• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Political Reviews Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 michael lujan bevacqua, elizabeth ua ceallaigh bowman, monica c labriola, clement yow mulalap Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 peter clegg, lorenz gonschor, margaret mutu, chris nobbs, ‘umi perkins, steven ratuva, forrest wade young The Contemporary Pacic, Volume 30, Number 1, 125–213 © 2018 by University of Hawai‘i Press 125 174 the contemporary pacific • 30:1 (2018) .huffingtonpost.com/entry/hawaii-the Another kapa haka exponent, orator, -harbor-homeless-camp_us musician, and gifted saxophonist, _564bca7de4b08cda348b6914 the Reverend Te Napi Tūtewehiwehi Wong, Julia Carrie. 2017. Mark Zucker- Waaka, passed away in November. He berg Drops Lawsuits to Force Hundreds of was Tainui and Ngāti Pikiao and was Hawaiians to Sell Him Land. The Guard- well known for his charismatic charm ian, 27 Jan. https://www.theguardian and his ability to send crowds into fits .com/us-news/2017/jan/27/mark of laughter (Māori Television 2016b). -zuckerberg-drops-hawaii-land-lawsuits Within a fortnight, his relation Mita Yu, LiAnne. 2016. Living Paycheck to Mohi of Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Paycheck in Paradise. Hawaii Business, Rangi, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Ngāti March. http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/ Tūwharetoa also left us. As an expo- living-paycheck-to-paycheck-in-paradise/ nent of the art of mau rākau (Māori weaponry), he had set up programs to train young men, including thou- sands who were at risk, in traditional Māori Issues weaponry skills (Makiha 2016). It was a year of some highs, which The loss of Awanuiārangi Black at included a number of Māori athletes the age of forty-eight soon after was competing in the Olympic Games keenly felt. A leader of Ngāi Te Rangi, and their medal haul, as well as two Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pukenga, and important victories in the courts. Ngāti Raukawa ki Ōtaki, he served But the battle for justice, equity, and on a number of bodies including the recognition of Māori rights continued National Iwi Chairs Forum, the Bay of unabated in the face of increasingly Plenty Regional Council, and Te Taura harsh socioeconomic conditions and Whiri i Te Reo (the Māori Language an uncaring government. Before we Commission). He also led the cam- consider a selection of these successes paign for formal commemorations and struggles, we pause to consider of the British invasion of Tauranga some of the many Māori leaders we Moana in the 1860s (Cairns and lost over the past year. others 2016). A fortnight later, singer Ngāpō Wehi of Ngāi Tūhoe, Bunny Te Kōkiri Miha Waahi Wal- Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau ters (Ngāi Te Rangi) passed away. He a Apanui, and Ngāti Kahu—kapa recorded a number of hits in the 1970s haka exponent, composer, choreog- (Māori Television 2016a). rapher, and teacher—passed away In January 2017, it was Ngāpuhi’s in July 2016. He and his late wife Iwi Puihi (Percy) Tīpene, founding Pīmia had been involved in kapa member and chairperson of Waka Kai haka (traditional Māori performing Ora (Māori Organics Aotearoa). Percy arts) for more than fifty years. They had extensive knowledge of primary earned respect and recognition as industries, having been a government two of the great leaders of the art, auditor, advisor, and technician. He leading their kapa haka teams to win combined this experience with a deep prestigious national competitions six knowledge of tikanga (Māori law) to times (Haami 2013, 7; Mane 2016a). establish the world’s first indigenous political reviews • polynesia 175 organic verification system, Hua about the pollution of the Manukau Parakore (Hutchings and others 2012; Harbour in Auckland and the Waikato Organics Aotearoa New Zealand River, as well as her fight to stop New 2017). We also lost Tama Nikora in Zealand Steel digging up her ances- January. Tama was a former chair- tors’ bones from iron sands on the man of the Tūhoe Waikaremoana west coast, that eventually brought Trust Board and their spokesperson a halt to the abuse and despoliation. throughout the Urewera inquiry in This claim also saw Māori responsibil- the Waitangi Tribunal. He strongly ity for the well-being of the natural criticized and opposed both the Tūhoe environment recognized in legislation. settlement and the Central North Ngāneko had to seek support from the Island settlement, which extinguished United Nations in her endless battles the claims that he had fought so against the Pākehā (European) igno- hard for (Te Kani Williams [Tūhoe], rance and greed that had wrought so pers comm, 14 July 2017). Tainui’s much damage to her ancestral seas Tokoroa Pompey passed away in and lands. That resulted in the first of February. Another gifted saxophonist, the now three reports of UN rappor- as well as a singer, comedian, and teurs who were invited to investigate all-around entertainer, he was a the state of human rights of Māori, member of several of the Māori all of which have condemned the New showbands that toured nationally Zealand government’s treatment of and internationally in the 1960s and Māori (Daes 1988; Stavenhagen 2006; 1970s. He was a strong supporter of Anaya 2011). We bade each of these Tainui’s Kīngitanga movement and leaders and many others farewell over acted as spokesperson for both the the past year as they commenced their queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and journey to join their ancestors. her son, King Tūheitia (Gardiner­ We were excited to see the number Hoskins 2014). In May, it was lawyer of Māori who competed in Rio in John Te Manihera Chadwick (Ngāti the Olympic Games in August and Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Kahungunu), the Paralympic Games in Septem- the founder of the New Zealand ber. Māori Television listed fifty­ Māori Law Society. He mentored four Māori athletes, coaches, and generations of young Māori lawyers, an official, with forty-nine of them saw each of the three partners in his representing New Zealand (Mane Rotorua legal firm become judges, 2016b). Forty-six took part in the and made huge contributions to the Olympics and made up one-quarter community, especially young people of the New Zealand team. Four took (Adlam 2017). Then, in June, we lost part in the Paralympics. Our canoer one of the most outstanding and for- extraordinaire, Lisa Carrington (Te midable advocates for the recognition Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāti Porou) led of Māori authority and power in the the New Zealand Olympic team medal environmental arena: Dame Ngāneko haul with a gold and a bronze. Our Minhinnick of Ngāti Te Ata, Waiohua, sevens rugby women, ten of whom are and Waikato­Tainui. It was Ngāneko’s Māori (in a team of fifteen) won silver. claim to the Waitangi Tribunal Australia, who had Amy Turner of 176 the contemporary pacific • 30:1 (2018) Tainui on their team, beat our team to But an increasing number of Māori the gold. But it was the medal haul of leaders have continued to speak out our Paralympians that was outstand- and, in recent years, have been joined ing: Cameron Leslie (Ngāpuhi) won by some Pākehā leaders (Husband a gold in swimming; Emma Foy (also 2016). In September, in a move that Ngāpuhi) won a silver and a bronze reflected the growing realization that in cycling; and Holly Robinson (Ngāi the issue can no longer be ignored, the Tahu) won a silver in javelin. Human Rights Commission launched Back home, the ongoing issues its “That’s Us” campaign as New that continued to gnaw at Māori and Zealand’s first anti-racism campaign. sap our energy included ever-present It called on New Zealanders to share racism, homelessness, and the abuse their stories of racism, intolerance, of Māori children in state institutions. and hatred, and then published a On top of these, Māori continued to large number of them on its website try to protect ourselves from legisla- (NZ Human Rights Commission tive moves to remove even more of 2017). Complementing that was the our rights, including the divisive treaty June/July edition of the long-running claims settlement process; the rewrit- Mana magazine, which focused on ing of the Māori Land Act; the imple- racism and ran under the title “New mentation of the Marine and Coastal Zealand’s Shameful Secret” (Hayden Area Act, which is the largest ever 2016). The issue included in-depth confiscation of Māori land; and the articles on institutional racism—in refusal to recognize Māori ownership the health care system, in the justice of fresh water—all of which demon- system, in prisons, and in state welfare strates the New Zealand government’s institutions. Each piece drew on well- ongoing lack of compliance with the known research and painted horrific United Nations Declaration on the pictures of the realities of each of these Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The rest sectors. They highlighted the govern- of this review will consider how Māori ment’s callous and uncaring refusal to tried to address each of these issues address the problems in any meaning- over the past year. This includes not- ful way. In June, the Human Rights ing a few positive highlights. Commission reported having reached For many years now, academics more than three million people with and a number of Māori profession- its “That’s Us” campaign and that als have been drawing attention to it was launching the second stage the damage caused to Māori by the of its campaign, “Give Nothing to systemic racism that pervades both Racism,” aimed at stopping interper- government and nongovernment sonal racism. The campaign is being institutions (McIntosh and Mulhol- fronted by the 2017 New Zealander land 2011). Denial of the existence of the Year, Taika Waititi (Te Whānau of racism is problematic, with some a Apanui), the award-winning film Pākehā (Europeans), fearing the loss director, actor, and comedian, whose of White privilege, characteristically best-known achievements to date are seeking to silence individuals who his films Boy and Hunt for the Wilder- raise the issue (Abel and Mutu 2011).

Load more

  12

Copy Link