Political commentators Dale Husband and Ben Thomas
Photo:
RNZ / Craig McCulloch
Dale Husband is a long time broadcaster and Radio Waatea presenter hosting a Maori focused current affairs programme.
Ben Thomas is a former National government press secretary, a columnist and a director of public affairs firm Capital.
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Scoop
4 hours ago
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Pōmare Power Fuels Stinging Health Blast
A century after he was Minister of Health Sir Māui Pōmare remained politically potent at Waitara's Ōwae marae on the weekend, inspiring outright rejection of Government policy on Māori health. Standing for the Crown, New Plymouth MP David MacLeod bore the stinging criticism with obvious discomfort – like Pōmare he is a son of Ngāti Mutunga iwi. Te Rā o Tā Māui Pōmare (Sir Māui Pōmare Day) each year celebrates the first Māori medical doctor and health minister, with kōrero about uplifting Māori health. On Saturday Pōmare's great-granddaughter Miria gave the whānau address, condemning health policy changes for Māori. 'Hard-fought, hard-won gains for Māori health over the last 125 years have now been seriously undermined by the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority – a move that has been severely criticized for discouraging Māori initiatives and disregarding the principle of tino rangatiratanga: self-determination.' Her tupuna embraced scientific medical advances, but Miria Pōmare said he also pushed for a systematic Māori health focus. Reforms were underpinned by Maori leadership, culturally-appropriate interventions, and commitment to self-determination: principles derived from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, she said. 'He knew the issues were not medical alone – they were political and economic and spiritual.' As New Zealand's first statistics minister Tā Māui knew accurate data was crucial to win resources for Māori health equity. Two weeks ago the Government canned the regular census and will instead collate data already gathered by state agencies. 'It appears to be a sinister reversion back to an assimilationist approach of former times,' said Miria Pōmare. Her address drew vocal assent and applause. In Te Ikaroa a Māui – the wharenui built and named to honour Tā Māui – Te Ātiawa and Taranaki leader Wharehoka Wano acknowledged David MacLeod's whakapapa with Pōmare. But Wano told the National Party MP that tribal leaders on the paepae agreed with Miria Pōmare. 'Haere mai ki te Paremata o Tā Māui Pōmare (Welcome to Sir Maui Pōmare's Parliament).' 'And this is the opposition!' 'Forever!' someone called from the floor. MacLeod stood in place of Māori-Crown relations minister Tama Potaka, who was at MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp's tangihanga. 'I'm here for the Crown. It's not David McLeod, it's not myself, but it is the Crown that I'm representing today.' He delivered Potaka's message of hope: health spending rises, hospital upgrades including in New Plymouth, funding for Māori wardens, Kāinga Ora working with iwi housing providers, support for Kura Kaupapa Māori. MacLeod said Pōmare worked with fellow Māori MPs from different parties. 'Today, we have Maori MPs in all political parties,' said MacLeod. 'We are mainly focused on common goals, just like Māui and Apirana [Ngata] back in the day.' There was no applause. Kaumātua Peter Moeahu was glad for the MP's clarity about representing the Crown. 'I don't think a helluva lot of the Crown at the moment, David.' Moeahu said Māori were threatened 'every single day' by laws like the Treaty Principles Bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill and changes to resource management and local government. 'We know what you're doing, David,' said Moeahu 'But you are demonising us Māori as you do it, so that everybody's attention is focused on Māori … while you dismantle the environmental protections of this nation.' Moeahu's son, New Plymouth District councillor Dinnie Moeahu, took his turn at MacLeod and his Government. 'Since you've been in office… I have been more frustrated, angry, mamae - in pain - than ever before,' he told MacLeod. 'You speak with a forked tongue. I don't believe everything that you said today and I don't even think you believe it.' A dozen young Māori doctors at Ōwae to honour Tā Māui told the hui a wave of hundreds more was in the pipeline. Acclaimed Te Ātiawa brain scientist Professor Sir Richard Faull said his childhood heroes were Pōmare and fellow Ngāti Mutunga doctor and MP Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck). Faull said Te Tiriti set the gold standard for Māori health and wasn't about one partner being dominant. 'We have to have our Māori doctors to look after our Māori people and that is non-negotiable. 'Māui Pōmare knew that.'
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Review into Whānau Ora Commissioning funding terms of reference released
Photo: RNZ / Mihingarangi Forbes Terms of reference for a review into Whānau Ora Commissioning funding have been released. The review will be led by Doug Craig, director of the RDC Group consultancy, who recently investigated concerns raised about Manurewa marae. Te Puni Kōkiri set up the independent investigation last week after reports Te Pou Matakana Limited spent up on an ad campaign urging people to switch to the Māori electoral roll, and Pasifika Futures Limited put $770,000 towards the Moana Pasifika rugby team. Concerns have also been raised about contracting decisions and conflicts of interest by a Pasifika Futures senior executive. The review will examine funding plans and Outcome Agreements, conduct interviews with the agencies, and gather advice from public agencies and the Auditor-General on best practice use of public funding. It will report back on: However, the review cannot comment on the competence of individuals involved, "except to the extent this related directly to contract management, or determining any disciplinary matters". The two agencies' commissioning contracts expire today, with four new commissioning agencies beginning contracts on Tuesday. Te Puni Kōkiri policies not related to the review, and the contracts held with Te Pou Matakana, Pasifika Futures, or other agencies are also out of scope. Interim reports will be provided every week, starting this Friday, 4 July - and a final report will be delivered to the ministry for review and comment. The Secretary of Māori Development may then release the final report or a summary of findings. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
PM on youth boot camps after participant withdrawn: "I don't think we should give up"
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there had been challenges in the community transition part of the military-style youth boot camp pilot, but that was expected and ideas for improvements would be considered. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi The Prime Minister is defending the government's boot camps despite one participant being removed from the pilot following a court appearance, saying they are some of New Zealand's most challenging young people but "I don't think we should give up on them." Oranga Tamariki confirmed on its website on Monday that one of the teenagers who was part of the pilot was "withdrawn" and "transferred to Corrections custody." The agency would not comment further because the issue was before the court, but its acting deputy chief executive of youth justice services Iain Chapman said the team who worked closely with the participant during the pilot was "disappointed with the outcome for this young person." "We are continuing to provide support and work alongside their whānau through this transition to the adult jurisdiction." Chapman said the focus now was ensuring the best outcome for the eight remaining participants in the final weeks of the pilot, which concludes next month. The military style academies for youth have come under scrutiny by opposition parties for a lack of transparency , particularly the reoffending rate of the teenagers. Reducing reoffending was a primary goal for the boot camps. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the military style academies had been a "good initiative" and one of several things the government was trying to do to reduce reoffending, but he didn't expect everyone coming through the programme wouldn't reoffend. "We obviously said we've put in place a pilot," he said, and would consider how that played out when finalising the legislation. "There were some really good learnings from my take in the residential component in particular, and there was some challenges, as we had expected, in terms of the community transition." He said that information would be digested. The government could consider potentially extending the residential period he said, and what more could be done about the community transition period. He said the government would continue to "perfect" the boot camps to see how they could work better and "have more impact." "We are dealing with some of New Zealand's most challenging young people. But I don't think we should give up on them." He said the government was giving them an opportunity to "change their lives" and "put it on a different trajectory than where it's heading". "If they choose not to take that opportunity that's ultimately on them, but we are going to give them every opportunity to choose a better pathway." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
