Last week the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, issued a Performance Notice and Intention to Audit to Ngā Parirau Mātauranga Charitable Trust. This relates to the performance Te Kura Hourua Ki Whangaruru, which is sponsored by the Trust. (Te Kura Hourua Ki Whangaruru is a charter school / kura hourua
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On Wednesday the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Michael Woodhouse, announced that the minimum wage will be increased from $14.25 to $14.75 an hour, commencing 1 April. This is effectively a $20 per-week increase to $590 for a full-time worker on this rate. This equates to an additional $1,040
This week the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General released a report on Māori education matters, entitled, Education for Māori: Relationships between schools and whānau. This is the second report in a series of five that the Auditor-General, Lyn Provost, has determined to undertake on Māori education matters. (The first
This week the Māori Affairs Select Committee heard oral submissions in relation to the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori). A number of speakers expressed a level of concern with the structural proposal within the Bill, to create a new Māori language entity called Te Mātāwai. For example, Sir Edward
Last week the Salvation Army released its 2015 ‘State of the Nation Report’ which this year is subtitled, ‘A Mountain All Can Climb’. This is an annual report on social wellbeing prepared by the Army’s social policy unit. As with previous years the report divides into five chapters these being;
This week the Minister of Finance, Bill English, and the Minister of State Services, Paula Bennett, announced changes to the Better Public Service Goals. The most prominent change is deleting the target of reducing long-term unemployment beneficiaries to 55,000 people by 2017; and replacing it with a target of reducing
Coinciding with the release of the above report, a Te Taitokerau Māori economic growth strategy was also released this month, which is entitled, He Tangata He Whenua He Oranga. This strategy was prepared by a consortium of six Te Taitokerau Iwi Chief Executives, with funding from Te Puni Kōkiri.[1] This
Earlier this month Ministers Steven Joyce and Nathan Guy released a report on economic activities and potential within Te Taitokerau / Northland. The report, prepared by MartinJenkins (a consultancy firm) is entitled, The Taitokerau Northland Regional Growth Study.[1] This is the second report in a series of regional growth studies
On Wednesday the Minister for Māori Development, Te Ururoa Flavell, announced appointees to a new Ministerial Advisory Group to progress the introduction of new Māori land legislation – i.e. legislation to replace Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. The members are Kingi Smiler (chair), Matanuku Mahuika, Traci Houpapa, Spencer Webster,
Tau Henare has been appointed a member of the Rules Reduction Taskforce. The taskforce has been set up to reduce rules and regulations around property and building. On Thursday a launch was held for the Auckland Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Initiative (AMPTTI). This initiative will be offering free trades
On Tuesday the third reading of the Education Amendment Bill (No.2) was completed. On receiving Royal Assent this incoming legislation will reduce the size of university and wānanga councils from between twelve and twenty members, down to eight to twelve members. All councils will be required to have at least
On Tuesday the Prime Minister, John Key, delivered his opening statement to parliament. This speech sets out the Government’s policy agenda for the year. There are no new policy items. Issues of salient interest to Māori noted by Prime Minister Key were: establishing further research centres, including a Māori research
On Wednesday the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) released their decision to refuse an application by Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited (CRP) for a marine consent to mine phosphorite nodules on the Chatham Rise. We advise that the application had been opposed by interested iwi /Māori groups, including Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga
This week consultation commenced on a proposed new Māori Adult Literacy Strategy. This strategy is being prepared by Te Wāhanga, (the Māori Unit within the New Zealand Council for Educational Research), on contract to the Tertiary Education Commission. The strategy is designed to come into effect in 2016, replacing an
Last Thursday the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, released iwi education profile factsheets. These two-page factsheets provide data on the participation and achievement of children affiliated to a particular iwi (there are 38 iwi profiles in total). The datasets include early childhood participation, school enrolments, national standard outcomes (ages 5–13),