Burying a mauri stone is a mark of respect to Papa, the earth mother, and bestows a blessing on the site and the buildings placed there. Counties Manukau District Health Board's chief executive Geraint Martin placed the mauri stone in the burial box. The ceremony was led by kaumatua and saw staff members place special items in the box.No one loses from this approach - we all gain, no matter what we believe.
After receiving nearly 6000 submissions on the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill, most of them opposing it, the Maori affairs select committee yesterday decided on a majority vote to send the bill back to Parliament with no changes and a recommendation that it be passed into law without amendment. The committee had until February 25 to report the bill back and surprised Parliament yesterday when it suddenly announced its decision. Labour, Act and the Greens, who all oppose the bill, criticised the move, saying the Government was trying to rush through the legislation.Attorney General finlayson says
"One has to get beyond the political rhetoric and focus pretty coldly and toughly on the principles involved in this legislation and we'll have a debate."Wants to be kingchris i think and have Iwi bow to him and his behind the scenes deals.
As for submissions being ignored, he said there was always a majority view among submitters. "Often it is coming from one group that is more engaged and interested. We don't look at the numerical basis, we look at the arguments," he said.That is about the level of key - don't worry about the 80% opposed - "let's work as a team and do it my way".
Maori history expert (sic) Professor Paul Moon from AUT believes the latest stoush around the bill is nothing more than politicking. He thinks those opposing the bill are just doing what politicians do. "All the parties are now vying for attention at the beginning of Parliament in election year," he told Newstalk ZB. "They're trying to do whatever they can, look for any excuse I think to gain some traction." Paul Moon says what is more important is how the bill will actually operate once it's passed into law.Yeah that's it... we know that paul but it doesn't dimish from the shoddy process and disregard of the majority of submitters submissions opposed to this.
Mr Peters says his fellow Ngapuhi has woken up to how little Maori had got in exchange for his party's support for a John Key government, “The UN declaration has not helped one Maori in this country. The home insulation programme has been trialed in two places, Ngapuhi and Ngati Porou, which happen to be the two warmest places where Maori live. Whanau Ora is $20m over four years ... this is really a failed programme when you look at the financials of it and I don’t think the majority of Maori people are going to be fooled by this,” he says.They are sharp lines and he finishes with subtle humour
Mr Peters says Hone Harawira shouldn't sit by the phone waiting for a call to join New Zealand First.
This suspension though, coming right over the top of the disciplinary procedures suggests that the constitution is really just a smokescreen to stop me from raising issues which are close to our people’s hearts and pockets, but which threaten to derail our cozy relationship with National.
But I simply cannot do that.
• We should recognise that Maori people are simply not happy to support a relationship with National while food prices go up, petrol prices go up, electricity goes up, house prices go up, rents go up, and GST gets whacked on top of everything, while this government gives millions of dollars in tax breaks to the rich.
• We should acknowledge the reality that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and that our people are getting hammered every step of the way, and not because I say so, but because every single economic commentator is saying so.
• We should not only be saying we want GST to be taken off food in the next budget, we should also tell the PM publicly that we did not support the last GST increase, and that any further increase in GST will be a coalition-breaker.
• When Tariana Turia’s voters say that the most important issue for them is the Maori language, then we should be calling for Maori to be compulsory in all primary schools.
• When government says that 60,000 children started school last week, 12,000 of them will leave without being able to read and write, and that most of them will be Maori, we should be demanding that government cancel any further bailouts for big business, and instead spend the money on ensuring that all Maori kids can read well, write well, count well and speak well by the time they’re 10, and that we will achieve that by 2014.
• We should oppose the government’s Marine and Coastal Areas Bill because it does not give us the title that our people marched for, and because most of our people do not support it. We should instead ask that the 2004 Bill be repealed and a moratorium be put on the FSSB for a couple of years to see if we can come up with a deal acceptable to Maori, while accommodating the wishes of other New Zealanders This bill does not do that and we should not feel embarrassed about opposing it.
• We should come out hard against the privatisation of the nation’s assets. Privatisation of the telecommunications industry has put billions of dollars of hard earned kiwi dollars into the hands of overseas interests every single year while thousands of Kiwi workers, many of them Maori, have been simply dumped at the roadside. NZ Rail is the same, NZ forestry, NZ banks – this government’s plans to sell of the rest of the nations assets must be stopped, and we must lead the charge to stop them.
The fact of the matter is that although there have been some small gains, Maori communities have been heavily hit all round the country by this government’s policies, and our people want us to step away from National and look at whats happening.
We have been swallowed up by the National juggernaut, we are seen as merely the Maori face of a government that is hurting Maori people, and we are no longer being seen as active defenders of the faith.I agree with all that and that is why I believe Hone is a true leader and showing his leadership qualities daily - he is expressing the views of many maori - not dictating what they should believe. And to cap it all off he shows humility and that is why the people will follow him.
I know I don’t have all the answers. I know my colleagues have just as much to offer as I do, but I also know that our people are crying out for us to reconnect with them, with their lives, with their situations and with their hopes and dreams.
I know that I have been wrong with some of the things I have said, and some of things that I have done. I do struggle with authority and I know that I could handle my relationships with my co-leaders and my colleagues better than I have, but I have been selected by the Tai Tokerau to be the Maori Party candidate for the 2011 election, and I am ready to be that candidateHone is showing his quality as the pressure increases, there is still a wee way to go and I hope he continues to stand strong and stay controlled.
In figures released by Conservation International, New Zealand's forests are placed only behind Indo-Burma as the most at-risk forest ecosystem in the world.The world's 10 most threatened forest regions have all lost at least 90 percent of their original habitat, and are home to at least 1500 plants which are not found anywhere else. New Zealand's forests were home to 5 percent of its endemic species, Conservation International said, and invasive species, such as rats, stoats and possums, posed the most serious threat to the flora and fauna of New Zealand.It is shameful but we must get over that and get on with the solutions. Those solution must be holistic and see the wider, interconnected view, otherwise it will just create other, sometimes worse, problems. How do you come up with solutions that haven't been thought of and discarded many times? Well Charlotte Squire at Happyzine had the same dilemna with how to save the Mokihinui River. She conceived of an idea called Wild Energy. She got judges, she got the concept sorted and then launched the competition to come up with alternative ideas of how to generate the power that they expect to get from the dam damn they want to build. The competition ended with 14 ideas - from all around the world. Go and read the entries and add your vote to the hundreds of other votes already cast. Good ideas? Bad ideas? who can say - at least they are ideas.
National's $54 million cut to the Department of Conservation's budget was a reckless gamble with the conservation estate, given the extreme level of threats our plants and animals face," Green Party conservation spokesman Kevin Hague said. "If we love our unique spaces and the plants and animals that live there, we'll need to re-prioritise the way we spend our money." He said he planned to introduce a Member's Bill into the House to place complete protection over native plants and animals, since many species still remained unprotected.A Bill is a start but we need a change in consciousness as kevin says - got any good ideas?
The Household Labour Force Survey is out, and it shows that unemployment has spiked again to 6.8%. 158,000 people are now out of work - an increase of 53,000 since National took office. In addition, an extra 92,000 have given up and left the labour force, while we have an extra 31,000 long-term unemployed.I latest breakdown of the figures show that
The figures showed the rate of unemployment for those aged 15-19 was more than 25 percent, that Maori unemployment was 15.5 percent and Pacific Islanders unemployment was 13.5 percent.
It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve What is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way
The governments of nine countries are currently negotiating in secret for a far-reaching agreement called the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). John Key’s Government doesn’t want us to see the NZ position or any of the text until it is signed and sealed and cannot be changed.
The TPPA is being branded a free trade agreement, but trade is only a minor part. As well as trade, the agreement covers foreign investment rules, empowering foreign companies to sue our government, opening our services to more international competition, restricting our right to regulate, pharmaceutical costs, intellectual property rights, and preventing use of government procurement to help local firms.
It would give special rights to foreign investors, including the ability to sue governments for passing laws that might affect their profits – like Philip Morris is threatening against countries that have introduced plain packaging of cigarettes – and threatens the survival of Pharmac that makes medicines affordable to New Zealanders.
Civil society groups, like TPP Watch, are currently campaigning to have the draft texts of the TPPA and the various country positions released for public scrutiny.Go here to read the open letter to prime minister key. Sign on to the Release the Text campaign here.
Giant Chinese energy company Qinghua Group - with more than $12 billion of mining assets - is assessing several billion-dollar projects across the South Island. The west coasts of both the North and South Islands, with onshore and offshore iron-ore deposits, are being assessed for possible sites for a port purchase and steel mill construction. The South Island West Coast's specialist hard coking coal is a key ingredient for steel manufacturing. Edward LancasterOtago and Southland lignite deposits could be used for petrochemical or briquetting plants. Qinghua's joint venture partners Greywolf Gold-mining, incorporated in March this year, are spearheading project analysis, saying Qinghua has $10 billion to spend in New Zealand in 2011.
"We had hoped to make announcements in the new year, but the [three New Zealand] visits by Qinghua have been attracting attention," said Mr Lancaster, whose company directors include brother Michael and son Jolian.
Mr Lancaster said meetings were being sought through the offices of Prime Minister John Key and Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee, but the Pike River disaster had prompted deferral of meetings "for several weeks", he said.10 billion to spend - if you just care about money that will be hard to resist but luckily more people care about the environment, global warming and the effect upon all peoples especially our pasifika cousins. Ngāi Tahu must oppose these developments for our children and their children.
Mr Lancaster described Qinghua Group as the largest private Chinese mining company and "the Chinese version of BHP Billiton in Australia", the world's largest diversified resource group. Mr Lancaster said Qinghua was also looking at prospects in Russia, South America and Africa. In New Zealand, Central Otago coal seam gas deposits are also in the mix, possibly for power generation to places such as Queenstown or Alexandra. The group is also thought to be seeking permit holdings in ironsand on the Kapiti coast and Manawatu River. There are also plans to acquire a coking coal field near Collingwood.
The focus of the current negotiations is to buy rights to an estimated 2 billion tonnes of southern lignite, half of which could be converted to petro-chemicals or lignite briquettes. Greywolf has also separately acquired coal permits near Buller, covering about 5000ha. "We [Greywolf] are paving the way for Qinghua. They are the one with the [financial] power behind them," Mr Lancaster said. Qinghua Group bosses have visited Central Otago, the West Coast and Marlborough in recent weeks looking at coal seam gas for electricity generation, hard-coking coal deposits with a view to building a steel mill, and lignite for petrochemical conversion. Chartered flights across the South Island have included meeting several southern mayors and visits to mine sites, Mr Lancaster said.The process is already underway and yes they would have to get Overseas Investment Office approval and would be compliant with the Resource Management Act, and all regulations applicable to mining in New Zealand but we have heard brownlee say that "we are open for business" and we know how money-hungry these politicians are. Pesky regulations won't get in their way only the people can stop them.
UNESCSO was singled out for its lack of interest in protecting the Philippines Island Province of Palawan. The UN organization declared the island a Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1990; however, today, there is a concerted effort to hand it over to mining interests--putting at risk the island's delicate ecosystem, several endangered species and the local indigenous population.
A South Australian court slammed the door on a massive copper-gold exploration project on the Kokatha's ancestral lands. In its judgment, the court stated that the Kokatha's rights as well as the significance of the area and their longstanding and consistent opposition to mining, ultimately outweighed the potential value of the project. The ruling is a major victory for the Kokatha, who have been struggling to secure their land rights for more than 20 years.
Botswana's Court of Appeal reversed a 2010 High Court ruling that denied the Kgeikani Kweni (San) access to water on their ancestral lands. Celebrating after the decision, a San spokesman said, "We are very happy that our rights have finally been recognized. We have been waiting a long time for this. Like any human beings, we need water to live. We also need our land. We pray that the government will now treat us with the respect we deserve."
The Republic of the Congo became the first African state to adopt a law for the safety and equal rights of Indigenous Peoples. James Anaya, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said of the groundbreaking legislation, "it provides an important example of a good practice in the region for the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples."
FUNAI, Brazil's department of Indigenous Affairs, issued an order restricting entry to lands near the site of the planned Belo Monte hydro project, following indications that Isolated Peoples are living there. However, despite the restriction, FUNAI decided to gave its approval for the controversial dam project. If the dam is completed, the isolated peoples would be displaced.
Te Runanga o Tribe chairman Mark Solomon said he was reluctant to accept Goodall's resignation as he had ''completed an enormous body of work ... over the past four years''. 'Anake has accomplished the major outcomes that he set out to achieve when he took on the role of CEO, that of consolidating the iwi organisation and delivering dynamic outcomes for the benefit of tribal members. ''He will be difficult to replace.''Te Runanga o Tribe - classic LOL
Goodall said he was leaving with a great sense of achievement. ''My job was to unify the Te Runanga Group and build the infrastructure that would enable Te Runanga, as our leadership, to have high expectations of the tribal organisation,'' he said. ''It was also my role to embed Ngai Tahu values, voices and faces across the wider portfolio of our work. After four years, I am confident that the foundations I intended to build, have been built.''I would have liked a more positive strategy for employing iwi members and a better approach to farewelling iwi members that have contributed via their mahi. There are existing Ngāi Tahu in senior roles within the office at the moment but i cannot say that I can see any of them able to step up to the role. That could be an outdated view because I contracted to the Office at the same time as Anake came in and left a year or so after that. But one thing is for sure the role MUST be filled by a member of Ngāi Tahu whanui - there can be no compromises on that.
I wish to publicly acknowledge the fact that Anake has dedicated some 25 years of his professional career to our tribal development. He began his journey with us in 1987 as we presented Te Kerēme (the claim) to the Waitangi Tribunal and then, as Claims Manager, was a key member of the team that drove and then delivered the Ngāi Tahu Settlement. Upon taking up the role of CEO, he has worked tirelessly to consolidate our tribal institutions to be ready for the next stage of our intergenerational journey. Thank you Anake.
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira may be taken straight to his party's disciplinary disputes committee after he failed to invite party representatives to a hui to discuss a complaint against him today. A hui was originally set for last Friday but the party's Te Tai Tokerau electorate committee asked for an extension until today. That was granted and a hui was expected to be held today but neither Flavell nor party president Pem Bird were invited. About 100 people, including MPs and constituents of Mr Harawira's Te Tai Tokerau electorate, have today gathered at the Whakapara Marae, about 23km north of Whangarei, along with a large media contingent, which is not allowed to go into the marae.The same article said that Hone called Prime Minister Key a 'smiling assassin' again. It does seem that hone is feeling emboldened of late and that is a double edged sword. He needs to get worked up for the people to follow him but we don't want a Hone that insults for no good reason. What do you think about asset sales Hone? What do you think about polluted lakes and maori being ignored even with co management rights? Forget the insults on Key - we know who and what he is and you will not dent his public persona - he will do that himself - get stuck into maori issues and go hard. Focus on what we really care about Hone. Be the man.
Ngai Tahu says it supports the plan because it could be good for iwi investors.
Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon says the privatisations of Government assets - such as New Zealand Rail - in the 1980s and 90s were poorly handled. But he says this proposal is a new chapter.So Ngai Tahu as a corporate investor buy in and prices go up - what then - we make profit from others difficulty, even our own people?
The Green Party has accused Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson and Agriculture Minister David Carter of leaning on the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Greenpark dairy farmer Barry Clark was told by DOC in May that his grazing licence on conservation land near Lake Ellesmere, south of Christchurch, would not be renewed. DOC's decision not to renew the licence was overturned at a meeting in August involving Canterbury-based ministers Wilkinson and Carter, Clark and Mahaanui area manager Bryan Jensen, and a five-year extension was approved. Extending the lease contravened DOC's policy of removing grazing from the lake edge to protect the environment and upset some DOC staff. It also contradicted what Clark was told by the department in 2004 – that the next five-year term of his lease would be his last. Clark's lease is the last for grazing cattle on conservation land around the lake's edge. Internal DOC emails said it was embarrassing and unfortunate Clark was invited to reapply for his concession.The decision was made without thinking about the environment or conservation of this lake or the relationship that DOC is supposed to have with Ngai Tahu. Within the Te Waihora Joint Management Plan it clearly states
"The rangatiratanga and kaitiaki of Ngai Tahu are upheld by Ngai Tahu and respected by the department within the management of Te Waihora and that that management is in accordance with tikanga and kawa.”
In September, more than a month after it was decided Clark's lease would be extended, Ngai Tahu contacted DOC to ask why it was not consulted. DOC staff replied "no concession had been processed or issued" and Clark's application would be sent to the Canterbury Conservation Board and Ngai Tahu for comment. Norman said it was extraordinary that the Government "lied" to Ngai Tahu by suggesting the decision had not been made.No that is not respect - it is the opposite. How can any iwi or hapu have any confidnece in DOC or the dim minister? This joint management plan was the first and it was completely ignored. If there have been lies - then what the hell is going on. The sooner full control of the Te Waihora is given back to Ngai Tahu the better.
Climbers standing at the top of many New Zealand peaks, including Aoraki Mt Cook and Mt Ruapehu, are trampling over Maori protocols, according to a Taranaki Maori leader.
Toka Walden said yesterday there were "cultural values" at many sites around the country which tangata whenua would like to have upheld. "The core part to this is about whakapapa – the people's link back to the land, the family tree that stems from our ancestors out into the land, that is what ties the iwi back to these sites," he said. The summit of Mt Taranaki was the the head of a Taranaki iwi ancestor and the head was sacred, he said. People were free to stand and cook in other places on the mountain but should stop short of the highest points, he said.
He stopped short of saying climbers should not stand at the summit of New Zealand's mountains. "We would encourage people not to even go near the summit, but we know that is not realistic," he admitted.Climbers make some interesting points
New Zealand Alpine Club executive officer Ollie Clifton told the Taranaki Daily News the organisation did not have a stance on cultural considerations and did not specifically advise climbers not to stand on summits. He said that was "a big ask" of climbers. "For climbers, standing on the summit is the whole point," he said. But climbers need to be aware of the culture of the places they are going and should respect them, he said.
Taranaki mountaineer Ian McAlpine said he has been approached by a number of people who said they knew nothing of cultural rules and customs. "A lot of people don't know the protocols – including Maori," he said. Mr McAlpine told the Taranaki Daily News he had been leading parties up the mountain for 40 years, and had never heard of the summit protocol.
He is calling for a meeting to be set up between all Taranaki iwi, DOC and park-users. "We didn't know about cooking – what else is there? "We need to know what other issues there are that might cause offence," he said.It is all about information and communication. Let us all learn together.
South Canterbury mountain guides say they are well aware of Maori protocols when it comes to Aoraki-Mt Cook, but it could be a different case for private climbers.
Mountain guide Charlie Hobbs said the climbers should have checked with the local iwi before taking a barbecue and couch up the mountain. Mr Hobbs said his climbers were reminded of what was expected of them while climbing. "You can't defecate or leave rubbish or do anything with the intention to destroy or alter in any way the beautiful, pristine, spiritual place. "The only thing we can leave there are our footprints."
Climbers were not taken to the summit, out of respect, Mountain guide Bryan Carter said. "For Ngai Tahu, the mountain represents their ancestors. "If you stand on the summit, it's as if you're standing on the head of their ancestor."
Mr Carter said climbers had to keep the waterways clean, and scattering ashes was frowned upon. There was no prohibition for cooking, but anyone who did that "wouldn't be very popular", he saidWell there you go - it can be done, it is being done - what a fantastic challenge and opportunity for all alpine clubs to upgrade their knowledge and add another dimension to the absolute purity and connectedness of climbing.
A group of 25 young climbers took the North Egmont route and hauled a couch and barbecue up the mountain so they could relax in style. ... The group spent 12 hours on the mountain, three of which were spent cooking and relaxing at the summit.I'm all for people having fun but the lack of knowledge of maori customs and beliefs is really a stumbling block to creating a country for all of us.
Barbecues and graffiti on top of Mount Taranaki have outraged Taranaki DOC boss Phil Mohi. "The act of cooking over an ancestor is tapu – it's something that you just don't do," he said.
He said the summit barbecue was disappointing because the young people there probably didn't realise or hadn't learnt that the mountain and especially the summit is a very sacred place for iwi of Taranaki.
"We discourage camping at the summit and try to make people aware that the very highest part is the most sacred of all – and ask climbers to avoid standing there.
"There's a difference too between eating prepared food for sustenance and actually cooking on the summit," he said.
Barbecue organiser Jordan Millen said climbers were not trying to offend and were unaware they were doing so. "We are sincerely sorry for any offence we may have caused during this trip on Mt Taranaki, we were unaware of any tapu or the sacred nature of the summit and that it was not respectful to cook there," he said.A good apology - I don't blame the kids, the knowledge is not mainstream but it should be.
Maori Party President Pem Bird has received a complaint against MP Hone Harawira from inside the caucus.
Mr Bird says the complaint was laid by Te Ururoa Flavell and supported by co-leaders Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, as well as Rahui Katene.
Mr Bird says both Mr Harawira and the chair of his Te Tai Tokerau electorate council have been informed of the complaint.
Mr Bird says the party's National Council is seeking legal advice on how to deal with the complaint and has asked the Te Tai Tokerau Electorate Council to call an urgent hui for this Friday.
He says both Mr Harawira and Flavell have been asked to attend the hui.What will happen? We'll have to wait and see i spose but they must be getting close to trying to kicking Hone out again.
The downside of being in government with National is having to put up with all the anti-worker, anti-beneficiary and anti-environment (and therefore anti-Maori) legislation that comes as a natural consequence of having a right-wing government. ... Whether our views have been unduly influenced by our coalition obligations or not, the fact is that our public positions on some issues have changed a lot since we were in opposition.
Suggestions for the Maori Party -
Be clear about who our constituency is and define our policies and positions on that basis. Stop pretending that we are a mainstream party – we're not. The Maori Party operates on the basis that what is good for Maori is good for the nation so we should highlight policies that benefit Maori but also help the rest of the country.
Be bold in our positions. When governments say "Maori need to be realistic" what they're really saying is "no". But that shouldn't make us afraid to say what it is our people want, and commit ourselves to doing our best to achieving it. If we are not successful, don't let it be because we let somebody else stop us from daring to succeed.
Speak out strongly against National's anti-social initiatives.
Oppose National's Marine and Coastal Areas bill.
Develop strategic relationships with the Greens and with Labour.
Stop trying to make us all be the same. When some of us say one thing and others take another view, learn to celebrate the difference rather than try to crush the dissent. Maori are a vibrant and diverse people – our strength as a party is in reflecting that diversity and appealing to all sectors of our society. And remember, the kaupapa is always more important than the coalition.
And, most importantly, go back to the people.
The problem in Harawira's plan is its incoherence in relating to the National Party's "anti-social" agenda. Harawira calls for the Maori Party to speak out strongly against it in Parliament, "at public meetings and on the streets if necessary", yet also calls for the Maori Party to accept and celebrate a diversity of opinions within its caucus and organisation.
This is where Harawira's analysis falls apart. With a deep chasm within the party over supporting the Nats renewal of the new right agenda (and that is what voting for the Marine & Coastal Areas bill is) the party will have no ability to oppose this agenda - either in Parliament or out on the streets.
... So Hone faces a stark choice. Continue to watch the political gains of the Maori Party and all his hard work wash away as the tide goes out on ordinary Maori aspirations for honourable and reliable political representation. Or lead a minority position into a faction fight with the conservative wing of his party for the soul of the Maori Party. Or defect to form with Bradford and McCarten the much hyped new left party. Or retire from parliamentary politics altogether and return to grassroots activism a la Nandor tanczos. The choice is his. The stakes are high.
A sales history of the property shows the then 1348 hectare Rakanui station, 10 kilometres south of Kaikoura, was sold in 2005 for a gross price of $8 million. Last year, the reported 1345 hectares was sold to the American couple for $7.5 million by Ngai Tahu Property Ltd. The property had changed hands in 2004 for $2.3 million, and in 1983 for just $117,500.So we have sold 1348 hectares of our land and we did it because it was considered another transactional item in the market place. The justifications are/will be many and varied but the facts remain.
We are not the Crown’s Treaty partner. As a parliamentary political party, we are part of the kawanatanga – the Crown side of the Treaty. All MPs swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown.
So it is not our role to be settling the foreshore and seabed issue. We are not a customary owner, and the Maori Party should not be making decisions for the owners. Tangata whenua must make their own decisions based on their own circumstances, and negotiate their own settlements with the Crown.
We have a responsibility and a duty to promote our culture of “sharing” community rights, and community ownership. It is important that all indigenous nations must accordingly rise up, and promote those communal sharing and caring values.
Indigenous cultures mean communal support and sharing – not user pays, not individual free enterprise, but enterprise that feeds back to all members of the community, of the society, of the nation, of the world.
We indigenous people of the world must survive and promote our sharing values within all nations. We have responsibility to do so – we can save the world from its own self destructive consumption, non sustainable, individualistic pursuits.Well I can't argue with that but i do wonder if the compromises made by the maori party and the negative effect of those on maori nullifies the fancy words somewhat. "a prominent expert" in Maori culture and history Senior lecturer in Maori Studies at the Auckland University of Technology, Dr Paul Moon takes a swipe at Pita's speech
But a prominent expert in Maori culture and history says this is "outdated, 1970s-style thinking", lacking in specifics.
"To imply indigenous people across the world have a shared view of things is perhaps outdated," he says.
"When you start talking about indigenous world views, you're presuming indigenous people have one way of thinking, that there's no pluralism."Thanks for that mr prominent expert - we now know what we already know - that maori have different views and different indigenous cultures have diferent views - quick hold the front page!!!
Toowoomba boy Jordan Rice, 13, has been remembered as a hero after he let his younger brother be rescued first, seconds before he and his mother Donna were swept to their deaths in the CBD.
Ms Rice, and sons Jordan, 13, and Blake, 10, were driving at the intersection of James and Kitchener streets about 2pm on Monday when they drove through water which at the time was only up to their car wheels.
However, their car engine stopped and Ms Rice called triple zero for help. She was unable to call anyone else as she had no phone credit.
The triple zero operator told the family to stay put and they were forced to climb on to the roof of their car after the floodwater rose rapidly.
A old scrawny guy grabbed a bit of rope, wrapped it around himself and jumped in," Mr Tyson said.
"Jordan can't swim and is terrified of water.
"But when the man went to rescue him, he said 'save my brother first'."
Mr Tyson, the father of the boys and partner of Ms Rice for 28 years said the man rescued Blake and tried to tie the rope around Jordan and Ms Rice but it broke.
They were swept downstream. The pair was able to briefly cling on to a tree, but was overcome by the force of raging floodwaters.What a very brave boy. My heart goes out to Mr Tyson and his son that survived and to all families that have lost loved ones.
Endangered birds in one of New Zealand's leading wildlife reserves are under threat again after a small population of rats was found on "rat-free" Ulva Island. Twelve rats have been found in traps on the island in the past fortnight. A juvenile rat was found, which means a breeding population has been established on the island. The island had been rat free for 12 years. If the island was not cleared of rats within six months then the protected birds that had been released there, including the mohua and saddleback, would disappear.This is very serious and the likely way these rats got to the islands is via boats. This island is open to the public and this will need to change. The island is a window to our past and our future if we want it. As Busted Blonde says on Roarprawn in a very good post on the issue
If they have caught 12 in a fortnight then there is a strong possiblity that there are hundreds already established on the sanctuary. Ulva is a window on what Stewart Island once was -alive with the haunting melody of a myriad of nativel birds and lush rich flora.I have just sat outside taking photos of a pair of kereru in the tree. Whilst they were sitting there eyeing up hopefully their new home, a pair of piwakawaka flitted around them and the tui looked on from above. I want my son to be able to experience the cooing of kereru and the mad antics of tui. Let's plant great swathes of new bush and get serious about eradicating pests - it could be done if we had the will and the heart.
"I need your help"That was it - nothing else. Not the usual type of spam and the name does appear on a google search but I think I will consider it spam until the third or fourth one comes through and a little more info is forthcoming.
So it's from a small industrial building in Penrose that the New Zealand Herald launches a "Please let me swim at your beach" road trip. The plan is simple: to ask landowners if they mind letting us stroll through to their piece of paradise to dip our toes.From No Right Turn in response to the article
...The problem isn't Maori, but millionaires. The people putting up gates and shutting the public out are farmers and the residents of exclusive gated communities, both of whom effectively privatise public space by restricting access.
If we think this is a problem - and I agree, it is - then the answer is not to restrict justice to Maori, but instead to legislate for free access regardless of who owns the adjacent land. But a solution where Pakeha are allowed to privatise public space while Maori are denied justice and have lesser property rights is not acceptable, and can only be regarded as racist.The conclusion of racism is correct IMO. Lessor rights for maori is as obvious as it gets - this is not subtle or hidden - it is there baldly - lessor rights for maori. That is just not acceptable.
As well as hosting Te Peeke o Aotearoa, Rewehetiki became the site, in the early nineties, of Te Kauhanganui, the parliament of the Kingite movement, and of the printing press which produced Te Paki o Matariki (The Girdle of Pleiades), the official newspaper of the movement. The functions of these institutions were carefully connected. Te Kauhanganui passed laws and levied taxes, Te Paki o Matariki made these laws and taxes known to Tawhiao’s still-scattered followers, and Te Peeki o Aotearoa was a place where the income the King received from levies and fines and the like could be stored.
The story of Tawhiao’s restoration of his sovereignty in the northern Maungakawas in the 1880s mocks the old thesis of Maori acceptance of Pakeha hegemony. Decades after the Kingitanga was supposedly irrevocably defeated at Paterangi and Orakau, Tawhiao and his followers emerged from their exile in the south and took up residence in these hills and in other fragments of the old kingdom, establishing a set of institutions – a bank, a currency, a police force, a parliament – which represented, together, a concerted symbolic attack on the authority of the settler state.
Ngai Tahu plans a dairy farm totalling nearly 1000 hectares in Canterbury in a bid to develop a "new model" of sustainable farming.
If the pilot is successful, the iwi could develop a dairy operation totalling 16,000ha in Canterbury.
Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon said the three-year trial would be monitored to see whether a dairy farm could be developed that did not pollute water and land.
There are a number of people in Ngai Tahu who are very leery about dairy farming and have a negative view," he said.
Our property firm believes we can run sustainable dairying, so we will have a look and see how they do. If they can show to Ngai Tahu that it's sustainable, then we will do it.Is it possible to develop a dairy farm that doesn't pollute water or land - surely pollution is inevitable - just the amount is variable. It is a pilot for sure, but I worry about the effects on the land and river. Runanga have been fighting for years to protect the mauri of the waterways and rivers from water use for dairying and pollution. I struggle to see how this proposal and these fights can be reconcilled but apparently they have been.
Research has shown that a huge system of flooded chambers exists in the buried marble under the valley. Overlying the marble is a thick layer of sandstones which do not permit the passage of water through them, and act as the ‘cap rock' over the waters within the marble. In the Waikoropupu Valley the surface river has eroded down through this cap rock to a point where the Pupu Springsunderground water, at great pressure, has been able to burst through and emerge as springs.and from wikipedia
The freshwater springs are the largest cold water springs in the Southern Hemisphere and second only to the Antarctica’s Weddell Sea in clarity. Every second between 10,000 and 14,000 litres of water are released from the springs, whose depth has never been accurately determined.
The horizontal visibility of the water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, a world record for fresh water. This value, which was verified using specialist optical instruments, approaches the theoretical maximum for optically pure water.Te Waikoropupū Springs is wahi tapu - a sacred place.
At the entrance to the walkway to the springs, the Department of Conservation has placed a sign: "Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and waahi tapu (a sacred place) for Māori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Māori tradition the Springs are wairou, the purest form of water which is the wairua (spiritual) and the physical source of life. The Springs provide water for healing, and in the past were a place of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and the leaving and returning of travellers."This is the only current signage and intrepretation given on site to the visitors and this annoyed me because the DOC person has to go around to say to many visitors that they should not eat or drink near the waters and picnics are a no no too. There are no signs telling people about this and this is adding to poor perceptions. Imagine you are from overseas in a beautiful area next to a river of unbelievable clarity and power - the perfect place to have a picnic. Maori concepts of tapu are associated with eating and drinking because those activities are used often to break or release tapu. It doesn't seem good enough to try to respect maori concepts but only provide a fraction of the context needed to make the concepts understood. If someone tells you that you are doing something wrong - you feel bad and sometimes this feeling and externalise into negative feelings about a group. "Sorry but we ask that you don't have a picnic here because maori believe it is sacred and eating and drinking is not allowed." simply encourages people to have negative feelings about maori. Much better to put a fence at the top rather than an ambulance at the bottom. Much better to have a sign that explains the context of tapu.
Vision - Moemoeä
The management of Te Waikoropupū Springs reflects the wähi tapu/sacred nature of this important taonga tuku iho/treasured resource.
The kaitiakitanga/guardianship role of Manawhenua ki Mohua is accepted and respected by all.
Te Waikoropupū is maintained in a natural state.
Excellent catchment management ensures that the waters of Te Waikoropupū remain pure and strongly flowing.
The cultural identity of Manawhenua ki Mohua is maintained through protection of the mauri/life force and wairua/spirit of Te Waikoropupū.
The community takes pride in sharing Te Waikoropupū with visitors.
Low profile facilities protect the area and enhance visitor experiences.
The natural, historic and cultural importance of Te Waikoropupü is clearly explained using carefully designed and located interpretation that is readily accessible to the public.The plan is a 10 year plan that began in 2009 and i am looking forward to the vision being implemented. Already the name has been fixed from pupu or waikoropupu springs to the correct Te Waikoropupū Springs and this is good. But there is much to do and allowing guided walks which offered intrepretations and context is a good place to start. Meanwhile 50,000 to 60,000 visitors each year walk away from Te Waikoropupū Springs missing 75% of the story.
Members of the Toba Qom community of La Primavera called off a hunger strike after the Argentine government agreed to listen to their demands for justice and the return of lands. the Hunger strike began roughly three weeks after the Toba were brutally repressed by the police, resulting in the death of three people.
Australia's Federal Environment Minister granted an emergency listing to a sacred site near Hobart, the state capital of Tasmania. The culturally important site is home to approx. three million indigenous artifacts, some of which are up to 42,000 years old. However, despite the now-protected status of the site, the government claims that it "cannot" stop the Brighton Bypass project... even though it will irreparably damage the site.
In the Sarawak region of Borneo, the Penan discovered that the rainforest to which they were planning to relocate, is being actively cleared for oil palm plantations. As reported by Aliran, "[1,000] Penan are being forced to move by the Sarawak state government to allow the billion-dollar Murum dam project to go ahead." With the relocation site site being destroyed, it is unclear where the Penan will be able to go.And many more - please visit Intercontinental Cry and read about these struggles.
