Pacific News In Brief For 13 May
A round-up of news from around the region, including calls for compulsory Mori language education alongside English in the Cook Islands.
Papua New Guinea – politics
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has been asked by the opposition to review the decision by parliament to change the law on votes of no confidence.
In March, James Marape's government pushed through a constitutional amendment, introducing an 18-month grace period after any unsuccessful vote of no confidence against a sitting prime minister.
The amendment, passed with a 81-4 vote, was hailed by Marape as a crucial step towards fostering political stability.
Critics have said removing opportunities for votes of no confidence undermines the country's democracy.
Political scientist Michael Kabuni called the availability of the vote a 'safety valve' that can ease political tension in PNG.
The court will hear the application on 22 May.
Papua New Guinea – weapons
People in Enga Province have been warned that security force officers will arrest and charge anyone carrying offensive weapons in public places.
Provincial police commander Chief Superintendent Fred Yakasa told local media people carrying bush knives, axes, knives, any sharp objects, guns, bullets and cartridges will be arrested and charged.
He said he has told all of his police officers and security officers to confiscate such weapons and not entertain any excuses.
Yakasa said people are being slashed in a matter of seconds in public places, which leads to further uprising in communities with tribal fights.
Fiji – constitution
The Fiji Cabinet has agreed to seek an opinion from the Supreme Court over the amendment provisions of the 2013 constitution.
The coalition government said it is looking for clarification around the interpretation and application of the amendment provisions.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's administration failed in its bid to win enough support in parliament to amend the document.
Rabuka could not get the 75 percent support needed to amend the constitution during the Constitutional Amendment Bill's second reading.
The government has now hired Australian barrister Bret Walker to provide legal representation in the court.
Solomon Islands – politics
Two new ministers have been sworn in at Government House in Solomon Islands.
The pair fill the last of the portfolios left vacant after a mass resignation that sparked a brief period of political uncertainty.
A motion of no confidence against prime minister Jeremiah Manele was ultimately withdrawn.
Government House has confirmed to RNZ Pacific the two new ministers are Bradley Tovosia taking up the Fisheries and Marine Resources portfolio, and John Tuhaika Jr, who is minister for Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs.
Prior to all of the floor-crossing, Tovosia had been deputy prime minister and minister of mines.
Cook Islands – language
Cook Islands traditional leaders are calling for compulsory Māori language education alongside English.
The House fo Ariki made the request during an education conference on Rarotonga, where they also asked for tradititional knowledge to be more widely taught.
High chief Tou Travel Ariki said for the first time the house of Ariki has collectively articulated their vision for an inclusive education system that places language and culture at its core.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Regulatory Standards Bill Could Be Barrier For Māori Housing
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has warned that the Regulatory Standards Bill could stymie progress in enabling papakāinga, or Māori housing, documents show. A ministry official also flagged concerns the legislation could make it harder for ministers to do their jobs, and warned the reach of the proposed law - and the minister-appointed board - seemed "disproportionate to the authority of Parliament". Regulations Minister David Seymour rejected the criticism, saying the ministry should be "leading the charge to cut through this bureaucracy so more homes can be built". The Regulatory Standards Bill is non-binding on Parliament but proposes a set of principles MPs and officials would have to consider when designing regulation. It also would set up a board, appointed by the minister, to examine current and future laws' consistency with those principles, as well as requiring regular reviews of all regulations. In its feedback, the housing ministry raised concern about the potential for individual property rights to be elevated over and above collective rights. "...the lack of provision for collective rights/rangatiratanga and the indicated shift towards Individual rights, in a way that is not currently in New Zealand's constitution, could impact the way we can develop policy and legislation with significant negative impacts on Māori housing outcomes," it said. The ministry said one of the proposed principles - dealing with taxes, fees, and levies - could hinder progress on Māori-led housing projects. "If this principle is imposed over regulation, we are concerned it could be misaligned with the current approaches to whenua Māori, lead to greater fragmentation of land/whenua Maōri, be a barrier to pooling resources for collective good and further entrench the negative housing outcomes that currently exist." The government in May announced plans to make it easier to consent papakāinga. However, funding for the Whai Kāinga, Whai Oranga housing fund has also been cut. In a statement to RNZ, a spokesperson for Seymour said if the Regulation Standards Bill had been in place years ago, it could have prevented "much of the pointless red tape" that slows down building and consenting. "New Zealand faces a serious housing crisis. Anyone who has tried to build a home knows the delays and costs caused by red tape," the spokesperson said. "I'd have thought the Ministry for Housing would be leading the charge to cut through this bureaucracy so more homes can be built." An FAQ document prepared by Seymour's office also rejected the idea that the bill would favour individual rights over collective ones, saying it preserved the status quo "that collective Parliamentary law can trump all individual rights to personal autonomy and possessions". The document did not specify, however, how individual property rights would be considered compared to collective property rights by officials operating under the new regime. The housing ministry also warned that requiring reviews of all secondary legislation in reviews - without exemption - would add to the government's workload. To that, Seymour was unapologetic: "We're aware the public service doesn't like this law. Yes, it makes more work for them, justifying laws that interfere in people's lives. Here's the thing: If the public service think being required to justify their laws is a faff, imagine what it's like for the public they have to serve who are obliged to follow them." The ministry also made the case that the Treaty of Waitangi "should be featured as a relevant consideration" among the principles. But the FAQ, from Seymour's office, said the Treaty was excluded because the bill was focused on the quality of regulations, not Treaty obligations. "As with compliance with international obligations, legal obligations under Treaty settlements are a given. A central part of the RSB is to protect existing legal rights from unprincipled appropriation," it said. The ministry also said the ability for the proposed Regulatory Standards Board - appointed by the Regulations Minister, currently Seymour - to carry out reviews of regulations ahead of agencies' own regular reviews of legislation "would not be the most effective use of the board's time". Seymour has previously defended the extra cost and workload, saying the cost was about 2 percent of the policy work currently done across the government. "If it costs $20 million just to check the regulations, imagine the cost to all the poor buggers out there who have to comply with all this crap," he said. Concerns raised by official over 'disproportionate' powers In preparation for providing feedback on the Cabinet paper in October, an MHUD official warned that giving the Regulation Minister power to set the terms of regulatory reviews could interfere with the work of other ministers. "The power of the Minister of Regulation to initiate regulatory review and set terms of reference gives considerable power and will affect the ability of a portfolio minister to advance their work," the official said. "There should be elements of mutual agreement, or consultation required, or some detail about the threshold for the Minister to initiate a review (eg requiring an Order in Council)." The official also questioned whether a board chosen by the minister should have so much influence, saying it seemed "disproportionate compared to the authority of Parliament". They pointed out there was already a process - through the Regulatory Review Committee and the Legislation Act - that allowed MPs to examine regulations if concerns were raised. In response, Seymour's spokesperson said the bureaucrats "may want to familiarise themselves" with a set of rules, known as Legislative Guidelines, which departments are already required to follow, including the principles of property rights, individual liberty, and the rule of law. "The only difference is that under the Regulatory Standards Bill, these principles would become Parliamentary law, not just Cabinet guidance that some departments clearly ignore."
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Cost-of-living pressures top of mind for govt: Luxon
By Lillian Hanly of RNZ The government has ticked off most of its action plan for the last quarter, as it turns to the next with a continued focus on the cost of living. In its report card for the last three months, two items were listed as 'in progress': - Take Cabinet decisions on capital markets settings to remove barriers to listing, reduce costs to firms and enable greater investment in private assets from KiwiSaver providers. - Publish the first Government AI strategy to help drive adoption of AI to boost productivity and grow the economy. The AI strategy is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and further decisions on capital market settings were expected in the next quarter. One change that has been made was to reduce the listing costs on firms by making the publication of their prospective financial information voluntary. Turning to the next quarter, a statement from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said continuing to address cost-of-living pressures over the coming months was key. Luxon said the government was taking action on the cost of food, housing, banking and energy to "drive a better bargain" for New Zealand families. "While it's still tough out there for too many Kiwis, our Government's focus on unlocking economic growth is starting to show some promise with key indicators up across the board." He said it wasn't enough for businesses to grow and invest. "New Zealanders deserve an economy that works for them, with more competition and lower prices," Luxon said. The next quarter will see the repeal of the oil and gas exploration ban, next steps to improve supermarket competition and further changes to the RMA. Luxon said repealing the ban would "unleash the energy" the country needed to "keep the lights on and prevent power prices from skyrocketing in the years to come". "The cost of housing is also a priority, with significant improvements to the RMA enabling more construction in our biggest cities expected to become law," he said. The government will also look to publish the first standards allowing the use of overseas building products in the country. The Public Works (Critical Infrastructure) Amendment Bill will be passed, which will streamline the process to acquire land for big projects. Legislation will be introduced to "strengthen governance and planning arrangements" at Auckland Transport. Under law and order, the government will look to progress legislation that makes stalking an illegal offence, and introduce legislation that deters "anti-social road use." Changes to the electoral system are on the way, including introducing a ban on prisoner voting, and the government will begin delivering rehabilitation and reintegration services to remand prisoners. Cabinet will consider decisions on legislation to "affirm police's authority to collect, use and retain information about individuals in public places for lawful policing purposes". Other actions under better public services include starting to deliver additional elective procedures, and opening an expression of interest for 120 nurse practitioner training places. The government will also implement its funding increase for GP clinics and the first prototypes for the expansion of urgent care for rural and remote areas. Legislation that will give effect to the ECE Regulation Sector Review will be introduced and key policy decisions taken to tighten the eligibility for income support for 18/19-year-olds.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pacific-Māori marriages lead new identity wave
By Aui'a Vaimaila Leatinu'u , PMN Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone Photo: Supplied Pacific people who marry outside their heritage often choose Māori partners, according to a Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) investigation into this increasingly shared identity among these populations. According to MPP's ongoing Insights Briefing , which aims to deepen the understanding of Māori and Pacific identity, there are around 90,000 people who identify as both Māori and Pacific in Aotearoa. "We also found that when Pacific people marry outside of [their culture], they will marry a Māori first," Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone, the Secretary for Pacific Peoples at MPP, told Khalia Strong on Pacific Mornings . "While we're different, there's also a lot of similarities. What I've found, as I've gone around talking to various iwi leaders, is that…we want these populations to be counted. "There are so many that have said, 'my moko [grandchild] is part Tongan, part Māori, and they speak both Māori and Tongan'. Others say, 'I know someone in my whānau, who's part Cook Island, part Māori, and they want to learn their Cook Island whakapapa' because they've been raised entirely with a Māori worldview." Clifford-Lidstone emphasised the significance of understanding these identities, saying that by 2043, nearly 40 per cent of New Zealand's population will identify as Māori or Pacific, which will impact workforce demographics, cultural experiences, language, and genealogical ties moving forward. "It's been a really fun and insightful process to participate in. The consultation's open for one more week, 9 July. I really encourage people who identify as both Māori and Pacific to participate." The MPP is facing nearly $36 million in funding reductions under Budget 2025, following a previous cut of $26m. Despite this, key policy priorities have been retained, with some new initiatives introduced. For example, the Tauola Business Fund ended and the Tupu Aotearoa employment programme scaled back, while funding for the Pacific Business Trust and Pacific Business Village continues. Despite a tighter budget, Clifford-Lidstone says major initiatives continue, including the Pacific Languages Strategy, Toloa STEM scholarships, and Pacific Media Innovation funding. "Then we've got our housing initiatives. So, the building of affordable homes, a programme as part of that called Our Whare Our Fale, which is looking at 300 homes in Porirua. Then the Financial Capability Programme. You may have seen in Budget 2025 some new money for Pacific Wardens," she says. "These really wonderful mātua and volunteers from our community who support the work of a range of agencies, particularly police, engaging with the community and ensuring that we are in a safe environment. We've still got a lot of work underway there on top of our policy programme." On the legacy Dawn Raids programme, she says the funding will remain until the 2026 to 2027 period, with the Vaka of Stories project helping to capture community narratives. Clifford-Lidstone adds that they have two years to complete specific deliverables, some of which have already been completed. She acknowledges the concerns around the planned cancellation of the nationwide Census survey, emphasising the importance of evidence-based data for delivering targeted services. Clifford-Lidstone says the Pacific community's pace of growth and change is rapid. "Our data and insights team have a formal agreement with Statistics New Zealand to work together on census planning and data standards. So, we're going to be working really closely with them to keep an eye on that particular issue. "We do want our communities to be accurately reflected and to be participating. That participation will change a little bit given that it's on admin data, we need the quality of that admin data to be good. So, that's a role that we will be playing." -This article was first published by PMN .
