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Māori News Stories for the week ending 29 May 2015

  • Last week Statistics New Zealand published the National Population Projections for the period 2013 to 2038.  Projections identify that the Māori population will increase to 20% of the population by 2038. In whole numbers the Māori population is projected to exceed one million people by 2038.[1]
  • Last week the Chair of the Federation of Māori Authorities (FoMA), Traci Houpapa, wrote to members advising them that their Chief Executive, Te Horipo Karaitiana had left recently, and that the organisation is currently facing challenging financial issues.  The financial situation is said to have arisen due to unscheduled work relating to Crown Forestry Rental Trust governance issues, and the review of Te Ture Whenua Māori.  In follow-up media reports, Ms Houpapa has now advised key member organisations have subsequently agreed to a three-year development programme, to ensure FoMA can continue to provide its core membership services.
  • In March a University of Auckland study relating to Māori home ownership rates was published in the online publication PLOS one.   The study entitled, Looking Māori Predicts Decreased Rates of Home Ownership: Institutional Racism in Housing Based on Perceived Appearance suggests the home lending industry in New Zealand may have a bias against stereotypical looking Māori.  The research article can be viewed here:http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0118540

[1]Estimate is 1 to 1.18 million.

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Māori news stories to 16 April 2014

· Social housing reforms came into effect this week allowing third-party entities (including iwi groups) to provide government-subsidised social housing. I.e. selected social housing providers are now able to offer income-related rents to eligible tenants, with the Government providing financial top-ups to ensure viability for housing providers. Pānui 41/2013 outlines this policy change, and other significant housing policy changes in more detail. We advise these policy reforms will have a marked impact on Māori, given high Māori use of state and social housing (circa 70,000 Māori live in state houses), and iwi interests in offering housing provisions.

· This week Tau Henare announced that he will retire from politics at the General Election.

· An application by Patricia Grace to the Māori Land Court to convert some whānau land to Māori reservation land has been successful. The purpose of this was to avert the land being acquired by the Crown under the Public Works Act for the further development of the Kapiti Expressway. The Crown has indicated it will appeal the decision. (Pānui 8/2014 provides further details on this matter.)

· This month an application by two trustees on the Crown Forestry Rental Trust (Sir Edward Durie and Maanu Paul) to replace the current Chair (Angela Foulkes) with a non-voting Chair was rejected by High Court Judge, Joe Williams, who instead requested that the parties work through a further mediation process (which commenced this week). Justice Williams has also determined that a previous decision to remove trustee Alan Haronga and replace him with Neville Back was invalid, as it was not properly supported by both of the two Māori appointing bodies (the Federation of Māori Authorities and The New Zealand Māori Council). Pānui editions 4/2014, 38/2013 and 22/2013 provide details on the internal discord within this Trust, for subscribers that are following this matter. The referal from the Court to a formal mediated-process presents as a positive development for this Trust.

· The Government has amended its Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill to remove a clause allowing iwi fishing quota owners an extension until 2020 before implementing changes which prohibit the use of foreign charter vessels. Pānui 17/2012 outlines this matter in detail. We are current undertaking a further assessment of this policy change and will advise accordingly.

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Māori news stories for the week ending 31 May 2013

• This week some media outlets reported that the Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust had lost $29 million on low quality investments.  Today, however, the Chairman of the Trust, Rakeipoho Taiaroa responded indicating that figure was inaccurate, and that the Trust expects to make an operating profit for the current financial year.  (We intend to review materials relating to this matter, and will advise further  if required.)

• On Wednesday the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, announced decisions relating to school closures and mergers in Christchurch.  Amongst those decisions she determined that two Christchurch Kura Kaupapa Māori – which had an interim decision to remain open but for one school to relocate – will now both stay open on their current sites.  The kura are Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Whānau Tahi and Te Kura Whakapumau Te Reo Tūturu Ki Waitaha.   Last September both kura formally rejected the relocation suggestion, lodging a joint complaint over the matter with the Waitangi Tribunal (which was placed on hold in January).

• This week the Marlborough Express and Christchurch Press both ran cartoons on the announcements of the breakfast in schools programme.  One cartoon portrayed images of Māori or Pacific adults participating in the breakfast in schools programme along with children (i.e. freeloading adults); and the other showed a whānau spending their money on alcohol, cigarettes and lotto tickets instead of breakfast for their children.  Both cartoons were drawn by Al Nisbet. On Thursday the Race Relations Commissioner, Dame Susan Devoy, criticised the cartoons.  She found the cartoons to be personally offensive, but not racist.  Despite that, she then called for complaints to be lodged with her on the matter.  In our view the images are clearly derogatory towards Māori and other Pacific peoples.  However it appears, from Dame Susan’s comments, she has already determined that there was no breach of Human Rights legislation.

• This week  several media outlets have reported on Claire Nathan, a Māori woman who was  refused a job as a flight attendant with Air New Zealand because she has a ta moko / traditional tattoo on her forearm.  Ms Nathan has now contacted the Human Rights Commission to determine if Air New Zealand has unlawfully discriminated against her.   Also this week, in a non-related case, the  Human Rights Review Tribunal ruled in favour of the Spit Roast Catering Company and awarded $15,000 in costs against the Director of Human Rights Proceedings – after the Tribunal found the catering company had not discriminated against a Māori employee by asking her to cover a ta moko with clothing whilst working.

• Te Kokoti Moeroa a Tangiharuru are planning a land occupation in protest at the failure to settle iwi land-ownership proportions relating to the Kaingaroa Forest.    Te Kokoti Moeroa a Tangiharuru is associated with Ngāti Manawa.  Pānui E14/2013 provides details on the concerns of this group.

• This week media outlets have reported further on the inability of the Crown Forestry Rental Trust to make funding determinations relating to some Waitangi Tribunal matters.   In particular, claimants involved in the large Te Paparahi o Te Raki (Northland) inquiry are concerned that the next stage of funding for their hearings has not yet been approved.  (This next stage is scheduled for July.)  The Federation of Māori Authorities and the New Zealand Māori Council appointment three of the Trustees, and it appears these two organisations are unable to agree the appropriate means to appoint alternatives, when a conflict of interest presents for a standing Trustee.  This is preventing the Trustees from meeting and making decisions.  Refer Pānui 11/2013 for further details.

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