Te Whāriki is a contemporary response to the need to reform the institutional Church in Aotearoa. “It is an urgent task,” the founding group says. “Although Pope Francis’ 2023 synod holds some hope for nurturing a church that is responsive to the needs of all, we don’t feel confident that the people can get the Read more
Three Catholic institutions – Wellington archdiocese’s Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission, Challenge 2000 and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand have presented submissions to parliament supporting the proposed Matariki Public Holiday Bill. “As Indigenous people we need to take back and understand what time looks like for us. How do we observe the seasons, how do we Read more
People with different levels of digital literacy will not be excluded from getting their Covid vaccine pass, says Covid Minister, Chris Hipkins. He gave the assurance, Wednesday on NewstalkZB. Singling out the elderly, Hipkins acknowledged that not all people have the required digital skills necessary to get the vaccine pass. He said they will be Read more
Michael Cullen set out his political philosophy in his autobiography. So has Chris Finlayson. His is having a significant impact on Māori development. Chris Finlayson was Minister for Treaty Negotiations (and Attorney General) between 2008 and 2017. (Alas, he was Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage for only six of those years.) His record is Read more
COVID-19 vaccination rates among Māori are low. Changing this reality is challenging healthcare providers. Although they are making inroads into the poor COVID-19 vaccination rates, health statistics show the low uptake is part of a difficult yet familiar reality. At present, for every one non-Māori or Pacific person who has received their first dose of Read more
In the 100 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land and the commerce they conducted on it were devastated. Poverty followed and the introduction of new, foreign diseases ravaged the Māori population. Over the past 25 years, the Government and iwi across New Zealand have been working to acknowledge the historical grievances. In most cases, Read more
For four days over the last weekend, I travelled with friends down from Auckland through the Waikato and King Country to Taranaki, seeking insights from history and hope for the future. Our journey was an early celebration of Waitangi Day, anguish, reconciliation and all. Our first stop was St John’s church in Te Awamutu, Waikato’s Read more
A leading Maori historian says the churches have an ongoing responsibility to the Treaty of Waitangi. Manuka Henare presented his thoughts to a recent church hui at Manukau Institute of Technology on the treaty and theology. He says it was a chance to review the greater understanding historians now have of the early contacts between Read more
The Minister of Treaty Negotiations, Chris Finlayson is keen that iwi are better supported in a post-settlement world. Mr Finlayson says he is keen that iwi are not left on their own once their Treaty of Waitangi legislation was passed and the Crown could do better to help iwi make the transition, reports Radio New Read more
Maori have a difficulty with the current 4G spectrum auction. They cannot accept the notion that they must join a long queue of very wealthy bidders at auction for a piece of the scarce spectrum resource, with the Crown as seller. There will be roaring levels of commercial testosterone at this auction, and the Treaty Read more