Latest news with #Māori-led
National Business Review
29-05-2025
- Business
- National Business Review
Osaco group seeks $2m to launch global AI training tool
They may not yet be a household name, but NZ-founded Osaco group has quietly built a reputation as a specialist in fraud and misconduct investigations across the globe. In the past year alone, the Māori-led firm operated in 27 countries across five continents, delivering training and investigation Want to read more? It's easy. Choose your best value subscription option Student Exclusive FREE offer for uni students studying at a New Zealand university (valued at $499). View terms and conditions. Individual Group membership NBR Marketplace Smartphone Only Subscription NZ$29.95 / monthly Monthly Premium Online Subscription NZ$49.95 / monthly Smartphone Only Annual Subscription NZ$299.00 / yearly Yearly Premium Online Subscription NZ$499.00 / yearly Premium Group Membership 10 Users NZ$385 +GST / monthly $38.5 per user - Pay by monthly credit card debit Premium Group Membership 20 Users NZ$660 +GST / monthly $33 per user - Pay by monthly credit card debit Premium Group Membership 50 Users NZ$1375 +GST / monthly $27.5 per user - Pay by monthly credit card debit Premium Group Membership 100 Users NZ$2100 +GST / monthly $21 per user - Pay by monthly credit card debit Yearly Premium Online Subscription + NBR Marketplace NZ$999.00 / yearly Already have an account? Login
Scoop
25-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Crown Withdraws Only Witness & Evidence Ahead Of Urgent Waitangi Tribunal Hearing Into Māori Health Reforms
Māori health claimants Lady Tureiti Moxon and Janice Kuka are sounding the alarm over what they describe as the Crown's systematic dismantling of Māori-led health reform. They warn that the calculated repeal of Te Aka Whai Ora — the Māori Health Authority — has triggered widespread confusion, inefficiencies, and the quiet erosion of kaupapa Māori structures ultimately impacting whānau. Back in 2023 they tried to bring the matter urgently before the Tribunal before the Government's repeal deadline, procedural delays meant the Tribunal lost jurisdiction to intervene in time. Now the priority Waitangi Tribunal hearing is scheduled from Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May 2025. 'The disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora has removed the one structure that responded to those historical breaches. It has brought back the same patterns I described twenty years ago. This isn't a system failing by accident — it is a conscious decision to return to Crown control and institutional racism,' said Lady Tureiti Moxon, Managing Director of Te Kōhao Health. But in a last-minute development late this afternoon, the Crown formally withdrew its only witness and the brief of evidence of Mr John Whaanga — who had been scheduled for cross-examination — from the upcoming urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing starting on Monday. The Crown also indicated that the Minister of Health is currently reviewing system settings within the public health sector, particularly the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. Crown Law advised that the details of this work programme remain confidential, with Cabinet yet to make any final decisions. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading The Crown said in a Memorandum: 'This means that the Crown's participation in this part of the priority inquiry is now constrained as Crown officials are not authorised to talk about how present settings might be changed.' The Waitangi Tribunal replied immediately confirming that the hearing will go ahead next week, allowed the Crown to remove the evidence from their only planned witness, John Whaanga, and advised new evidence can be filed by the Crown by 9am on Monday. The hearing will start by discussing this last-minute change and then decide how the rest of the week will run. The priority hearing is due to investigate: What are the Crown's alternative plans to address Māori health in lieu of a Māori Health Authority, and what steps were taken in developing such plans? Was the Crown's process in developing those plans consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles? Are the Crown's alternative plans themselves consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles? The onus is on the Crown to demonstrate the existence, integrity, and Treaty compliance of these alternative plans. 'The Crown must prove what their alternative plans are — and that those plans are genuine, Treaty-compliant, and effective,' said Lady Tureiti. In their evidence submitted to the Tribunal, the claimants — both pivotal figures in the original WAI 2575 Inquiry that led to the landmark 2019 Hauora Report recommending a Māori Health Authority — described a dramatic sector-wide shift since the disestablishment. They cite a return to rigid bureaucracy, heightened auditing and surveillance, and the marginalisation of Māori voice and leadership. 'Right now, we see a system forcing us to translate whakapapa-based, whānau-centred work into endless tick-box reports that change every few weeks. It's exhausting and undermines real outcomes,' said Janice Kuka, Managing Director of Ngā Mataapuna Oranga. Health New Zealand Chair Rob Campbell, former Health New Zealand Chair is one of the expert witnesses in support of the claim. The claimants evidence highlights how kaupapa Māori providers have lost the visibility and prioritisation they once held under Te Aka Whai Ora. 'When Te Aka Whai Ora existed, we were seen. We were contacted. We were valued as Māori providers,' Kuka said. 'Now, it's back to open-market tendering on GETS. The result? Contracts are being lost to large, non-Māori organisations with Māori-sounding names or enrolment numbers — not whakapapa connections to our people.' Lady Tureiti also submitted where providers like her organisation, Te Kōhao has exceeded its contractual targets — such as in maternity and early childhood through the Kahu Taurima programme — it's still being asked to re-report, re-code, and defend its success. The claimants assert that the Crown's current approach represents a return to the very inequities and systemic discrimination Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority was created to address. 'Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority gave us the tools to commission services by Māori, for Māori — free from the racism and excessive scrutiny we faced under the old regime,' said Lady Tureiti. When the Government announced its plan to repeal Te Aka Whai Ora in November 2023 — less than 18 months after the Authority was formally established under the Pae Ora Act — it marked a significant reversal of progress. The Waitangi Tribunal had previously found the Crown in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for failing to design a health system that addressed Māori health inequities or upholds tino rangatiratanga. Establishing a Māori Health Authority was one of its core recommendations. 'We warned that the Crown was deliberately rushing through this repeal of Te Aka Whai Ora Maori Health Authority to avoid scrutiny. This isn't just administrative change — it's a calculated rollback of Māori rights and progress,' said Janice Kuka. 'We will continue to hold the Crown to account for its obligations under Te Tiriti. Māori deserve a health system that works — not one that works against us.
1News
25-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
Māori leaders give disappointed reaction to 'yeah-nah' Budget
Dubbed the 'yeah-nah Budget' for Māori by members of the Opposition, the Government's announcement yesterday has attracted strong criticism over the cuts made to Māori-focused initiatives and pay equity claims. While Māori education received a boost of $54 million in operational funding and an additional $50 million in capital funding to support Māori learner success, and $14 million has been allocated to Māori Wardens, Pasifika Wardens, and the Māori Women's Welfare League, there was little else to show. But Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told TVNZ's Te Karere that the Budget reflects the Government's focus on growing the economy, and investing in health, education and law and order. When asked what targeted Māori spending existed in the Budget, he pointed to the Māori Wardens and Māori Women's Welfare League. 'Heoi anō ko te nuinga o ngā putea me te mātotorutanga o ngā putea ka whakapaua ki ngā mahi hauora, ki ngā mahi mātauranga, ērā momo āhuatanga. Mā tēnā hoki e taea ai te kī kua ora tātou ngā iwi Māori me ngā iwi katoa.' ("However, most of the money has gone to health and education, those kinds of things. In that way you can say Māori and non-Māori benefit.") Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday fielded a question on funding for Māori initiatives and rejected the characterisation by a reporter that $750 million was stripped from Māori initiatives to put into the general pool of funds. "This is a Budget that is good for Māori because this is a Gudget that has seen job creation, income growth, more opportunities for Māori," Willis said. "What you see in this budget are specific initiatives that will specifically benefit Māori including more than $700 million for Māori health services; including a major education package targeted at Māori learners; including funding for the Māori Women's Welfare League, for Māori Wardens; and including funding for the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust." Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust will receive $4.1 million over four years to help with ICT costs, administration and develop data capability. Willis said funding that was previously ring-fenced for Māori housing will now go into a "flexible housing fund" which she expects will lead to Māori-led housing development to deliver for whānau Māori. Labour Party's Māori development spokesperson Willie Jackson said the Government has slashed funding to more Māori programmes in this year's Budget. 'In Budget 2024 more than $300 million was cut from Māori-specific initiatives – Te Arawhiti, The Māori Health Authority, and Māori TV. Budget 2025 cuts even deeper with around $750 million cut from Māori housing, Māori economic funds, Māori education and programmes like Māori trades training.' He said the Government has turned its back on the Māori-Crown relationship. Speaking ahead of the Budget announcement, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Māori should not be surprised to see the Budget match what "we've already seen" from the Government. 'There's going to be nothing that is going to recognise Te Tiriti, that is going to uphold the rights and interests of us as tangata whenua, that is going to address the inequities that are created because of the breaches of Te Tiriti.' Green MP Teanau Tuiono slammed the Government for taking money from pay equity claims to fund tax cuts. 'Me kaha ki te tiro ki te katoa o te horopaki o tēnei kāwanatanga, rātou e kaha te hoatu ngā pūtea ki wiwi ki wawa engari wareware katoa rātou ki ngā ringa raupā, ngā ringawera, ngā kaimahi.' ("You need to take everything into account when it comes to this Government, they are quick to divvy out funds all over the place but completely forget about the hardworking frontline workers.") Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp questioned why more money was going into Defence when there was a cost-of-living crisis where whānau can't afford basic necessities. "This to us is a 'budget Budget', a 'yeah-nah Budget', there's nothing in it for us as Māori," she said. The Māori Development Minister defended the Budget against critics, saying they were delivering on their election promises. The national body for kura kaupapa Māori, Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, said it was concerned and disappointed with the Government's Budget announcement saying it ignores the longstanding and well-documented underfunding of kura kaupapa Māori. Rāwiri Wright, co-chair of Te Rūnanga Nui, said the $50 million in capital funding tagged to upgrade buildings was not a genuine solution. "It's yet another example of the Crown's ongoing failure to prioritise kura kaupapa Māori.' The group said there were close to 40 kura kaupapa Māori that remain on the Minister of Education's property backlog list, and dividing the "limited funding" across all Māori-medium settings, which included Māori immersion units in mainstream schools, will leave kura with "next to nothing". 'We are being kept in the dark," said Wright. "There is no clear breakdown of how this funding will be allocated, no equity in the process, and certainly no commitment to a genuine Treaty-based partnership. Meanwhile, our whānau continue to send their tamariki to kura that are falling apart." Te Rūnanga Nui are calling for an investment plan of $1.25 billion over five years dedicated to property development.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Climate Org Labels Budget 2025 "A Backwards, Scorched-Earth Agenda"
350 Aotearoa says the government's budget 'is a backwards, scorched-earth Budget that attacks Te Tiriti, trashes climate action, and rips funding from communities who need it most.' Not one of the government's 33 budget media releases mentions climate change. It's not even mentioned in the budget summary! 350 Aotearoa Co-Director Alva Feldmeier says, 'This government has once again demonstrated that they do not understand that climate action isn't charity, it's basic infrastructure that saves lives, cleans our air, and creates jobs that can be relied on for decades to come. Refusing to invest in climate safety isn't frugality, it's gambling with our future.' The Budget: a) Cuts $56 million that was earmarked to decarbonise the bus fleet b) Slashed international climate finance by half, despite a global push to scale it up c) Diverted $200 million toward gas exploration, directly fuelling the climate crisis d) Decreased funding for the independent climate commission (again!) e) Fails to invest in a just transition for communities shifting away from fossil fuels 350 Aotearoa also says the Budget also undermines Te Tiriti by: f) No new funding for the Māori Health Authority — or any alternative. g) Ongoing neglect of Treaty settlement commitments. h) $375 million slashed from Kāhui Ako education funding — a model rooted in Te Tiriti and collaboration. 'This government is choosing to throw away $200m into a gas subsidy, which we know will become a stranded asset. They're choosing to defund the independent climate commission. But what's most alarming about this Budget is what it leaves out,' says Feldmeier. 'There's no plan for climate action, no mention of the climate crisis - just silence where leadership should be.' 'The government may be happy accepting a dystopian vision of climate chaos and austerity - but we most certainly do not', says Feldmeier. 'We know that investing in people and the planet works. Climate action creates jobs. Māori-led solutions build resilience. Community energy, clean transport, and Tiriti-based governance are the path to real security, not $200m gas subsidies and budget cuts. This Budget is a political choice - and we're choosing to fight back.'
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Budget Protects Power, Not People'
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the 'No BS Budget,' for what it really is: a Budget built on the suffering. 'This is the worst Budget we've seen. This Budget protects power, not people,' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. 'They didn't forget our tamariki — they ignored them. They ignored our wāhine, our iwi, our whānau.' Despite tangata whenua making up at least 20% of the population, Māori development is receiving only 0.27% of the total Budget — the lowest in a decade. 'This Budget is a betrayal of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It slashes our tino rangatiratanga and our ability to protect our lands, our waters, and our futures. This is a Budget that protects power, not people,' she said. 'There is no love in this Budget for Māori, for our babies, for anyone — except this government's rich mates,' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi. 'The government is systematically erasing our constitutional rights, defunding Māori-led solutions, and transferring wealth from those who need it to billionaires. 'This Budget doesn't build a future for Māori — it builds our demise. A truly responsible Budget would fund our solutions, not suppress them,' said Waititi. A Te Pāti Māori Budget would create an Aotearoa where the rights and obligations recognised in Te Tiriti o Waitangi are honoured, and where every person has access to food, housing, and healthcare. 'For once, I agree with the Prime Minister — Te Pāti Māori will tax more. We will tax Chris Luxon's rich mates and the people whose wealth he passes legislation to protect,' said Ngarewa-Packer. 'Our tax policy will benefit 97% of Aotearoa, provide eight weeks of free kai per year to whānau across the country, and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share,' she said.
