Maori Archive

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  Supporting positive parenting! - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Professor Paul Moon has a curiously negative approach to the new initiative by Te Kahui Mana Ririki to encourage Maori parents to embrace a loving tradition of child raising. Te Kahui Mana Ririki spokesperson Anton Blank has made no romantic claims that pre European tangata whenua culture was always peaceful, but he is promoting some [...] read more
  May 31, 2011 10:05 am - 63 Comments
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  Government policies lead to reduced access to tertiary education - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Last year, Massey University cut enrolments to summer school without telling students. Hundreds were shut out of a summer education. Massey did this as it was fearful of exceeding Government-imposed enrolment caps. Now Massey is to drastically reduce student numbers by 15 per cent over the next three years directly as a result of the [...] read more
  May 10, 2011 5:19 pm - 8 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and the injection - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  As reported on Morning Report yesterday, the Welfare Working Group report makes a startling – indeed deeply frightening – recommendation to link contraception to sole parent benefit receipt. The report says on page 15: We have heard a concern among some people that setting a work expectation for parents when their youngest child reaches three [...] read more
  March 8, 2011 9:23 am - 29 Comments
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  Māori statutory board needs funding to work - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  There have been some predictable howls of outrage about the operational funding approved for the Māori Statutory Board set up under the ‘Super City’ legislation rammed through Parliament by Rodney Hide last year. Apparently the Auckland Transition Agency estimated a budget of $400,000 for the Board’s operation, which has in fact been set at a [...] read more
  February 9, 2011 1:02 pm - 5 Comments
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  Paula Bennett asks Iwi for a handout: Govt is broke - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The person ultimately responsible for child abuse is the abuser. Holding individuals to account for their violence and cruelty is critical but more is necessary. We need to make families more resilient, build community responsibility to break the code of silence. There have been better descriptions than I can give written by others about how [...] read more
  August 23, 2010 10:02 pm - 43 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: life expectancy again - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  There was an interesting report on Friday about the links between life expectancy, inequality, and smoking which revealed some pretty scary findings: the rich are living longer, the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor is growing, and so is the gap in life expectancy between Maori and non-Maori. Radio New Zealand’s report noted [...] read more
  August 14, 2010 9:06 pm - 87 Comments
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  Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  On Monday I had the privilege of listening to the presenting a summary of his role. It was the only public seminar of his visit so it was great to be there to hear his comments. Professor James Anaya is from several New Mexico tribes including Apache and is the first Special Rapporteur to actually be indigenous. [...] read more
  July 21, 2010 11:39 am - 9 Comments
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  UN Human Rights Committee picks up key issues - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  So far, the National Government has gotten off fairly lightly following a critical report on its record by the UN Human Rights Committee released last weekend. read more
  March 31, 2010 12:10 pm - 23 Comments
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  Maori participation in Auckland SuperCity – Not! - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  It seems that Rodney Hide has yet again turned up to Cabinet with his papers and been allowed to advance (?) Auckland Governance another step closer to the shambles it will almost certainly become.  The prospects for meaningful Maori participation look like being close to zero. From Cabinet papers released today, we learn that the [...] read more
  December 3, 2009 11:14 pm - 98 Comments
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  October 15th 2007 – Lest we forget - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday was the second anniversary of the so called “terrorism” raids. Police carried out dawn raids on dozens of houses in Te Urewera and around Aotearoa which was definitely terrifying for the victims of this debacle who turn out not to be terrorists. I will not forget the conversations I had with people from Ruatoki [...] read more
  October 16, 2009 11:42 am - 23 Comments
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  The tsunami of child poverty - by frog

  
  
  
  New Zealand’s “tsunami of child poverty” came under the microscope at the recent Child Poverty Action Group hui at Manurewa marae. The hui was designed to build activism to end child poverty in Aotearoa. Activism is clearly what is needed to bring about change, was the consensus of speakers and participants. One of the overriding [...] read more
  October 13, 2009 5:30 pm - 147 Comments
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  Time is Now - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Minister of Justice has missed the point of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. National is prevaricating about recognising the Declaration because they are afraid it might actually mean something and affect the law of the land. They are failing to embrace the opportunity the Declaration offers us of a deeper engagement [...] read more
  July 24, 2009 1:40 pm - 176 Comments
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  Indigenous climate change conference - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Jeanette has blogged today on the Emissions Trading Scheme submissions from iwi and hapu. She talked about how it is necessary to treat Treaty settlement land and resources differently under the scheme, particularly forestry. This is a crucial point, especially in light of the issues discussed at the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change [...] read more
  April 29, 2009 9:30 am - 10 Comments
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  Labour MIA at the Maori representation hui - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The hui at Orakei Marae today was excellent. Ngati Whaatua put out the call for Maori in Tamaki Makaurau to gather to consider what should be done next to oppose the government’s rejection of guaranteed Maori seats on the new Auckland unitary council. They have decided to hold a hikoi on 25 May, the 31st [...] read more
  April 15, 2009 4:01 pm - 246 Comments
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  The biggest Maori urban population shut out from their own city - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  National’s decision to ditch the Maori seats on the Auckland super city is another means to remove Maori from the barest minimum of decision-making in the biggest Maori city in the country. Catherine has blogged on the general issue before but the issues are even more acute in Auckland. According the 2006 census, nearly 25% [...] read more
  April 7, 2009 6:03 pm - 59 Comments
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  Declaration of Indigenous Rights Down Under - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  On Tuesday I got to ask my first proper Question in the House. Unsurprisingly Hone Harawira asked more or less the same question. Will the Government follow the lead of Australia and change their position to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People? The Prime Minister did a good imitation of saying [...] read more
  April 2, 2009 7:00 am - 106 Comments
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  GEO Group record in private prisons – very very bad - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  One of the companies that is apparently in discussions with National to run a private prison is The GEO Group Inc. They ran the Auckland Central Remand Prison when it was privatised. John Key is reported as saying that they produced “very good results”. The GEO Group, Inc. is part of the The Wackenhut Corporation, [...] read more
  March 12, 2009 11:08 am - 27 Comments
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  National gags Pita Sharples: Maori deserve better - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Todays performance in the House has confirmed that the Minister of Maori Affairs, Pita Sharples is being locked out by the National Government from answering serious questions concerning Maori. My question today directly concerning Maori and their loss of rights under the RMA reforms was transferred by the government from the Maori Affairs Minister to [...] read more
  March 11, 2009 6:17 pm - 4 Comments
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  Hope that the Foreshore Act will be repealed is real - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  I was at the announcement of the terms of reference of the Foreshore review yesterday. It was rather hard in some respects, seeing many people there who were such a major part of the campaign against the law and remembering what an awful campaign of hatred it was. I heard the Maori Party clearly state [...] read more
  March 5, 2009 10:37 am - 45 Comments
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  Three strikes bill gets two warnings, one more and it’s out? - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Chris Finalyson, Attorney General has released the Bill of Rights report on the Three strikes and you’re out (Sentencing and Parole) bill. It won’t surprise you that the Bill fails the vet. The NZ Herald reports that there is an “apparent inconsistency” with the section of the Bill of Rights protecting New Zealanders against cruel, degrading [...] read more
  March 2, 2009 2:46 pm - 41 Comments