full Maori list that's not to expel or dispel any of the good allies that everyone needs," she says.

Other list candidates include former Kohanga Reo chief executive Iritana Tawhiwhirangi and Ngati Whatua o Orakei chair Grant Hawke, who's the brother of former Labour list MP Joe Hawke.
 
MAORI SEATS FOR AUCKLAND CITY BLOCKED AGAIN

The only Maori councillor on the Auckland City Council is disappointed Maori won't have a guaranteed seat at the Council table.

The council's finance and strategy committee has voted to block separate Maori wards.

Denise Roache, who affiiliates to Tainui, Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Huri, says most councillors refuse to acknowledge their obligations under the Local Government Act to engage with Maori in their community.

She says the Citizens and Ratepayers majority on the committee argued that diversity occurs naturally, so there is no need for separate representation.

"We know this isn't about diversity. This is about partnership and our relationships we should be continuing to foster in local government and through the Treaty of Waitangi," Ms Roache says.

The next opportunity to revisit the issue is after 2010, when a new council is elected.
 
KAI IN THE CITY TO SHUT ITS DOORS

A restaurant which has bought flavour of the marae to central Wellington is to close.

Restranteur Bill Hamilton is closing the doors of Kai in the City on Wednesday after three years of serving gourmet boil up, high class hangi and piripiri-rubbed steak.

He says he's proved it's possible to make a Maori-themed restaurant a success.

"The product we've tried to sell is manaakitanga and the food part of that is the sort of things I was brought up as a kid. Things like pikopiko, the stuff to tell stories of Maori kai, so we've got a hangi meal but it's a cuisine hangi. We've got a boil up, but it's made from the nicest parts of wild pork cut into little squares. We've have whitebait, we've had muttonbird on the menu, we've had eel," Mr Hamilton says.

His day job and his tribal work means he doesn't have the time to devote to the business.

 

 

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