Waatea News Update

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

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, February 08, 2010

Pukaki puts hand up for new housing help

Friday February 5
An Auckland marae has moved quickly to take up the government's new proposals for Maori housing.

The scheme for the government to guarantee Kiwibank loans for maori to build on multiple owned land was only announced on Wednesday getting around the problem of security for such lending.

Maori affairs minister Pita Sharples says he met with leaders at Pukaki marae yesterday who are keen to build on their land in Mangere.

“So it’s real timely this has happened. It’s a major breakthrough, I feel. People won’t realise, if they’re not involved, just how important this is. It means in many areas our papakainga can come alive again,” Dr Sharples says.

He says the Maori Party has lobbied hard for such measures since it got into parliament.

FESTIVAL MAINTAINS FOOD TRADITIONS

An organiser of tomorrow's Kawhia maori kai festival says as well as providing great food and entertainment lessons the thousands of visitors expected will be introduced to traditional Maori practices.

Up to 10,000 people will make their way to the small settlement on the west coast of the North Island, the final resting place of the Tainui waka.

Lloyd Whiu says the festival, with its Maori delicacies sourced from bush and sea is a multi cultural smorgasboard.

He says 6000 hangi will be steamed, and 3000 kono or food baskets have been made to give a distinct Maori presentation to the kai festival.

ALAC OUT TO SPREAD SAFE DRINKING MESSAGE

The manager of the Maori arm of the Alcohol Advisory Council says the council will be everywhere this year to promote the message of moderate drinking.

Gilbert Taurua was hired to implement the Maori action plan strategy at ALAC, and says abstinence is not a reality in Maori society today.

He says it's important to spread ways of reducing alcohol-related harm, and plans to do so at popular Maori events throughout the year such as the Tauinui-Waikato Games and the Mataatua regional kapa haka.

ALAC hopes to launch a new social marketing campaign in March.

NGATI AWA HEADS TO BEBO TO REACH TO YOUNGER MEMBERS

And Ngati Awa will use social networking sites to get ideas from young members about where the Bay of Plenty Iwi should be heading.

Spokeman William Stewart says it is launching a campaign to get all those who affiliate to the iwi to provide input into planned tribal developments for the next 40 years.

He says with 60 percent of the iwi aged under 30 and a third under 16, social networking sites such as facebook and Bebo will be used to get their unput to ensure they have input.

SMARTER JOB NEEDED TO COMPBAT UNEMPLOYMENT

Union leader Matt McCarten says Maori must get smart to combat unemployment.

Figures released yesterday show Maori unemployment at a 10 year high... with one in four rangatahi jobless.

The National Secretary of Unite says iwi and UMA leaders need to develop secondary industries... such as making furniture and building houses rather than just growing the trees.

“So Maori have to get smarter,. We don’t want to just be the primary producers. The real money is using our brains, and Maori have always been entrepreneurial, we are,” Mr McCarten says.

Maori unemployment is always higher than non-Maori because so many are in unskilled primary industry jobs.

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