Waatea News Update

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

My Photo
Name:
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Friday, December 03, 2010

Educator and actor Bill Tawhai dies

Te Whanau A Apanui, Ngati Awa and Te Whakatohia are mourning the loss of one of their finest educators.

Bill Tawhai has died in Whakatane at the age of 77.

Mr Tawhai started teaching in 1957 and his career included stints in England and America, and 16 years as principal at Te Whanau a Apanui Area School in Te Kaha for 16 years.

After retiring he taught at Te Whare Wananaga O Awanuiaring, worked on a thesis on the Maori lunar month, and had acting and agony uncle roles with Maori television.

Te Whanau a Apanui Kaumatua Te Kepa Stirling says Mr Tawhai's skills will be hard to replace, especially on the reo or the iwi.

Wiremu Karuwha Tawhai is at Omaia Marae

No reira e te rangatira...takoto mai, takoto mai, moe mai.

TAINUI EXECUTIVE DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM TRIBAL CHAIR

Tainui's Te Ara Taura executive is demanding an apology from the new head of the tribe's governing body for a report alleging a phenomenal increase in executive costs.

In her first report to Te Kauhanganui parliament, Tania Martin said the executive has lost perspective on their responsibilities as trustees of a charitable organisation.

Tukoroirangi Morgan, the chair of Te Ara Taura, says Mrs Martin's claim of a 30 percent in executive spending to $2.5 million is wrong, and it will come in below last year's $1.7 million.

“The information is incorrect. Here’s a new chair, exuberant and wanting to get on with things, and has got things absolutely wrong. The board can refute all of her baseless allegations and we contend that the report brings the tribe into disrepute,” Mr Morgan says.

If a formal apology is not forthcoming from Mrs Martin, the executive will involve dispute resolution procedures within the parliament.

BMX TAKES MOHI TO TOP OF WORLD

World Over-30's BMX champion Dave Mohi from Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa says he'll spend the summer mentoring young riders determined to lower their race times.

The Rotorua based builder won a nailbiting final over his French rival to win the world championship in South Africa mid-year.

His success will be acknowledged alongside 12 other world champions at tomorrow night's National Maori Sports Awards in Auckland.

Mr Mohi, who raced at the Gisborne BMX meet last week as part of the national series, says he's always had bikes and ridden on the edge.

SPENDING REPORT INACCURATE

The head of Tainui's executive, Tukuroirangi Morgan, says a report to the tribal parliament claiming over-spending is factually inaccurate and brings the tribe into disrepute.

He says the executive, Te Ara Taura, has demanded an apology from its author, Tania Martin, the new chair of Te Kauhanganui parliament.

Mr Morgan says rather than a 30 percent blow-out on last year's $1.7 million spend, the executive is on target to meet this year's budget of only $1.1 million.

Particularly galling was Mrs Martin's criticism of the $25,000 spent on a 10-day trip to Australia, which she had pre-approved.

“We have 12,000 people living in Australia. We are responsible and accountable to all of our people wherever they are. We had hundreds of people come to those hui. It was our obligation to update our people on where the tribe was heading, what we’re doing with our money, what we intend to do in the future. That is a responsibility I take very seriously,” Mr Morgan says.

He was not shown Mrs Martin's report before it went to Te Kauhanganui.

NGATI RAUKAWA SETS TONE FOR FUTURE RELATIONS

South Waikato iwi Ngati Raukawa today signed agreements with five Crown agencies on how they will work together in future.

Chris McKenzie, the chair of the Raukawa Settlement Trust, says the visit of Prime Minister John Key and five of his minister to Te Papa o Te Aroha Marae in Tokoroa was the biggest Crown incursion into the south Waikato since the Battle of Orakau.

He says the agreements with the ministries of Fisheries, Conservation, Environment, Culture and Heritage and the Prime Minister's Department, elevates the position of Ngati Raukawa within its rohe.

“What we've essentially signed today is confirmation that John Key is prime minister of New Zealand because the New Zealand people voted him in and Chris McKenzie is prime minister of Raukawa because the Raukawa people voted him in and this sets the dialogue between those two chiefs and our respective cabinets. Twice a year various ministries will come up and discuss issues of the day with Raukawa and we will drive down policy change,” Mr McKenzie says.

Ngati Raukawa has signed a settlement giving it co-management of the Waikato River in its rohe, and is finalising the comprehensive settlement of its historic treaty claims.

BENJI MARSHALL NAMED GOLDEN BOOT

The Little General has given the thumbs up to this year's Golden Boot.
Stacey Jones from Ngapuhi and Maniapoto says Kiwi captain Benji Marshall richly deserved the title of best international Rugby League player.

Previous winners include superstars like Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, Jonathon Thurston and Jones himself, in 2002.

He says the Ruatoki-raised standoff's form was superb in both the NRL and as captain of the Four Nations Cup-winning Kiwi squad, leading from the front.

Four Kiwis made the Golden Boot World 13 ... Maoris Marshall, Sean Kenny Dowell and Jason Knightingale and Tongan Manu Vatuvei.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home