Category: Te Ao Māori

Source: Radio New Zealand

Māori landowners at the top of the South Island will have more than 3000 hectares returned to them in a landmark agreement with the Crown.

In the 1830s the Crown promised Māori in Te Tauihu that if they sold 151,100 acres of land to the New Zealand Company they would be able to keep one tenth. They instead received fewer than 3000 acres.

The agreement to reserve the land was in part-payment for the company’s purchase of the land.

In 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that the government must honour the deal struck in 1839 but efforts to resolve the case outside court since had been unsuccessful.

In Wellington on Wednesday, Attorney-General Judith Collins and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced that an agreement had been reached.

Under the agreement, 3068 hectares will be returned to descendants of the original owners, including the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and the Abel Tasman Great Walk.

The agreement also includes a $420 million compensation payment to recognise land that has been sold by the Crown since 1839 and in recognition of the lost earnings and land use.

Collins said the agreement differed from Treaty settlements, which settled historical claims concerning breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

“In this case, we are simply returning land to its rightful and legal owners,” she said.

“The Crown failed to keep its side of the deal but in 2017 the Supreme Court ruled it had a legal duty to the original owners. In 2024 the High Court confirmed that the land, in parts of Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay, had been held on trust by the Crown and that it had always belonged to descendants of its original owners.”

The case was first brought against the Crown by Kaumātua Rore Stafford in 2010.

He took legal action on behalf of ngā uri, the descendants of the tūpuna named in the 1893 Native Land Court list and the descendants of specific Kurahaupō tūpuna.

The Crown and the owners, descendants of Te Tauihu Māori, have agreed to allow continued public access to land currently used by the government agencies.

Potaka said the Department of Conservation had worked with the owners to ensure ongoing public access.

“The Abel Tasman Great Walk, the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and wider conservation areas will remain open, with all bookings and access continuing as normal,” he said.

“Visitors, tourism operators, and local communities can be assured there will be no immediate changes to access or day-to-day use.”

Potaka said both parties were mindful of the need to balance legal ownership with how the land is currently being used and the desire for certainty.

“Everyone acknowledges that the Great Walk and reserve are important sites, much loved by locals and visitors and that they are of deep significance to the original owners, local business operators and future generations,” he said.

Private property is not affected by the agreement. The Crown had been using some of the affected land for roads, schools and conservation purposes and the agreement transfers the land back to its rightful owners but allows the Crown to lease some of the land currently being used for important public purposes.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he acknowledged the impact on the customary landowners, who had not had the use of their land for many generations.

The thanked those representing the customary landowners for their patience, for their pragmatism, and working towards this resolution.

“I want to thank our Attorney General Judith Collins, for her leadership, our coalition partners who recognised, alongside National, the need to resolve this and I also say thank you to our team and our negotiators who worked incredibly hard on both sides to bring us to this day.”

Luxon said some of the land being returned included places cherished by New Zealanders.

“Visitors have long been driven to the tracks, the huts, the beaches and the bays in the area and by maintaining public access, it will remain a taonga up in which to build a base so that the trust and associated businesses, the environment and the region will flourish.”

Te Here-ā-Nuku (Making the Tenths Whole) project lead Kerensa Johnston said the agreement marks the end of more than 15 years ligitation.

“It resolves longstanding uncertainty for our people and region, upholds the rule of law and property rights relevant to all New Zealanders, and heals rifts that are generations deep. It allows us to turn our focus to the future and how we might achieve wellbeing and prosperity for our whānau and region – the original purpose of the Nelson Tenths agreement,” she said.

She acknowledged the courage and perseverance of kaumātua and plaintiff Rore Stafford, who first raised the issue with the Crown almost 40 years ago.

“For many years we have hoped for a principled and pragmatic resolution to this case. The Crown has worked with us in good faith and by focusing on positive solutions we have achieved this historic milestone,” she said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) are concerned their role in the health system will be reduced under the government’s Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill.

The Health Select Committee released its final report on the bill in November, recommending it be passed. It is expected to have its second reading in the coming months.

Minister of Health Simeon Brown said the changes being made were focused on ensuring a clearer structure that delivered better results, including for Māori, and a key part of this is clarifying the role of Iwi Māori Partnership Boards.

The 15 regional Iwi Māori Partnership Boards were set up in 2022 to ensure the voices of Māori are heard in healthcare decision-making and improve hauora outcomes for Māori.

Te Kāhui Hauora o Te Tauihu covers the top of the South Island, its Pouwhakahaere Dr Kim Ngawhika said currently IMPBs have three main functions: first to provide a whānau voice, second to monitor the health system and third to work with Health NZ in developing priorities for improving hauora Māori.

Under the Pae Ora amendments those functions would be reduced to one, providing a voice for whānau, she said.

“It does kind of put us on the outer as far as partnership is concerned, we’re still there, we’re still going, but is has reduced our responsibility considerably.”

Ngawhika (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Te Arawa) said it feels as if the partnership is being reduced as much as possible without shutting down the IMPBs outright.

“Of course we will adapt, Māori have always adapted, as governments come and go we remain. Our focus for Te Kāhui is our whānau voice.”

Ngawhika said the focus for the IMPB remains on working with whānau and continuing to engage in the health system despite the uncertainty of what the future holds.

When Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority was disestablished the IMPBs took on some of its responsibilities, and the previous Health Minister Dr Shane Reti indicated that they would be empowered to take on a much broader remit. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/514549/how-the-coalition-plans-to-replace-the-quickly-scrapped-maori-health-authority

Ngawhika said there was some great encouragement from Reti in his initial contact with the IMPBs during what was a time of uncertainty.

“There was a lot of work that happened in that time and it was a time of great change too because Te Aka Whai Ora was being disestablished and I think that the Iwi Māori Partnership Boards just put their heads down and got on with that piece of work.”

The Manahautū of Wellington IMPB Āti Awa Toa Hauora, Hikitia Ropata is concerned that the IMPBs will lose their direct relationship with the Minister of Health under the changes, which would see the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee (HMAC) providing advice to the Minister instead.

But as Ropata (Ngāti Toarangatira, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou) notes, the members of HMAC are appointed by the Minister.

“So what we want is the opportunity to influence at that really regional, local level. I know there are public servants working hard to try and enable that to happen. But when your legislative framework changes so much, it’s hard to keep the faith in a system when you know you want the best for your people.”

The IMPBs have now been around for three years now and in that time have worked hard to build relationships both with the communities they serve and with Health NZ, she said.

“At the end of the day, I think that IMPBs have a better crack at building trust and getting information from our own people than if health officials go out and try and do it.”

Ropata is also concerned that among the raft of changes the Bill also strips key health sector principles designed to address inequities by removing the requirement for the Government Policy Statement (GPS) to consider any national health strategy.

These strategies, such as the Māori health strategy and Pacific health strategy, provide important evidence and data and Ropata is worried the health system will “lose its compass” without them.

“If we can’t use that evidence and that data for our way forward, how the heck are we going to know where we’re heading, how the heck are we going to achieve better equity for our people in our community? Our people, iwi and Māori people in our local areas, but also everyone.”

The amendment breaks the link between long-term health planning and the political direction of the day, she said.

“Basically, IMPBs could be left monitoring ongoing inequities for the government, but not have it influence what the government aims to do in its government policy statement.”

Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, the IMPB for Te Arawa, also expressed concern at the removal of the strategies for groups most affected by inequity, including whaikaha (disabled) whānau.

“Removing strategies for those already struggling to be heard is dangerous. These inequities are avoidable, unfair, and unjust. The amendments make them worse,” said Chair Hingatu Thompson.

Both Māori voices and those of supportive non-Māori organisations have been ignored, he said.

“When you remove evidence, ignore submissions, and downgrade Te Tiriti, you’re left with political ideology interfering with the democratic process. And that ideology is clearly anti-Māori,” he said.

Ngawhika made note that one of the minor changes the Bill makes is a change to its name, switching from Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) to Healthy Futures (Pae Ora). “This is yet another way of silencing our voice,” she said.

Minister of Health Simeon Brown said under the changes IMPBs will continue to do what they are best placed to do: engage directly with their communities, identify local barriers, and provide deep insight into what is driving outcomes on the ground.

“IMPBs will also continue to engage with Health New Zealand at a district level, ensuring community perspectives directly inform how services are delivered in each region.

“For example, Māori children continue to have lower vaccination rates than non-Māori. Understanding the specific local issues behind those rates is essential to improving them, and that insight comes from IMPBs.

“These insights will also be provided to the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee, whose role is being strengthened to provide independent national-level advice on Māori health priorities to the Minister and the Health New Zealand Board. This creates a clear and consistent pathway from local insight to national decision-making.

“This approach will support more effective, community-informed responses to issues such as childhood immunisation and outbreaks, particularly in areas where Māori outcomes can be improved.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

An exhibition opening in Christchurch is offering an insight into the deteriorating state of freshwater across the Ngāi Tahu takiwā which has prompted the iwi to take court action against the Crown.

Unutai e! Unutai e! opens at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū on Saturday, it was developed by Dunedin Public Art Gallery in collaboration with Ngāi Tahu leaders and acclaimed photographer Anne Noble, the exhibition uses photographic works to highlight the realities being faced by waterways across the country.

Noble’s images document the environmental degradation affecting a significant number of waterways within the Ngāi Tahu takiwā and the consequences for Ngāi Tahu whānau, hapū and iwi working to restore wai māori, uphold rangatiratanga, and protect mahinga kai practices.

In 2020, Ngāi Tahu lodged a statement of claim with the High Court seeking recognition of rangatiratanga (authority) over wai māori within the tribe’s takiwā.

The case seeks definition and legal recognition of Ngāi Tahu rights and interests in freshwater to provide clarity and certainty for both the iwi and the Crown as partners under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is grounded in rangatiratanga, the responsibility and authority of Ngāi Tahu as a Treaty partner within the takiwā.

Kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Justin Tipa said rangatiratanga was not about ownership or control; it reflected the tribe’s obligation to protect and manage freshwater for the collective good, now and into the future.

“The case provides the opportunity for the Crown and the tribe to decide together on a way forward to address the freshwater crisis, fix allocation, address rights and interests, and bring Ngāi Tahu expertise to the table.

“We are asking the Crown for effective water governance; clear, data-driven policy and standards; targeted action where it is most needed; proper investment in monitoring; and assurance that policy is delivering real outcomes.

“We also seek opportunities for the tribe to invest in infrastructure and solutions. In return, we’re playing our part by investing in research to drive efficiency, reduce red tape, lower transaction costs for all South Islanders, and ultimately restore and protect water.”

Healthy waterways are essential to the South Island’s environment, economy, and communities. This case is not solely about Ngāi Tahu rights – it is about securing clean, thriving rivers and lakes for every South Islander, he said.

Developed and toured by Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Unutai e! Unutai e! will be on display at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū from 13 December 2025 to 19 April 2026.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

For the first time in over a decade the decreasing trend of Māori smoking rates has stalled leaving health advocates devastated.

The latest New Zealand Health Survey showed daily smoking among Māori adults 15 and over has increased slightly from 14.8 to 15 percent.

That increase was considered “statistically insignificant” and was within the survey’s margin of error but, it still amounted to about 99,000 people. The total daily smoking rate was 6.8 percent.

General Manager of Hāpai Te Hauora Jasmine Graham (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri) said unfortunately she was not surprised by the result.

The repeal of Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act (SERPA), which included the smokefree generation laws, has had a huge impact on New Zealand’s progress, or lack of progress, to Smokefree 2025, she said.

“It’s incredibly concerning and the reason is because these aren’t just numbers. These are people’s lives. So this is whakapapa. This is whānau who are passing away from tobacco-related illnesses from a product that is designed to firstly attract, addict and then kill.

“…We don’t want to see any stall in the numbers. We want to see those numbers decrease and especially reaching the end of 2025 and the goal that was set to be able to see a smoke-free Aotearoa by the end of this month.”

Graham said we still see about 5000 New Zealanders dying from the impacts of tobacco-related illnesses each year.

She said whānau Māori were going through a daily battle of addiction and having to make the conscious decision every day to try and not smoke.

“That’s not the fault of the whānau member or of the individual, that’s the fault of the industry. They’ve created this product to do just that, to keep you addicted. And when you have something as strong as nicotine in these products, that’s the problem.”

She encouraged any whānau battling nicotine addiction to reach out to their local stop smoking service.

“I’ve had some people ask [if], you know… they’re the reason why we haven’t reached [Smokefree 2025] and they’re only thinking of the stat numbers. And I’m like, absolutely not. Because none of the responsibility is on our community or our people. All of the responsibility sits on the industry.”

Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello said New Zealand had made great progress in reducing smoking rates – especially since 2018 when vapes became widely available.

The gains had been particularly noticeable for young people and for Māori, she said.

“When the NZ Health Survey began in 2011/12, over 37 percent of Māori were daily smokers. In the latest survey that figure was down to 15 percent. Since 2018, Māori smoking rates have halved and the latest stats show 118,000 Māori have quit smoking in the last five years.

“These reductions are really significant, no other country is making this sort of progress. But of course we still have a way to go – we want to stop people smoking to reduce the health impacts and there’s a particular focus on supporting Māori and Pacific populations where rates are higher.”

Costello said the challenge was that we were down to the most “stubborn” smokers. The highest smoking rates were for those over 45, she said.

“Marketing activity is targeting these groups, as are the country’s quit smoking providers. This is important as people are around four times more likely to quit smoking by using a stop smoking service, than by trying on their own.

“An updated Smokefree Action plan released at the end of last year sets out the range of approaches that are being taken to stop people smoking and target key groups.”

One of the improvements needed was timely referrals to quit smoking providers, she said.

“I’d really encourage people to make contact with those services.”

Graham said it was worth celebrating there had been so many people who had gone through their quit journey and come out the other side to live a smokefree life.

At the same time there had been many Māori movers and shakers who led the kaupapa of tobacco control boldly who should be celebrated, she said.

“I think it’s to be celebrated that we still want to see a smoke-free Aotearoa, whatever the date is, that we’re looking to be able to save lives.

“We’re not just talking about numbers or stats, we’re talking about the livelihood of our people.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A petition calling on the government to restore school boards’ legal duty to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi will be presented to parliament on Monday.

The ‘Protect Te Tiriti in Education’ petition, organised by the National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) and supported by a coalition of national education organisations, has gathered almost 24,000 signatures, since its launch in early November.

It seeks to immediately reverse the recent amendment to Section 127 of the Education and Training Act, which removed schools’ requirement to embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

At the time, Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Treaty was the crown’s responsibility, not schools’.

“School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction,” she said. “You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent.”.

Rahui Papa, chair of Pou Tangata – the NICF’s arm responsible for education – said Te Tiriti was the foundation of partnership in Aotearoa and removing it from education law undermined the country’s shared responsibility to support all learners, Māori and non-Māori.

“More than 23,000 people across Aotearoa have added their names to the petition, calling on this government to affirm its commitment to Te Tiriti and ensure that it still has a meaningful place in education.”

Despite the repeal already passing into law, Papa said the forum would present the petition to political leaders, “who are committed to fighting for an equitable, supportive and uplifting education system for our tamariki”.

Since the boards’ treaty requirements were removed, kura (schools) across the motu have publicly re-affirmed their commitment to it.

Te Rārangi Rangatira – a list compiled by lawyer and Māori rights advocate Tania Waikato – has grown daily.

By 4 December, 1618 schools, 32 principals’ associations and collectives, and 281 ECEs, kindergartens and kōhanga reo had pledged their support.

The repeal has also prompted Northland iwi Ngāti Hine and hapū Te Kapotai to file an urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry, arguing the change undermines the crown’s obligations to tamariki Māori and breaches Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The country’s largest education union – NZEI Te Riu Roa – has backed the claim.

The National Iwi Chairs Forum-led petition is supported by NZEI Te Riu Roa, the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, PPTA Te Wehengarua, Te Akatea Māori Principals Association, the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa – New Zealand School Boards Association, Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa and Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa.

Papa previously told RNZ the coalition collectively represented 88 iwi, and more than 95,000 teachers, principals, schools and kura.

“We agree with the Minister of Education, when she says that school boards play an important role in raising achievement,” he said. “Boards set the overall direction of a school or kura through their governance responsibilities and development of strategic plans.”

He said removing Te Tiriti from the one place every child in Aotearoa passes through “deprives our tamariki of the opportunity to learn about identity, belonging and partnership in a culturally responsive environment.”

“We will not sit idly by while this happens.”

The petition will be delivered on Monday afternoon at parliament.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The country’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, is backing a claim by Northland iwi and hapū for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into the government’s decision to remove school boards legal obligations to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

A statement of claim was filed on 19 November 2025 on behalf of Ngāti Hine and Te Kapotai, alongside a joint application for urgency.

The claimants say amendments to the Education and Training Act, and the reset of the New Zealand Curriculum – Te Mātaiaho, undermine Māori rangatiratanga, partnership, and equity in education.

The Treaty requirement, which was added to the Education Act in 2020, was stripped without consultation in November.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said at the time that Te Tiriti was the Crowns responsibility and not schools.

“School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent,” she said.

Since then, more than 1500 kura- around 60 percent of schools across Aotearoa – have publicly reaffirmed they will continue giving effect to Te Tiriti.

NZEI President Ripeka Lessels said principals and school boards were frustrated the change was made without any engagement.

“It seems to be the preferred pathway of this government to not consult about a whole lot of things,” she told RNZ.

“Not consulting shows this government is absolutely hell-bent on dismantling the Treaty of Waitangi in every aspect of the law.”

Lessels said the move risks weakening commitments to tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori within school plans and the local curriculum, “preventing ākonga Māori from ever seeing themselves or their culture reflected in what they learn.”

“The education system has under-served ākonga Māori, and this move to remove Treaty obligations from school boards is a regressive step that can only lead to further systemic disadvantage.”

She said the effects would be wider than just Māori learners, and the issue was ultimately about ensuring all ākonga see their language and identity valued in the place they spend most of their day.

“Language, culture and identity matter. They absolutely matter for children, irrespective of whose language, culture or identity it is. And in Aotearoa today, the Treaty of Waitangi is our founding document.”

In the last few weeks, Te Rārangi Rangatira, the list of schools who have reaffirmed their commitment to continue giving effect to Te Tiriti, has drawn criticism from government MPs.

Education Minister Erica Stanford previously told media she had heard from principals who felt “very unfair” and “nasty” pressure to sign the statements.

At that same standup, Stanford also reinforced her commitment to “fight for our kids.”

“My message to schools is what we expect is achievement to improve, especially for our tamariki Māori and if those schools are doing all of the things that we’re asking of them in section 127, including offering to being culturally responsive and ensuring that tamariki Māori have equal outcomes, and then if they wish to… honour the treaty or uphold the treaty over and above that, then they’re absolutely welcome to do that.”

In a Facebook post, National MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell also described the statements from schools as “frankly disgusting” and alleged that unions were “standing over principals” to pressure them to sign what he described as “an anti-govt pledge.”

Lessels rejected claims that schools were being “pressured.”

“I think both of those MPs are out of touch with how schools operate,” she said.

“Schools are independent, autonomous bodies, and they’re self-managing … I don’t know a principal or a board that would ever let anything happen that they didn’t believe was right.”

Many schools had shifted their practice since the Education and Training Act was introduced four years ago, Lessels said, integrating Māori language, culture and identity into teaching and school planning.

“Since 2020, schools have understood the importance of children’s culture, identity and language …They can see there is value in endorsing the Treaty of Waitangi in their schools or working towards it.”

Evidence showed that centring children’s identity improved outcomes a particularly for Māori learners in kura kaupapa Māori – and that removing the legal duty to honour Te Tiriti went against that evidence, she said.

“It’s not rocket science. This removal is definitely not based in sound educational policy or even educational evidence at all. It’s an ideological political move.”

If the Tribunal granted urgency, the claim sought intervention preventing the repeal from taking effect.

The outcome they wanted was for the government to “reverse the policy,” and she encouraged whānau to remain strong through the process, Lessels said.

“Our schools genuinely want to make a difference for their children, and honouring Te Tiriti is the foundation of that.”

The Education Minister declined RNZ’s request for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Five rafting wahine have paddled their way to the top after shovelling poo to get there.

The New Zealand Women’s R4 Rafting team from Rangitikei has made it to Malaysia to compete in the International Rafting Federation World Championships.

The team took out the Pacific Cup rafting championship in March after only practising four times together. From there, they were selected to go world-wide.

The team is made up of five people, including the captain Janey Megaw. Four are on the water, while a reserve waits in the wings with their coach.

Megaw said it’s a pretty surreal feeling to be out of Rangitikei and on the other side of the world, competing internationally for the first time.

They compete across four disciplines, first up was the sprint.

They started with the sprint.

“That is just a timed event, one boat on the river at a time and based on the fastest time,” said Megaw.

They took out gold in that division and are hoping to keep it that way.

Next comes head to head. They are seeded off the sprint times and race to the bottom against another team navigating buoys in the river.

“We’re up against the Czech’s first. So they’re tough… they’re tough buggers.”

Then it’s the slalom, much like a kayak slalom, but the gates a further apart so the raft can fit.

“That is a wicked technical event, and it is also timed… You get two chances to to record your time. So first one, generally you take nice and slow and just try not to make any mistakes by hitting the gates, because you get penalised time wise every time you hit one.”

Lastly, the down hill river race.

“That’s about 10 kilometres, you start in a bunch, and it’s the first one over the finish line at the end.”

Competing at an international event is not really where they expected to find themselves, said Megaw.

They combined two teams to compete in the Pacific Cup, a race with six women per boat.

With limited practice, the team wasn’t expecting good results but after the first event, they changed their tune.

“The first event, we won, and we were like, ‘far out, this is awesome… we should actually give this a nudge’,” Megaw said.

“Then we got told, ‘Oh, by the way, if you win, it’s a selection, so you’ll be the team that represents New Zealand and the next international rafting championships’.

“We were like, ‘what?”’

But despite their huge success, the team wasn’t sure it would make the next stage.

“t was a huge commitment, not only for us, but our friends, our family, the companies we work for, the fund-raising that was involved for us to get here”

The five women spent three days “grovelling around in shit” in the woolsheds to raise money.

Megaw is hoping that hard mahi pays off.

“We’re pretty keen to, you know, give it a nudge, take it on. We’re strong… and we’ve got a bit of mongrel… So we’ll just have to get in there.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Northland iwi Ngāti Hine and hapū Te Kapotai are calling for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry after the government removed school boards’ legal obligations to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The claimants say the amendments to the Education and Training Act 2020, and the reset of the New Zealand Curriculum – Te Mātaiaho, undermine Māori rangatiratanga, partnership, and equity in education.

A statement of claim was filed on 19 November 2025 on behalf of Te Kapotai (Wai 1464/1546) and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine (Wai 682/49), alongside a joint application for urgency.

The claimants argue the legislative and curriculum changes are inconsistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and cause “significant and irreversible prejudice” to Māori including:

• Schools being unable to uphold treaty guarantees of tino rangatiratanga and partnership.
• Unilateral Crown decision-making affecting Māori children and their whānau.
• Immediate damage to the Treaty relationship between Māori and the Crown.
• Loss of cultural safety, erosion of kaupapa Māori foundations, and disproportionate harm to tamariki Māori.
• Unequal access between Māori children to te reo Māori, tikanga, and mātauranga across schools.
• Increased resourcing burdens on the sector and school boards to adapt to the changes.

Claims submitted to the Tribunal state that the legislative and curriculum changes remove, weaken and deprioritise Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Veteran Māori broadcaster Waihoroi Shortland said that the legislative changes amounted to a modern re-enactment of the Treaty Principles Bill “by stealth,” effectively eliminating Te Tiriti from the statute book.

He argued the Crown’s actions form part of a “long pattern of removing Māori nationhood from law and policy.”

Kara George said the Crown had failed to engage with hapū, creating “culturally unsafe, assimilationist educational environments” and affecting tamariki Māori language, identity, and well-being.

Tumuaki Maia Cooper said the changes had led to burnout for kaiako, removed kaupapa Māori foundations from school practice, and eroded equity settings for tamariki Māori.

Educator and grandparent Arona Tipene said the changes were destabilising for Māori whānau and kaiako, led to a loss of cultural safety in schools, and disproportionately affected Māori children who rely on Te Tiriti obligations for protection of their identity, belonging, and well-being.

She said the removal of these foundations could cause permanent harm to current and future generations.

The claimants argued there is no alternative remedy for these breaches of Te Tiriti, and that urgent Tribunal intervention is required before the amendment comes into force in November 2026.

The Tribunal has directed the Crown and other interested parties to respond by Wednesday, 3 December.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A major three-year study has found Māori are being undercounted in prisons by around six percent, masking the true scale of incarceration and its impact on whānau.

The kaupapa Māori research project, TIAKI, examined the experiences of whānau entering and leaving prisons, combining national administrative data with interviews led by researchers with lived experience of incarceration.

Researchers at University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke have completed two studies within the project.

The first found primary care services were not meeting the high health needs of Māori recently released from prison, with cost a major barrier.

The second found Māori were undercounted by around 405 people in prison data because Corrections was not following national ethnicity recording protocols.

Lead author Associate Professor Paula King (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) said the undercount affected resource allocation and government policy decisions.

She also criticised the state for failing to monitor the health and wellbeing of Māori both in prison and after release.

“What we expect is state accountability for state harms.”

Māori undercounted in prison

King said the team was guided by kairangahau (researchers) with lived experience of prison to investigate ethnicity data, building on long-standing concerns about Māori undercounting across official datasets.

Corrections’ recording did not align with Stats NZ standards, she said.

“People just aren’t statistics – these are whānau with tamariki, with communities. If you’re invisibilising Māori, you can’t monitor Crown actions or inactions, or accurately assess the impact of policies,” she told RNZ.

Māori were overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice system: 37 percent of people proceeded against by police, 45 percent of people convicted, and more than half of the prison population at 52 percent – despite Māori making up only 17.8 percent of the population, according to Stats NZ data.

In women’s prisons, the proportion rose to 61-63 percent, King said, and would be even higher when undercounting was considered.

King said the undercount meant governments have underestimated how legislation affected Māori, including recent changes such as the Sentencing Reinstating Three Strikes Amendment Act 2025.

“The government’s got a directive to put more people in prison and for longer… the numbers are increasing.”

A Corrections spokesperson told RNZ ethnicity data was based on what prisoners self-report at reception, and people were encouraged to list multiple ethnicities, ranking them by preference.

“Corrections has proactively released data on the prison population, including breakdowns by lead offence, age and ethnicity dating back to 2009. Given how we present this on our website, for ease of understanding we have typically reported on what prisoners have self-reported as their primary ethnicity.”

The spokesperson said Corrections was always seeking to improve its collection and proactive reporting of data, and would begin publishing more detailed tables that reflected multiple ethnicities from early next year.

Data provided to RNZ shows that as at 30 November, 2025, Māori made up 52.3 percent of prisoners using primary ethnicity, and 56 percent when all reported ethnicities were counted.

“Both measures demonstrate Māori are overrepresented in the prison population,” the spokesperson said.

They said Corrections was committed to improving outcomes with and for Māori, “addressing the overrepresentation of Māori in the corrections system, and reducing reoffending”.

Racialised inequities across the system

King said the research reaffirmed long-standing inequities across policing, charging, prosecution, and sentencing.

“It’s longstanding – who the police choose to surveil, who gets charged, who is prosecuted, who gets longer sentences. These inequities are why the numbers of Māori in prison are so high.”

Those released from prison had three times the mortality rate of the general population, with the first month after release most dangerous.

Early deaths were linked to chronic conditions, suicide, alcohol poisoning, injuries, and traumatic brain injury. Mortality was worse for wāhine Māori.

The study found that only 76 percent of Māori released were enrolled with a Primary Health Organisation (PHO), leaving a quarter without access to subsidised care.

King said rules excluding people in prison from PHO enrolment drive that gap.

“Services aren’t meeting the high health needs of people released from prison… Māori providers are picking up the slack but are under-resourced and under-funded.”

A Ministry of Health spokesperson told RNZ they acknowledged the findings showing Māori recently released from prison have poorer health outcomes.

“We note the finding that around three quarters (76 percent) of Māori released from prison were enrolled with a general practice in the 12 months following their release. While most of this group are therefore engaged with a primary care provider, we recognise this level of enrolment is lower than for other population groups.”

They said enrolment was suspended during imprisonment because Corrections operated its own health services under a separate and exclusive funding agreement.

The ministry also said it has discussed prisoner enrolment settings with the Department of Corrections but while this work was underway, had no further comment.

Whānau-led solutions

Through interviews, whānau shared what would help after release: secure housing, employment or training pathways, culturally grounded programmes, and sustained whanaungatanga-based support.

“None of it is rocket science,” King said.

“People want to be well, and they want their whānau to be well… They talked about identity, culture, mentors, having someone walk alongside them, and programmes that prepare people for release rather than focusing on deficits.”

She said Māori providers already offered much of this support but have been underfunded for decades.

“If the highest proportion of people in prison are Māori, then why aren’t kaupapa Māori providers being commissioned to support re-entry? What is funded is overwhelmingly mainstream.”

Immediate steps the government could take included: removing PHO (Primary Health Organisations) exclusions, following standard ethnicity data protocols and integrating health and disability services across agencies so people did not fall through the gaps, King said.

“At the moment everything is siloed. Someone goes in with health needs, there’s no connection to their community care, and when they come out there’s nothing.

“Under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, [the Ministry of] Health has obligations to ensure Māori can access services and be transparent about their decisions.”

King hoped the research would support long-term system change.

“We’re trying to break cycles of harm for future generations, to create a world our mokopuna can live well in.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

For centuries, Māori built homes that were warm, dry, sustainable and centred on whānau.

Homelessness, damp houses and overcrowding were not part of te ao Māori.

Two researchers say the systems that displaced Māori from their kāinga still shape housing inequities today and the solutions lie in restoring Māori autonomy over how communities build.

Professor Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) has spent more than two decades researching Māori architecture.

She is a professor at Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, and co-director of MĀPIHI, the Centre for Māori and Pacific Housing Research.

A few years ago, she and other Māori academics sat down to ask what issues most affected Māori and “what are the skills that we can bring to the table that might help?”.

“We all agreed housing was the No.1 critical issue that we could actually make a positive contribution to,” she told RNZ.

The rōpū went on to interview 30-40 stakeholders – from Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to Māori housing providers, marae, iwi, community groups and architects.

“We asked them, what are the challenges and opportunities in Māori housing?” she said.

Their work identified 130 interrelated factors influencing housing outcomes, with affordability as one.

MĀPIHI was formed from that research, with a mission “to increase the quality and supply of housing for Māori and Pacific people”.

Alongside Deidre Brown is architectural designer and new academic Savannah Brown (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi), who is in the fourth year of her PhD examining how colonial building laws affected whare Māori – specifically in the Ngāti Whātua rohe.

She said the threads connecting traditional building systems and today’s policies were clearer than many people realise.

“I’ve always been interested in traditional whare Māori,” she said.

“Working in practice opened my eyes to the complexity, cost and barriers in today’s building system – legislation, codes, standards. When I compared that to how streamlined traditional building was, it made me want to understand what happened.”

From autonomy to restriction

Before colonisation, kāinga were self-determined, sustainable and organised at hapū level.

“We manaaki [look after] people,” Deidre Brown said. “The idea of someone being houseless or without whānau is outside our tikanga – it’s not part of our way of thinking.

“There was always provision of shelter.”

She said, because Māori had self-determination over their own lands, they always had dedicated areas for gathering materials like raupō, nikau and timber, and knowledge about harvesting in ways that kept those resources renewing.

“It’s what we’d now call the circular economy.

“Our people, our Polynesian navigators, they got here by knowing how to put things together and how to make them stay together.

“We had our own building technologies as well and they were highly socialised within our communities. People knew how to build.”

Savannah Brown said whare were built in response to demand – “a growing hapū, a new baby or a new whānau forming”.

Both researchers said misconceptions about traditional Māori houses – that they were cold, dirty or unsafe – came from colonial writers.

“Colonial authors claimed Māori housing made us ‘sick’, but evidence shows the opposite,” Deidre Brown said

She recalled her brother visiting a whare at Taupō Bay in the 1950s, a traditional whare with dirt floors.

“He remembers it as the cleanest house he’d ever seen.”

Savannah Brown said many early texts carried “white-superiority undertones”, using words like “savage” or “inferior”, yet the materials were climate-adapted and regionally specific.

“We evolved our architecture for centuries and post-contact legislation disrupted that progression.”

1842: A turning point

One of the earliest disruptions, the pair said, was the Raupō Houses Ordinance, passed in 1842 – just two years after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

It imposed a £20 annual tax on existing raupō houses in the main centres and a £100 fine for anyone building a new one.

The plant raupō (Typha orientalis), also known as bulrush, is a common wetland plant in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Māori used raupō to build whare, including domestic dwellings and some early official buildings, by using the leaves and stalks for walls and thatching, and the pollen for other purposes.

The law was framed as a fire safety measure, but Deidre Brown was doubtful.

“There’s been research suggesting the government was concerned Māori builders were undercutting the new settler builders, because Māori could build out of raupō,” she said. “The ordinance was more about protecting newly arrived British carpenters.”

Savannah Brown said she read the original document at the National Archives and “touching it was profound”.

“Realising this single piece of paper marked the beginning of the decline of traditional Māori architecture.”

The ripple effects of this legislation were quick, they said. Use of traditional materials dropped, hapū lost access to wetlands and forests, as land was taken or drained, and rangatahi (young people) moved away from their kāinga, taking labour and expertise with them.

Through the early and mid-20th century, Māori home ownership declined sharply. Instead of homes being free to build and live in, and homelessness being “virtually unimaginable”, whānau Māori found themselves at the “bottom of the housing heap”, living in low-quality accommodation in the cities.

Government-built state houses helped some whānau, but the designs reflected European nuclear families, rather than Māori communal life.

“They just weren’t built for the bigger Māori families,” Deidre Brown said. “Six, maybe eight kids, lots of aunties and uncles coming in and out, bringing kai with them.”

Standard layouts placed bathrooms next to kitchens, breaching tikanga, and put houses at the front of sections, leaving little room for pōwhiri, visitors or tangihanga. Even hallways worked against whānau life.

“It prevented the singing and storytelling that went on in a traditional whare moe.”

Later, Māori were excluded from government mortgage support for decades – access began only in 1959.

In the 2023 census, Māori home ownership had fallen to 27.5 percent, and, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s latest insights report for June 2025, more than 60 percent of those experiencing homelessness identify as Māori.

“When legislation stopped us building for ourselves, autonomy disappeared,” Savannah Brown said.

Rebuilding autonomy

Both researchers said Māori-led solutions already existed and they may be the key.

Te Māhurehure Marae in Auckland’s Pt Chevalier and Ngāti Toa were among those creating papakāinga that wove housing into marae life, natural environments and cultural practice.

“They’ve done away with front yards and back yards, [and] people are closely linked to their wharenui,” Savannah Brown said.

“They have kura kaupapa, a community vegetable garden [māra kai], and they’re creating their own supply chain. In many ways, it’s like what their ancestors had in the 19th century, but using modern technologies.”

Savannah Brown said capability within whānau was key, but smaller hapū often struggled, as rangatahi moved to cities.

She also believed systems needed reform. One of her research areas was the possibility of a Māori building authority.

“There are huge misunderstandings at council level around tikanga Māori and whenua Māori,” she said. “Some processes become absurd… like marae having to seek resource consent from themselves.”

Both told RNZ that they hoped more Māori entered architecture to help shift the sector.

“Housing sits at the centre of wellbeing,” Deidre Brown said. “The more Māori we have in this sector, the better for our people.”

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