Update on the Mataraunga Maaori component in first year uni paper from an anecdotal perspective.
Was reinforced in test that concepts and understanding had to relate only to lecturer's definitions, personal knowledge or alternate definitions would be marked as wrong.
Eg. What is the definition of whanau?
The only 'right' answer, is your direct ancestors. Any other definition – no marks.
Also, MM questions twice the points for no discernible reason.
This approach is inviting resistance and pushback.
I support the intention of mātauranga Māori, but am concerned about the implemention of the project.
To me, this has similar hallmarks to the Equality and Diversity intention, that has been rolled out through our institutions, businesses and government departments.
Employing identified individuals as experts and representatives to provide material and ideas for projects is a starting point. However, what they produce still should be actively scrutinised for appropriateness, quality and any statement of facts should be well-evidenced.
Getting this wrong, not only means that those learning are not actually being delivered good quality material, but it provides space for justified criticism, which unfortunately gives fodder to the underlying racism for some.
My son still won't let me watch the videos, but from a personal point of view, he's dismissive of the value and quality of what was delivered to him – and hundreds of other students – by the mātauranga Māori component of the paper.
That's interesting. I hear it used in such a way in many meetings run by Māori facilitators and taiako. Have you never come across it? Might be a regional use of the word.
The ancestor definition, excludes whangai adoptions and implies a connection to bloodlines going one way, up or down from an individual.
It might be a personal perspective, but whanau for me is more of a weaving concept, pulling and connecting threads from a vast array of 'relatives' and familial connections. It's probably my personal attachment to this definition, that makes me reluctant to relinquish it.
It's not the definition that concerns me, direct ancestors is accurate in and of itself. It is the insistence that only that definition will be deemed to be correct. I love the other aspects of whanau, and if those attending this class believe there is only one 'correct' answer, they may lose a wider understanding when meeting the word in future.
That's the concept of whanau that I particularly love, where it encompasses ‘family’ in a broader concept than standard nuclear family relationships. Family in the 'heart' sense rather than the 'genetic' sense.
Seems like an unnecessarily narrow and exclusive definition.
I agree, that if this education is so prescriptive (just memorize the list of concepts and definitions), it's going to accomplish little in enculturating MM in the students – and is very likely to build resentment and push-back.
It seems the complete reversal of the te ao Maori philosophy.
When seeking the essential meaning of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we have to defer to the indigenous version. Perhaps here we need to do the same.
We all have our reckons, but it's not really our business, is it, how words outside of English are defined. In any case, the "lecturer" might just as well be planning to expand upon their definition of "whanau" as the course proceeds. Molly's example seems very tenuous to me.
Loanwords, or borrowings, are words which are adopted into a native language from a different source language. Such borrowings have shaped the English language almost from its beginnings, as words were adopted from the classical languages as well as from successive wave of invasions (e.g. Vikings, Normans). Even by the 16th Century, long before the British Empire extended its capacious reach around the world, English had already adopted words from an estimated 50 other languages, and the vast majority of English words today are actually foreign borrowings of one sort or another.
Some may consider it culturally insensitive to ascribe new meanings to words taken/adopted from Aotearoa NZ's first language, but if history is any teacher then 'resisting the drift' will be mostly futile. Can we change?
The drift of word meanings over time often arises, often but not always due to catachresis (the misuse, either deliberate or accidental, of words). By some estimates, over half of all words adopted into English from Latin have changed their meaning in some way over time, often drastically. For example, smart originally meant sharp, cutting or painful; handsome merely meant easily-handled (and was generally derogatory); bully originally meant darling or sweetheart; sad meant full, satiated or satisfied; and insult meant to boast, brag or triumph in an insolent way. A more modern example is the changing meaning of gay from merry to homosexual (and, in some circles in more recent years, to stupid or bad).
Being dogmatic about traditional usage, or meaning, is one way of ensuring Māori becomes a dead language.
Many English words have been adopted to Māori beginning from the First European visiters. To insist only on traditional usage we would have to remove them also.
Anyway the Tamariki are voting with their feet, using Māori words, in ways and situations that are definitely not traditional.
The French tried to keep their language pristine. It didn't work.
Some of the dogmatism is just ignorance. Kids at a High school I was teaching in, kept correcting my pronunciation. One of the old Māori Teachers told them, "don't be so bloody cheeky, he is from Taranaki". She even knew which part of Taranaki, from my accent in Māori. The "correct" Māori pronunciation followed is very often Ngapuhi, which annoys the hell out of Ngāi Tahu and others.
The Te Reo course I did, was very interesting when it focused on the regional differences and dialects. I wish I could develop the same ear for regional differences in Te Reo, as easily as I can distinguish from regional differences in the UK. It's a sorry acknowledgement of my insufficient Te Reo that I have no idea.
Due to my recent foray into researching porn, I've left investigating the NZ curriculum regarding mātauranga Māori, and Sexuality and Relationship investigation.
The NCEA, and TKI websites are a pain to navigate as a novice, and material is linked to from multiple sites and pages.
Here is one such link to the Secondary Curriculum for science, where you can download a fairly short pdf on concepts.
Unfortunately, this is not the page where I found word 'whakapapa' used interchangeably with the concept of evolution. If I come across it again, I'll post.
Whakapapa for me holds such significance, in te ao Māori, that I resist the expansion of the word to encompass a concept that was not part of te ao Māori knowledge.
Another example that is shown on the CB Learning Matrix_1.pdf is for 'mauri' to refer to energy bonds at atomic levels.
"recognise that mauri is present in all matter which exists as particles held together by attractive forces"
My understanding of this word was 'life-force', a recognition of organic life-forms and/or sentience ascribed to non-organic forms. ie. mountains, rivers etc.
I would prefer to see new Māori words for concepts that were not part of mātauranga Māori but utilise existing Te Reo to create.
I'm uncomfortable with the dilution of existing language to shoehorn new concepts in. From my perspective, it demeans the original kupu, and also muddies the scientific concept.
"I'm uncomfortable with the dilution of existing language to shoehorn new concepts in. From my perspective, it demeans the original kupu, and also muddies the scientific concept.
eg. Whakapapa for evolution."
and at the same time argue for that "whanau" is "used informally to refer to a group gathered for some purpose, ie. interests. Our rugby whanau."
Seems you're supporting both points of view?
Contradicting your original objection?
You also wrote:
“I do enjoy the broader application of this particular word. It’s just one of those kupu that resonates, hopefully for all NZers.”
Is that so long as the word is “whanau” and not “whakapapa”?
The issue here is not shortening or expanding words, Robert.
It is about making sure the intent of mātauranga Māori is achieved.
My concern with my son's course, is that it seems inclined to not inspire, or encourage, and may actually cause students to resist further learning because of the content and delivery.
My concern with the curriculum matrix, is that it uses significant Māori kupu and concepts, and shoehorns in a new definition that both dilutes the original meaning, and muddies the scientific concept. Once again, inviting pushback and resistance to further learning.
In te reo Māori words frequently mean more than one thing depending on context. I find it very odd that you've swung from complaining about a too narrow a definition of whānau, to getting upset that mauri (which is a bit broader than just lifeforce anyway – it is the motivating and identifying energy) can be applied to nuclear forces or that whakapapa (which is much broader than just genealogy and encompasses all living things and geographical landmarks as ancestors in relation to the speaker) should be applied to evolution.
You seem to want your cake and to eat it too.
kiaora e te whānau is a common expression used with all sorts of groups that aren't related ancestrally.
Hard to comment on the story told because it's third hand anecdote, but on the face of it it seems an odd definition to me. It's also possible there was context that makes sense of it.
Whanau as used by Māori speakers today, from both personal observation and reading can include groups of friends, family both immediate or distant, a school community, a club.
Not just or even for kāwai, roots/ ancestors
May not have been past usage. But Māori like all languages evolves and adopts.
My non-Māori aunt didn’t Whakapapa to the Iwi, but she was certainly Whanau!
My option is to do an OIA for the videos of the lectures, and the written material.
Although my son has access, he is a rule follower. All online material has a statement that it is not to be shared with those not enrolled, and so he doesn't.
I understand that my perspective of his perspective is not an accurate rendering. Part of the reason I write this, is just to invite others to put forward their experiences. Or if they are in positions to access or scrutinise material, to do so.
If I can, I can find out the course code and stream. And perhaps, put in a request for that material but I'll wait till my son has completed this semester.
(ATM, still negotiating being in the same room while he re-watches. Two problems: he considers that dishonest, and he doesn’t want to watch it again.)
I took it to mean that it only related to people of direct ancestry, rather than a replacement for tupuna. More a definition that related to shared blood links, as it were.
Once again, I acknowledge that this is my interpretation, of his interpretation being offered to you to interpret.
Not a sound basis for definitive analysis. More a check diagnostics light.
"The only 'right' answer, is your direct ancestors."
That's very imprecise and perhaps causing confusion here.
Was "your direct ancestors" in fact the answer given, an interpretation of the answer given, or what?
If we are to make judgements based on this snippet (is it copied and pasted, is it second-hand, over-heard ? etc.) we are bound to get the wrong end of te rakau, imo.
As I said, it might be. But both during lectures, and before the test they were reminded that only the material and definitions that were taught during the course were going to be considered the 'correct' answers when it came to assessment.
(I'm really resisting the temptation to log on to my son's computer, and "assess" his interpretation of what is going on. But perhaps, someone reading this also has access to the course materials, and can provide direct experience.)
The lecturer did touch on the fact that others may have different definitions, tikanga etc, but for the purposes of assessment only those which had been delivered were accepted.
For the course I did on Tikanga Māori, the opposite was encouraged. As long as you referenced the origin of your understanding, and evidenced it, the contribution was accepted as valid. A really good exploratory assignment, especially when sharing with other students.
(My other cynical thought, is that for a generalised paper, this edict makes it easy to mark. That it all may boil down to a prosaic attitude of reducing marking time, for a lecturer that has more specific and labour-intensive courses to deliver.)
"But both during lectures, and before the test they were reminded that only the material and definitions that were taught during the course were going to be considered the 'correct' answers when it came to assessment."
Seems then, they were quite specific and gave fair direction and warning.
And especially unusual in teaching Te Reo or Maturanga Maori.
All of the (many) seminars, courses and workshops I've engaged in have been a very collaborative learning style. Where the knowledge of the course leader (being generously shared with the participants) is acknowledged and valued; but so is the knowledge that different participants bring to the discussion. I've been in a workshop where there was a long discussion about the different usage of a term on one marae in the FN (participant) and another in the SI (course leader) – very good-humored, and clearly a source of amusement to both of them; and another which was specifically related to an upcoming powhiri, where the leader specifically referred to the way things were done on this marae, rather than being necessarily correct for other marae.
This 'fount of all knowledge' style seems very foreign to the whole Matauranga Maori philosophy.
The direction and following assessment is not what concerns me, Robert.
If the intention is to both introduce and instill encouragement for further learning of Te Ao Māori in students – the way this has been delivered might actually do the opposite.
I'm concerned about the resulting attitude of the students, rather than my son's mark.
Are any students there going to be inspired to look further into the perspectives of Māori?
The other less desired prospect is that they may also react negatively to future contact with te Ao Māori if they come away with a sense that it is not relevant or quality information.
'Fair' as in easy to mark and to learn. Yep.
Useful, in actually inculcating MM into the learning (the stated aim)? I'd say fairly useless.
And, absolutely inviting push-back. I'd say that most of the Engineering students (I think that's the background here) are likely to simply learn for the exam, then promptly forget it. Just another set of useless 'facts'
A largely wasted exercise.
And especially useless for anyone who has had exposure to MM through other avenues (e.g. kohanga reo, kura or marae) – where the learning (as presented here) sounds very different to what they would have learned in a te ao Maori perspective.
I tend to agree with Robert here. If the intention is to instill a broad brush overview of the Maori world then there is very little room for arguing a different view. The value of such a course is that it will do just this – cover concepts of language, iwi, etc tribal links, broad strokes world view and how it is linked.
One of the best bits of advice that I was told early on was to make sure you revise for exams on what has been taught, as the examiner is seeking to ensure that you have got this. This is different from you may have learned through your own explorations during the course, or prior knowledge accumulated.
So harking back to the word 'whanau' then if the course has taught this and the question gives no scope for exploring how it is used in contexts then the definition they are looking for is direct family.
Getting a law degree way way back at some institutions required Latin, or a foreign language. In my years we had some topics loosely covered by the phrase Law In Society. The idea was to give a background, an at ease look at the wider community we would be working in.
Over the years in the PS we were required to attend courses on Maori worldview/Maori language. For me this just built on classes at my secondary school and living in a mainly Maori township where the teachers routinely taught this. Now some PS agencies especially those in Treaty sensitive areas have an expectation or think highly of staff who have attended immersion courses.
I cannot imagine that a world going forward for an engineer would not cover the Maori world view. If you look at the story of how Ngati Tuhoe approached the building of Te Kura Whare then you will note the lengths that people working on the design etc of the building would have had to go to.
Input of a Maori aspect from the start, to put it bluntly is expected in most (all?) public building and this will only increase as the years go by. In the spirit of not not running before you can walk the course that your son is taking will be the bare minimum. Building on a bare but common minimum will set him up to explore in greater depth later.
From my personal viewpoint I would be careful of trying to trample over what might be a very carefully designed course that will give information and confidence without setting up people to argue the toss (I've seen it happen) about Treaty claims, bootstraps pulling…….etc.
If I was your son I would happily keep what I have learned, ie valuable concepts, from this course in my back pocket and reflect on them. If I had deviated along the way to have thoughts about pedagogy I would put that to one side.
Maori is used much more frequently now and if he can see that whanau has already gone on to be used as an encompassing way to describe club members then he can see language and culture at work.
Thoughtful and comprehensive response there, Shanreagh.
I'm mindful that this section of the engineering course focused on matauranga Maori, not te reo Maori per se.
The fact though, that the two "threads" are so intertwined is a crucial one and worthy of further exploration.
In my sphere of engagement, local government through regional council, I observe the wrangling over matauranga and reo with the central focus on te mana o te wai and hauora; highly-charged points of both misunderstanding and breakthrough.
I'm mindful that this section of the engineering course focused on matauranga Maori, not te reo Maori per se.
Yes I realise that and for me that gives even more relevance to the idea of reflecting back what a student has been taught. So the student gives their knowledge back to the tutor. In giving back this knowledge to the tutor then the tutor is also able to learn – to work out where they may have to apply a different emphasis for their learners in the future. I think a tutor would be disappointed in themselves if students got themselves tangled up in extensions to meanings so much so that the original meaning was lost.
We might be able to mount an argument as a new learner of a language. though for me it is more about idiom, tenses et and my questioning is about what I can see as inconsistencies. To mount an argument on the cultural aspects on the strength of the work of a semester or two would be fraught I would have thought. I would be very, very wary that this gave me any great insight into the culture and lived in experience behind the words. For instance even though I speak German and French I would be very skeptical that this gave me standing to debate, say, the German word das Volk. It is so tied up with other historical and cultural concepts.
The best outcome for a course of this type is to build an awareness of different worlds/drivers. If it has a result down the track of ensuring an engineer responds to a brief that looks as though it may involve Te Ao by saying I'll be sure to get specialist input on this, or makes the same engineer mindful and respectful of Te Ao Maori, even down to being able to introduce themselves or knowledge of hapu/iwi structures, creation story etc then the course will have been successful. Humility and knowing what you don't know, when this is important is a key value too.
The engineers involved in the Ngati Tuhoe house would have been far beyond this prelim knowledge but they, and the clients both, would have been expecting that anyone who came with input would be aware of it.
He also took pains to mention, that he could be wrong. So, as I said, it may be hearsay + hearsay = completely wrong end of the stick.
Because of Covid restrictions, all the lectures were recorded and put online.
Also, it could just be that this is a generalised course and not a good example. I posted below:
(My other cynical thought, is that for a generalised paper, this edict makes it easy to mark. That it all may boil down to a prosaic attitude of reducing marking time, for a lecturer that has more specific and labour-intensive courses to deliver.)
Thermodynamics was one of the subjects I enjoyed the most and attained an A+ in at each level. So most of this looks like a very recognisable introduction:
Course Overview
ENGGEN 140 (Energy & Society) is a fundamental course for first year engineering students. It introduces important concepts of thermodynamics – the science of the relationship between heat, work, temperature, and energy. ENGGEN 140 applies these concepts to a range of renewable energy systems and biomedical applications. Furthermore, ENGGEN 140 discusses energy storage systems in the form of battery technologies and biofuels.
As a steppingstone in the pathway to a professional engineering degree in New Zealand, ENGGEN 140 interlinks fundamental engineering concepts with learning about engineering ethics, decision-making processes, Te Ao Māori and the Māori economy. The role of creativity in developing solutions is also explored within the course.
ENGGEN 140 is an introduction to solving complex engineering problems related to the energy sector while considering effects on communities and the environment.
But in my honest view introducing cultural concepts into this course feels contrived. The laws of the universe owe nothing to human social habits and outlooks:
Yeah – I recall one paper we did that was a series of about 3 or 4 invited lecturers from other depts like Philosophy, Anthro and Law. Quite interesting but very relaxed. So there is nothing terribly new about trying to inject a little couth into first year Engineering students.
One line the Philosophy guy came up with is that the subject was often considered so divorced from real life, that meeting your Philosophy tutor in a pub was like meeting your mother in a massage parlour. Mutually embarrassing.
Like all languages there are often synomyms for similar meanings. Whanau strictly means your immediate living relatives, but like the English word family, it can be used flexibly. For example in English we might say 'the family of humanity' or a 'family of Pacific cultures'. On the other hand there are pedants in every culture.
As for ancestors – the more accurate word I think is whakapapa. IIRC.
When Stuart Nash left his weekly radio slot with Mikey and Mark Mitchell, I was hoping Nash would be replaced with Kiri Allan. Allan seems to me to be a straight up sheila with brains. However, we got Megan Woods. And I must say after a couple of mediocre sessions, she has found her stride. She cleaned Mitchell up in their last debate.
Nice one Robo. National's tactic to attack Labour on an issue they are strong on and National were useless on seems a bit daft…but that's Chris Bishop for you.
"Do you think those that are responsible for local drinking, waste and provision of storm water services should be directly accountable to voters"
Now faced with such a question, who would think too carefully about just what "directly' meant, or whether "those responsible" are local government, regional Councils, or the New Zealand Government? Not surprisingly, a large majority of people answering the question wanted those responsible (whoever they are) to also be accountable – most readers of The Standard may have answered the question that way. Our NZ Govt has responsibility for setting standards and seeing them met – and we saw the last National (party) government set low standards, then deliberately interfere with Environment Canterbury to prevent enforcement, leading to now compromised aquifer supply and problems for towns and cities. Now it could be argued that the Taxpayers union are reprehensible for such a poorly worded survey, and for their poor judgement in the interpretation they placed on the results, and David Farrar has allowed that report to carry the Curia Logo. Has Farrar failed to meet minimum professional polling standards by such a misleading question and such a misleading report on the results?
I'd have thought that the question encompassed all of the possibilities of 'directly accountable' (government, regional government, local government) – that you've suggested.
What it doesn't encompass is a multi-layer appointed bureaucracy and co-governance by iwi (the governance model proposed under 3 waters)
Neither of which are accountable to voters at all. And I have yet to see this meaningfully addressed by Mahuta, or anyone else involved in 3 waters.
I suspect that those completing the survey absolutely understood the question, and answered accordingly.
You may not like the answer. But I suspect that Labour may be about to find out just how much Kiwis don't like this model of governance.
But do we have any level of accountability to voters or consumers with our electricity or telecommunications services? Or even roading, which is mostly controlled by Waka Kotahi, a government agency.
Democratic control of our water services by local government politicians hasn't really served us that well, and the right's alternatives of contracting and privatisation are unlikely to do any better.
I welcome the balance that Maori representaion on the boards of the 3 Waters entities will bring. In Otago Ngāi Tahu have had a governance role over our lakes, waterways and landscape for 20 years and the world hasn't ended. Many would say that it's a much better world, once Ngāi Tahu became involved Councils actually started doing something about their sewage discharges into waterways. Still a long way to go but there's been a change in direction. The balance between Te Ao Māori and Pakeha dominion will put our society in a more sustainable place into our future.
It will provide a constructive conflict in a similar way to the USA's constitution has various governance groups complementing each other, often in conflict, to provide a stable and constructive governance.
I welcome iwi involvement, and think there are lots of benefits for everyone from co-governance. I'm considerably less convinced that bods in Chch can make good decisions about small towns in Southland or Otago.
"Or even roading, which is mostly controlled by Waka Kotahi, a government agency."
Yes, we do. If it's controlled by the government, we get to vote on the policies every 3 years. Whereas AT – an unelected roading and transport bureaucracy in Auckland, which is apparently entirely uncontrolled by the council (in practice) – appears to have no redress from voters, whatsoever. Just a never-ending stream of wasteful projects, and apparently no money to deal with basic repair work.
You have a choice with power or telecoms – if you don't like the policies (or ethics) of one of the companies, you can pick up your account and vote with your wallet – at any time.
Not really an option with water….
Any time someone says 'democtratic control ….. hasn't served us well' – a shiver runs up my spine. That is *exactly* how autocracies begin…. always with the 'best' of intentions. But "all power has a tendency to corrupt, and absolute power has the tendency to corrupt absolutely".
Anyone who truly believes that the right wants to privatize and sell off water – should be fighting this legislation tooth and nail. It's virtually impossible to sell off a fragmented asset (as water currently is), but much, much easier to sell off one which has been nicely packaged into a single organization. Personally, I don't believe that the right has any such intention – but if you do, then this is the riskiest legislation that you could possibly support. At some point, a right government *will* be elected…
Ngai Tahu have nicely enriched their tribal elite (as have Tainui) – I've yet to see any sustainable benefit to the rest of NZ (or, indeed to the rest of Maori – especially the urban Maori who have some of the worst social outcomes).
Councils across the whole of NZ have been 'doing something' about discharges of sewerage – it's difficult to claim that it's entirely due to iwi influence. And Ngai Tahu, at least, are substantial dairy farmers – I'm sure that's true of other iwi in other regions as well.
The operation of 3 Waters is generally contracted out to either the TA's CCO, another TA's CCO, or a completely private organisation like Fulton Hogan, Downer or Veolia. The last two groups have quite a bit of power over the contracting TA, I've heard the relationship described as akin to farming.
Nact aligned parties have been at the forefront of this contracting, so it’s definitely the way they want things. it’s done one little bite at a time and then merged into larger and larger organisations that gradually creep into multinational corporates.
The proposed reforms will put a few controls over this. It'll be mostly the same organisations / people doing the work but the scale will hopefully bring a lot of functions back in-house and curb the farming.
Very good for retirement jobs for ex National MP' s.
The fact of the creeping privatisation that has been happening with public assets, including those mostly under the RADAR by council's, is ignored by 3 waters opponents. Obviously because they are happy for it to continue.
are you saying 'it's already happeing, so what's the problem?"
If not, please point to the parts of the 3 Waters plan that are specifically designed to prevent privatisation.
My understanding is that councils either do work themselves, contract out to private orgs, or set up organisations that are designed to function like private companies. If National wanted to sell those off, how would it do it currently, given central government doesn't have control of councils and there are still mechanisms for communities to object?
We were one election away from the whole lot being sold off in Auckland.
Banks stated intention if he got in.
Makes it much harder to keep privatisation out of public view if it cannot be done, bit by bit.
It should be stated that part of three waters is bringing more expertise into managing contracting out, which is a part of creeping privatisation of asset management we should oppose. But if it is happening it needs a much greater degree of competent oversight.
Examples are Air NZ and other privatisations which didn't go unnoticed. Note however that National cared so much about democracy that they went ahead anyway. Not without public opposition, though.
Hence labour currently trying to entrench anti -privatisation provisions. The part of the Three Waters bill that opposes privatisation. National, who have suddenly become concerned about public ownership, sic. are opposing them.
Anyone who truly believes that the right wants to privatize and sell off water – should be fighting this legislation tooth and nail. It's virtually impossible to sell off a fragmented asset (as water currently is), but much, much easier to sell off one which has been nicely packaged into a single organization.
I've seen two examples of privatisation of the 3 Waters management in Queenstown, along with other QLDC functions. The first with with contracting to the old works management, who then sold out to another TA's contracting arm was a disaster, the second to a multi national organisation really hasn't lived up to it's promises and may reveal a few unpleasant surprises under the carpet once it's over. QLDC initially wasn't supportive of the 3 Waters proposal, now they are. QLDC have seen the alternatives and see 3 Waters as the preferred option. The real opportunities for privatisation are the small, failing, TA's that don't have an alternative, QLDC was very much in that situation and it looked like a good idea at the time.
"Ngai Tahu have nicely enriched their tribal elite"
Well if you call Ngāi Tahu's engaged community a 'tribal elite' you'd be right. I'm seeing an organisation that going from strength to strength growing and supporting it's members and the surrounding community and environment. I wish I had the whakapapa to be fully engaged.
If the left properly understood the iwi entities as essentially nothing more than family owned private corporations with a closed shareholding – then Three Waters would be seen in a quite different light.
Don't think corporation is quite the right description. While the iwi entities are very commercial, there is an equal benevolent focus, often benefiting the wider community.
Could the same be said for Fonterra, Farmlands or Gloriavale? All similarly closed 'corporations'
Wishing those "iwi entities" well – both ‘sides’ can teach us all a thing or two.
Indigenous history, culture and values as investment philosophy: lessons from the New Zealand Māori [3 March 2022]
MAHI [Māori Asset Holding Institutions] have evolved over the last 30 years as the investment and commercial arms of iwi (tribal) organizations, in New Zealand. They seek to grow and sustain the financial and natural resources they have and continue to receive through the Treaty settlement process with the Government for redress of historical grievances against Māori, the indigenous people.
…
Iwi have indeed adopted the principles and language of traditional Western investment strategies, but a shift in the investment space towards more sustainable investment practices provides an opportunity for iwi to assert a more indigenous approach which is grounded in issues of sustainability and tribal wellbeing.
Who is promoting this "tad presumptious [sic]" idea?
Imho that idea is almost as presumptuous as the idea that Māori culture has nothing to offer non-Māori when it comes to ethical investment/investiment and sustainability.
RL, it's hilariously hypocritical that all this 'concern' is being whipped up at the slightest hint of Māori making a bit of 'unearned' profit, when NZ and the rest of the world is awash with unearned profit as it is. Little more than fearmongering, imho.
Now if only there was a mechanism to distribute a slightly larger proportion of the existing unearned profit more equitably…
As for your presumptuous question, it's a non sequitur, don't you think? But, for the record (again), I consider myself a bit of a 'lefty' and yet I can't make head nor tail of it.
One more try: who (apart from you) is promoting "the idea that only Maori know how to advocate for ethical investiment and sustainability"?
Well, open to anyone with a bit of cash to spare – and here we are.
NZ’s perverse ethnic wealth gap[27 July 2020]
Pete McKenzie traces Aotearoa's wide – and worsening – wealth gap between ethnic groups back to colonial land confiscation
“We have an opportunity to ask whether the system is geared up to produce equitable wealth distribution between Māori and non-Māori. If these disparities are increasing, then the answer is no, it’s not. There’s something wrong with the system.”
Perhaps each ‘side’ can teach us all a thing or two.
Had you noticed the dates in the article you linked? The point at which EY's profits skyrocketed was 2017 – virtually doubling every year until 2020 – god knows what they are now.
Yes I had noticed that the no. 1 health priority for Andrew Little is apparently reorganizing the Health administration infrastructure.
Wouldn't be mine.
Still no explanation why contractor costs by DHBs were controlled under National and exploded under Labour.
Hint, the DHB governance model didn't change.
Also the DHBs were established under the 5th Labour Government (Helen Clark) – I wouldn't characterize that as a more right wing government – though perhaps you would.
If any organisation is created to look after 3 waters, it will still be ultimately accountable to the New Zealand Government – and my understanding of 3 waters is that it is intended to be directly accountable, but that is not yet clear. You are however being suitably cautious about the possibility of a lack of accountability – as I understand it the way in which some organisations in Auckland were created makes them largely unaccountable to the Auckland City Council, even though they are called Council Controlled Organisations – perhaps there should have been more consultation before that was forced on Auckland, but thankfully it seems there will be considerable consultation, and perhaps changes from both current proposals or at least current perceptions from some who are not quite aware of what they think they are opposing. Co-governance has of course been used before – Chris Finlayson speaks highly of it and apparently used it on a number of occasions. Was he and the government he was part of wrong?
I look forward to Mahuta explaining in plain language the exact checks and balances which will enable Government to control the 3 waters bureaucracy.
She has yet to do so.
And, quite frankly, with co-governance, I don't see how it would be possible, in any case.
Consultation over 3 waters has become a dirty word – with the abundant evidence that irrevocable decision are made, before the sham of consultation is carried out. I refer here to Mahuta telling outright lies to Councils that they could opt out, when she knew that Cabinet had already decided that would not be an option.
There's a huge trust deficit that the government has to overcome.
Bit hard to have a decent consultation and discussion, when any policy to try and fix the massive damage done by the right wing over the years, is greeted by a storm of lies and scare mongering bullshit.
Which you are blindly repeating.
Where were you when the Minister of Health in the National Government pushed to privatise sectors of the health system, to retire to a job with one of those private companies? You didn't give a stuff. But you are happy to repeat unsubstantiated rumours about "corruption behind three waters".
I have concerns about repeating the private sector Governance structures, which have been used for CCO's and SOE's, to distance them from democratic control. Deliberately so when the ACTiods set them up. Shows their real attitude to democracy.
However any genuine concerns and suggestions for improvement, have been lost in the bullshit.
is greeted by a storm of lies and scare mongering bullshit.
Which you are blindly repeating.
Look, if you believe that, this has all been laid out – in crystal clear language with appropriate checks and balances, and government control specifically legislated for – then please link to it.
ATM – what I'm seeing is simply a 'trust us, we know what we're doing' message from Mahuta. And, that is what you are blindly repeating.
Those of us who are sceptical of 3 waters, are *not* reassured by this. And the scepticism is hardening into opposition.
The best way to convince people is to explain: exactly how it will work, and to answer the 'what if' concerns with information about how that contingency is provided for.
It doesn't matter if you think it's 'bullshit' – explain to people exactly how that concern will be mitigated.
What, like the money wasted on a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign (which absolutely failed, adding insult to injury).
An actual information campaign to give people answers to the inevitable questions, would have been a much better use of the money (and much less liable to being attacked).
How do you alleviate "concerns" that are basically scare mongering?
Like the sudden “concern” by the right wing about privatisation. Something they have been quietly proceeding with in council’s for decades.
Concerns such as the ones I have, are buried under a storm of "concerns" most of which are unrelated to the need to deal with under-investment and council failures with 3 waters, such as accusations of nepotism and unsubstantiated gossip about when descissions were made.
50% iwi. Government have no control over iwi, or who they choose to appoint – (and nor should they) – however, it can't be possible for the Government to control the 3 waters bureaucracy in that scenario.
RRGs who appoint the board and set the overall direction will be 50% iwi.
No requirement for the board to consist of any elected representatives (and it seems unlikely that they would – since Manuta appears to believe that they will be appointed on the basis of professional skills and competency)
You have a RRG which is in fundamental disagreement over the direction water should go in (e.g. prioritization of urban/rural infrastructure spend; differential water charges for different communities; infrastructure investment over ecological concerns)
A board member which has lost confidence of a significant % of the RRG, but is still supported by a block vote (either iwi or council)?
RRG persist in appointing a board member who is unable to work effectively with the rest of the board, or who has a fundamental conflict of interest? Or does *not* have professional skills or competency?
Board appears to be operating independently of the (notional) controlling body. What are the recall/reappointment procedures?
Government wants to establish a broad water policy – but iwi/council RRG disagree? (Does the Government just dismiss the board and take over a la Tauranga Commissioners?
A city or region is deeply unhappy with the water outcome in their area – what redress do they have? (even if they vote out 'their' representative on the RRG, this won't shift the voting balance in the group)
I'm not really interested in the statement that any of the above 'can't happen'. It might be impossible to envisage now, but over time?
We've certainly seen both Councils and Iwi have failures of leadership. I decline to believe that there is something magic about water management which would prevent this from ever happening.
I'd certainly prefer to know the methodology for dealing with the outcomes of these scenarios in advance.
Would all of you be as enthusiastic if this was being proposed by a National/Act government?
If you believe that iwi have failure over leadership, why are you so keen to give them control over water?
We can vote out poorly performing local government representatives. Neither we (nor the iwi themselves) have any mechanism to vote out poorly performing iwi leadership.
Councils that have failures of leadership can be replaced in a democratic society.That is the remedy against maladministration.
In the forthcoming local elections,there is a high probability that many will be removed with expedient demise,Mostly for incompetence and the failure that they have a duty of care for their locality (read fiscal responsibilty)
The high levels of debt being racked up by the incumbents are unsustainable.
3 Waters cost are over 1.5 billion without any forecast in efficiency, and only for the bureaucracy, and is all being funded on overseas debt.(treasury notes the high level of risk in the IT alone)
Any evidence for this? In any of the comments I've made on this or any other topic?
Or is it just a baseless slur, because you're unable to actually answer any of my arguments.
For reference, I think this is bad legislation from a democratic perspective, regardless of which party proposed it. I don’t believe that watering-down democracy for what seems like ‘good reasons’ is ever a good solution.
National and Act have announced that they would repeal 3 waters if elected. Why should they agree to entrench something they're planning on repealing?
“Evdence”. Parroting the right wing attack scare mongering.
I have been answering your arguments.
Why wouldn't NACT allow entrenching anti-privatisation provisions, if they were really against privatisation as they now claim? In case the bill gets passed. That doesn’t affect whether they retain or remove the bill.
Of course we all know that National approves of the creeping privatisation of council infrastructure and contracting out. Which is why they really oppose three waters.
Now. It would be good if we could have a sensible discussion about what form Governance of 3 waters would be. Duplicating the SOE or DHB model will be a serious mistake in my opinion, Without the scare mongering and fear of "Brown control".
“Evdence”. Parroting the right wing attack scare mongering.
I have been answering your arguments.
Haven't parroted a single thing. If the left wing base assumption is that everyone who has concerns over this legislation has been captured by the right wing, then it's not surprising that concern is hardening into opposition.
Also, you haven't answered a single argument – just attacked me, and blindly defended Mahuta.
When you characterize any concern as "scaremongering", then it's not surprising that you can't engage effectively
I've provided legitimate questions and concerns and linked to actual reported evidence.
Zip from you.
Apart from baseless assertions about what National will do in the future (no link to actual announced policy – clearly you're a thought reader), and claims that because National privatized in the past, they're automatically going to do so in the future (the 4th Labour government's track record in this area is apparently not important to you).
There is a lot of consultation to go, and some issues may well change, but the objective of meeting water standards is unlikely to change. Consultation is desirable, and that happens more easily when it is clear the the objectives and obligations on government will not be walked away from, but consultation is often assisted by clear proposals. I do not agree that consultation has become a dirty word – there are a lot of other dirty words being spoken by those who see their job as blind opposition regardless of proposals. Consultation can also be informal – it is not always carried as in a public court trial, and positions can change – at least until legislation is passed.
As for the goal, i is easy to see examples of where cooperation and yes co-governance have worked. Look at the Wanganui River, which will never be totally clear due to the ground is passes through, but which now has secure minimum water flows that avoid many previous problems, and in addition we are able to use some water to generate electricity. Compare that to the situation in Canterbury where we now have a polluted water supply for a whole region, with health impairments for many and increased costs of water treatment for others – all due to arrogant dismissal and overriding of difficult decisions where the community was divided, but should have been enabled to make better decisions themselves than those forced on them. Look at the riber through Palmerston North, which despite some efforts in recent years, continues to be a disgrace – not swimmable for much of its length due to pollution from farming, housing developments and industry. Co-governance would have helped in enabling honesty in reporting what was happening, better knowledge of the way some local politicians funded campaigns by trading zoning agreements for funding, None of us a perfect, but we can influence others by expressing our opinions, and accepting that sometimes agreement will go through a number of stages as a result – small hurdles met with flexibility while keeping end goals in view may signal honest debate rather than a sham of consultation.
Cameron Luxton – 7.5% (which those of us who want to comment on politics would be grateful for: having Luxton, Luxton and Luxon in parliament – all for different parties, would be a bit much!)
Party vote (which isn't relevant in this instance) mirrors those results
Up to 1/3 either didn't know or wouldn't say (not uncommon – many people are reluctant to tell pollsters – and many of those won't vote, either) – the 'don't knows' rarely change the polling results substantially – it only really matters in 'too close to call' races.
Now, I know that not everyone here likes or believes in polling (i.e. thinks that polls don't matter, it's only the final result, which counts).
Setting that aside.
It's not surprising that National are out in front. Tauranga has been a National (or National-Lite aka Winston Peters) stronghold for decades.
But, what Labour should be taking close note of, are Tinetti's results.
Again, it's not surprising that she's dropped back from 38% in 2020. That was the Jacinda bounce – unprecedented, and not likely to ever occur again. But she's dropped to 22% from the 26% she had in 2017. Remember 2017 was against Bridges, a sitting MP, and pretty popular in Tauranga. Now she's standing against a relative unknown. I wouldn't expect her to win, but I would expect that Labour may be concerned over this evident softening of support. While by-elections rarely favour the sitting government, they also usually favour a current MP (albeit a List one) over a newcomer – just through name-recognition.
While the Green party vote is low at 3% – given that they're not standing a candidate in the by-election, I don't think they'll be too worried about this (out-of-sight = out-of-mind for most voters)
The question has been asked several times recently whether Tauranga is a racist city. Apparently in this same poll only 51% of respondents disagreed.
Bluntly, I'd say a lot of Tauranga residents who vote National have a problem with Maori in general, and they certainly have a problem with any form of partnership as described by Te Tiriti. This progressive government's bold plan for redress is not popular with racists.
All those Kiwifruit orchards are built on stolen land but the owners and benefactors can't bring themselves to admit it.
I would far prefer Labour, and specifically Labour Maori, continue the drive for real change and take some hits rather than run scared of the Western BOP elite.
If around 60% of Tauranga consists of wealthy elite (whether pakeha or Maori) – we should be rolling it out as a template for the rest of the country. /sarc/
People, by and large, vote for the policies (and politicians) which they believe will benefit them.
MPs act for the best of all of their constituents – not just the ones who they think voted for them (or the ones which share their ethnicity). Peters, for example, did very, very well for the people of Tauranga while he was their local MP. To describe them as 'useless Maori' is one of the most profoundly racist statements I've read on TS.
You can't simply condemn electorates as racist because they don't (or won't) vote the way you'd like them to. Especially where they have a demonstrated history of voting for candidates regardless of ethnicity. Should we declare the people of Mt Albert racist because they have never elected a Maori MP?
After all, the majority of Maori don't vote for TPM – which would seem to be the party which would advocate best for Maori. Perhaps they're all less racist than you think.
The term, "useless Maori" is not mine, it is Willie Jackson's:
Willie Jackson says Act leader David Seymour is not just a "useless Māori", but is a dangerous politician.
Māori Development Minister Jackson yesterday said the Act leader could claim Māori whakapapa but was a "useless Māori" and a "useless advocate for Māori".
David Seymour of course having the same attributes as both Winston Peters and Simon Bridges with respect to advocating for Maori. Simply, they didn't.
The right and hard right in varying degrees hate the idea the public should support any culture and identity despite NZ's identity heavily relying on Te Ao Maori. It's who we are but ACT's vision of NZ is one of diluted homogeny, a plain South Pacific country indistinguishable from any other western country.
This government recognises the importance of supporting Maori and Maori culture, useless Maori do not.
So, presumably the 18.2% of the Tauranga population who are Maori consist entirely of Uncle Toms?
Can you just not conceive that the majority of people in NZ – even those who live in benighted Tauranga – vote according to their political principles, rather than along racial lines?
Or can you only justify democracy when it aligns with your prejudices.
'There is a shortage of more than 400 officers across all seniority levels nationally.
The shortage is especially pronounced at Mt Eden prison, home mostly to remand prisoners who have been arrested but are yet to face trial or be sentenced.
A source familiar with internal figures said there were 102 vacancies at Mt Eden as of the last week of May.'
Come on down, we'll probably take you especially at Mt Eden
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Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
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This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
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When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
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Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
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Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
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Update on the Mataraunga Maaori component in first year uni paper from an anecdotal perspective.
Was reinforced in test that concepts and understanding had to relate only to lecturer's definitions, personal knowledge or alternate definitions would be marked as wrong.
Eg. What is the definition of whanau?
The only 'right' answer, is your direct ancestors. Any other definition – no marks.
Also, MM questions twice the points for no discernible reason.
This approach is inviting resistance and pushback.
Moved to desktop.
I support the intention of mātauranga Māori, but am concerned about the implemention of the project.
To me, this has similar hallmarks to the Equality and Diversity intention, that has been rolled out through our institutions, businesses and government departments.
Employing identified individuals as experts and representatives to provide material and ideas for projects is a starting point. However, what they produce still should be actively scrutinised for appropriateness, quality and any statement of facts should be well-evidenced.
Getting this wrong, not only means that those learning are not actually being delivered good quality material, but it provides space for justified criticism, which unfortunately gives fodder to the underlying racism for some.
My son still won't let me watch the videos, but from a personal point of view, he's dismissive of the value and quality of what was delivered to him – and hundreds of other students – by the mātauranga Māori component of the paper.
What other definitions are you aware of, Molly?
Family, both blood-relations and non.
Also used informally to refer to a group gathered for some purpose, ie. interests. Our rugby whanau.
"Our rugby whanau"?
I'm with the lecturer 🙂
That's interesting. I hear it used in such a way in many meetings run by Māori facilitators and taiako. Have you never come across it? Might be a regional use of the word.
The ancestor definition, excludes whangai adoptions and implies a connection to bloodlines going one way, up or down from an individual.
It might be a personal perspective, but whanau for me is more of a weaving concept, pulling and connecting threads from a vast array of 'relatives' and familial connections. It's probably my personal attachment to this definition, that makes me reluctant to relinquish it.
It's not the definition that concerns me, direct ancestors is accurate in and of itself. It is the insistence that only that definition will be deemed to be correct. I love the other aspects of whanau, and if those attending this class believe there is only one 'correct' answer, they may lose a wider understanding when meeting the word in future.
That's the concept of whanau that I particularly love, where it encompasses ‘family’ in a broader concept than standard nuclear family relationships. Family in the 'heart' sense rather than the 'genetic' sense.
Seems like an unnecessarily narrow and exclusive definition.
I agree, that if this education is so prescriptive (just memorize the list of concepts and definitions), it's going to accomplish little in enculturating MM in the students – and is very likely to build resentment and push-back.
It seems the complete reversal of the te ao Maori philosophy.
How could they get it so wrong?
When seeking the essential meaning of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we have to defer to the indigenous version. Perhaps here we need to do the same.
We all have our reckons, but it's not really our business, is it, how words outside of English are defined. In any case, the "lecturer" might just as well be planning to expand upon their definition of "whanau" as the course proceeds. Molly's example seems very tenuous to me.
Molly is an indigenous version of – well – Molly.
If tenuous is referring to a slender thread – well, that is definitely, not a definition fitting this indigenous Molly.
Some may consider it culturally insensitive to ascribe new meanings to words taken/adopted from Aotearoa NZ's first language, but if history is any teacher then 'resisting the drift' will be mostly futile. Can we change?
Being dogmatic about traditional usage, or meaning, is one way of ensuring Māori becomes a dead language.
Many English words have been adopted to Māori beginning from the First European visiters. To insist only on traditional usage we would have to remove them also.
Anyway the Tamariki are voting with their feet, using Māori words, in ways and situations that are definitely not traditional.
The French tried to keep their language pristine. It didn't work.
Some of the dogmatism is just ignorance. Kids at a High school I was teaching in, kept correcting my pronunciation. One of the old Māori Teachers told them, "don't be so bloody cheeky, he is from Taranaki". She even knew which part of Taranaki, from my accent in Māori. The "correct" Māori pronunciation followed is very often Ngapuhi, which annoys the hell out of Ngāi Tahu and others.
Are we to think that the teacher in the example given by Molly, knows less about this than we do?
Hopeless at languages, so a bit of 'sloppage' suits me fine, but I can appreciate the value of precise language too, in context.
[In context isn’t quite right – hope you get my drift.]
Māori have a long, and recognisable history of word creation, that contributes to the longevity of language.
ie. motukā, pouaka makariri, tīwī
A combination of transliteration, and word creation from root words.
The argument that only existing kupu are available, is not convincing. If anything, a living dynamic language is consistently creating new words.
However, if significant words are thus required to accommodate new meanings, then it may have a negative impact.
The Te Reo course I did, was very interesting when it focused on the regional differences and dialects. I wish I could develop the same ear for regional differences in Te Reo, as easily as I can distinguish from regional differences in the UK. It's a sorry acknowledgement of my insufficient Te Reo that I have no idea.
You're on fire at the moment, this is about the second post I've agreed with you on over the last couple of days
Welcome to the light side
We do not know who 'they' is yet.
Due to my recent foray into researching porn, I've left investigating the NZ curriculum regarding mātauranga Māori, and Sexuality and Relationship investigation.
The NCEA, and TKI websites are a pain to navigate as a novice, and material is linked to from multiple sites and pages.
Here is one such link to the Secondary Curriculum for science, where you can download a fairly short pdf on concepts.
https://ncea.education.govt.nz/science/chemistry-and-biology?view=learning
Unfortunately, this is not the page where I found word 'whakapapa' used interchangeably with the concept of evolution. If I come across it again, I'll post.
Whakapapa for me holds such significance, in te ao Māori, that I resist the expansion of the word to encompass a concept that was not part of te ao Māori knowledge.
Another example that is shown on the CB Learning Matrix_1.pdf is for 'mauri' to refer to energy bonds at atomic levels.
"recognise that mauri is present in all matter which exists as particles held together by attractive forces"
My understanding of this word was 'life-force', a recognition of organic life-forms and/or sentience ascribed to non-organic forms. ie. mountains, rivers etc.
I would prefer to see new Māori words for concepts that were not part of mātauranga Māori but utilise existing Te Reo to create.
I'm uncomfortable with the dilution of existing language to shoehorn new concepts in. From my perspective, it demeans the original kupu, and also muddies the scientific concept.
eg. Whakapapa for evolution.
Now I'm really puzzled, Molly. You write:
"I'm uncomfortable with the dilution of existing language to shoehorn new concepts in. From my perspective, it demeans the original kupu, and also muddies the scientific concept.
eg. Whakapapa for evolution."
and at the same time argue for that "whanau" is "used informally to refer to a group gathered for some purpose, ie. interests. Our rugby whanau."
Seems you're supporting both points of view?
Contradicting your original objection?
You also wrote:
“I do enjoy the broader application of this particular word. It’s just one of those kupu that resonates, hopefully for all NZers.”
Is that so long as the word is “whanau” and not “whakapapa”?
The issue here is not shortening or expanding words, Robert.
It is about making sure the intent of mātauranga Māori is achieved.
My concern with my son's course, is that it seems inclined to not inspire, or encourage, and may actually cause students to resist further learning because of the content and delivery.
My concern with the curriculum matrix, is that it uses significant Māori kupu and concepts, and shoehorns in a new definition that both dilutes the original meaning, and muddies the scientific concept. Once again, inviting pushback and resistance to further learning.
In te reo Māori words frequently mean more than one thing depending on context. I find it very odd that you've swung from complaining about a too narrow a definition of whānau, to getting upset that mauri (which is a bit broader than just lifeforce anyway – it is the motivating and identifying energy) can be applied to nuclear forces or that whakapapa (which is much broader than just genealogy and encompasses all living things and geographical landmarks as ancestors in relation to the speaker) should be applied to evolution.
You seem to want your cake and to eat it too.
I've replied to the same question from Robert Guyton, above.
You may have missed it:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-06-2022/#comment-1892208
I couldn't understand your explanation, Molly.
I am siding with Populuxe 1, presently.
What? So a husband and wife aren't 'whanau'?
I'd say that's a fairly niche definition….
adopted children too.
kiaora e te whānau is a common expression used with all sorts of groups that aren't related ancestrally.
Hard to comment on the story told because it's third hand anecdote, but on the face of it it seems an odd definition to me. It's also possible there was context that makes sense of it.
Visiting Tahuwhakatiki Marae, Tauranga I was greated as Whanau, because I and my cousins had a Powhiri there in the past.
Whanau as used by Māori speakers today, from both personal observation and reading can include groups of friends, family both immediate or distant, a school community, a club.
Not just or even for kāwai, roots/ ancestors
May not have been past usage. But Māori like all languages evolves and adopts.
My non-Māori aunt didn’t Whakapapa to the Iwi, but she was certainly Whanau!
https://teara.govt.nz/en/whanau-maori-and-family/page-1
Nice link, thanks incognito.
I do enjoy the broader application of this particular word. It's just one of those kupu that resonates, hopefully for all NZers.
Māori have a word for ancestors. 'Whānau' is not it.
Someone is misunderstanding. Do you have written material from the course you could post here?
My option is to do an OIA for the videos of the lectures, and the written material.
Although my son has access, he is a rule follower. All online material has a statement that it is not to be shared with those not enrolled, and so he doesn't.
I understand that my perspective of his perspective is not an accurate rendering. Part of the reason I write this, is just to invite others to put forward their experiences. Or if they are in positions to access or scrutinise material, to do so.
If I can, I can find out the course code and stream. And perhaps, put in a request for that material but I'll wait till my son has completed this semester.
(ATM, still negotiating being in the same room while he re-watches. Two problems: he considers that dishonest, and he doesn’t want to watch it again.)
Ah, did not click that it was your son doing the course. Do you believe this sort of misunderstanding is widespread?
The drive in to university in the mornings, takes around an hour and a half. So, we were discussing material the day after it was presented.
As I acknowledge, it's a bit of a hearsay, hearsay situation. But as pedantic as he is with rules, he's similarly inclined in language.
"Do you believe this sort of misunderstanding is widespread?"
What specifically do you regard as a misunderstanding?
That whānau means ancestors. First time I’ve heard it.
I took it to mean that it only related to people of direct ancestry, rather than a replacement for tupuna. More a definition that related to shared blood links, as it were.
Once again, I acknowledge that this is my interpretation, of his interpretation being offered to you to interpret.
Not a sound basis for definitive analysis. More a check diagnostics light.
Seems to me to be an āwhā in an ipu tii.
Molly wrote:
"The only 'right' answer, is your direct ancestors."
That's very imprecise and perhaps causing confusion here.
Was "your direct ancestors" in fact the answer given, an interpretation of the answer given, or what?
If we are to make judgements based on this snippet (is it copied and pasted, is it second-hand, over-heard ? etc.) we are bound to get the wrong end of te rakau, imo.
As I said, it might be. But both during lectures, and before the test they were reminded that only the material and definitions that were taught during the course were going to be considered the 'correct' answers when it came to assessment.
(I'm really resisting the temptation to log on to my son's computer, and "assess" his interpretation of what is going on. But perhaps, someone reading this also has access to the course materials, and can provide direct experience.)
The lecturer did touch on the fact that others may have different definitions, tikanga etc, but for the purposes of assessment only those which had been delivered were accepted.
For the course I did on Tikanga Māori, the opposite was encouraged. As long as you referenced the origin of your understanding, and evidenced it, the contribution was accepted as valid. A really good exploratory assignment, especially when sharing with other students.
(My other cynical thought, is that for a generalised paper, this edict makes it easy to mark. That it all may boil down to a prosaic attitude of reducing marking time, for a lecturer that has more specific and labour-intensive courses to deliver.)
"But both during lectures, and before the test they were reminded that only the material and definitions that were taught during the course were going to be considered the 'correct' answers when it came to assessment."
Seems then, they were quite specific and gave fair direction and warning.
I'm unsure why this is concerning you.
It seems fair to me.
Very unusual in teaching anything.
It is how you know the class are listening. When they start arguing with you.
Me. “You are allowed to disagree, but you have to justify it.
That, if correct, is poor pedogogy, and different from the approach of the excellent Māori teachers I've seen at work.
The “Agree with what I say, or be marked wrong”, if true, is not exactly going to help with student engagement and understanding.
"That, if correct, is poor pedogogy, and different from the approach of the excellent Māori teachers I've seen at work."
Same here.
I've had kaiako who repeatedly encourage wider exploration of the concepts they were teaching.
I've also, unfortunately, had others that were there to punch the clock.
There's a marked difference in how much you learn and take away.
And especially unusual in teaching Te Reo or Maturanga Maori.
All of the (many) seminars, courses and workshops I've engaged in have been a very collaborative learning style. Where the knowledge of the course leader (being generously shared with the participants) is acknowledged and valued; but so is the knowledge that different participants bring to the discussion. I've been in a workshop where there was a long discussion about the different usage of a term on one marae in the FN (participant) and another in the SI (course leader) – very good-humored, and clearly a source of amusement to both of them; and another which was specifically related to an upcoming powhiri, where the leader specifically referred to the way things were done on this marae, rather than being necessarily correct for other marae.
This 'fount of all knowledge' style seems very foreign to the whole Matauranga Maori philosophy.
Written in much better than I could have Belladonna, but this has been my experience with Te Ao Māori in various learning environments too.
"Unusual"?
The teaching of te ao Maori should be "usual" – in step with the way non-Maori languages are taught?
Disclaimer: I was Head of Maori at Aparima College for a time, and taught all levels. He kaiwhakaako Maori au! I nga wa o mua 🙂
The direction and following assessment is not what concerns me, Robert.
If the intention is to both introduce and instill encouragement for further learning of Te Ao Māori in students – the way this has been delivered might actually do the opposite.
I'm concerned about the resulting attitude of the students, rather than my son's mark.
Are any students there going to be inspired to look further into the perspectives of Māori?
The other less desired prospect is that they may also react negatively to future contact with te Ao Māori if they come away with a sense that it is not relevant or quality information.
'Fair' as in easy to mark and to learn. Yep.
Useful, in actually inculcating MM into the learning (the stated aim)? I'd say fairly useless.
And, absolutely inviting push-back. I'd say that most of the Engineering students (I think that's the background here) are likely to simply learn for the exam, then promptly forget it. Just another set of useless 'facts'
A largely wasted exercise.
And especially useless for anyone who has had exposure to MM through other avenues (e.g. kohanga reo, kura or marae) – where the learning (as presented here) sounds very different to what they would have learned in a te ao Maori perspective.
Yes. General engineering Year 1 course at Auckland University.
With more than a few of your typical Engineering student personalities, I would expect.
So, this was the matauranga component of a year one engineering degree – what were you expecting!!!
My son got back, so I wangled the course code from him:
ENGGEN140 – Energy and Society
https://courseoutline.auckland.ac.nz/dco/course/ENGGEN/140
When Googling the course, I came across the UoA review page:
https://coursereview.co.nz/courses/uoa/enggen140
It would make sense if it was being used in a specific or technical context as applied to periodic elements or biological taxonomy.
If "it" is in fact, the case.
I tend to agree with Robert here. If the intention is to instill a broad brush overview of the Maori world then there is very little room for arguing a different view. The value of such a course is that it will do just this – cover concepts of language, iwi, etc tribal links, broad strokes world view and how it is linked.
One of the best bits of advice that I was told early on was to make sure you revise for exams on what has been taught, as the examiner is seeking to ensure that you have got this. This is different from you may have learned through your own explorations during the course, or prior knowledge accumulated.
So harking back to the word 'whanau' then if the course has taught this and the question gives no scope for exploring how it is used in contexts then the definition they are looking for is direct family.
Getting a law degree way way back at some institutions required Latin, or a foreign language. In my years we had some topics loosely covered by the phrase Law In Society. The idea was to give a background, an at ease look at the wider community we would be working in.
Over the years in the PS we were required to attend courses on Maori worldview/Maori language. For me this just built on classes at my secondary school and living in a mainly Maori township where the teachers routinely taught this. Now some PS agencies especially those in Treaty sensitive areas have an expectation or think highly of staff who have attended immersion courses.
I cannot imagine that a world going forward for an engineer would not cover the Maori world view. If you look at the story of how Ngati Tuhoe approached the building of Te Kura Whare then you will note the lengths that people working on the design etc of the building would have had to go to.
Input of a Maori aspect from the start, to put it bluntly is expected in most (all?) public building and this will only increase as the years go by. In the spirit of not not running before you can walk the course that your son is taking will be the bare minimum. Building on a bare but common minimum will set him up to explore in greater depth later.
From my personal viewpoint I would be careful of trying to trample over what might be a very carefully designed course that will give information and confidence without setting up people to argue the toss (I've seen it happen) about Treaty claims, bootstraps pulling…….etc.
If I was your son I would happily keep what I have learned, ie valuable concepts, from this course in my back pocket and reflect on them. If I had deviated along the way to have thoughts about pedagogy I would put that to one side.
Maori is used much more frequently now and if he can see that whanau has already gone on to be used as an encompassing way to describe club members then he can see language and culture at work.
https://www.ngaituhoe.iwi.nz/sustainability-and-the-living-building-challenge
https://thisnzlife.co.nz/tuhoe-leading-way-sustainable-design/
Thoughtful and comprehensive response there, Shanreagh.
I'm mindful that this section of the engineering course focused on matauranga Maori, not te reo Maori per se.
The fact though, that the two "threads" are so intertwined is a crucial one and worthy of further exploration.
In my sphere of engagement, local government through regional council, I observe the wrangling over matauranga and reo with the central focus on te mana o te wai and hauora; highly-charged points of both misunderstanding and breakthrough.
Yes I realise that and for me that gives even more relevance to the idea of reflecting back what a student has been taught. So the student gives their knowledge back to the tutor. In giving back this knowledge to the tutor then the tutor is also able to learn – to work out where they may have to apply a different emphasis for their learners in the future. I think a tutor would be disappointed in themselves if students got themselves tangled up in extensions to meanings so much so that the original meaning was lost.
We might be able to mount an argument as a new learner of a language. though for me it is more about idiom, tenses et and my questioning is about what I can see as inconsistencies. To mount an argument on the cultural aspects on the strength of the work of a semester or two would be fraught I would have thought. I would be very, very wary that this gave me any great insight into the culture and lived in experience behind the words. For instance even though I speak German and French I would be very skeptical that this gave me standing to debate, say, the German word das Volk. It is so tied up with other historical and cultural concepts.
The best outcome for a course of this type is to build an awareness of different worlds/drivers. If it has a result down the track of ensuring an engineer responds to a brief that looks as though it may involve Te Ao by saying I'll be sure to get specialist input on this, or makes the same engineer mindful and respectful of Te Ao Maori, even down to being able to introduce themselves or knowledge of hapu/iwi structures, creation story etc then the course will have been successful. Humility and knowing what you don't know, when this is important is a key value too.
The engineers involved in the Ngati Tuhoe house would have been far beyond this prelim knowledge but they, and the clients both, would have been expecting that anyone who came with input would be aware of it.
Ae. Kei te tika tau.
My son got back, so I wangled the course code from him:
ENGGEN140 – Energy and Society
https://courseoutline.auckland.ac.nz/dco/course/ENGGEN/140
When Googling the course, I came across the UoA review page:
https://coursereview.co.nz/courses/uoa/enggen140
He also took pains to mention, that he could be wrong. So, as I said, it may be hearsay + hearsay = completely wrong end of the stick.
Because of Covid restrictions, all the lectures were recorded and put online.
Also, it could just be that this is a generalised course and not a good example. I posted below:
(My other cynical thought, is that for a generalised paper, this edict makes it easy to mark. That it all may boil down to a prosaic attitude of reducing marking time, for a lecturer that has more specific and labour-intensive courses to deliver.)
Thermodynamics was one of the subjects I enjoyed the most and attained an A+ in at each level. So most of this looks like a very recognisable introduction:
But in my honest view introducing cultural concepts into this course feels contrived. The laws of the universe owe nothing to human social habits and outlooks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTHazQeM8v8&
am momentarily distracted by the Course Review site using 'relaxed' as a criteria.
Thanks for pointing that out.
FWIW, seems to have scored fairly highly on the Relaxed criteria.
Yeah – I recall one paper we did that was a series of about 3 or 4 invited lecturers from other depts like Philosophy, Anthro and Law. Quite interesting but very relaxed. So there is nothing terribly new about trying to inject a little couth into first year Engineering students.
One line the Philosophy guy came up with is that the subject was often considered so divorced from real life, that meeting your Philosophy tutor in a pub was like meeting your mother in a massage parlour. Mutually embarrassing.
Like all languages there are often synomyms for similar meanings. Whanau strictly means your immediate living relatives, but like the English word family, it can be used flexibly. For example in English we might say 'the family of humanity' or a 'family of Pacific cultures'. On the other hand there are pedants in every culture.
As for ancestors – the more accurate word I think is whakapapa. IIRC.
Hon. Megan Woods demolished Bishop in Parliament this week.
https://twitter.com/clintvsmith/status/1532197055535656960?s=21&t=4H3eRgaENoK-UwXLJNRo1w
Geez, did Meagan feed him the questions?
Yes, thoroughly enjoyed watching that. Megan chewed him up and spat him out!
We didn't see that on ONE news though did we, wonder why.
That was fun
When Stuart Nash left his weekly radio slot with Mikey and Mark Mitchell, I was hoping Nash would be replaced with Kiri Allan. Allan seems to me to be a straight up sheila with brains. However, we got Megan Woods. And I must say after a couple of mediocre sessions, she has found her stride. She cleaned Mitchell up in their last debate.
Nice one Robo. National's tactic to attack Labour on an issue they are strong on and National were useless on seems a bit daft…but that's Chris Bishop for you.
From the "Taxpayers Union":
https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/three_waters_poll2
"Do you think those that are responsible for local drinking, waste and provision of storm water services should be directly accountable to voters"
Now faced with such a question, who would think too carefully about just what "directly' meant, or whether "those responsible" are local government, regional Councils, or the New Zealand Government? Not surprisingly, a large majority of people answering the question wanted those responsible (whoever they are) to also be accountable – most readers of The Standard may have answered the question that way. Our NZ Govt has responsibility for setting standards and seeing them met – and we saw the last National (party) government set low standards, then deliberately interfere with Environment Canterbury to prevent enforcement, leading to now compromised aquifer supply and problems for towns and cities. Now it could be argued that the Taxpayers union are reprehensible for such a poorly worded survey, and for their poor judgement in the interpretation they placed on the results, and David Farrar has allowed that report to carry the Curia Logo. Has Farrar failed to meet minimum professional polling standards by such a misleading question and such a misleading report on the results?
See also https://twitter.com/TaxpayersUnion/status/1532510556128935936/photo/1
Well described, Ed1.
I'd have thought that the question encompassed all of the possibilities of 'directly accountable' (government, regional government, local government) – that you've suggested.
What it doesn't encompass is a multi-layer appointed bureaucracy and co-governance by iwi (the governance model proposed under 3 waters)
Neither of which are accountable to voters at all. And I have yet to see this meaningfully addressed by Mahuta, or anyone else involved in 3 waters.
I suspect that those completing the survey absolutely understood the question, and answered accordingly.
You may not like the answer. But I suspect that Labour may be about to find out just how much Kiwis don't like this model of governance.
But do we have any level of accountability to voters or consumers with our electricity or telecommunications services? Or even roading, which is mostly controlled by Waka Kotahi, a government agency.
Democratic control of our water services by local government politicians hasn't really served us that well, and the right's alternatives of contracting and privatisation are unlikely to do any better.
I welcome the balance that Maori representaion on the boards of the 3 Waters entities will bring. In Otago Ngāi Tahu have had a governance role over our lakes, waterways and landscape for 20 years and the world hasn't ended. Many would say that it's a much better world, once Ngāi Tahu became involved Councils actually started doing something about their sewage discharges into waterways. Still a long way to go but there's been a change in direction. The balance between Te Ao Māori and Pakeha dominion will put our society in a more sustainable place into our future.
It will provide a constructive conflict in a similar way to the USA's constitution has various governance groups complementing each other, often in conflict, to provide a stable and constructive governance.
I welcome iwi involvement, and think there are lots of benefits for everyone from co-governance. I'm considerably less convinced that bods in Chch can make good decisions about small towns in Southland or Otago.
"Or even roading, which is mostly controlled by Waka Kotahi, a government agency."
Yes, we do. If it's controlled by the government, we get to vote on the policies every 3 years. Whereas AT – an unelected roading and transport bureaucracy in Auckland, which is apparently entirely uncontrolled by the council (in practice) – appears to have no redress from voters, whatsoever. Just a never-ending stream of wasteful projects, and apparently no money to deal with basic repair work.
You have a choice with power or telecoms – if you don't like the policies (or ethics) of one of the companies, you can pick up your account and vote with your wallet – at any time.
Not really an option with water….
Any time someone says 'democtratic control ….. hasn't served us well' – a shiver runs up my spine. That is *exactly* how autocracies begin…. always with the 'best' of intentions. But "all power has a tendency to corrupt, and absolute power has the tendency to corrupt absolutely".
Anyone who truly believes that the right wants to privatize and sell off water – should be fighting this legislation tooth and nail. It's virtually impossible to sell off a fragmented asset (as water currently is), but much, much easier to sell off one which has been nicely packaged into a single organization. Personally, I don't believe that the right has any such intention – but if you do, then this is the riskiest legislation that you could possibly support. At some point, a right government *will* be elected…
Ngai Tahu have nicely enriched their tribal elite (as have Tainui) – I've yet to see any sustainable benefit to the rest of NZ (or, indeed to the rest of Maori – especially the urban Maori who have some of the worst social outcomes).
Councils across the whole of NZ have been 'doing something' about discharges of sewerage – it's difficult to claim that it's entirely due to iwi influence. And Ngai Tahu, at least, are substantial dairy farmers – I'm sure that's true of other iwi in other regions as well.
why do you think that Nact wouldn't want to privatise drinking water and waste water? Isn't it already partially privatised?
The operation of 3 Waters is generally contracted out to either the TA's CCO, another TA's CCO, or a completely private organisation like Fulton Hogan, Downer or Veolia. The last two groups have quite a bit of power over the contracting TA, I've heard the relationship described as akin to farming.
Nact aligned parties have been at the forefront of this contracting, so it’s definitely the way they want things. it’s done one little bite at a time and then merged into larger and larger organisations that gradually creep into multinational corporates.
The proposed reforms will put a few controls over this. It'll be mostly the same organisations / people doing the work but the scale will hopefully bring a lot of functions back in-house and curb the farming.
Very good for retirement jobs for ex National MP' s.
The fact of the creeping privatisation that has been happening with public assets, including those mostly under the RADAR by council's, is ignored by 3 waters opponents. Obviously because they are happy for it to continue.
Absolutely shitting that their nice little earner will come to a halt more like
You got it.
are you saying 'it's already happeing, so what's the problem?"
If not, please point to the parts of the 3 Waters plan that are specifically designed to prevent privatisation.
My understanding is that councils either do work themselves, contract out to private orgs, or set up organisations that are designed to function like private companies. If National wanted to sell those off, how would it do it currently, given central government doesn't have control of councils and there are still mechanisms for communities to object?
We were one election away from the whole lot being sold off in Auckland.
Banks stated intention if he got in.
Makes it much harder to keep privatisation out of public view if it cannot be done, bit by bit.
It should be stated that part of three waters is bringing more expertise into managing contracting out, which is a part of creeping privatisation of asset management we should oppose. But if it is happening it needs a much greater degree of competent oversight.
Examples are Air NZ and other privatisations which didn't go unnoticed. Note however that National cared so much about democracy that they went ahead anyway. Not without public opposition, though.
Hence labour currently trying to entrench anti -privatisation provisions. The part of the Three Waters bill that opposes privatisation. National, who have suddenly become concerned about public ownership, sic. are opposing them.
Council's privatising the provisions of functions is a problem.
Dog control and park maintenance in Whangarei is one example I've seen close up.
The ever increasing costs and unaccountability of out sourcing what should be core functions.
Wellington bus services is another that has been in the news lately.
I've seen two examples of privatisation of the 3 Waters management in Queenstown, along with other QLDC functions. The first with with contracting to the old works management, who then sold out to another TA's contracting arm was a disaster, the second to a multi national organisation really hasn't lived up to it's promises and may reveal a few unpleasant surprises under the carpet once it's over. QLDC initially wasn't supportive of the 3 Waters proposal, now they are. QLDC have seen the alternatives and see 3 Waters as the preferred option. The real opportunities for privatisation are the small, failing, TA's that don't have an alternative, QLDC was very much in that situation and it looked like a good idea at the time.
"Ngai Tahu have nicely enriched their tribal elite"
Well if you call Ngāi Tahu's engaged community a 'tribal elite' you'd be right. I'm seeing an organisation that going from strength to strength growing and supporting it's members and the surrounding community and environment. I wish I had the whakapapa to be fully engaged.
I wish I had the whakapapa to be fully engaged.
If the left properly understood the iwi entities as essentially nothing more than family owned private corporations with a closed shareholding – then Three Waters would be seen in a quite different light.
Don't think corporation is quite the right description. While the iwi entities are very commercial, there is an equal benevolent focus, often benefiting the wider community.
Could the same be said for Fonterra, Farmlands or Gloriavale? All similarly closed 'corporations'
there is an equal benevolent focus, often benefiting the wider community.
So would you have any objection then to say the Anglican Church having a governance stake in Three Waters?
The Anglican Church and the Crown have a treaty??
The head of the Anglican church is the Crown ( betty windsor)
Ah!
That's a treaty out of the question then.
So this partnership you speak of is a one sided affair in which only one signatory gets to participate or have any say?
I don't understand your comment.
Wishing those "iwi entities" well – both ‘sides’ can teach us all a thing or two.
Indeed – but the idea that only Maori know how to advocate for ethical investiment and sustainability is a tad presumptious surely?
Who is promoting this "tad presumptious [sic]" idea?
Imho that idea is almost as presumptuous as the idea that Māori culture has nothing to offer non-Māori when it comes to ethical investment/investiment and sustainability.
So why then do the left consider Maori corporations to be good and benign while all others are predatory capitalists?
RL, it's hilariously hypocritical that all this 'concern' is being whipped up at the slightest hint of Māori making a bit of 'unearned' profit, when NZ and the rest of the world is awash with unearned profit as it is. Little more than fearmongering, imho.
Now if only there was a mechanism to distribute a slightly larger proportion of the existing unearned profit more equitably…
As for your presumptuous question, it's a non sequitur, don't you think? But, for the record (again), I consider myself a bit of a 'lefty' and yet I can't make head nor tail of it.
One more try: who (apart from you) is promoting "the idea that only Maori know how to advocate for ethical investiment and sustainability"?
"Corporations" that earn money that stays in the community.
Would you rather it went to VEOLA.
Would you rather it went to VEOLA.
Who as it happens also have shareholders. Only open to anyone.
Well, open to anyone with a bit of cash to spare – and here we are.
Perhaps each ‘side’ can teach us all a thing or two.
"Personally, I don't believe that the right has any such intention".
You may not have noticed but "the right" have been involved in creeping privatisation for some time.
Which hasn't need noticed, because it has been peacemeal. Allowed by the fragmentation and number of small entities.
Health is a prime example. So many sections have been contracted out and privatised that a significant proportion of DHB, budgets go on it. DHBs: “Nice little earners” for EY – Otaihanga Second Opinion (wordpress.com)
Had you noticed the dates in the article you linked? The point at which EY's profits skyrocketed was 2017 – virtually doubling every year until 2020 – god knows what they are now.
Labour government.
The Government does not have direct control over DHB, spending.
This model was set up under more right wing Governments in the past.
In case you haven't noticed, Labour is changing the DHB model.
Yes I had noticed that the no. 1 health priority for Andrew Little is apparently reorganizing the Health administration infrastructure.
Wouldn't be mine.
Still no explanation why contractor costs by DHBs were controlled under National and exploded under Labour.
Hint, the DHB governance model didn't change.
Also the DHBs were established under the 5th Labour Government (Helen Clark) – I wouldn't characterize that as a more right wing government – though perhaps you would.
https://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/key-health-sector-organisations-and-people/district-health-boards
If any organisation is created to look after 3 waters, it will still be ultimately accountable to the New Zealand Government – and my understanding of 3 waters is that it is intended to be directly accountable, but that is not yet clear. You are however being suitably cautious about the possibility of a lack of accountability – as I understand it the way in which some organisations in Auckland were created makes them largely unaccountable to the Auckland City Council, even though they are called Council Controlled Organisations – perhaps there should have been more consultation before that was forced on Auckland, but thankfully it seems there will be considerable consultation, and perhaps changes from both current proposals or at least current perceptions from some who are not quite aware of what they think they are opposing. Co-governance has of course been used before – Chris Finlayson speaks highly of it and apparently used it on a number of occasions. Was he and the government he was part of wrong?
I look forward to Mahuta explaining in plain language the exact checks and balances which will enable Government to control the 3 waters bureaucracy.
She has yet to do so.
And, quite frankly, with co-governance, I don't see how it would be possible, in any case.
Consultation over 3 waters has become a dirty word – with the abundant evidence that irrevocable decision are made, before the sham of consultation is carried out. I refer here to Mahuta telling outright lies to Councils that they could opt out, when she knew that Cabinet had already decided that would not be an option.
There's a huge trust deficit that the government has to overcome.
Bit hard to have a decent consultation and discussion, when any policy to try and fix the massive damage done by the right wing over the years, is greeted by a storm of lies and scare mongering bullshit.
Which you are blindly repeating.
Where were you when the Minister of Health in the National Government pushed to privatise sectors of the health system, to retire to a job with one of those private companies? You didn't give a stuff. But you are happy to repeat unsubstantiated rumours about "corruption behind three waters".
I have concerns about repeating the private sector Governance structures, which have been used for CCO's and SOE's, to distance them from democratic control. Deliberately so when the ACTiods set them up. Shows their real attitude to democracy.
However any genuine concerns and suggestions for improvement, have been lost in the bullshit.
Look, if you believe that, this has all been laid out – in crystal clear language with appropriate checks and balances, and government control specifically legislated for – then please link to it.
ATM – what I'm seeing is simply a 'trust us, we know what we're doing' message from Mahuta. And, that is what you are blindly repeating.
Those of us who are sceptical of 3 waters, are *not* reassured by this. And the scepticism is hardening into opposition.
The best way to convince people is to explain: exactly how it will work, and to answer the 'what if' concerns with information about how that contingency is provided for.
It doesn't matter if you think it's 'bullshit' – explain to people exactly how that concern will be mitigated.
There has been no attempt by Mahuta to do this.
"There has been no attempt by Nanaia Mahuta to do this" that has been reported in most of the media!
Subtle difference.
And no. It hasn’t been “all laid out”. Despite what has been said, consultation is ongoing.
Nania Mahuta has a huge platform and budget. Perhaps the $5M+ spent on the stupid attack ads could have been diverted to this purpose?
Then the right wing would have been all over it, about money wasted on "manufacturing consent".
What, like the money wasted on a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign (which absolutely failed, adding insult to injury).
An actual information campaign to give people answers to the inevitable questions, would have been a much better use of the money (and much less liable to being attacked).
How do you alleviate "concerns" that are basically scare mongering?
Like the sudden “concern” by the right wing about privatisation. Something they have been quietly proceeding with in council’s for decades.
Concerns such as the ones I have, are buried under a storm of "concerns" most of which are unrelated to the need to deal with under-investment and council failures with 3 waters, such as accusations of nepotism and unsubstantiated gossip about when descissions were made.
Not unsubstantiated gossip
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/457660/three-waters-government-agreed-to-mandated-strategy-before-four-entities-announced
Cabinet decision made in June – about 2 weeks before the proposals were even announced to Councils (and the rest of us plebs)
Do you have any counter evidence that Mahuta did not lie to Councils about this? Just one of the reasons it is very difficult to trust her over this.
Belladonna wrote:
"And, quite frankly, with co-governance, I don't see how it would be possible, in any case."
Why?
50% iwi. Government have no control over iwi, or who they choose to appoint – (and nor should they) – however, it can't be possible for the Government to control the 3 waters bureaucracy in that scenario.
What do you mean/understand by "50% iwi"?
RRGs who appoint the board and set the overall direction will be 50% iwi.
No requirement for the board to consist of any elected representatives (and it seems unlikely that they would – since Manuta appears to believe that they will be appointed on the basis of professional skills and competency)
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/04/government-s-three-waters-co-governance-promise.html
What happens if:
I'm not really interested in the statement that any of the above 'can't happen'. It might be impossible to envisage now, but over time?
We've certainly seen both Councils and Iwi have failures of leadership. I decline to believe that there is something magic about water management which would prevent this from ever happening.
I'd certainly prefer to know the methodology for dealing with the outcomes of these scenarios in advance.
Would all of you be as enthusiastic if this was being proposed by a National/Act government?
If you believe/recognise that councils "have failures of leadership", why are you keen for them to retain control over water?
If you believe that iwi have failure over leadership, why are you so keen to give them control over water?
We can vote out poorly performing local government representatives. Neither we (nor the iwi themselves) have any mechanism to vote out poorly performing iwi leadership.
Councils that have failures of leadership can be replaced in a democratic society.That is the remedy against maladministration.
In the forthcoming local elections,there is a high probability that many will be removed with expedient demise,Mostly for incompetence and the failure that they have a duty of care for their locality (read fiscal responsibilty)
The high levels of debt being racked up by the incumbents are unsustainable.
3 Waters cost are over 1.5 billion without any forecast in efficiency, and only for the bureaucracy, and is all being funded on overseas debt.(treasury notes the high level of risk in the IT alone)
"Would all of you be as enthusiastic if this was being proposed by a National/Act government?"
Well. We know you would be.
But. They would be doing it intending to do an Air NZ.
Labour are trying to entrench anti-privatisation provisions. Which National and ACT, oppose!.
Any evidence for this? In any of the comments I've made on this or any other topic?
Or is it just a baseless slur, because you're unable to actually answer any of my arguments.
For reference, I think this is bad legislation from a democratic perspective, regardless of which party proposed it. I don’t believe that watering-down democracy for what seems like ‘good reasons’ is ever a good solution.
National and Act have announced that they would repeal 3 waters if elected. Why should they agree to entrench something they're planning on repealing?
“Evdence”. Parroting the right wing attack scare mongering.
I have been answering your arguments.
Why wouldn't NACT allow entrenching anti-privatisation provisions, if they were really against privatisation as they now claim? In case the bill gets passed. That doesn’t affect whether they retain or remove the bill.
Of course we all know that National approves of the creeping privatisation of council infrastructure and contracting out. Which is why they really oppose three waters.
Now. It would be good if we could have a sensible discussion about what form Governance of 3 waters would be. Duplicating the SOE or DHB model will be a serious mistake in my opinion, Without the scare mongering and fear of "Brown control".
Haven't parroted a single thing. If the left wing base assumption is that everyone who has concerns over this legislation has been captured by the right wing, then it's not surprising that concern is hardening into opposition.
Also, you haven't answered a single argument – just attacked me, and blindly defended Mahuta.
When you characterize any concern as "scaremongering", then it's not surprising that you can't engage effectively
I've provided legitimate questions and concerns and linked to actual reported evidence.
Zip from you.
Apart from baseless assertions about what National will do in the future (no link to actual announced policy – clearly you're a thought reader), and claims that because National privatized in the past, they're automatically going to do so in the future (the 4th Labour government's track record in this area is apparently not important to you).
There is a lot of consultation to go, and some issues may well change, but the objective of meeting water standards is unlikely to change. Consultation is desirable, and that happens more easily when it is clear the the objectives and obligations on government will not be walked away from, but consultation is often assisted by clear proposals. I do not agree that consultation has become a dirty word – there are a lot of other dirty words being spoken by those who see their job as blind opposition regardless of proposals. Consultation can also be informal – it is not always carried as in a public court trial, and positions can change – at least until legislation is passed.
As for the goal, i is easy to see examples of where cooperation and yes co-governance have worked. Look at the Wanganui River, which will never be totally clear due to the ground is passes through, but which now has secure minimum water flows that avoid many previous problems, and in addition we are able to use some water to generate electricity. Compare that to the situation in Canterbury where we now have a polluted water supply for a whole region, with health impairments for many and increased costs of water treatment for others – all due to arrogant dismissal and overriding of difficult decisions where the community was divided, but should have been enabled to make better decisions themselves than those forced on them. Look at the riber through Palmerston North, which despite some efforts in recent years, continues to be a disgrace – not swimmable for much of its length due to pollution from farming, housing developments and industry. Co-governance would have helped in enabling honesty in reporting what was happening, better knowledge of the way some local politicians funded campaigns by trading zoning agreements for funding, None of us a perfect, but we can influence others by expressing our opinions, and accepting that sometimes agreement will go through a number of stages as a result – small hurdles met with flexibility while keeping end goals in view may signal honest debate rather than a sham of consultation.
Tauranga poll is out – Newhub.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/national-party-s-sam-uffindell-cruising-to-victory-in-tauranga-by-election-newshub-nation-reid-research-poll-shows.html
Sumarized from above.
Uffindell – National 57%
Tinetti – Labour 22%
Cameron Luxton – 7.5% (which those of us who want to comment on politics would be grateful for: having Luxton, Luxton and Luxon in parliament – all for different parties, would be a bit much!)
Party vote (which isn't relevant in this instance) mirrors those results
Up to 1/3 either didn't know or wouldn't say (not uncommon – many people are reluctant to tell pollsters – and many of those won't vote, either) – the 'don't knows' rarely change the polling results substantially – it only really matters in 'too close to call' races.
Now, I know that not everyone here likes or believes in polling (i.e. thinks that polls don't matter, it's only the final result, which counts).
Setting that aside.
It's not surprising that National are out in front. Tauranga has been a National (or National-Lite aka Winston Peters) stronghold for decades.
But, what Labour should be taking close note of, are Tinetti's results.
Again, it's not surprising that she's dropped back from 38% in 2020. That was the Jacinda bounce – unprecedented, and not likely to ever occur again. But she's dropped to 22% from the 26% she had in 2017. Remember 2017 was against Bridges, a sitting MP, and pretty popular in Tauranga. Now she's standing against a relative unknown. I wouldn't expect her to win, but I would expect that Labour may be concerned over this evident softening of support. While by-elections rarely favour the sitting government, they also usually favour a current MP (albeit a List one) over a newcomer – just through name-recognition.
While the Green party vote is low at 3% – given that they're not standing a candidate in the by-election, I don't think they'll be too worried about this (out-of-sight = out-of-mind for most voters)
Link to the 2017 Tauranga results (just scroll up for 2020)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauranga_(New_Zealand_electorate)#2017_election
The question has been asked several times recently whether Tauranga is a racist city. Apparently in this same poll only 51% of respondents disagreed.
Bluntly, I'd say a lot of Tauranga residents who vote National have a problem with Maori in general, and they certainly have a problem with any form of partnership as described by Te Tiriti. This progressive government's bold plan for redress is not popular with racists.
All those Kiwifruit orchards are built on stolen land but the owners and benefactors can't bring themselves to admit it.
I would far prefer Labour, and specifically Labour Maori, continue the drive for real change and take some hits rather than run scared of the Western BOP elite.
Yet for 38 of the last 41 years tauranga national voters have voted in a maori MP..
Useless Maori MPs. There is no way these Maori MPs advocated for Maori, they advocated instead for wealthy pakeha elite.
If around 60% of Tauranga consists of wealthy elite (whether pakeha or Maori) – we should be rolling it out as a template for the rest of the country. /sarc/
People, by and large, vote for the policies (and politicians) which they believe will benefit them.
MPs act for the best of all of their constituents – not just the ones who they think voted for them (or the ones which share their ethnicity). Peters, for example, did very, very well for the people of Tauranga while he was their local MP. To describe them as 'useless Maori' is one of the most profoundly racist statements I've read on TS.
You can't simply condemn electorates as racist because they don't (or won't) vote the way you'd like them to. Especially where they have a demonstrated history of voting for candidates regardless of ethnicity. Should we declare the people of Mt Albert racist because they have never elected a Maori MP?
After all, the majority of Maori don't vote for TPM – which would seem to be the party which would advocate best for Maori. Perhaps they're all less racist than you think.
The term, "useless Maori" is not mine, it is Willie Jackson's:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/willie-jackson-says-david-seymour-not-just-a-useless-maori-hes-a-dangerous-politician-too/XURFPMDWZ23D7AE5EULZ2OVMAA/
David Seymour of course having the same attributes as both Winston Peters and Simon Bridges with respect to advocating for Maori. Simply, they didn't.
The right and hard right in varying degrees hate the idea the public should support any culture and identity despite NZ's identity heavily relying on Te Ao Maori. It's who we are but ACT's vision of NZ is one of diluted homogeny, a plain South Pacific country indistinguishable from any other western country.
This government recognises the importance of supporting Maori and Maori culture, useless Maori do not.
Nope. If you intend to quote someone, you put it in quote marks, attribute it, and preferably give a source.
Own your prejudice.
Which, I see you have, doubling down on your blatant racism.
So, presumably the 18.2% of the Tauranga population who are Maori consist entirely of Uncle Toms?
Can you just not conceive that the majority of people in NZ – even those who live in benighted Tauranga – vote according to their political principles, rather than along racial lines?
Or can you only justify democracy when it aligns with your prejudices.
For all those who want a secure job, a potential career, to make a real difference peoples lives or a combination of all three nows your chance:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mt-eden-prison-staff-crisis-102-vacancies-double-bunking-to-increase-nationally/RQZRSDVCOOXGYFTVMV4N3EVGOU/
'There is a shortage of more than 400 officers across all seniority levels nationally.
The shortage is especially pronounced at Mt Eden prison, home mostly to remand prisoners who have been arrested but are yet to face trial or be sentenced.
A source familiar with internal figures said there were 102 vacancies at Mt Eden as of the last week of May.'
Come on down, we'll probably take you especially at Mt Eden
https://www.seek.co.nz/Corrections-officer-jobs
Umbero knew his fascists.
Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.
[…]
Thus, by a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.
https://archive.ph/Q4nzW
https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1532723244616359936
https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1532776998501744641