Waatea News Update

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

My Photo
Name:
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Tamaki wardens set off for Otautahi

The first contingent of Maori wardens from Auckland is on its way to Christchurch.

Spokesperson Thomas Henare says the group is taking its vehicles and other equipment to the devastated city, and they will pick up other wardens on the way.

He says they expect to be assigned to suburbs where they can assist Maori communities.

“We've selected those wardens with training in first air, road training, civil defence, and who are fit and ready to go. No disrespect to our other wardens but it is around the safety and taking those wardens who are ready to work on the ground,” Mr Henry says.

TE ROOPU HAUORA LOOKS TO DISABLED EVACUEES

Te Roopu Hauora has received an enthusiastic response from people offering to look after clients with disabilities who are being moved out of Christchurch.

Chief executive Tania Kingi says the Maori disability support provider has few resources of its own.

But she says the call went over its networks, and there was an instant response to what could be a significant area of need.

“I'd heard for one of the primary health organisations that up to 2000 people are arriving in Auckland in the next couple of days so we’ve got to have mechanisms in place locally to be able to support them as they come in,” Ms Kingi says.

She was disappointed television broadcasters covering the earthquake took three days to start providing sign interpretation, despite Christchurch having the second highest deaf population in the country.

CIVIL DEFENCE TRAINING NEEDED IN MAORI COMMUNITIES

An authority on tikanga and te reo wants to see more civil defence training for Maori in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake.

Taiarahia Black from Massey University says the calamitous events of the past week has shown the importance of having local people skilled in rescue and recovery.

He says many Maori still live in isolated communities where help may be some distance away.

“We establish rescue teams for our language, for our culture, what happens if there was a devastating earthquake in Martawaia for instance, in Ruatoki. We can’t even make the adjustments ourselves, we have to bring outsiders in to help us, which they will. Where is Maori in planning for these types of devastation,” Professor Black says.

MAORI NURSES HELP IN DOOR TO DOOR CHECKS

Ngai Tahu leader Mark Solomon says Christchurch residents are welcoming the help of Maori nurses and trauma counsellors.

Nurses from Te Arawa and a group of Maori trauma counsellors are in the teams going door to door in the quake-ravaged city.

He says more than the medical equipment they are carrying, the value of the team is helping people cope with stress and anxiety.

“The best buzz form the people’s perspective was a face came knocking on the door, that kanohi ki te kanohi interaction, that’s what the people need. So getting these people out into the community door knocking, speaking, making sure they have water, food etc, that personal touch certainly helps,” Mr Solomon says.

TAHU FM BACK ON AIR IN LIMITED CAPACITY

Christchurch-based iwi station Tahu FM is back on air after being knocked out by Tuesday's quake.

Programme director Carlin Goodwilly says a link with Wellington's Te Upoko o te Ika has allowed it to broadcast vital information and keeping people in touch.

He says it’s moving with other Ngai Tahu operations to Wigram airport, and once a studio is set up there will be more local content going.

NGATI MANAWA UNHAPPY WITH CLAIM SETTLEMENT BILL

Ngati Manawa claimants want extensive amendments to the bill settling their treaty claim.

The Maori Affairs select committee met in Murupara yesterday to hear submissions on the bill, which also settles the claim of neighbours Ngati Whare.

Maanu Paul from Ngati Manawa says the bill needs to be split into two, because in its current form it will rewrite history - especially with regard to waahi tapu.

“This government has lumped two people together and said they would share Tapiri Pa. We defended that pa against Ngati Whare. Now this government has the audacity to make us share the battleground where we stopped them. If that is not oppression of humungous proportions, I don’t know what is,” Mr Paul says.

He says the bill also tries to settle with named hapu of Ngai Manawa, rather than the normal practice of going back to a shared ancestor, in this case Tangiharuru.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home