Far North Mayor calls on New Zealanders to vote for Māori wards in October
On October 11, polling will close at 42 councils on whether to continue with Māori wards.
Earlier polls have typically resulted in councils' Māori ward

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Former Broadcaster Oriini Kaipara Puts Name Forward For Te Pāti Māori's Tāmaki Makaurau Candidate
Former broadcaster and journalist Oriini Kaipara is putting her name forward to be Te Pāti Māori's Tāmaki Makaurau candidate. It comes after Takutai Tarsh Kemp died, triggering a by-election in the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate. The former Te Karere, Māori Television and Newshub presenter posted a "special announcement" on social media, calling for people to vote for her. It outlined the process to register as a member for the Māori Party and attend a hui at Hoani Waititi Marae this Thursday to vote in the candidate selection. Kaipara, of Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent, said "Tāmaki Makaurau is more than a city. It's a heartbeat." "A place where mana whenua and urban Māori rise together. Where our struggles are real - but so is our strength. "Tō reo. Tō tāua anamata. Kia matike tahi tātou. "I see you. I hear you. I am you. We are the movement." Kaipara, currently working as NZ Olympic's Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead, told RNZ she'd long watched parliamentary politics play out, but putting herself forward for selection was the first time she was getting involved. She said she was responding to the call from her community, including that of Hoani Waititi Marae based in west Auckland where she was a former student, and standing alongside the current Te Pāti Māori MPs. Kaipara grew up in West Auckland, but the Bay of Plenty is home, with her father from Te Teko and her mother from Kawerau. She is a mother and a grandmother. She's remained connected to Hoani Waititi particularly through performing with Ngā Tumanako at Te Matatini. She left Newshub at the beginning of last year to take up the role at NZ Olympics, where she helped launch the first Olympic glossary featuring Māori words to encourage te reo use during the 2024 games. Kaipara was believed to be the first to present a mainstream news bulletin with a moko kauae, when she did so for 1News' Midday bulletin] in 2019, before later reading for the 6 o'clock news on Newshub. She was applauded but also spoke out about the backlash she received. Kaipara also spoke out against the use of her image without her knowledge or consent that was being sold online. Kaipara acknowledged the passing of Kemp, and her contribution as the Tāmaki Makaurau MP, indicating she didn't want to say more until the vote had taken place and she'd confirmed the mandate. No other candidates had put their names forward publicly at this stage to be selected for Te Pāti Māori, but had until Wednesday to submit an expression of interest. RNZ understands other candidates are also seeking selection. The vote will take place on Thursday, and the Te Pāti Māori candidate will be announced Friday. The Prime Minister is yet to announce the date for a by-election to fill the seat. Labour's Peeni Henare, who lost the seat by a slim margin in 2023, has yet to confirm whether he will stand or not.


Scoop
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Cutting Red Tape So Young Kiwis Can Start Saving
Associate Minister of Justice Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee is making changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act that will make it easier for parents to open bank accounts for their children. 'Opening a bank account for children should be a simple and positive step toward teaching them the value of saving. Unfortunately, regulations designed to prevent serious crimes can make the process unnecessarily difficult,' says Mrs McKee. 'The Government is cutting red tape that can make it harder for parents to do the easy thing and open a bank account for their children. 'According to the Act, a parent who wants to open an account for their eight-year-old child needs to gather and verify a long list of information, including their child's address, date of birth, name, and their own authority to act on their child's behalf. The Act also requires banks to obtain the nature and purpose of the business relationship, evaluate whether further due diligence is required, and monitoring the child's transactions on an ongoing basis. 'Under the Government's new reforms, banks will be allowed to apply a simplified processes when risk is low. This means that if a bank puts measures in place to make a child's bank account low-risk (e.g. by setting appropriate transaction limits) all that could be required is a birth certificate to confirm the child's name and date of birth, and prove the relationship to the parent. 'They could also skip the intrusive and unnecessary questions about the 'nature and purpose' of the account, and reduce or forego ongoing monitoring of a child's banking activity, until the account's settings are changed (e.g., removal of transaction limits when a child turns 18). The Government has also directed the future AML/CFT supervisor to issue clear guidance so that businesses like banks know exactly how to apply these simplified checks without fear of penalty. 'This is a common-sense reform. Parents shouldn't be asked to jump through bureaucratic hoops just to open a bank account for their kids. We're streamlining the system so that New Zealanders can spend less time on paperwork and more time teaching their children the value of money. 'These changes reflect the Government's wider commitment to smarter regulation, focusing on outcomes rather than ticking boxes, and trusting New Zealanders to make responsible decisions without being buried under red tape.'


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Regulatory Standards Bill: Opponents lash David Seymour's legislation at select committee
David Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill has been called the 'strangest piece of New Zealand legislation I have ever seen' by a former Prime Minister, while a well-known Māori leader believes it's a 'power grab' to support 'the old boys' network'. The Regulations Minister hadn't watched all of the submissions,