Key slams Brash over foreshore unease

National Party leader John Key says his predecessor's views on Maori and the reform of the Foreshore and Seabed Act have done nothing to raise the standard of the debate.

At the weekend Don Brash used a speech to the Orewa branch of the National Party to accuse the Government of giving special treatment to Maori through things like the consultation provisions in the Resource Management and the mechanisms for recognising customary title in the Marine and Coastal Areas Bill.

But the Prime Minister says there was no substance in the speech.

“He said 'I have a general unease about the Coastal Area and Marine Bill.’ Well, okay, but Don’s an intelligent man. If he’s got a problem, tell us what it is, but don’t tell us you have a general unease because you can’t fix general uneases and anyway, Don in 2004 I remember very vividly being the main advocate of saying Maori should be allowed to test their rights in the court. Well, that’s exactly what the coastal area and marine bill does,” Mr Key says

He says Don Brash's criticism in his speech of the Maori Party as divisive is strange, given the effort he made in 2006 to get it into a coalition government.

RINO TIRIKATENE PICKED TO WIN BACK SOUTH FOR LABOUR

Labour's Te Tai Tonga Committee has gone with tradition, picking Rino Tirikatene as its candidate for the next election.

The 37-year-old is the nephew of Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, who held Southern Maori for Labour from 1967 until 1996, and the grandson of Erura Tirikatene, who won the seat in 1932 as the first Ratana MP.

He believes he's got a strong chance of unseating first term Maori Party MP Rahui Katene, and says he'll be pushing issues like education, employment and economic development that affect Maori every day.

“I've had a very strong background in legal, economic development, just working among our Maori economic interests so I think that’s important. Maori do have an important part to play in our economy and making sure we are creating jobs for our people so I do have a strong background in those areas and I’m known throughout the motu,” Mr Tirikatene says.

He has had past experience in campaigning, standing for Labour in 1996 in the central North Island seat of Te Puku o Te Whenua.

WOMEN’S SQUASH TRADITION MAINTAINED

Squash professional Joelle King is hoping to follow in the footsteps of other Maori players who have excelled in the sport.

The Waikato-raised 22-year-old is on court in Palmerston North about now, representing New Zealand against Malaysia at the Women's World Teams’ championship.

After winning last year's Australian Open and picking up gold and silver at the New Delhi Commonwealth, she's nominated in the senior women’s category in this weekend's National Maori Sports Awards in Auckland.

Ms King says she's inspired by Maori like Leilani Joyce-Rorani who won 15 major titles and was world number one, Shelley Kitchen and Tamsin Levy, who is also in the current team.

MARSHALL GETS HAUMAHA TICK FOR TOP COP JOB

The most senior Maori police officer is welcoming the appointment of Peter Marshall as the next commissioner.

Wally Haumaha, the head of Maori and ethnic services, says it's an astute appoinment.

Mr Marshall has been heading the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force on secondment since shortly he was lost out on the commissioner's post to Howard Broad.

Superintendent Haumaha says that will be valuable experience.

“Having somebody who has been living in the Pacific and been culturally attuned to issues far and wide in the Solomon Islands, I think that we will have somebody who is empathetic and understanding more of kaupapa Maori so on that basis alone I’m really excited about the opportunity to work alongside Peter again,” Mr Haumaha says.

He says Mr Marshall did a very good job as the officer in charge of policing the 2004 foreshore and seabed hikoi from Northland to Parliament.

GROUP PUTS ROLE OF WOMEN LEADERS INTO PUBLIC DEBATE

Prime Minister John Key says a new group which aims to give Maori women a greater say in policy could make a valuable contribution to politics.

Te Whaainga Wahine was formed at a national hui at Thames on the weekend, and immediately launched a salvo at the Iwi Leaders Group and the struggle women have to be heard in traditional Maori forums.

Mr Key says he has noticed a shortage of women in the Iwi Leaders Group.

“Nayda Glavish tends to turn up but you don’t see a lot of other women there necessarily in those leadership positions. You can always do with some more and I think there are some extremely talented Maori women that I see in a variety of forums that I go to. You can see that they are the leaders of tomorrow so we shouldn’t give up home that there is a category of female leaders coming through in Maoridom like there is in the rest of New Zealand,” Mr Key says.

SHERMAN MARCHES BACK TO KAPA HAKA STAGE

A kura kaupapa teacher from Whakatohea and Ngapuhi is swapping classical music for kapahaka.

Ramari Sherman won the Maori section of the recent New Zealand Aria competition with an original composition about taonga puoro.

But she says her priority now is to make the starting line-up of Opotiki Mai Tawhiti for Te Matatini national championship in February.

says she developed her love of music accompanying her grandmother to practices for the National Maori Choir, and she's inspired by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the most famous Maori singer.