 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
      
| |
|
 |
|
|
 In Common - The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia have been and gone, and my entire body is a little worse for wear. I'm one of those enthusiasts who sizes up the box (be it television or radio) and cheers solid performances, tut-tuts cheaters and raises up to recognise awesome effort during the medals ceremony, especially when the national anthem is ours. Over eleven full-on days of competition, hundreds of thousands of athletes, support teams, media, organisers, sponsors, fans and spectators swarm on the host city and bring the human race back to the starting line. So then, let's take this feature back to the starting line.
The idea for the Games was floated in 1891, with a pre-cursory event hosted in London in 1911. The first actual Games (then called the British Empire Games) were hosted in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada (strangely I am told, women were not eligible to compete at these games); the next  was held in 1934 (London), then in 1938 (Sydney), before World War Two ravaged all. The next games did would not occur until 1950, when Auckland took centre stage. Since then, the Games have transformed from the British Empire and Commonwealth Games (in 1954), to the British Commonwealth Games (in 1970) to more recently the Commonwealth Games (started at the 1978 Edmonton Games).
Oh, a side issue - are there any books on Maori and Pacific Island athletes who competed at the Games? Please email if you know.
 Commonwealth athletes compete in a series of core sports (athletics, aquatics (swimming, diving and synchronised swimming), netball (for women), rugby sevens (for men) and lawn bowls), approved sports (archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, canoeing, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, judo, rowing, shooting, squash, table tennis, tennis, tenpin bowling, triathlon, weightlifting, wrestling and sailing) and a new series of events for disabled athletes. This means that over 5000 athletes step to the line once every four years, representing 53 nations and 71 participating teams, in an effort to win one of over 700 medals. Mean.
 But it's not all fun and games – the nation of Zimbabwe walked away from the Commonwealth and the Games raising an interesting parallel – if Aotearoa-New Zealand voted to become a Republic, would we still be eligible to compete? Some of our athletes were thrashed in the media for their drunken antics in the Games Village (saying something about our sporting-drinking culture as a whole); some critics bemoaned the over-use and time-wasting effort of the haka, especially by the NZ swimming team; poor performance was raised by a vocal few, interpreting a low medal tally of 31 (instead of the projected 46) as athlete complacency. And as a bold reminder to the World, the Black GST group launched the “Stolenwealth Games”.
 The Stolenwealth Games was a collective action to highlight the struggles of Koori, Torres Strait and Aboriginal communities in Australia, historically and today. GST stands for “Genocide, Sovereignty, Treaty” and formed the kaupapa behind a camp that established and grew to raise awareness of the real, living experiences of the local Aborigini people within an often racist Australia. It was also a vocal and visual reminder that the Commonwealth was (and still is) a collection of stolen territories. Please check out these webpages to learn more:
Shout-outs to those who stood in solidarity here in Wellington.
 So for the games, well, the Closing Ceremony showed the spectacle of Dame Edna Everidge, Melbourne rocked and most athletes had a great time (except for the cheaters, who don't deserve a good time). Congrats to all who attended and extra applause to the medal winners and to those who bettered their personal best. So I now wonder, will we be at the next Commonwealth Games? The buzz for constitutional change remains below the hum of the street, so I'm guessing NZ will probably represent at the 2010 Delhi Games. Time will tell. It is certainly time to realise that genocide is one of the  prevailing legacies of the Commonwealth and the illegal usurpation of sovereignty by the British Government (and its children) will forever be challenged – no amount of medals will ever erase that history. But for now, its back to the training fields, to the practice tracks, to the gyms, to the floors, to the drawing board, as the next generation prepares for their time on the podium.
|
 |
|
|
 |
| |
 |
| |
The Association of Social Science Researchers will present their AGM which will be followed by a presentation by Eljon Fitzgerald ( Ngati Raukawa) on Te Hoe Nuku Roa, Best outcomes for Maori: A longitudinal study on health, well-being, values/choices. This will be held Wednesday 5 April at Lunchtime (12:15pm) in the Department of Internal Affairs and is part of Wellington's monthly lunchtime meetings which are held on the first Wednesday of each month. For further information please contact Sarah Talboys.
 The Whanau Ora – Maori Student Nurses Hui 2006 will be held at Marihiku Marae, Invercargill. Registration forms are available from the Maori Health website. Registration costs $168.75 (incl. GST) pp, this fee includes all meals, accommodation & membership to Te Kaunihera from April 2006 to March 2007. Registration forms are available by contacting: tekaunihera@slgroup.co.nz or by contacting the Business unit: P.O Box 10321, Bayfair, Mt Maunganui, Ph: 07 542 9055, Fax: 07 542 3105.
 If you are a student or registered Maori nurse definitely check out Te Kaunihera O Nga Neehi Maori O Aotearoa, the National Council of Maori Nurses (NCMN). The site has a wealth of information and is well worth a look.
The inauguration Hui of the National Council of Maori Nurses was held October 1983.
The NCMN is the only national nurse's body mandated by iwi to represent Maori on health issues, gained by visiting iwi around the motu. Visit their website for more information.
 Greenpeace has recently released its World map of remaining intact forest landscapes. Until now, world maps have not been sufficiently accurate or consistent enough to reveal which forest areas remain intact, which have been damaged and to what extent. This has made it difficult to see which forest areas are most in need of protection. Greenpeace has created a new map of the world's forests, based on the most up to date, high-resolution satellite imagery and a consistent set of criteria.
It shows us the remaining large forest areas and lets us compare them directly and accurately with the extent of Earth's original forest cover for the first time. This ground breaking research shows that the world's remaining ancient forests are in crisis and that fewer intact forest landscapes than previously thought are left.
Click here to read a summary of Greenpeace's findings. This research suggests that only 7% of native forests in the South Asia Pacific region are left and highlights that
our Forests are being destroyed faster than any other forest on Earth. Much of the large intact forest landscapes have already been cut down, 72% in Indonesia and 60% in Papua New Guinea. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
| |
 The final version of the United Nation Report of the Special Rapporteur, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, "Mission to New Zealand" has now been released by the UN Commission on Human Rights.
 The report highlights the following as priority issues: political representation, land rights, claims and settlements, human rights implications of the Foreshore and Seabed Act, administration of justice, language, culture and education and reducing inequalities. The report also concludes with recommendations for the New Zealand Government and civil society. Most significantly that the Foreshore and Seabed Act be repealed or changed, that the Treaty of Waitangi be constitutionally entrenched and that Waitangi Tribunal findings be legally binding.
The 2006 Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Festival will be held 22 April at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Mystery Creek, Hamilton. This is the premier biennial senior kapa haka competition for roopu from throughout Tainui Waka. Over 500 performers representing Waikato, Maniapoto, Raukawa and Hauraki will be participating in the event along with guest appearances from local entertainers. A diverse range of Maori arts and crafts and food stalls will also be present at the event. For more information contact:
Craig Muntz, twct@ihug.co.nz, ph: 07 854-7519.
Te Puni Kokiri is currently funding a study of Maori living in Australia. It will look at the Australian Maori community and describe:
- the reasons they are in Australia;
- any problems of identity they face;
- the factors in their success; and
- their ability to live in Australia as Maori.
If you live in Australia check it out the survey (it can be completed online). If not tell those you know living across the Tasman. It should take about 10-15 minutes and will provide
relevant
information about the Maori community in Australia. Results will be available from this website in late 2006.
 RANGIKAINGA would also like to congratulate Katrina P. T. Taupo ( Nga Tipa, Ngati Kaiaua, Ngati Hine, Ngati Wai) on completing her Masters of Sociology. Trina's thesis, " Close encounters of the genetic testing kind:
Negotiating
interfaces between Matauranga Maori and other knowledge systems" aims to
consider the interface between social, cultural and spiritual implications of genetic testing on three diverse local Maori community groups/networks. These groups are Maori members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rongoa/Alternative
Health Practitioners and Maori Lawyers. This thesis is intertwined within the wider research project entitled Korero Whakaaetanga/Constructive Conversations and is expected to be available for public consumption midyear.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 We'd like to highlight another innovative Maori-owned and operated business. Aotearoa House is an independent company with stores in Auckland and Wellington and importantly they offer many of their beautiful products online. Aotearoa House supports self-determination and independence, both socially and economically. Some of the labels they carry are Aotearoa Streetwear, Ahi, Projector, Localities, Sparrow, and Aroha. They also carry the following designers: Carmel Rata, Jeannie Clarkin, Dan Millett, Kare Rata, George Nuku and many others.
Te Roopu Pakihi will be holding a Maori Business Awards Gala Dinner, " Celebrating Maori Business Excellence" at the Bridge Lodge in Otaki on Friday April 7. The Awards will be open to all Maori businesses based within the Kapiti Horowhenua region, tickets cost $50 and seating is limited. The evening will start at 6.00pm.
For more information contact: Daphne Luke 06 364-8598 or by email: awards@trp.maori.nz.
 Recent word on the street is that South Island Maori are thriving in the business waka (The Press, Feb 25). They own more than one-fifth of the country's $9.22 billion Maori business assets, but make up just over one-tenth of the Maori population.
South Island Maori own $1.95 billion or 21 per cent of the $9.22 billion of Maori business assets while North Island Maori own $7.26 billion or 78 per cent, according to the latest report on business and economic performance for Te Puni Kokiri.
The Maori business asset base is centred around two sectors: agriculture, fishing and forestry ($3.1 billion) and property and business services ($2.4 billion).
If you own or operate a Maori Business and would like to strengthen your networks, getting in contact with your local Maori Business Network could be a first step. We've
compiled
a list of some of these incredibly
vibrant
communities:
If you have any other Maori Business Networks that you wish us to include in future panui please feel free to email us the details.
|
|
|
|
   |
|
 For those with links to Poneke (Wellington) you may have been watching with interest as remains of a historic Pa site were unearthed in downtown Wellington several months ago. The Dominion Post (Nichols, March 25) reported that the Pa will be preserved... beneath a planned apartment complex. Apparently discussions between the Wellington City Council, local iwi, developers and the Historic Places Trust have resulted in an agreement to redesign the 58-unit building around the remains of three ponga huts at 39 Taranaki St, next to Molly Malones bar.
Oral histories suggest that the main migration into the Wellington region was by Taranaki iwi under threat from Waikato after a large-scale battle between the two. The group that eventually settled Te Aro pa was a mixture of hapu (sub-tribes) from Taranaki and Ngati Ruanui (Dominion Post, Jan 10). Stretching from modern Cambridge Tce through Taranaki St to the southern end of Frank Kitts Park, the pa sat right on the contemporary foreshore, near where the huts were discovered.
Mrs Mellish, a direct descendant of one of the site's former owners, says its preservation is vital. "Nowhere in New Zealand have we unearthed something like this. Many Wellingtonians would be almost unaware there was a Maori history at all. In terms of street names and places around the city, it's just not recognised." More than anything, the huts say loud and clear "that Maori lived here and were a thriving community".
The once thriving Te Aro Pa is thought to have been inhabited during the early 1800s before
substantial
European settlement and its
existence
stunned historians when it was unearthed during an archeological assessment of the site late last year.
David Dowsett, a spokesman for developer Washington Ltd, said the design change meant avoiding the use of piling around the ponga structures to minimise vibrations. The public would be able to view two of the structures through a glass-panelled floor once the building was completed, he said.
RANGIKAINGA is interested in your thoughts on this agreement and how it affects the wairua of this precious whenua. Please send your comments here.
 For those of you who would like to keep an eye on this county's politicians. A live broadcast of Parliament can now be heard as a live audio stream at Radio New Zealand. Please note that this stream is active only when the House of Representatives is sitting.
The Te Taitokerau Maori Land Court Public Workshops will be held at the WINZ office in Kaitaia on April 7. There are two free workshop sessions. 10am Maori Reservations. 1pm Trustee Duties. Contact: Jackson Katene,
email: jackson.katene@justice.govt.nz, ph: 09 983 9962,
fax: 09 983 9941.
|
|
|
|
   |
 |
|
 The Ma Te Reo Community Maori Language funding round opened on April 3. Hard copy applications close 28 April and online applications will close May 12. Eligibility criteria, information about how to apply and types of projects that are funded, are available on their Programme Information page. For further information contact: Maihi Makiha,
Ma Te Reo Administrator, 04 471 6733, 0800 MA TE REO (628 373),
or email maihi@tetaurawhiri.govt.nz.
 He Waka Eke Noa 2006, an annual Kaupapa Maori ICT Conference will be held in Rotorua between 18-20 April.
This conference will see a gathering of professional educators and advisors from the NZ Ministry of Education, NZ educational institutions, NZ schools and representatives from other international indigenous cultures.
He Waka Eke Noa 2006 will run over 3 days. The first day consists of a selection of pre-conference hands-on workshops. Delegates can participate in these workshops by registering and paying the workshop fee. This is separate, and additional to, the conference costs. Day 2 and 3 consist of a variety of hands-on workshops, presentations and prominent keynote speakers from within New Zealand.
The conference fee is $ 290+GST with an additional $ 80+GST for the pre-conference workshops day on 18th April. To register click here. For more information contact Gwenny Davis,
ph: 03 5451122 or 021 344 319,
fax: 03 545 1026.
 And for those of you with massive student debts, the Sunday Star-Times is offering you a chance to go into the draw to win a $10,000 student loan payment (which is about 1/8 of what I owe!). So to be in to win, grab a copy of the Sunday Star-Times (from Sunday March 19), txt in the code word and you're in the draw for the $10,000 payment. There's one winner each week, so you've got four chances to win. For your chance to have a bonus entry into the next prize draw, just click here to register online with SSTLIVE. Once you've registered, you get another chance to win $10,000! Check it out and if you win let us know!
|
|
|
 |
|
The Youth Affairs Ministry is to put $36,000 behind a Maori secondary school competition which aims to inspire young Maori students to consider business and tertiary education. Run through Hamilton City Council and the Waikato University's management school, the programme will target Maori school leavers in the Hamilton region. Schools will enter teams who will present case studies on a Maori business. The funding comes from a pool of $770,000 (Waikato Times, 29 Mar)
RANGIKAINGA would like to congratulate Moni Soutar, a 17-year old student from Palmerston North. The Manawatu Standard (Feb 2006) recently ran the following story: Moni recently was the recipient
of the Highbury Community Scholarship - which pays for four years of study - provided a B average is maintained. Born and bred in Manawatu, Moni has been educated in Te Reo at Te Kohanga Reo o and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mana Tamariki in Takaro.
Mana Tamariki is a total immersion Maori language school for babies through to high school. The curriculum is presented in Te Reo - except for when English is introduced as a subject in Year 9. While Moni downplays his achievement, he continues to offer his support to students learning maths in Maori at the school four times a week.
"Being taught in Maori is about knowing where you come from and being comfy within yourself."
There are a growing number of parents choosing to school their children in the immersion programme, Ms Poutu said.
Young people were often so advanced, they were called on for whanau oratory duties, she said.
"We want our children to be confidently Maori - able to run their world in two languages. It is not about being monolingual."
All students at Mana Tamariki are expected to gain university entrance, Ms Poutu said. Parents were also expected to make a commitment - with one parent required to speak Maori in the home. Kia ora to Moni, his whanau and the whanui at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mana Tamariki!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 The
Tauranga Harbour Challenge 2006 was held on Sunday 2 April. According to the
official
website a smaller then usual crowd attended this year, due to the World Sprints finishing last week, with just under 500 paddlers racing. International teams from Italy, England, Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii and Australia joined in on the action and a great day was had by all.
The day started with near perfect conditions for the Womens and Mixed W6 and Mens W1/W2. Only a couple of crews didn't finish the morning race, because they forgot to attach their rudders properly before they started. The afternoon races
saw the wind pick up and provided an extra challenge for the mens W6.
There was a bit of light hearted entertainment for the evening, with the Fiji kava party,
Hawaiian
Hula, Tahitian singing and English pub songs. If you would like to check out summary results click here and for full results click here.
 Results for 2006 IVF Va'a World Sprint Championships are now available on the EnterOnline.co.nz website. It's a great service, so definitely worth a look. If you are interested in a medal tally check out the Va'a World Sprint website and if you would like to read the daily summaries click here. Ka pai Tahiti (they took 23 golds) and kia ora to all those who participated and supported, you've made Aotearoa proud!
 Phil Tataurangi is over the moon after carding his lowest PGA Tour score since winning the Las Vegas Invitational three-and-a-half years ago. The NZPA (reported that Tataurangi fired seven birdies in a BellSouth Classic final round six-under-par 66 for a one-under tally of 287 on the TPC Sugarloaf course on April 3. Tataurangi finished tied for 64th, 27 shots behind winner Phil Mickelson who had a 13-shot winning margin over Jose Maria Olazabal and Zach Johnson. It was a consolation for a disappointing third round 78 that had the Taupo golfer starting the final round in the first group. He scraped through to make the cut with 78 others on Saturday with an eagle on his final hole. Today's score was Tataurangi's best since his 66 in the second round of the 2002 Las Vegas tournament which he won with a blistering final day 62.
For those who are interested in Maori sports in Australia an interesting article is
available
online.
The article written by Paul Bergin is entitled, " Maori sport and cultural identity in Australia" which was published in The Australian Journal of Anthropology, in 2002.
We're interested in your thoughts on this piece, do you agree, disagree, why, why not? Send comments to panui@tangatawhenua.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
   |
|
|
|
|
|
