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A glowing report on the work of Te Wananga Takiura o nga Kura Kaupapa Maori o Aotearoa Inc reflects credit on that institution, on Tawhirimatea and Kaa Williams and their staff and students, and also on the tenacity and passion of the leaders of the whole kaupapa Maori education movement, says Associate Minister of Education Dr Pita Sharples.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples has congratulated Ngati Whatua, Te Puni Kokiri, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the Auckland Council and the Rugby World Cup organisation on the huge success of te Waka Maori.

“Te Waka Maori, the uniquely indigenous pavilion on Auckland’s waterfront and its associated artisan village, was visited almost 170,000 times in its first four days open to the public,” said Dr Sharples.

"Wow factor, that’s what Māori culture promised to deliver to support the nation’s hosting of Rugby World Cup 2011" said Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples when the official opening of Waka Māori took place earlier this evening.

“Waka Māori will take the Maori cultural contribution to RWC 2011 to another exciting level.

"The Opening Ceremony for Rugby World Cup was an incredible statement to the world of who Maori are, as peoples, and as a nation.

The Crown has undertaken to restore the character, mana and reputation of the Whakatōhea chief Mokomoko and his descendants, the Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Dr Pita Sharples, said today.

“The agreement to be signed today between the Crown and the Mokomoko whānau commits the Crown to introduce legislation, in consultation with te whānau a  Mokomoko, to give statutory recognition to the pardon granted to Mokomoko in 1992,” said Dr Sharples.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Steven Joyce today signed off a framework for maximising opportunities for Maori from the roll-out of high-speed broadband.

Terms of Reference have been agreed between the Government; Nga Pu Waea, a Maori working group; Telecom and Vodafone, the major contractors rolling out the broadband network; and a number of regional providers of ultra-fast broadband (UFB).

An independent panel has been established to report to Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples and Economic Development Minister David Carter with a Maori economic development strategy and action plan by July 2012.

“The panel’s  job is to help raise the rate of return on Maori-owned assets, and to grow the Maori contribution to New Zealand’s economy, by providing a framework for Maori and the Government to work together better,”  the Ministers say.

The Crown signed a Deed of Settlement to settle Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims at Aotea/Shelley Beach today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson announced.

The Deed was signed at a ceremony at Aotea/Shelly Beach on the shores of the Kaipara Harbour. The Crown was represented by Mr Finlayson and Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples.

The Minister of Māori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, today announced the appointment of Ronald Crosby and Kaa Williams to the Waitangi Tribunal, each for a term of three years.

Ronald Crosby and Kaa Williams are new appointees to the Waitangi Tribunal, and they will join Dr Richard Hill, Dr Monty Soutar, Kihi Ngatai, Timothy Castle, Basil Morrison, Tania Simpson, Dr Aroha Harris and Professor William (Pou) Temara, who have just been reappointed.

A new resource launched today will help improve Māori student achievement by strengthening the cultural awareness and skills of teachers in schools and early childhood education services, says Associate Education Minister Dr Pita Sharples.

‘Tātaiako’ recognises the relationship between teachers and students as the all-important foundation for learning, and it provides a cultural competence framework for teachers engaging with Māori students, their whānau and communities,” said Dr Sharples.

An update to the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill will smooth the pathway to settlement of Maori commercial aquaculture claims, and allow trial farming of high-value finfish in a Coromandel Marine Farming Zone, says Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples.

A Supplementary Order Paper, drafted in consultation with aquaculture iwi leaders, offers iwi and the Crown more flexibility in negotiating settlements under the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples today announced the 12 appointees to the Constitutional Advisory Panel. 

The Government confirmed last December that it would conduct a wide-ranging review of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements – including the size of Parliament, the length of the electoral term, Māori representation, the role of the Treaty of Waitangi and whether New Zealand needs a written constitution.

It was the start of a considered process that would take place over three years.

Waka Māori, being launched this evening on the Auckland waterfont, is a vessel for Maori culture, and a vehicle to convey ‘many people as one’ around the globe, according to Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples.

“While the physical waka pavilion is still under construction, we are celebrating its precious cargo – the indigenous people, language, culture, and business that will represent New Zealand on a world stage,” said Dr Sharples.

The Associate Minister of Education and Minister of Maori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, is assuring the whanau of kohanga reo that their concerns have been recognised, and solutions are being investigated.

Whare Oranga Ake opening a national milestone

Associate Corrections Minister Dr Pita Sharples says the openings, today and tomorrow, of the first two Whare Oranga Ake, are a milestone for New Zealand’s approach to law and order.

“I believe this unique institution is going to revolutionise our society, and reform the way New Zealand, and the world, reintegrates offenders into our communities,” said Dr Sharples.

A cutural exchange between senior students from five kura kaupapa Maori, and their host families and schools in South Africa, epitomises the values of te reo Maori and manaakitanga, according to the Minister of Maori Affairs.

The visit was documented for television, and the series ‘Kia ora! Molweni!’ is to be screened on Maori Television later this year.

The Government’s Drivers of Crime strategy has made significant progress in its first 18 months, Minister of Justice Simon Power and Minister of Māori Affairs Pita Sharples said today.

In December 2009 the Ministers announced that addressing the Drivers of Crime would be a whole-of-government priority to proactively address the underlying causes of crime.

The strategy focuses on four initial work streams, all of which have a particular emphasis on reducing Māori offending and victimisation.

Marae across the country will open their doors to officially welcome teams from around the world to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Māori Affairs Minister the Hon Dr Pita Sharples and IRB RWC Tournament Director, Kit McConnell announced the names of 15 marae who will host the teams and other RWC VIPs on behalf of the nation.

The Crown has paid $250,000 to settle an injustice created in 1997, when the Karanga Te Kere Whānau Trust lands near Taumarunui were not included in the Māori Reserved Land Amendment Act.

The ex-gratia payment recognises that, because of the 1955 Māori Reserved Land Act, the Trust over time received less than fair market rents for their lands in Taumarunui.

The Crown and Ngāti Rēhua-Ngāti Wai ki Aotea (Ngāti Rēhua) have signed an Agreement in Principle to settle all outstanding historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, announced Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Christopher Finlayson today.

Ngāti Rēhua is a hapū of Ngāti Wai based on Aotea/Great Barrier Island with historical grievances relating to old land claims, early Crown purchases, pre-emption waiver purchases and prejudice arising from the operation and impact of native land laws.

Associate Minister of Education Dr Pita Sharples says he is excited by recommendations from the Maori Youth Council relating to professional development of teachers, because they align with his own views and work he has been doing.

“I have been developing a programme called ‘Tataiako’ for nearly two years now, of cultural competencies for teachers of Maori learners, and I am hoping to make an announcement quite soon,” said Dr Sharples.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples says the Maori Youth Council’s report and recommendations is a refreshing mix of big ideas and practical solutions.

“I asked the Maori Youth Council to tell me what they think about how the government’s policies and programmes work for young people. They have put in countless hours, and had four meetings together, to produce this report,” said Dr Sharples.

“They have focused on four policy areas: youth justice, Maori education, youth development and representation of Maori youth,” he said.

The Minister of Maori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples, says the Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year reflects the value that the nation places on Maori language as a taonga for all New Zealanders.

“The honour bestowed on Dame Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira is a tribute to over forty years of leadership and scholarship in the Maori language revival movement. As a teacher, writer, poet and artist, Dame Katerina has inspired generations of students and shown them the inherent beauty and richness of te reo Maori,” said Dr Sharples.

Jamie Tuuta will be appointed as the new Māori Trustee, the Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Dr Pita Sharples announced today.

The appointment will be for a five year term starting on 19 August 2011.

“Jamie Tuuta is an outstanding example of a new generation of Māori leaders.  I am delighted to be able to appoint him as Māori Trustee”, says Dr Sharples.

“I am confident that Jamie Tuuta will ensure that the Māori Trustee plays a key role in the growing Māori economy.”

The mandate of Nga Pu Waea, the Maori working group on rural broadband, is to be extended to include the UFB network, the Government announced today.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples and Minister for Communications and InformationTechnology Steven Joyce made the announcement, together with a name change to the National Maori Broadband Working Group, as the outcome of the UFB tender was announced.