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

According to a document released earlier this week, the government has put up 2200 sq km of Taranaki land for potential oil and gas drilling, but with strict new rules over how successful bidders must engage with iwi. Continue reading

The official opportunity to have your say on Auckland’s water strategy has now passed. (However, there is nothing to stop you continuing to express your views to the mayor and councillors). The submissions are now being reviewed.  Continue reading

Users of Ōwairaka, the maunga in Auckland's Mt Albert, are objecting to the ‘military’ style gates designed to enforce the summit vehicle ban. Comments include words such as "hideous", "an atrocity", and “out of step with the place's natural beauty”. Continue reading

It appears every act of special entitlement is simply used as a stepping stone to further power. We see an example of this in the Waikato District Council’s Blueprint project, with its pitch to build on the Joint Management Agreements and other agreements with iwi, and the proposal to appoint a ‘Maori Partnership Manager’ “to sit with the CE group, which will, appropriately, facilitate a “chief to chief” relationship” – with the assistance of an operational support person. There are only a few days left to have provide feedback. Go online to have your say by 5pm Monday 8 April. Continue reading

Auckland Council recently released a discussion document on developing ‘a water strategy to ensure a secure, sustainable, and healthy future for water in Auckland’. We covered this issue in the March update, but to briefly recap, as to the advancement of a co-governance agenda, concerns centre on the following statements: Continue reading