Waatea News Update

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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Greens draft land sale ban bill

The Greens have got the jump on the Maori Party, submitting a private members bill which would bar sales of more than 5 hectares of land to foreigners.

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has said he was considering drafting a similar bill.

Greens' co-leader Russel Norman says he hopes the Maori Party will support the move.

“I think that a lot of Maori would be very supportive of it. I hope the Maori Party will support it given Hone’s statement and I think a lot of New Zealanders more generally would support it,” he says.

Mr Norman says the Overseas Investment Act defines any rural block over 5 hectares as sensitive, so making it illegal to sell such land to overseas interests would only require a simple amendment.

The Prime Minister, John Key, has also indicated the Government is concerned about the appetite of overseas buyers for productive land here, and it will be considered as part of the current review of the overseas investment regime.


TAWERA NIKAU SETS LEG FOR NEW YORK MARATHON

Former rugby league super star Tawera Nikau plans to take part in the New York marathon.

Mr Nikau, who lost a leg in a motor bike accident 6 years ago, has just had a new carbon fibre artificial limb fitted.

He's training hard for the November event, helped by the Achilles Foundation which helps disabled people back into mainstream events.

“Once you get through the pain barrier and it goes numb, it’s not too bead. My leg will probably be chafed up but with a lot of Vaseline and hopefully in there I’ll carry in my backpack and if anything starts getting a little sore I’ll be able to manage and get through anyway,” Mr Nikau says.

An increasing number of Maori are losing limbs because of complications from diabetes, and need to be encouraged to maintain an active life.


NO ENTRIES FOR REO BOOK PRIZE

The Te Reo advisor for this year's New Zealand Post Book Awards says the absence of entries in the Maori language section may be a temporary situation, with potential authors busy on other projects like film and television.

Heoi ano hai taa kaiwhakawaa Paul Diamond, a tera tau ano he tau:

He says thought needs to be given to the kind of books people would want to read in Te reo Maori.

IKAROA RAWHITI CANDIDATE SEEKING BALANCE OF POWER

The Maori Party candidate for Ikaroa Rawhiti says he's looking forward to being part of a future coalition government.

Na Raihania, who chairs Poverty Bay iwi Ngai Tamanuhiri, was selected at the weekend to contest the seat held by Labour's Parekura Horomia.

He says unlike Mr Horomia, the Maori Party does not need to ask permission of a wider caucus to develop policy, and it can advocate for Maori at a higher level.

“Where we think we should be is that coalition spot. That sot can only be for the Maori Party. Tat way we get to have whoever gets to have the most votes in a general election. They then have to come and korero to us kanohi ki te kanohi and that’s your true partnership, that’s your true Treaty of Waitangi, that relationship there has got to be right, Mr Raihania says.

He will campaign on the needs of whanau.

WHANGANUI PROGRAMME TO RETAIN DISTINCT DIALECT

A programme to maintain the distinctive mita of the Whanganui people is building up the confidence or those standing on the river's marae.

Lead tutor Esther Tanirau says the one-year Nga Muka O Te Reo O Whanganui course brings together fluent speakers to learn their regional dialect and the iwi's connections to other tribes.

The students are then encouraged to go back into their own hapu to revitalise the reo.

Ms Tanirau says many on the course grew up outside the rohe.

“We haven't had the privilege nor the access growing up as native speakers of our language in our mita in our tribal region but Nga Muka O Te Reo O Whanganui aims to instill in our uri not only who they are but also our language features with respect to Whanganui,” Ms Tinirau says.

The course is based on one in Taranaki, which has similar dialectical features.

TE ATIAWA SEEKING SOUNDS MATAITAI

The chair of the Te Atiawa group trying to set up a customary fisheries reserve in the Marlborough Sounds, Joe Puketapu, says commercial fishers should have faith in the process rather than try to fight the iwi and the Ministry of Fisheries.

Hai taa Joe Puketapu o te roopu maataitai, kei te haere tonu nga korero a te iwi:

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