The dispute currently being played out at Ihumatao will take Solomon-like wisdom to resolve. Given that all major parties involved, Fletcher Construction, the kaumatua who negotiated a deal with Fletchers, and the “protectors of the land” led by Pania Newton, are all acting legally and are all making reasonable claims concerning their interest in the Read more
New data shows that suicide rates among Māori people have risen to their highest level in a decade, and the rate among Māori men is double that of non-Māori. Why should this be so? Dale Husband speaks with Matthew Tukaki, executive director of the New Zealand Māori Council and former chair of Suicide Prevention Australia. Read more
Father (Tim) Anton Timmerman died last weekend in Auckland just four months after celebrating his 100th birthday. He was a priest for 73 years and served in Rotorua for over 60 years. He retired in 2008. Originally from the Netherlands, Timmerman studied to be a priest there, being ordained in 1945. In 1949 he came Read more
A new museum being built at a remote North Hokianga marae will rival any in the Far North, a curator says. Construction of Raiātea Resource Centre, at Motuti Marae between Kohukohu and Mitimiti, is well under way with the roof of the two-storey building now nearing completion. Most items in the collection — which include Read more
One in seven people did not complete the 2018 census, the first to be moved mostly online. Māori are likely to have been disproportionately affected by the new process but they have had no say in its design or implementation says Te Mana Raraunga, (TMR) the Māori Data Sovereignty Network. They think the limitations of the Read more
A new book published by Canterbury University Press brings to life a crucial period in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand when European settlers were mixing with Maori people and gives a compelling insight into Māori customs, values and beliefs of the time from a French perspective. A French Marist priest, Father Antoine Garin was Read more
Tēnei te mihi ki a koe a Pāpā Werahiko, te kaihautū o te waka o te Hahi Katorika,kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi. Greetings to you Pope Francis leader of the Catholic Church. I write to you in light of a call from the global campaign organisation Avaaz, Letters for life on Read more
A popular South Korean boy band is causing controversy by using a Māori karakia at the start of its new pop song. The te reo Māori words, “Tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tina” feature at the beginning of the track Simon Says by NCT 127. Researcher Aroha Mead, an advocate for Māori intellectual property, said Read more
Less than a third of the country’s prisons provide intensive Māori-focused rehabilitation. That’s despite Māori making up more than half of the country’s prison population. Former prisoners were calling for more Māori content across the board in prison. Only five out of the country’s 18 prisons offer Te Tirohanga, a rehabilitation course tailored for Māori Read more
Some Rātana followers are worried Labour is taking advantage of the church’s political support. “After we’ve aligned to them in their good favour, they then drop us like a hot pancake,” one woman told Newshub. Read more