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RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
No penalty clauses paid on stalled Waiouru army base housing project
Waiouru military training camp Photo: Google Maps The Defence Force (NZDF) says it has not paid any penalty clauses associated with its housing project at Waiouru army base . Penalty clauses can be paid when contractors or subcontractors sign up to projects that do not then go ahead. The $50 million-plus project has stalled , though both defence and Ngāti Rangi iwi consider it urgent, and the force issued a tender over a year ago for 50 new homes. No building has taken place. The NZDF once again refused to tell RNZ why it was still in negotiations with the iwi over the housing. It had appeared the talks were settled before it issued last year's tender. "Negotiations in relation to this matter remain underway. Accordingly, this information is withheld in full... to enable negotiations to be carried out without prejudice or disadvantage," it said in a response to a request under the Offiicial Information Act. "The NZDF's relationship with local iwi has not changed and remains vital to our use of the Waiouru Military Training Area," it added. It also said no penalty clauses had been paid, either related to the new builds or the retrofit upgrade of existing army rental houses. Defence housing and other facilities were very rundown, interfering with its military performance and leading to some personnel quitting, its own reports showed. It had an Estate Investment Committee that "provides performance monitoring, oversight, and direction", according to its annual report. But when RNZ asked for the latest three performance management reports by the committee, NZDF replied: "No reports are generated by the New Zealand Defence Force's Estate Investment Committee." It repeated this in relation to its Technology Governance Committee, when RNZ asked for its latest reports, too. A lot of the NZDF's information technology was old and needed replacing, or were in the middle of years-long projects. Funding was set aside in Budget 2025 for this.


Scoop
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
A Karanga To The Lost; A Multimedia Journey Of Communion, Reconnection And Ritual With Our Whakapapa
An invitation to return to the self, Ella Rerekura (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) presents her directorial debut, E Ngaro Ana Koe? (Are You Lost?) as part of Basement Theatre's Matariki/Winter season. This multimedia dance work is a calling to those who have ever felt distant to their whakapapa, moving with the rhythms of collective and individual reconnection through movement, poetry, archival film and sculpture - and ultimately a provocation to meet the taniwha that live inside us with care, and to honour the continual act of shedding, morphing and becoming. Featuring seven powerful movement artists alongside Ella - Indiana Carder-Dodd (Ngāpuhi, Te Āti Awa, Pakeha), Rewa Fowles (Whakapapa Māori), Tara Hodge (Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti-Whare), Hayley Walters-Tekahika (Ngāti Kahungungu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngapuhi) as well as Harrison Cook (Ngāi Tahu) and Eli Free (Whakapapa Māori) who will be joining digitally from Australia - who each bring their own whakapapa journeys and relationships to the floor, weaving together personal story and shared ritual. Ōtautahi-raised and Tāmaki Makaurau-based, Rerekura draws from her own experience as wāhine Māori and CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), bringing together her practices of dance, writing, pigment making and archival process. Her work sits at the intersection of identity and embodiment, deeply rooted in her whakapapa journey, reflecting a personal commitment to understanding the presence of her tūpuna and how they reside in her body today. Conceived with collaboration at its core, the show features work from a total of 16 artists including tuakana support from comedian/actor Janaye Henry (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa), poet/writer Liam Jacobson (Kāi Tahu) and movement artist Gabby Terras. E Ngaro Ana Koe? is a calling for us to ask: what brought us here? And where are we going next? E Ngaro Ana Koe? plays: 26 – 30 August 2025, 8pm Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland $30 standard // $20 concession


Scoop
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Our Sacred State Of Reset': Puanga Ushers In Māori New Year
One of the brightest stars in the central North Island's pre-dawn sky led out this year's Matariki observance day, marking the beginning of the Māori new year. The theme for the national celebration was Matariki mā Puanga, highlighting the star Puanga, or Rigel. Puanga was honoured early on Friday morning from the tiny pā of Tirorangi in Karioi, southeast of Ohakune. A ceremony hosted at the foot of Ruapehu maunga by Ngāti Rangi was attended by around 500 people, including the Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po and Ministers Paul Goldsmith and Tama Potaka. The rising of Puanga and the Matariki constellation (Pleiades) are part of an environmental calendar system and usher in the new year for many iwi. Puanga expert and Ngāti Rangi leader Che Wilson led the Hautapu ceremony. He said for tribes of the west, including Taranaki, Rangitīkei and Whanganui, Puanga gave a better read for the seasons ahead than Matariki and provided crucial weather insights in late autumn and early winter. 'So far it's looking positive,' Wilson said. The annual Matariki public holiday was legislated in 2022 and has since been celebrated nationally with a Hautapu ceremony honouring ancient tikanga (customs). The ceremony at Tirorangi pā was the first national Hautapu broadcast from a marae. The government's Chief Advisor Mātauranga Matariki, Professor Rangi Mātāmua, said Matariki mā Puanga was chosen as this year's theme to acknowledge regional and tribal variations in observing the Māori new year. 'The whole notion of Matariki mā Puanga is unity through diversity. Diversity is a strength,' Mātāmua said. 'We shouldn't look at the things that make us special and unique as things that should be polarised, because when they become polarised people become marginalised. 'For Māori, we've never ever looked at other's unique elements and seen them as an affront to the way we practice. It's the many flavours and many colours and many ideas that make us who we are as a nation.' Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith said it was wonderful to have 'our own New Zealand indigenous New Year celebration'. 'It's cold – very cold – but it's a special time. It's about the drawing of people together, taking stock of where we are right now and thinking about what we're going to do next year. "This is the fourth national Matariki broadcast but the first time it has been hosted by a marae, and the first year Puanga is the star of national celebrations." Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said the ceremony honoured the deceased and acknowledged the past, present and future. 'They are themes we can all embrace, and the Māori new year gives us time to pause and reflect on what's going right, what's going wrong and how we can re-set ourselves for the coming months.' Iwi member Tāwhiao McMaster saw Hautapu as 'our sacred state of re-set.' 'Last year we were quite clear on sending our burdens away so we could come back into this space of doing our work. 'This year, we need to be more aware of how we as a people in te Ao Māori can come together for our collective growth. This year, it's not just about kotahitanga, it's about whakapiki te ora – uplifting our lives.' Tracey-Lee Repia said observing Puanga was part of the push to revitalise cultural identity. 'What's beautiful is that we're able to reclaim our own stories and narratives pertaining to being Māori. 'It's really exciting because we're learning the things that our tūpuna knew and were just common knowledge.' Ngāputiputi Akapita attended the ceremony with her daughter, Te Whetu Matarangi Makea. 'Ahakoa ko te tau hou mō tatou te iwi Māori, he wā anō kia hono anō tātou te tāngata, ngā whānau, kia wānanga kia kōrero hei whakanui i tō tātou tuakiritanga,' Akapita said. [Although it is a new year for us Māori people, it is also a time for us to reconnect as individuals, families, to discuss and celebrate our identity.] Her one wish for the new year was 'for my family to be healthy'. Akapita's daughter said the morning had been special. 'To present our marae in this way, to host everyone, and for everyone to come together, the whakawhanaungatanga is actually really beautiful.' Kemp Dryden said the Hautapu was 'very grounding'. 'I felt the wairua this morning. I felt our old people here with us as the various rituals and incantations were done. I thought of my grandparents, other kaumātua who are no longer here. It was just special.'

1News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Matariki celebrated across NZ with ceremony and reflection
New Zealanders right around the country have been celebrating Matariki, with many of them up well before dawn to watch the rising of the star cluster which heralds the start of the Māori New Year. It became an official public holiday only in 2022, but it's already become one of our most meaningful days and the first holiday to recognise Te Ao Māori. It was the first new public holiday since Waitangi Day became a public holiday in 1974. The date of Matariki changes from year to year, but it will always fall in June or July. A public holiday is held for Matariki on June 20, 2025. (Source: Ngāti Rangi hosted this year's national Matariki ceremony at Tirorangi Marae at the base of Mount Ruapehu. ADVERTISEMENT Iwi spokesperson Che Wilson told 1News it was a "huge honour" to be the first marae to host the national holiday ceremony. "It's truly a privilege to welcome everyone here," he said. "It means a great deal to us." Wilson explained that the Matariki celebrations would include offering karakia to specific stars in alignment with their Puanga traditions. "In our Puanga narrative, we'll offer them to four atua – Tāne, Rongo, Tangaroa, and Maru [the gods of forest, cultivated food, the sea, and war]." The Māori Queen, politicians, and dignitaries attended the national ceremony. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said having events across the country was a "real kotahitanga moment". "To bring it to national presence and international presence is something that connects us to the universe, and that's really important for us, that we see our tikanga as a way of life, as a daily platform for kotahitanga. And for me, it also connects to many, many other people from throughout the world." ADVERTISEMENT It was also a poignant moment for European Union ambassador to New Zealand Lawrence Meredith, who lost his father when he was young. "This whole transition for the ancestors is a really powerful message, the idea that ancestors become stars," he said. Hautapu ceremony at Auckland's Bastion Point this morning. (Source: 1News) Hundreds gathered at Auckland's Bastion Point to ring in the Māori New Year this morning with a hautapu ceremony. Food and steam were offered to the stars of Matariki as an offering of thanks from the umu or hāngī. The kai that is prepared for the hautapu connects to four different whetū (stars) in the Matariki cluster: Seafood with the star Waitā; freshwater kai with the star Waitī; kai from above the ground with the star Tupuārangi; and kai from the earth with the star Tupuānuku. Many were up well before dawn to watch the rising of the star cluster. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Kingi Makoare (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) said it was awesome to see the eagerness from people to learn about Māori culture. "It's heartwarming to see people really interested in us." Fiona Smith (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) added that it was a "great reflection of what New Zealand really should be". "Together, collaborative right from the beginning, standing shoulder to shoulder, doing things together, holding hands together." A maumaharatanga ceremony on Mauao/Mount Maunganui. (Source: 1News) In Tauranga, people of all ages summitted Mauao / Mount Maunganui before dawn for a remembrance of loved ones who had died in the past year. Te Puna I Rangiriri trust chairman Jack Thatcher led the maumaharatanga ceremony and said it was a "very emotional" morning. ADVERTISEMENT Maumaharatanga translates to memorial, memory or recollection. Grieving families and friends were invited to place their hands on the monument Te Tapuātea o Mauao and call out the names of their loved ones. "We have people bringing a lot of hurt. To call out the names of the loved ones that they're missing gives them a chance to heal and carry on," Thatcher said.

RNZ News
20-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Matariki celebrations in Ruapehu make for a new year's day to remember
Ngāti Rangi spokesperson Che Wilson. Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Ngāti Rangi members are reflecting on the honour of hosting this year's Matariki national holiday ceremony. The ceremonies wrapped up on Friday at Tirorangi Marae at the base of Ruapehu. Ngāti Rangi spokesperson Che Wilson said it was huge honour for Ngāti Rangi to host the celebrations in Ohakune, the "capital of carrots". "It's a huge honour to be able to be the first marae to host the Matariki national holiday ceremony." Many iwi members worked for weeks preparing for the ceremony, from reciting karakia to working in the kitchen. Jamie Turama Tuahuriri Downes was working in the wharekai kitchen, playing his part in what he called the "boar's nest". It had been a huge build-up, he said, including lots of early mornings going hunting. "Lamb or mutton, beef and venison is the main sort of meat that fills [the] fridges and freezers of our people. The ability to go and hunt and gather and bring it all into a place that we call the 'boar's nest', that's a place where a lot of it gets processed." Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Downes called it "the classroom that every rangatahi needs to be in". "It has become a place that not only feeds this kaupapa in the lead-up to the many people that will turn up before the actual kaupapa, but also for tangihanga, for any kaupapa." Downes said it was an honour to serve in a place where his tūpuna and all of his aunties and uncles had toiled for many years. "Just a massive honour and privilege to be here alongside whānau doing what we do, a lot of steering well away from the cameras because for them this is just what we do on the regular." Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Tirorangi Marae kaumātua Matiu Wilson was raised near the marae, but has spent most of his life away from the region. "I always wanted to eventually come home to be the next guardian of the homestead, but also to get back involved with Tirorangi." Wilson returned to the marae about five years ago and was now a marae trustee. He said he loved being a part of the paepae, and was enjoying his time getting back in touch with Tirorangi. He said he was proud to see people from all across the country visit his marae. "Tumeke, awesome, beautiful and I'm so proud that I've come home and I've realised what I've missed since I've been away from home for so many years." Tererenga Nikora. Photo: Pokere Paewai / RNZ Tererenga Nikora was one of the manuhiri visiting from Waikato. Unfortunately she missed out on seeing the stars because she was chasing her tamaiti around, she said. But she said Ngāti Rangi had shown amazing manaakitanga, and the locals had been friendly and helpful. "It is stunning. It was amazing. I love seeing Māori stuff like this, especially in te ao Māori and that it's getting bigger, it's going worldwide, so it is so cool to see." Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Ohakune local Jade said she got a clear view of Puanga on Friday morning. "After the rain yesterday it was just so wonderful to wake up this morning and the clouds had cleared and we could actually see." She said it was "super special" that so many people were visiting her community to share in the kaupapa. Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Photo: Supplied / Richie Mills Linley (left) and Jade (right). Photo: Pokere Paewai / RNZ Taupō resident Linley said the karakia and karanga from Ngāti Rangi was beautiful. "It's such a privilege to have this opportunity to share and to really demonstrate that unity and that shared understanding." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.