Sealord – a company which is 50% owned by Māori interests – has confirmed it will now place observers on three foreign fishing vessels it is chartering, to monitor the working conditions of the crews onboard. This follows broad concerns about the treatment of these crew (and an open Ministerial
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David McLeod has been appointed to the Fonterra Board of Directors Last weekend Māori Television received four awards at the 2011 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards. These were for: Native Affairs (Best Current Affairs Show); Kaitangata Twitch (Best Children’s Programme); Whāre Maori (Best Information Programme); and Rise Up Christchurch Telethon
Ngā Hapū o Whāngārei have made submissions to the Whāngārei District Council to defer the sale of Port of Whāngārei land until their Waitangi Tribunal claim is completed. The collective is of the view that the now port company land was originally taken by the Crown, and should be available
The eight iwi involved in the Central North Island (CNI) iwi treaty settlement have been given a four month negotiation extension on land-ownership proportions of the Kaingaroa Forest. If no agreement is reached by March, the matter will go back to the High Court. [As background to this issue: in a
On Monday the Ministry for the Environment released: The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2011: Implementation Guide. The document provides guidance on implementing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM), which came into effect on 1 July. Importantly, this policy framework requires councils to work with Māori on
On Monday the Minister of Social Development and Employment, Paula Bennett indicated that Whānau Ora is not National Party policy. We note, her statement is somewhat at odds with the Māori Affairs policy released by her Party that same day, which claims Whānau Ora as one of its current successes,
The Social Housing Unit (SHU), within the Department of Building and Housing, opened applications for social housing grants late last month. Despite being allocated $40 million this financial year, it appears only circa $25 million is available for housing projects presently (applications close 19 December). The fund includes a targeted
The Māori-focused policy statements released by National and Labour both reconfirm a commitment to enhanced crown-iwi relationships, and both explicitly acknowledge the Treaty of Waitangi as New Zealand’s founding document. At an operational level, these documents typically seek to show how Māori will benefit from the broader generic policies proposed
In its Treaty policy statement, the National Party proposes further iwi/Crown hui, changes to speed up legislative processes, and further resourcing for the Office of Treaty Settlements. The Labour Party proposes maintaining the availability of legal aid for claimants, implementing a treaty education programme, working with Ngāi Tūhoe on the
Okere Incorporation and Ruahine Kuharua Incorporation have signed agreements with Mighty River Power to enable initial exploration and a feasibility study of geothermal energy on the Taheke field, 20km northeast of Rotorua. The agreement, which will be known as Te ia a Tutea Development, provides for long-term co-ownership of any
Hautaki Trust, Te Huarahi Tika Māori Spectrum Trust, and 2degrees have created a scholarship and graduate programme for Māori studying information and communications technology at Auckland University. Vodafone have also announced it will extend its current graduate programme by allocating an additional five places for Māori graduates. These announcements follow
As we have previously advised, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is embarking on a trial of dairy farming, on the basis that the farming is sustainable and fully productive within five years. Three pilot farms totalling 3,000 cows on 1,200 hectares are being trialled in North Canterbury. If the pilot
Broadcaster Te Kauhoe Wano died last week. The Federation of Maori Authorities (FoMA) will hold its annual conference in Mount Maunganui on the 12- 13 November. Te Kōtahi Research Institute – Māori research institute has opened at Waikato University. Te Runanganui o te Pihopatanga of Aotearoa (the Maori Anglican Church)
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki sign an Agreement in Principle Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki has signed an Agreement in Principle with the Crown. The agreement includes financial redress of $11.5 million, and cultural redress over several sites of significance. Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki will also have the option to purchase several
ACT Party – Māori focused matters The ACT Party has nineteen policy statements, and Māori interests are captured almost exclusively in one of these, entitled the ‘One Law for All’ policy proposal. (The only other place the word Māori appears is under Welfare where ACT notes the high numbers of