“The Maori Party is backing the introduction of well-funded charter schools even though they represent a direct attack on kura kaupapa Māori, and on public education generally,” said Hone Harawira, Leader of MANA and MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

“Although successive governments have starved kura kaupapa of funding from the get-go, they remain one of the most successful educational initiatives for Maori by Māori, in the last 100 years” said Harawira. “But today, the Maori Party is supporting their National and ACT Party buddies spending massive amounts of money on charter schools while kura get bugger all.”

Massey University Professor of Education, John O’Neill, said that early indications are that charter schools will cost the taxpayer more than twice as much as state schools.

“It’s one thing for the rich white boys to give their mates all the lollies while laughing at the poor little Maori kids getting by on scraps … it’s another thing entirely when their Maori buddy is cheering them on.”

“The Maori Party should be ashamed for turning their backs on everything that kura kaupapa Maori stands for.” “Maori fought long and hard to get kohanga and then kura kaupapa because we knew that a commitment to the language, a commitment to whanau, and a commitment to kaupapa Maori were key elements in educational achievement for Maori students, and kura kaupapa have proven that to be the case time and time again.”

“Charter schools will have no accountability to whanau, no commitment to Maori language, no requirement for kaupapa Maori, no commitment to the Maori or NZ curriculum, no commitment to put registered teachers in front of kids, no accountability or transparency under the Official Information Act or the Ombudsmen Act – and they’re going to get more money than kura kaupapa ever got!”

“And without the oversight of the Auditor-General’s Office, they’re a scam waiting to happen” said Harawira, whose claims were backed up by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu’s submission on the Education Amendment Bill which said that charter schools were highly susceptible to fraud, waste and abuse.

Other submissions raised the fact that the charter schools model has failed overseas, including that of Dr Bronwyn Hayward, political scientist and senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury. Dr Hayward said that the charter school model was “naive and reckless” and that “our children deserve better.” “Our kids all deserve the very best in education, not failed experiments from overseas.”

“This Thursday is Budget Day. That’s when we’ll see whether the Maori Party can deliver. If the Budget does not show at least a 25% increase in funding for kura kaupapa, an extension of the Kotahitanga programme, and a reinstatement of the Manaaki Tauira programme to assist Maori students in tertiary education, then the Maori Party will have failed. And if they have, Peter Sharples should resign as Associate Minister of Education with responsibility for Maori Medium Education for his failure to grow or even protect the success of kura kaupapa Maori while supporting the failed charter school model.”

North Queensland NRL squad member Alex Elisala was at the central state Mackay Base Hospital on life support in Queensland, Australia earlier today.

The 20 year old passed away late this afternoon after his family made the heart breaking decision to turn his life support off.

His distraught mother had flown from Brisbane to Mackay to be by her son’s bedside along with other family members and friends.

Elisala made his Test debut for Toa Samoa against Mate Ma’a Tonga earlier this month in Sydney.

Mackay police would not comment on the circumstances leading up to Elisala’s hospitalisation early Sunday morning.

Elisala had a promising career ahead oh him, starting as a Logan Brothers junior before being signed to the North Queensland Cowboys this year.He started his Toyota Cup career for the Cowboys in 2010 as a winger/fullback before moving to hooker.

Condolences on social media came from a number of NRL family including Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain“This is an extremely sad time for our club, particularly for our players who trained and played alongside Alex in both our NYC and NRL teams”.

“Alex joined our club four years ago, had a distinguished career in our NYC squad and was already excelling in his first year as a full-time member of the NRL squad.

“He was undoubtedly one of the brightest young talents at the Cowboys.

Whatungarongaro te tangata toi tu whenua

Kua hinga he totara i te wao nui a Tane
A totara has fallen in the forest of Tane

Labour Leader David Shearer says he and his colleagues are devastated at the loss of Labour MP, the Honourable Parekura Horomia, “our matua”.

“We send our love and thoughts to his whanau, especially his sons and his mokopuna, and to all the others whose lives he has touched.

“New Zealand has lost a truly great Māori leader.

“Parekura devoted his life to championing Māori aspiration and achievement. Before entering politics he was a leader in work and community employment schemes on the East Coast. He took his grassroots knowledge through to leadership within the public sector, in roles in community employment and Maori development.

“As an MP and Minister he worked tirelessly to support the achievements of his people and of Māori across New Zealand.

“Under his guidance Māori well-being improved, employment increased and opportunities in education flourished. He also oversaw the establishment of Māori Television and expansion of iwi radio.

“As a politician there were few who could match Parekura’s knowledge of Māori issues. At every marae and town in this country Parekura was welcomed as a leader and a friend. He was respected across New Zealand and across political lines.

“His wisdom, passion and humour were a guiding light for Labour, and I will miss him and his advice tremendously.

“His loyalty to Labour and to our values of inclusion, fairness and solidarity was absolute. He stood strong for the people of Ikaroa-Rawhiti and for the rights of all Māori.

“We have lost a man of immense mana, a man of conviction and of compassion. We celebrate his contribution to Aotearoa-New Zealand, and we mourn the loss of a great leader.

“The Labour whānau is heart-broken today,” David Shearer said.

Moira Coatsworth, Labour Party President said: “Parekura, our Labour matua and Vice President, will leave a huge gap. He was loved and respected throughout New Zealand after a lifetime of service fighting hard for a better life for all. Within Labour he inspired dedication and much affection and he worked tirelessly for our movement.”

Source: Labour Party press release

Jim Mather has been appointed chief executive of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa chairman Richard Batley said he was pleased to announce the appointment of someone of the calibre and experience of Mr Mather.

“Mr Mather has achieved impressive gains in his eight years leading Māori Television,” Mr Batley said. “He has shown a passion for te reo Māori and Māori development.”

Mr Batley said he was impressed by the quiet determination shown by Mr Mather through the recruitment process.

“Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of the country’s largest tertiary education institutions, providing education to more than 36,000 students nationally,” Mr Batley said. “We have made significant gains in recent years, refining and enhancing our operations and offerings. Now we enter a new phase of our development, and Jim has shown himself to possess the range of skills required to lead this next stage.”

Mr Mather said he was humbled by the appointment and excited by the new challenge ahead.

“I am passionate about Māori development, and this starts with education,” he said. “I embrace the philosophy of ‘by Māori for all New Zealanders’, and this is a philosophy also shared by Māori Television.

“’Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini’ is the proverb that best describes my time at Māori Television. Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.

“I’ve had an incredible journey at Māori Television and I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve all done in the revitalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. It has been an absolute honour working alongside so many talented and committed colleagues.”

Mr Mather said however it was time for a fresh challenge and he was looking forward to the vibrancy and opportunity leading one of the country’s largest tertiary education providers.

“Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has a strong passionate team and I am proud to be joining them,” he said. “We have an incredibly valuable role to play in lifting the educational opportunities of all New Zealanders. I am humbled by this chance to play a part.”

Mr Batley said it was important at this time to acknowledge the incredible work and commitment shown by outgoing Pouhere Bentham Ohia.

“Bentham has set the standard for all others to follow,” Mr Batley said. “Bentham has been a passionate and committed advocate who leaves an incredible legacy for those that must fill his big shoes.

“I thank Bentham for his steady hand in leading Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to where we are today.”

Source: Press Release

“Hey friends, we’ve pulled this product as we’ve been made aware we’ve got the design horribly wrong in the end… it was an oversight on our part and we apologise for any offence caused.

More research was required, and we hope our apology will be enough for those of you so offended by our actions.”- Mr Vintage Facebook page

A case of being a little too late with the apology.  It would be good business practice next time they decide to adopt a design concept from another culture that they get some much needed advice and consultation from someone who has knowledge of the protocols and practices of that particular culture.  In this case Mr Vintage should have done their homework and consulted with a Māori designer throughout the whole process in order to avoid an embarrassment like this.

The ignorance displayed by Mr Vintage has led to insult, perhaps it’s time to remove the image from their facebook page now?

Source: Mr Vintage Facebook

The test will be a first between two nations other than Australia and New Zealand to mark ANZAC Day. The game will provide an opportunity for both Samoans and Tongans to honour their heroes who fought for their freedom in the War.

The occasion will also allow the Pacific Islander players to represent their nations during the NRL season.

Anticipation is building for the test, not only within in the passionate Samoan and Tongan communities, but in the rugby league community as a whole.

Hosted by Centrebet Stadium in Penrith, the April Test is set to capture the same excitement and exuberance of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup match held at the same venue.

The test will also serve as a celebration of the Pacific Islander community in Sydney. Market stalls will be held in the stadium precinct displaying an abundance of Polynesian goods, food and cultural displays.

Two NSW Cup games and the Under 20s State of Origin game will serve as curtain raisers to the test which will kick off at 7.30pm and be broadcast across Australia live on Fox Sports and also on Pacific television.

The Toa Samoa Squad will be named on April 14.

Tickets can now be purchased from here.

Source: Press Release

Image courtesy of 100% Pure New Zealand

In the list of 140 countries ranked by the World Economic Forum, New Zealand was just pipped by Iceland as the friendliest country in the world.  Which is not bad and a great endorsement for our tourism industry and people.  The countries were rated by the WEF on a score of one to seven, measuring the extent to which a country and society were open to tourism and foreign visitors.

Have some thought for Australia though who only rated 27th, despite priding themselves on their friendliness and warm welcome for visitors and spending millions on their tourism industry and brand.

TOP 10 FRIENDLY COUNTRIES

1. Iceland

2. New Zealand

3. Morocco

4. Macedonia

5. Austria

6. Senegal

7. Portugal

8. Bosnia & Herzegovina

9. Ireland

10. Burkina Faso

The least friendly countries were, in descending order, Latvia, Kuwait, Russia, Venezuela and Bolivia coming in last.

“This is the fairest way of travelling,” says Samoa Air CEO Chris Langton, their airline is the first in the world to adopt this policy.

Passengers will pay on a kilo by kilo basis with rates varying from WST$1 (NZ $0.52) a kilogram for domestic flights to NZ$2.32 for flights between Samoa and American Samoa.

Among the airline’s other destinations, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Niue also feature in lists of the top 10 countries by percentage of overweight people, including Samoa.

Fears that this policy could lead to discrimination have been raised by a morals and ethics professor at Waikato University – Carolyn Costley, a practice which obviously favours the lighter passengers encouraging them to fly more and forcing heavier people to fly less.  A practice which would be more appealing also to families as children would pay by their weight and not for a seat.

Samoa Air requires passengers to submit their weight, including their luggage, when booking to calculate their fare, the weight is then reconfirmed at the airport.

NZGB Chair Dr Don Grant says the move follows the receipt of a proposal to change the name ‘South Island’ to its original Māori name ‘Te Waipounamu’ and to consider the original Māori name of the North Island at the same time.

“At that time we noted that the existing English names were recorded names, rather than official names. They appeared on LINZ’s maps, charts and other official publications but had never been formalised under the NZGB Act.

“The NZGB agreed in principle that the English names should be formalised, that – as a related pair – both islands should also be assigned Māori alternative names, and that all of the names should be formalised at the same time.”

Following consultation with iwi, the NZGB determined that the most appropriate Māori names for the islands are ‘Te Ika-a-Māui’ (for the North Island) and ‘Te Waipounamu’ (for the South Island).

“The NZGB Act was amended in December 2012, and now provides for alternative naming. As such, the NZGB agreed at its latest meeting on 28 March 2013 to begin the process to formalise these names.

“This means that the two main islands of New Zealand could soon be referred to officially as the ‘North Island’ or ‘Te Ika-a-Māui’ and the ‘South Island’ or ‘Te Waipounamu’.”

Auckland based Te Waka Huia in 2009

Te Waka Huia have taken out the coveted overall winners of Te Matatini for 2013.  It is Te Waka Huia fifth title win which equals Waihirere who were the first winners in 1972.

3rd place was jointly shared between Tū Te Manawa Maurea, Te Iti Kahurangi and Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti.

2nd place were Te Whānau a Apanui.

Final Overall Placings Te Matatini 2013

1.  Te Waka Huia
2. Te Whānau a Apanui
3. equal. Tū Te Manawa Maurea, Te Iti Kahurangi and Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti

The 9 Finalists today out of 41 teams were

Sunday 24 February 2013 – Te Matatini 2013 Finalists

Te Waka Huia
Te Mātārae i Ōrehu
Waihīrere
Tū Te Manawa Maurea
Te Whānau a Apanui
Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti
Te Pou O Mangataawhiri
Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti
Te Iti Kahurangi