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NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Rural economy is buoying Māori economy after Budget cuts to development funding
The first research, by Stats NZ, looked at 1450 Māori authorities and related businesses at the start of 2025. Like the rest of the economy, Māori businesses have suffered at the hands of this Government. The total number of filled jobs for Māori authorities was 11,870, down 170 jobs or 1.4% annually. The total value of earnings for Māori authority employees was $212 million, a decrease of $8.7m or 4%. This shows the reduction in hours occurring across the rest of the economy is also reaching Māori businesses. When examining the business sales data of Māori firms, the same problems observed across the wider economy are also present. Professional, scientific, technical, administrative and support services were down $18m or 13%. Meanwhile, primary industries were up $11m or 3% annually. The rural economy is supporting the Māori economy as much as primary industries' buoyancy is helping out anywhere else in Aotearoa. The second insight comes from ANZ's Te Tirohanga Whānui Report. That data confirms 2024 was a tough year for Māori businesses. However, it also confirms Māori businesses are 'performing better' than 'many of the country's largest listed companies'. Despite challenges, Māori businesses are performing better than many large companies, showing their resilience. Photo / Alan Gibson There is a resilience not seen in other parts of the economy. As ANZ notes, 'When the Māori economy grows, it strengthens the whole of the New Zealand economy.' Visit Whakatāne and see how Ngāti Awa has underwritten the local economy to the benefit of all. Given the increasing size of the Māori economy – its asset base having nearly doubled to $126 billion in 2023 – you'd think it would form a key part of the Government's economic agenda. But it's not mentioned once during the Minister of Finance's Budget speech. In the last Budget, $20m was cut from Māori economic development initiatives. The only new funding for the entirety of Vote Māori Development was $3m a year for Māori Wardens and the Māori Women's Welfare League. The Government's 'Going for Growth' economic development plan says the Māori economy is important – but that is it. There are no specific programmes to help it grow. There is nothing to help Māori businesses grow into new sectors or help capitalise on their intellectual property. In short, it is left alone. He Kai Kei Aku Ringa: the Māori-Crown Economic Growth Partnership – written initially in 2013 under National and revised in 2023 under Labour, was abandoned when the coalition took office. It looks increasingly likely that the economy is heading backwards again. The Reserve Bank is now forecasting that the economy declined 0.2% last quarter. You would think the Government would be pulling every lever to make sure there was new economic activity and new employment. But this is a Government that has a complete blind spot when it comes to anything Māori. Some $88m was cut in total from direct Māori funding at the last Budget, on top of $97m last year. There is an urgent need to change thinking. The Government is content with ever higher numbers of Māori being in prison, homeless or unemployed. That is not the 'growth, growth, growth' many were hoping for. It does nothing to support a unique and growing part of the New Zealand economy. Nothing to help enterprises and authorities that may be able to reach where other government actions have failed. It is time for a better plan – and one that recognises a remarkably simple fact. The scale of the opportunity in the Māori economy is not being grasped by the Government. We will have spent more on landlord tax relief over the next four years ($2.9b) than we have on the entirety of the Treaty settlement process to date ($2.8b). Budgets are about choices. Choices show values. The Government should value the Māori economy better. That way we all benefit.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara puts name forward for Te Pāti Māori's Tāmaki Makaurau candidate
Former broadcaster and journalist Oriini Kaipara Photo: Screenshot / YouTube / Newshub 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 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.
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
History writ large in concert
"BRAHMS & MATAATUA: A JOURNEY IN MUSIC" Dunedin Symphony Orchestra Saturday, June 28 Dunedin Town Hall The audience was taken on a deeply-moving musical journey exploring the trials and tribulations of one of Ōtepoti's much-loved former residents in Saturday's concert. Presenting the world premiere performance of Gillian Karawe Whitehead's The Journey of Mataatua Whare, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and conductor James Judd were joined on stage by soloists Rebecca Ryan (soprano), Tomairangi Henare (baritone), and Paul Whelan (bass), along with a 16-strong DSO chorus. The work was introduced with a spine-tingling karanga by Lily Fraser, on behalf of mana whenua, setting the scene for an absorbing and emotional journey for all. The Journey of Mataatua Whare is very much an ensemble piece, with important roles for all participants. The orchestra took a range of roles, from the peace of 19th-century Māori life to jubilant marching bands, tackling the many changes in style with aplomb. Whelan was suitably stern as the voice of government and empire, Henare's resonant voice depicted the pain and determination of Ngāti Awa, and Ryan was superb as the meeting house herself — singing many difficult passages beautifully, while bringing the emotion to the fore. The chorus was sterling in support, taking on multiple roles with great energy and shining alongside Ngāti Awa themselves in the final, uplifting waiata Tomo Mai. The concert's second half featured another monumental work, Brahms' epic Piano Concerto No. 2, beautifully performed by the orchestra and piano soloist Jian Liu, under the steady baton of Judd. Very much a conversation between orchestra and soloist, the concerto moved through multiple themes, with Liu bringing its stately passages and delicate beauty to the fore. Principal cello Heleen du Plessis also made the most of her opportunity to shine in glorious solo passages in the third movement. Following thunderous applause, Liu returned with his own tribute to Whitehead as an encore, playing her Lullaby for Matthew. Saturday's concert was a wonderful showcase of the power of music to move, entertain, and teach history.
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
DSO - Brahms and Mataatua: A Journey in Music
Brahms's monumental Piano Concerto No. 2 was written when his compositional powers were at their peak. From a deceptively benign opening with a lone horn melody, the movements in turn evoke grace and turmoil, leading to an exhilarating climax. Acclaimed Wellington pianist Jian Liu returns to deliver the dazzling technique and musical depth this great work calls for. We celebrate Matariki with The Journey of Mataatua Whare, a newly commissioned work by Dame Gillian Whitehead which commemorates 100 years since the Mataatua Wharenui returned to NZ. The work tells the Wharenui's story: from the carved meeting house's creation in Whakatāne, the loss of Ngāti Awa control over it, its travels and mistreatment, its return to NZ for Dunedin/Ōtepoti's 1925 Great Exhibition and then Tūhura Otago Museum, and its final return to Ngāti Awa in Whakatāne. Three distinguished NZ singers and a selected chorus will join DSO's Principal Guest Conductor James Judd on stage for this very special event. For more information please visit | Brahms and Mataatua a Journey in Music
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Aigantighe Art Gallery Hosts An Iconic Robin White Touring Exhibition
Press Release – Timaru District Council Robin White: Tuituia | Something is Happening Here is a selection of artworks from the much-loved and acclaimed 2022 retrospective exhibition that celebrated this contemporary Aotearoa artist, presented by Te Papa and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tmaki. A selection of works by Dame Robin White (Ngāti Awa, Pāhekā) is the latest touring exhibition from New Zealand's National Museum, opening in Timaru at the Aigantighe Art Gallery on May 9th, 2025. Robin White: Tuituia | Something is Happening Here is a selection of artworks from the much-loved and acclaimed 2022 retrospective exhibition that celebrated this contemporary Aotearoa artist, presented by Te Papa and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The touring exhibition brings together iconic works from the collections of Te Papa and Auckland Art Gallery, spanning White's 50-year career, and will travel to regional venues around Aotearoa over two years. The title kupu (word) Tuituia denotes continuity and refers to the artist connecting art, peoples and places to their environment. White explains, 'The exhibiting artworks have been out in the world engaging people and people engaging with them. There is a richness in that, it is way beyond me'. Visitors will not only explore her celebrated portraits and Aotearoa landscapes from the 1970s but also the ambitious collaborative works White has made with artists from across the Pacific and New Zealand in recent years. Hanahiva Rose, Curator Contemporary Art, Te Papa, says the exhibition celebrates a contemporary New Zealand artist whose imagery continues to shape the country's national identity and a sense of place in Aotearoa and in the Pacific. 'With a prolific career spanning five decades, Dame Robin urges us to look with new eyes at the world around us. From the local fish and chip shop in Maketu, to maneaba in Kiribati, or the intimate interior of a living room in Lautoka, her work pulls people and place into sharp focus. 'Her work, increasingly made in collaboration with other artists, demonstrates her commitment to learning and capacity for transformation. It is a pleasure to bring this exhibition to Aotearoa's regional centres and celebrate the environments that have influenced her work.' The exhibition is supported by an accompanying publication, Robin White: Something is Happening Here, jointly published by Te Papa Press and Auckland Art Gallery, in May 2022. Edited by Sarah Farrar, Jill Trevelyan, and Nina Tonga, the book includes fresh perspectives by 24 writers and interviewees from Australia, the Pacific, and Aotearoa New Zealand. For more touring information, please contact: touringexhibitions@ Biographies Dame Robin White (born in Te Puke, 1946, Ngāti Awa and Pākehā) is one of New Zealand's leading artists with an exhibition history that spans more than 50 years. In 1967 White graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland where she was taught by Colin McCahon, whom she cites as an important early influence. After three years as an art teacher at Mana College in Porirua, White moved to the Otago Peninsula where she began working full-time as an artist. Her paintings and screenprints from this time include iconic images of rural and small-town New Zealand life with portraits of friends and family set in a landscape of hills and harbour. Leaving New Zealand in 1981 to settle in Kiribati, White adapted to her radically different Pacific atoll environment, producing woodcut prints depicting island life in her village. After a fire in 1996 destroyed her house and studio White's work took an exciting new collaborative direction when she began working with I-Kiribati weavers to produce a series of woven pandanus mats. After returning to New Zealand in 1999, White has continued to work with Pacific artists, bringing together their different ideas and methods to create works that reflect the concept of unity in diversity that is central to the artists' Bahá'í beliefs. These works have been shown in art galleries across New Zealand and overseas, including the recent Matisse Alive exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 2013 White was made a distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Auckland in 2012. She was named a laureate of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2017. Hanahiva Rose is Curator Contemporary Art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Recent exhibitions include Hye Rim Lee: Eternity (2024) at Te Papa, Memory Spaces (2023) at Te Papa, The long waves of our ocean (2022) at the National Library and Stars start falling (2021-2022) at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Te Uru. Rose is widely published as a writer and art historian. With Ruth Buchanan, Johan Lundh, and Aileen Burns, she co-edited Uneven Bodies (Reader) (2021). She is a PhD candidate in Art History at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. About Te Papa Te Papa is Aotearoa New Zealand's much-loved national museum, known for attracting diverse audiences and bringing world-class international exhibitions to visitors. Since opening, Te Papa has attracted over 35 million visits total and an average of 1.4 million visitors per year. Located in Wellington, Te Papa is one of New Zealand's most well-known and trusted brands, with research showing it's closely associated with being for all New Zealander's, a kaitiaki of knowledge, a trusted source of information, and a world-class destination. Te Papa is a top-rated Trip Advisor visitor attraction and was rated #1 in Wellington, #2 in New Zealand and #6 in South Pacific.
