Please see below some examples from around the country: Earlier this year the Minister of Conservation signed a partnership agreement between the ministry, DOC and Auckland iwi Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, to share in the management of natural resources, and cultural and historical heritage. Ngai Tai ki Tamaki’s role is that of guardians and stewards. They are seeking to establish an ‘iwi conservancy’ over land and taonga species. They are based at Umupuia, just south of Maraetai, on the shores of the Hauraki Gulf. Yet they claim an area of interest, and therefore influence, that stretches from north of Auckland, down to Tauranga, including the whole of the Coromandel Peninsula; much of the Manukau Harbour in the west, and out past Gt. Barrier Island in the east, as shown below. Continue reading

In last month’s DA Update, we reported that the Ministries of Conservation and Fisheries are in the process of setting up a Ministerial Advisory Committee, (MAC), the purpose of which is to “help shape the proposals, facilitate engagement with our Treaty Partners and stakeholders, and provide advice and report to the three Ministers – Environment, Conservation & Fisheries.” Continue reading

You may remember the protest in Devonport early last year, whereby a group of citizens pushed back on the Tupuna Maunga Authority’s (TMA) autocratic decision-making concerning Takuranga / Mt Victoria.  Continue reading

On April 15, some of us attended the Maori Affairs Select Committee hearing in Auckland to support those presenting oral submissions in opposition to the Electoral (Entrenchment of Māori Seats) Amendment Bill. While more of the submitters at the hearing in Auckland spoke in favour of the bill than against, we were heartened to hear from Dan Bidois afterwards, (Dan is one of the National MPs on the committee), that the majority of the written submissions opposed entrenchment. Continue reading

National List MP Jo Hayes, a member of the Maori Affairs Select Committee hearing submissions on the entrenchment of Maori seats, is pushing for National candidates to stand in the Māori seats. "Māori need special treatment because colonisation actually occurred for them, now we are seeing the results of that and it needs to be fixed," said Hayes. Continue reading

Last month we celebrated as the Canterbury Regional Council Ngai Tahu Representation Bill was voted down in parliament. Following this welcome news, hopefully many have written to Simon Bridges, Winston Peters and David Seymour to show appreciation for their stand, and to congratulate Shane Jones and Nick Smith for their speeches against the bill, as reported on RadioNZ, available HERE. If you have not done so, it’s not too late, we are sure they’d love to hear from you. Continue reading

Following the Hasting District Council’s decision to appoint Māori representatives with speaking and voting rights to its four standing committees, (thereby sparing them the need to campaign for election), Victoria University of Wellington published an article on its website headed Academics commend Hastings District Council for inclusive, effective decision-making. Continue reading

Remember when Radio NZ News used to be concerned with the facts, presented in a relatively balanced and impartial way? Well, it appears not any more. In last month’s update we touched on the vexed issue of our public-service radio broadcaster happily accepting claims based on oral history as fact while choosing to ignore documented eye witness accounts of history - a modus operandi becoming increasingly common as it promotes a new history of ‘Aotearoa’ in various programmes. Continue reading

There are no set guidelines or resources in the curriculum about teaching New Zealand’s history, and it's left entirely up to schools to decide how much and what they teach. This has left the field wide open for those who are in the game of disseminating information to suit a particular agenda. One who has taken advantage of this situation is ex-school teacher Tamsin Hanly, who has created a six-book teaching programme she has called ‘A Critical Guide To Maori And Pakeha Histories Of Aotearoa’. This is being sold to schools and is currently being used in 50 around the country. Continue reading

In our March update we reported on Horizons Regional Council’s plan to create a committee of councillors and iwi leaders to come up with strategies for water catchments as a way of involving iwi in managing Manawatū waterways. “This is about us trying to show a level of partnership with iwi”, said Councillor Jono Naylor.   Continue reading