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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Friday, February 19, 2010

Systemic racism in whanau ora response

Maori academic Rawiri Taonui says John Key's insistence the new whanau ora service delivery model will be available for all is an example of the systemic racism that has blighted Maori development.

Mr Taonui, the head of Maori and ethnic studies at Canterbury University, says the Maori Party's flagship policy was supposed to give Maori families one Maori provider to deal with, rather than a multitude of Government agencies.

He says at a personal level the Prime Minister seems comfortable with Maori, but he's not about to give up control.

“We're seeing a real limitation in terms of his understanding of the real difficulties that exist for Maori when they deal with Pakeha run organisations. If his Whanau Ora is going to be for all New Zealanders, it runs the risk of watering down what it delivers, and that must be a real concern to us,” Mr Taonui says.

He says the Maori Party has compromised on a lot of its main issues, but it's likely to fight on Whanau Ora.

GRAIN OF SALT OVER INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION

Treaty negotiator and former attorney general Sir Douglas Graham is advising Maori against putting too much weight on the 1835 Declaration of Independence.

The significance of the declaration, signed by British resident James Busby and a number of northern chiefs, will be considered by the Waitangi Tribunal this year as part of its investigation into Ngapuhi's historical claims.

Sir Douglas, who facilitated last week's framework agreement for a comprehensive settlement of Auckland claims, says while there has been increased focus on the declaration in recent years, it had little practical value at the time it was signed, apart from giving a flag to fly on ships.

He says it was overtaken by the Treaty of Waitangi five years later.

WAPARA CELEBRATING RIKA TOUR OPPORTUNITY

Singer-songwriter Tama Waipara says his Tahi Tour with Maisy Rika is chance to celebrate the whole range of Maori music.

The Opotiki-raised, New York-trained musician started writing songs after a head injury ended his studies in classical clarinet.

He says audiences are being treated to the Tui Teka-inspired pop and 70s souls sounds of his third album, as well as Rika's earthy bilingual sounds.

He says being on the road with Rika is inspiring.

The Tahi Tour is in Whangarei tonight and Auckland tomorrow.

ACC REFORMS TOO HARSH FOR MAORI PARTY

Former Alliance president Matt McCarten is congratulating the Maori Party for spitting the dummy the government's ACC reforms.

The party supported the bill to a select committee, but now says it's an unfair law that will raise fees, reduce entitlements and deny many injured Maori workers the chance of rehabilitation.

Mr McCarten, who's now secretary of the Unite Union, says the Maori Party realises that compromising to National costs it support among Maori.

“In the end politics is about delivering to your own constituency and this is a careful dance but the Maori Party must remember always it’s not National that puts them there, it is Maori in the Maori seats who put the there, and they must keep that in mind when they make their decisions, and clearly they have,” Mr McCarten says.

The Maori Party now needs to toughen up on stopping its Whanau ora policy be watered down.

BIKER TAUWHARE BEATS CAR TO CITY

Auckland Maori rugby captain Brad Tauwhare has proven that cyclists can get around Auckland faster than motorists.

He's won the annual Urgent Couriers competition to see the fastest way to get from New Lynn to the city centre.

Race organiser Steve Bonnici says Mr Tauwhare was racing former All Black Bryan Williams in a car through rush hour traffic.

Brad Tauwhare took just 32 minutes to cover the distance.

MAORI FIND PLACE IN SYDNEY BIENNALE

Four Maori artists will show their work alongside art world heavyweights like Louise Bourgoise, Paul McCarthy and Jake and Dinos Chapman at this year's Sydney Biennale.

The Museum of Contemporary Art will show two of large sculptures by Brett Graham of Tainui, the carved stealth bomber Te Hokioi and a new work Te Kaha, which is a near full scale Russian scout car covered in traditional Maori designs.

Also at the MCA will be recent work from Shane Cotton of Ngapuhi and Ngai Tahu artist Fiona Pardington's new project Ahua: A Beautiful Hesitation, mural sized photos of life-casts of Maori and Pacific people collected during Dumont d'Urville's voyage to the Pacific in the 1830s.

Reuben Patterson from Ngati Rangihi has been given a former guard's house on Cockatoo Island to make a site-specific work, and he intends to celebrate its domestic origins.

Reuben Paterson currently has an eight metre square work in the Asia Pacific Triennale in Brisbane, and a show opening at Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland next week.

1 Comments:

Blogger M said...

“We're seeing a real limitation in terms of his understanding of the real difficulties that exist for Maori when they deal with Pakeha run organisations. If his Whanau Ora is going to be for all New Zealanders, it runs the risk of watering down what it delivers, and that must be a real concern to us,” Mr Taonui says.

Here is a more realistic appraisal:

"I have a sinking feeling that this is all just a scam. I fear that interjecting themselves between public service providers and the public is just a way for Turia’s buddies to clip the ticket, grabbing some taxpayer dosh without delivering anything of real value to the people in need. The complete failure of anyone to show what precisely Whanau Ora is and how it will deliver a net benefit to the people it is intended for only deepens my suspicion that it is all a scam."

http://www.thestandard.org.nz/what-is-whanau-ora/

6:31 pm  

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