Pasifika Festival, Auckland City: The Countdown Begins
Posted: March 1, 2010 Filed under: Analysis, Business, Community, Current, Fono Notices, NZPacific, South Pacific Region, Tourism | Tags: 2degrees, air new zealand, Arts Culture and Entertainment, assembling, auckland, auckland city, auckland city council, auckland philarmonica, councillors, crowd, dawn raid entertainment, festival, forward, hold, maori television, mika, new zealand, pacific island villages, Pacific Media Network, part of, pasifika, small, the radio network, where does the sponsors money go, who benefits, who profits, youthtown 2 Comments »
Auckland City Council
Media release
1 March 2010
The countdown’s on to Auckland’s biggest
Pasifika Festival yet
The week leading up to Pasifika Festival Day on Saturday, 13 March sees new events and new locations, including;
? The Best of the Auditions – featuring performances from the top 10 individuals and groups from festival auditions held in January, and guest artists from Dawn Raid and the Mana Maoli Collective from Hawaii
? Fakakaukau – a Pacific debate series featuring academics, politicians, artists and activists discussing a variety of current Pacific topics
? Po; Beautiful Darkness – featuring Mika and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Mika’s one-night only return to the stage.
The Pasifika Festival Opening Night Concert takes place on Thursday, 11 March at Western Springs and features performances from each of the 10 communities represented on Saturday’s festival day, as well as performances from several international artists. All elements respond to this year’s festival themes – the molokau (centipede) and frangipani flower – symbolising perseverance, fertility and growth, and acknowledging the first-born.
The climax, Festival Day on Saturday, 13 March, brings together thousands of Aucklanders in a unique celebration of our Pacific communities.
With more than 350 stalls, 10 Pacific Island villages, 12 stages, delicious traditional foods and flavours, non-stop entertainment, including appearances from Sweet & Irie, Annie Crummer, and King Kapisi – plus cultural workshops, and giveaways….this is one great day not to be missed!
Auckland’s popular Pasifika Festival is a free celebration organised annually by Auckland City Council.
Pasifika Festival 2010 is proudly supported by 2degrees, Air New Zealand, Youthtown, The Radio Network , Māori Television, Tip Top Ice Cream, Pacific Media Network, The Edge®, Dawn Raid Entertainment, New Zealand Major Events, NZCT, Creative New Zealand and Te Puni Kōkiri.
Visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/events to find out more about these and other events and activities during festival week.
Ends
Getting to Pasifika Festival – information for public
Parking:
- Park and Ride – free at Unitec (Carrington Road)
- Public parking – available at Western Springs College and MOTAT 2 (both on Motions Road)
Bus or Train:
- Take the bus or train to the Britomart Transport Centre in the city centre and get a connecting bus to Great North Road and Pasifika Festival.
- Take the west-bound train from Britomart Transport Centre (CBD) or Waitakere. The closest stop to Pasifika Festival is Mt Albert.
For more information on bus and train services to Pasifika Festival, visithttp://www.maxx.co.nz or phone 366 6400.
Making the most of Pasifika Festival
- Site maps, programmes, cash out facilities and information tents are located at the three main entrances to the park (at the Western Springs Stadium gates, next to MOTAT on Great North Road and at the playground near Auckland Zoo).
- Keep left when walking on the path to make getting around the festival easier for everyone.
- Remember to drink lots of water and wear sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
- Help us keep our park clean – please put your rubbish in the bin. Recycling options are also available.
- We encourage a family-friendly smokefree festival. Please use the designated smoking areas.
- Remember to check out the Molokau Pasifika Rock Sculpture at the corner of Motions and Great North roads, and the Kilikiti tournament at the sports fields.
- Have a go! There are so many opportunities at Pasifika to dance, try weaving, play games and get involved, so don’t be afraid to try something new.
- Check out the displays and activities throughout the park provided by our sponsors and supporters.
Could Waitangi 2010 Mark A New Mood in NZ Race Relations?
Posted: February 6, 2010 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: aotearoa, apartheid south africa, attending, Bill English, celebration, ceremony, cup, dawn, F.W. de Klerk, Fancourt, Finance Minister Bill English, founding document, george, golf, hold, horizontal, Human Interest, inter-racial relations, interest, john key, Listening, maori party, MP for Waiariki, MP for Whangarei Phil Heatley, national party nz, Nelson Mandela, new zealand, nz, open, People, Politics, president, Prime Minister, Prime Minister John Key, race relations, race relations NZ, racism, senior adult, serving, Sitting, south africa, sport, Te Ururoa Flavell, Thabo Mbeki, The Links, tiriti o waitangi, titwhai harawira, Traditional Culture, treaty, Treaty Grounds, Waist Up, Waitangi, Whare Runanga Leave a comment »
PAIHIA, NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 05, 2010: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key sits alongside Titewhai Harawira, a Ngapuhi kuia (elder) after being welcomed onto TeTii Marae on February 5, 2010 in Waitangi, New Zealand. Next to Harawira is (Right) Finance Minister Bill English, Maori Party MP for Waiariki Te Ururoa Flavell, and Fisheries and Housing Minister MP for Whangarei Phil Heatley. The National-led Government has been in power for just over a year after being in Opposition for nine years. This is John Key’s first term as Prime Minister. Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand, a public holiday held on February 6 each year to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty is New Zealand’s founding document, signed on February 6, 1840. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
By Vienna Richards
With John Key due to give a keynote speech on race relations on the Treaty Grounds of Waitangi on our national day today, it begs a few questions. So the Prime Minister is serious about improving race relations improving in New Zealand? I sincerely hope so. We need that kind of leadership from the top.
First, so far so good in Waitangi, as far as fisty cuffs go. No one has yet struck at, or bared their buttock, at a visiting dignitary on Waitangi, unless you count the bare-bottomed Maori warrior yesterday. His only piece of clothing was material covering his loins. The rest was a free show. But today is the Big Day, Waitangi itself, and if anything is going to happen, it will happen on this day.
In the past, few Prime Ministers, and Prime Ministers-in-waiting, have been spared the wrath of racial injustice that such a day evokes. At this stage, it looks like the Prime Minister will leave Waitangi without the diplomatic protection squad needed to jump in front of him.
Now, back to one begging question. (That’s all I’ve got time for). I have just watched the Great Waitangi Debate on Marae, TV One this morning. Well, bits of it. It didn’t hold my interest long enough with a teenager ready to go to his American Football game. But as I listened to the debate, one question rose out of the blue:
Would the Prime Minister John Key accept his son or daughter dating a brown man or woman in New Zealand, particularly a young Maori or Pacific Island? Yes or No.
If he can answer yes to that, then I’ll know that I can take his race relations speech seriously. Otherwise, it’s just another puff piece from a slick speechwriter. One that is more about looking good, rather than a genuine wish list of race relations in New Zealand.
Why THAT Question?
An email via the website from one reader, who identified as a Kiwi living in Oz, prompted me to respond further on this topic. She isn’t impressed with my question aimed at John Key. With all respect, she missed my point It was not about who would be the most suitable partners. It was: would you let them if they wanted to…? Based on her reaction, my hunch is she does not belong to a racial minority. Nor does she identify as Maori or Pacific. So I don’t expect that she would get the historical background to my question. I suspect she has never had to navigate, and live and work between two or three worlds in Aotearoa New Zealand.
To those who have never experienced racism on a personal level, it will be easy to belittle my assertion. How so? If racism has never touched your life in the home, in the workplace or at school, then in my experience, you’ll miss the “knowing” that is spoken only within the safety and comfort of our kitchen tables.
In the early 90s, as apartheid South Africa was beginning to dismantle its racially segregated systems, President F.W De Klerk was the public face of a racially tolerant South Africa. For the benefit of readers who were too young to care or follow its history, apartheid South Africa was a country that previously legally sanctioned racism at every level of life from the bedroom to school to eating places to Parliament. For example, interracial marriage was prohibited in apartheid South Africa. It was a criminal offence to have sexual relations with a person of a different race.
De Klerk was the moderate voice for white Afrikaners. One ready to share political power with those they had previously subjugated for generations.
Come 1990, De Klerk delivered his famous and controversial speech on the 2nd February 1990 which announced the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years as a political prisoner.
As a 20-something, I saw De Klerk, the public politician, as progressive and color-blind. I accepted his public speech as part and parcel of his psyche as a man and a father. He defied angry threats and calls from many white Afrikaners who refused to let apartheid go. He stood up against generations of national and institutionalised racism in a country that didn’t know any different.
On Sunday 11 February 1990, De Klerk publicly released Nelson Mandela from prison. His release was broadcast live around the world. I was one of millions who stayed up all night to wait for the live satellite broadcast from Johannesburg. It marked a new dawn for apartheid South Africa.
That same day, I ended my boycott of South African products in support of government and grassroots efforts around the world to pressure South Africa to end apartheid.
A long story short, De Klerk went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize. He was feted by the world as a leader who made a difference in race relations. He ended the banning of anti-apartheid groups. He pleaded for all South Africans to work towards a new nonracial democratic constitution.
Yet in his personal life, while he dismantled apartheid laws publicly, De Klerk struggled to dismantle the same attitudes within his own home when his son Willem began dating a “mixed race” woman. Their relationship, which lead to an engagement, did not last under reported pressures from the De Klerk household.
Despite all his rhetoric, De Klerk could not put into practice his own speech about a “new South Africa” in his own home. That’s a global example, of course, from a big gone era. But news coverage of a few years ago showed those attitudes still prevalent in the country. And yes, New Zealand is worlds away from South Africa’s former apartheid system, thank goodness.
But here’s the big reveal: in the privacy of one-on-one conversations with people in Aotearoa, I am, now and then, taken aback when one says bluntly, they would not let their child date a Maori or Pacific person. It’s not a common experience here, to be fair. But then again, I largely ignore signs of racism, even when “beware” hazard lights are flashing in neon. I just plough right ahead and disregard the warning signs because they don’t matter to me. Truly. Because I know who I am. I know who I belong to and who created me. So I don’t define myself on the views of racists of any colour, including my own.
Colour and cultural definitions of self? In daily life, colour-blind is my preferred vision. Though others may try, I refuse to define myself purely in cultural or colour terms. There’s more to this brown skin than colour. And it isn’t always white-on-brown-or-black racism that I’ve seen. Sometimes it’s brown against brown. (I’m using colour definition purely for the sake of brevity). I hear pockets of ambiguous views about our melting pot, from the voices of otherwise tolerant and accepting New Zealanders ,who support racial equality as long as their child doesn’t date someone of a different colour or race. Those are not isolated views and they’re not confined to so-called rednecks, by the way.
So these days, because of what I’ve seen and heard in my lifetime in New Zealand, I’m not interested in clever speeches about race relations from a leader of any country, political party or organisation. Dare I say it, I am far from alone on that. Live that speech inside your home first before you sell it to the masses. Show me that it’s more than political rhetoric aimed at winning the next place in history. Then, believe me, if that be so with the PM, THEN I’ll take Key’s ‘nationhood’ speech seriously.
No disrespect intended. But I do rest my case.
Insight on Racism, NZ radio documentary by Radio New Zealand’s Pacific Correspondent Richard Pamatatau.
Latest Photos: Earthquake Devastates Haitians; Waiting for Aid (be warned, some pictures may disturb)
Posted: January 15, 2010 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (Carl, (Patrick, 03000000, 03002000, 12, 13, 13015001, 14, 2010, 43, a, adult, aerial, alive, american, Aminise, Amputated, areas, assessment, assistance, attention, bed, Bestof, boarding, body, boy, capital, capital cities, Casualty, center, charity and relief work, city, coffin, Come, Confirmed, Creole, cross, damage, daughter, dead, debris, department, devastates, devastation, dis, disaster, disbelief, doctors, down, Downtown District, earthquake, ecstatic, Eliazar, Emanuela, Emergencies And Disasters, facility, Farrell/Miami, fear, field, fire, general, Geographical Locations, Germain, gets, girl, Gladys, greeted, group, Haiti, Haiti's, Haitian, HAITIEARTHQUAKE, Headshot, help, Herald/MCT), hold, home, hope, horizontal, hospital, hotel, hours, HTI, human body, human toe, hundreds, injured, injuries, inside, january, jeune, joseph, Juste/Miami, krt2010, krtcaribbean caribbean, krtdisaster disaster, krtedonly, krtquake earthquake quake, krtworld world, lap, large, left, leg, lie, Loiuis, looks, magnitude7, makeshift, male, man, mct, medical, men, missing, mission, Mother's, mourn, Nearly, news, NGO, occupation, officials, outside, People, perished, Physical Injury, placing, Port-au-Prince, PortauPrince, pulled, quake, React, recovering, red, remains, reports, Resourceful, rest, Roselyn, rubble, ruined, school, seek, seen, shelter, street, surrounding, Tag, Thousands, thursday, topics, Topix, town, transport, tries, turns, underneath, UPI/American, victim, villa, waiting, water, woman, women, young 2 Comments »
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI: A women tends to an injured relative at a small clinic after she was caught in the massive earthquake on January 14, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Planeloads of rescuers and relief supplies headed to Haiti as governments and aid agencies launched a massive relief operation after a powerful earthquake killing possibly thousands. Numerous buildings were reduced to rubble by the 7.3-strong quake on January 12. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In a country that has been totally dependent on the United Nations and the Red Cross even before the earthquake, the biggest blow to a swift humanitarian response in Haiti is the United Nations Mission has suffered a major blow with more than 150 staff still missing, presumed buried under rubble.The UN Haiti mission has about 1700 staff including 1200 Haitians. Among those reportedly still missing in Haiti is the head of the UN mission.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI – JANUARY 13: A man holds a severely injured woman, while waiting for assistance in the town of Canape Vert January 13, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Planeloads of rescuers and relief supplies headed to Haiti as governments and aid agencies launched a massive relief operation after a powerful earthquake that may have killed thousands. (Photo by Frederic Dupoux/Getty Images).
US President Barack Obama ordered a swift and aggressive US rescue effort, while the European Union activated its crisis systems and the Red Cross and United Nations unlocked emergency funds and supplies for the destitute nation. Much of Port-au-Prince was reduced to rubble by the 7.0-strong quake on January 12 but the airport was operational, opening the way for international relief aid to be ferried in by air as well as by sea.
BBC World Service’s Andy Gallagher reported this morning that there isn’t really any sense or signs of any kind of organised international aid relief, or search and rescue, in earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is seen from an aerial assessment mission by the American Red Cross.
BBC’s Gallagher, as he walked the rubble-strewn streets of Haiti:
…I barely saw anyone of any official capacity, just perhaps one Haitian police car and one Haitian ambulance.
…Still no signs of international aid..People keep asking me and stopping me and asking me, where is the help, where is the supplies, where are the promises that have been made? People just feel desperate, but more than anything else, for now completely alone.
People walk in the streets after the earthquake.
An injured women is seen at a makeshift field hospital in Port-au-Prince
Queried about reported problems getting aid into the international airport at Haiti, Gallagher said:
…I can hear what sounds like a C130 military plane either coming in or going out….definite activity there. The airport runway we were lead to believe was badly damaged in the earthquake but when I landed last night, it seems that the runway is fine, there is power at the airport, the runway lights do work at night, there were aircraft taking off and landing last night.
People wait in line for water from the fire department after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
A casualty is identified with a makeshift toe tag on January 13, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Photo by Frederic Dupoux/Getty Images).
A car remains parked outside the ruins of a cafe January 13, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Outside the Villa Creole Hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, January 14, 2010, the injured from surrounding areas have come for shelter and medical attention by a medical NGO, Hope for Haiti. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT)
Haitian men transport a male earthquake victim after recovering him underneath debris in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT)
Haitian men transport a male earthquake victim after recovering him underneath debris in Port-au-Prince. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT)
Roselyn Joseph, left, gets help in placing the body of her daughter, Emanuela Aminise, 14, inside a coffin, in Port-au-Prince.(Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT).
A group of women mourn and react is disbelief as the body of the daughter of the woman in the center turns missing in Port-au-Prince.(Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT).
A woman whose leg was amputated tries to lie down on a make-shift bed inside the Eliazar Germain General Hospital where the injured seek medical help, but the medical facility has no doctors in Port-au-Prince. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT).
A man looks at the body of a dead man outside the Villa Creole Hotel in Port-au-Prince.
A young girl gets medical attention for her injuries outside the Villa Creole Hotel in Port-au-Prince.
A young boy tries to rest on his mother’s lap outside the Villa Creole Hotel
Gladys Loiuis Jeune is pulled alive from the rubble of her home after nearly 43 hours where she was greeted by her ecstatic daughter in Port-au-Prince. (Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald/MCT)
A woman reaches joyously to Gladys Louis Jeune.
The body of a person is trapped in the rubble of a home destroyed by the massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A man carrying a coffin through the streets. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
People look on as others search for survivors under a church in Port-au-Prince.(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Christopher Holmes from the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue searches for survivors in the rubble of a building in Port-au-Prince on 14th January.
A corpse is carried on a stretcher down a street.
World-Famous, Royalty & Celebs Line Up for Maori Hongi From Tiger Woods, Tua, Elle, Tom Cruise to Prince William
Posted: December 20, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 73499499, 73578769, 74656082, adults only, airport, Anne, APEC, appointed, army, Arrival, Arts Culture and Entertainment, Athletics Australia Telstra A-series National Championships, attending, auckland, Auckland District Health, Auckland International Airport, Auckland Starship, Austalian, Belgium Hongi, belgium royal famly, Bestof, Bestof2007, Bill Clinton, boxing, Burnham, Business, camp, Caucasian Appearance, Celebrities, ceremony, Childres, Christchurch, class, clothing, Clover Park Middle School, club, Club Soccer, color image, Community, competition, Competitive Sport, corps, Crown Prince, custom, Dalai Lama, David Beckham, David Tua, day, Defense Minister, dick hubbard, Diplomacy, Earl Of Wessex, Elle MacPherson Hongi, EOS1DMkII-253407, fighting, film, Film Set, flying, Former, friendship, general, Geographical Locations, George Purvis, Gerrard Albert, giving, Glenys Turu, golf, golf tournament, Governing Board, government, government building, greeting, group, Haane Manahi, handshake, Headshot, Heavyweight, Highness, Highness Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Hilton, hold, Hollywood - California, home, Hongi, hongis, honor, horizontal, hospital, Human Interest, Human Nose, Hyundai, indicating, Isaac Davis, Jerry Mateparae, John Retimama, Juan Carlos I, July05, Kapa Haka, kaumatua, Kerry Predergast, Kuia Mereiwa Broughton, Kukupa Tirikatene, Lieutenant, Lincoln Savage, looking, Los Angeles Galaxy, Manukau City Super Special Stage, maori, Mark Burton, marketing, military, Military Uniform, model, Motorized Sport, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, navy, new zealand, New Zealand Corps, nose, Numa Otuvai, nurse, off road, official, Ohinemutu, only men, otara, outdoors, Palmerston, Palmerston location, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu Beach Golf, party, People, Performance, Petter Solberg, photography, Pipitea Marae, playing, Political Rally, Politics, President Of The USA, Press Conference, prince, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles, Prince Philippe of Belgium, Prince William, princess, Princess Anne, profile, Propecia, Queen Sofia of Spain, Rangitihi Tahuparae, receiving, Rehua Maori, religion, Richard Plantagenet - Duke of York, riger, Rose Tahuparae, rotorua, Royal Person, royalty, rubbing, rubbing noses, samoa, scene, senior adult, sensation, Series, share, side view, Sir Howard Morrison, Sir Hugh Kawharu, soccer, Social Grace, spain, sport, standing, star, Start, success, superhero, Symon Knuckey, Tamahou Ripia, Te Arana Wihongi, Te Mataarae, Te Papiouru Marae, Te Roopu Kapahaka O Waitaira, tgg0611, tiger, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods Hongis, Tom Cruise, topics, Topix, Traditional Culture, Trentham Military Camp, Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, two, Two People, usa, Vector Arena, vertical, visit, Waist Up, warriors, Wednesday 15, welcome, wellington, Wellington Airport, Wellington Hongi, woods, york Leave a comment »After supermodel Tyra Banks visited New Zealand, and received a traditional Maori hongi, we went in search of other celebs and world-famous people, as well as homegrown varieties, who have also received a hongi in front of the media’s lenses.
Here’s what we found from the past and the present:
In happier days? NEW ZEALAND, 8th January 2002: Golfing sensation Tiger Woods hongis (traditional Maori greeting) with Kuia Mereiwa Broughton during an official Maori welcome (Powhiri) at Wellington airport, after Woods flew into New Zealand to play in the Telstra Hyundai New Zealand Open Golf Tournament at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf club. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images).
(same event) Tiger Woods rubs noses with Glenys Turu as he arrives at Wellington airport for the New Zealand Open Golf tournament. (Photo by The Dominion/Getty Images)
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 29, 2007: David Beckham of the LA Galaxy receives a Hongi (Maori Greeting) from a member of a Maori welcoming Kapa Haka group as he arrives at Wellington airport in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 29, 2007: An interesting photo this one. David Beckham of the LA Galaxy gives Mayor of Wellington Kerry Predergast a Hongi (Maori greeting) as he arrives at Wellington Airport in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 16, 2000: World heavyweight boxing contender David Tua is welcomed home with a Hongi by Kylie Kemp from Clover Park Middle School in Otara, on his arrival at Auckland International Airport, Thursday night. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images)
HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND – SEPTEMBER 03, 2009: Sugar Ray Leonard exchanges a Hongi, the traditional Maori greeting, with John Haunui after being welcomed to SKYCITY on September 3, 2009 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images).
Sugar Ray Leonard exchanges a Hongi, the traditional Maori greeting, with Pahu Muru of Turangawaiwai.
APRIL 15, 2004: World rally champion Petter Solberg (Norway) Hongis (traditional Maori greeting) with a warrior, Wednesday 15, at the ceremonial start to the Propecia 2004 Rally Of New Zealand, at the Manukau City Super Special Stage. The event is a round of the World Rally championship. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images).
We Can Only Imagine What These Warriors Are Thinking
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – SEPTEMBER 29,: Austalian super model Elle MacPherson Hongi’s (traditional Maori welcome) with Lincoln Savage from the Te Mataarae o Rehua Maori culture group from Rotorua upon her arrival at Auckland International Airport.MacPherson is in New Zealand for several days on a promotional visit. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
Mission Impossible?
NEW ZEALAND – JANUARY 11, 2003: Hollywood super star Tom Cruise performs a hongi (traditional Maori welcome) with Wahine (Maori woman) Alice Pomare, during a Powhiri prior to a press conference for the ‘Last Samurai’ movie. Cruise flew into New Zealand last Monday and will begin filming on location in various parts of the Taranaki province in the North Island of New Zealand.FOTROPRESS. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JUNE 17: The Dalai Lama (R) is welcomed with a Hongi (a Maori greeting with a press of the nose) by Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard at the Vector Arena on June 17, 2007 in Auckland, New Zealand. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, spiritual leader to millions of Buddhists around the world, is in New Zealand on a three day visit to give public talks and public teachings. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images).
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – MAY 27, 2002: The Dalai Lama at the Pipitea Marae in Wellington Hongi’s (Traditional Maori Welcome by touching of noses) Symon Knuckey of the Te Roopu Kapahaka O Waitaira as friends look on. The Dalai Lama arrived in Wellington, today, Monday and is on a brief tour of New Zealand. (Photo by Robert Patterson/Getty Images).
Like Mother, Like Son Beautiful
NEW ZEALAND – JULY 05, 2005: His Royal Highness Prince William is greeted by Auckland District Health Board member John Retimama with a Hongi (pressing of noses) on the Princes’ official visit to Auckland Starship children’s hospital, Tuesday. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images).
Princess Diana (1961 – 1997) receives a traditional Maori nose-rubbing greeting, or Hongi, during a visit to the Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Gisborne, New Zealand, 24th April 1983. The princess is wearing a blue silk suit by Catherine Walker. (Photo by Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images).
NEW ZEALAND – MARCH 07, 2005: His Royal Highness Prince Charles hongis (traditional maori welcome) with Lieutenant Tamahou Ripia on the Royal New Zealand Navy on his arrival at Government House, Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, March 07, 2005. Prince Charles is making a five day visit to New Zealand. (Photo by Ross Setford/Getty Images)
Royalty Every Which Way
ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND – MARCH 17, 2007: Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R) hongis with Sir Howard Morrison (L) as he attends a ceremony to honour the gallantry of Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi, at Te Papiouru Marae, Ohinemutu on the third day of his seven day visit to New Zealand, on March 17, 2007 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Manahi was not awarded a Victoria Cross for his actions at Takrouna Ridge in North Africa in 1943 during World War II, despite recommendations that his gallantry warranted the highest award for valour. This year, the government, working with Te Arawa, the Manahi VC Committee, and Buckingham Palace, announced that it would hold a special ceremony to recognise Lance Sergeant Manahi?s deeds, and The Queen expressed her admiration for his bravery The presence of the Duke at the ceremony reflects her wish to be personally associated with the initiatives to recognise his gallantry. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – MARCH 16, 2007: Prince Andrew, Duke of York receives a Hongi (Maori greeting) from WO 1st class George Purvis during a visit to the Trentham Military Camp on the second day of his seven day visit to New Zealand, on March 16, 2007 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND – MARCH 17, 2007: Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R) hongis with a local Kaumatua as he attends a ceremony to honour the gallantry of Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi, at Te Papiouru Marae, Ohinemutu on the third day of his seven day visit to New Zealand, on March 17, 2007 in Rotorua, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
PALMERSTON NORTH, NEW ZEALAND – SEPTEMBER 29, 2005: Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R), gets a Maori greeting (Hongi) from the Minister of Defence Hon. Mark Burton during a Powhiri (welcome) and reviewing the parade at Linton Army base September 29, 2005 in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The Duke of York is in Palmerston North as part of a 5 day visit to New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images)
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, gets a Maori greeting (Hongi) from Major General Jerry Mateparae of the armed forces during a Powhiri (welcome) and reviewing of the parade at Linton Army base September 29, 2005 in Palmerston North, New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images)
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 04, 2009: HRH, The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward is given a Hongi (Maori greeting) by Tawai Frost during a welcome at Sacred Heart College on November 4, 2009 Wellington, New Zealand. HRH, The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward is in New Zealand to discuss the future direction of The Duke of Edinburgh Award program. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 17, 2008: HRH Princess Anne, Princess Royal receives a Hongi (Maori Greeting) from Sgt. Isaac Davis during a visit to the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals and Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps at Burnham Military Camp in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by Martin Hunter/Getty Images)
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – DECEMBER 03, 2009: (L-R) His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Samoa’s recently appointed Head of State receives a Hongi (Maori greeting) from Rangitihi Tahuparae during a Maori welcome ceremony at Government House on December 3, 2008 in Wellington, New Zealand. Tuiatua, who became Samoan Head of State in June, is on a week long visit to New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
Her Highness Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese receives a Hongi (Maori Greeting) from Sergeant Aaron Taikato during a Maori welcome ceremony at Government House on December 3, 2008 in Wellington, New Zealand. Tamasese’s husband His Highness Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, who became Samoan Head of State in June, is on a week long visit to New Zealand. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images)
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – JUNE 23, 2009: HRH King Juan Carlos of Spain (L) shares a traditional Maori greeting of a hongi with Maori elder Gerrard Albert (R) during a visit to New Zealand on June 23, 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand.
HRH Queen Sofia of Spain (L) shares a traditional Maori greeting of a hongi with Maori elder Rose Tahuparae (R) during a visit to New Zealand on June 23, 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand. The Royal couple are undertaking two days of official engagements in New Zealand before heading to Australia on Wednesday. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
HRH Queen Sofia of Spain (L) shares a traditional Maori greeting of a hongi with Maori elder Gerrard Albert (R).
HRH King Juan Carlos (R) shares a traditional Maori greeting of a hongi with Kukupa Tirikatene (L) at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa during a visit to New Zealand on June 23, 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 23, 2002: HRH Princess Mathilde Hongi’s (Traditional Maori welcome by touching of noses) with a member of the Maori welcome party during the welcoming ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel, Saturday. Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium and Princess Mathilde are on a four day visit to New Zealand. (Photo by Dean Purcell/Getty Images).
HRH Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium Hongi’s (Traditional Maori welcome by touching of noses) with Sir Hugh Kawharu during the welcoming ceremony.
HRH Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium Hongi’s (Traditional Maori welcome by touching of noses) with Maori welcome party member Te Arana Wihongi during the welcoming ceremony.
We know Clinton isn’t royalty. But what the heck. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – SEPTEMBER 11, 1999: The President of the United States, Bill Clinton hongi’s with Georgina Te Heuheu after his arrival in New Zealand for the APEC conference, Saturday. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
OFFICIALLY Pavarotti may not be royalty but his voice certainly was and is. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 17, 1999: Luciano Pavarotti and preformer Ricky Northcroft hongi during a welcoming celemony for Pavarotti at the Sheraton Hotel, Wednesday. (Photo by Sav Schulman/Getty Images)
NZ Dumped From BBC Global Debate on Climate Change; We Tell You Why
Posted: December 17, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Environment, health, Politics, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: Arts Culture and Entertainment, australia climate change, australian culture, Ban Ki-Moon, BBC debate on climate change, capital cities, changing, Climate, climate change, copenhagen, day, denmark, Diplomacy, government, hold, horizontal, Hyatt, john key, Kevin Rudd, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, new zealand dumped from climate change debate, pacific nations, Politics, Port Of Spain, Press Conference, Prime Minister, royalty, second, Secretary-General, Trinidad And Tobago, united nations Leave a comment »
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hold a bi-lateral talks on December 15, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. World leaders have started arriving today to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 that runs until December 18. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/WPA PoolGetty Images)
Key dumped from BBC Copenhagen debate
Updated 8:30 AM Thursday Dec 17, 2009John Key was dumped in favour of Australian PM Kevin Rudd.
Prime Minister John Key has been bumped at the last minute from a worldwide televised climate change debate – in favour of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
The BBC World news debate today – dubbed The Greatest Debate on Earth – has been billed as the media highlight of the Copenhagen climate talks and the Prime Minister had announced he would be in it.
With all respect to the New Zealand Prime Minister, his dumping is no surprise to pacificEyeWitness.org. What was a surprise was that the BBC had initially included him. Because climate change talks between world leaders have seldom included New Zealand since the change of government at the end of 2008. John Key is not a player on climate change. He never has been.
On the world leaders stage, it was New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Helen Clark who was a key player on climate change globally. Unfortunately, news coverage in New Zealand sometimes makes New Zealand appear more a player than it actually is when it comes to climate change. It is not an example to the rest of the world. That should give you a clue about how un-climate friendly the New Zealand Government’s Climate Change Bill really was. It benefits polluters, not consumers. But most New Zealanders did not know that until after the Bill was passed into law.
What the Prime Minister’s initial inclusion in the BBC debate reveals, however, is how well connected his press secretaries are with the rest of the world’s media. They would have talked him up and made him out to be more concerned about climate change than he really is. But actions speak louder than words. And sooner or later, BBC’s research and talking to other world leaders, its producers would have quickly worked out that New Zealand’s Prime Minister was the wrong guy to put on the debate. Because New Zealand, and the Prime Minister, are not key players at all on this issue. That changed at the change of government last year.
All things considered, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could be the only choice of the two. Let’s look at why Rudd was chosen over Key for BBC’s global panel on Climate Change:
- Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is one of the lead negotiators behind, and in front of, the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Danish Prime Minister who are key movers and shakers at Copenhagen.Did you see John Key sitting at that table? No, of course, you didn’t.
- Rudd, not Key, was also part of the press conference on climate change at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Trinidad and Tobago, along with the same key movers and shakers at Copenhagen.Did you see John Key at that table? No, of course, you didn’t.
- Rudd, not Key, who was called to the White House after CHOGM to give Obama an update and further climate change talks ahead of the Copenhagen Leaders. We brought you the pictures on this site so use the search tab to find them.Did you see John Key at that meeting to discuss climate change with Rudd and Obama? No, you didn’t, because he wasn’t invited.
- Rudd, not Key, spoke up in support of Pacific island nations affected by climate change at this year’s Pacific Island Leaders Forum in August. That was duly noted by the United Nation’s Copenhagen organisers. They make mention of it on the official website. Again, those stories about Rudd’s support received coverage in Australian media, but not New Zealand.
So, in light of this information, was BBC right to dump Key from the panel in favour of Rudd? Exactly.
Here’s one piece of the photographic evidence(you can go to the search tab here to find the rest):
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – NOVEMBER 28: (L-R) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussenm, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hold a press conference on climate change during the second day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Hyatt Hotel on November 28, 2009 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad And Tobago. CHOGM is held every 2 years, bringing together world leaders to discuss key issues of a global and Commonwealth nature, and key policies and initiatives. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images).
Watch US Senate Hearings Live; Streaming Afghanistan Hearing
Posted: December 9, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, capital cities, government, greeting, hearing, hold, horizontal, International Security Assistance Force, officer, peace, Politics, Protestor, Stanley A. McChrystal, support, US Senate Armed Services Committee, usa, war, washington dc Leave a comment »
Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and commander of United States Forces Afghanistan U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal (C) greets supporters before testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee about the war in Afghanistan. Although they previously disagreed on the way forward in Afghanistan, McCrystal and Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry said they fully agree with President Barack Obama’s plans for increasing U.S. forces in the war-torn country. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).
United State’s top Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry are right now testifying before the Senate Armed Services Cmte. to defend the military buildup and 2011 transition strategy in Afghanistan. Earlier, they appeared before the House Armed Services Cmte.( C-SPAN)
Click here to watch ( note: this is a live stream so if you click on this outside of this time period, it may not show the same Senate Hearing.)
Briefly, right now, Senate Armed Services Committee has pointed out that it is well known that the major sources of funding within Afghanistan come from:
- narcotics funding and
- external funding from NGOS, and wealthy individuals in Gulf States.
US Ambassador to Afghanistan made a distinction that it was “Taliban” funding amd included taxation as another form of funding for the Taliiban.
A demonstrator from Code Pink for Peace holds up a sign before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about the war. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).
Photos: Tiger Woods Drops Out of Golf Tournament After Accident
Posted: December 2, 2009 Filed under: Breaking News, Current, sports, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 2009, 21, 3428, accident, Alto, american, american football, Arts Culture and Entertainment, bears, cal, Cal Golden Bears, california, captain, car, Celebrities, ceremony, Chevron World Challenge, coin, Community, country club, crew, daughter, defeated, drive, Elin Woods, Emergencies And Disasters, entrance, flip, Florida - USA, football, game, gate, golf, Headshot, hold, home, home ownership, horizontal, Human Interest, leaving, men, mode of transport, morning, NCAA, NCAA College Football, Newscom, november, Pac-10, palo, Palo Alto, People, photo, players, Preview, Samuel, security guard, Sherwood Country Club, side lines, sport, stadium, stand, Stanford, Stanford Stadium, talking, television, Thousand Oaks, tiger, Tiger Woods, toss, US PGA Tour, usa, watch, wave, wife, Windermere, woods 1 Comment »
WINDERMERE, FL – DECEMBER 1: An entrance gate to the Isleworth community is seen early in the morning, where Tiger Woods has a home, on December 1, 2009 in Windermere, Florida. Tiger Woods has not spoken with media or Florida Highway Patrol since he drove his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree outside his Florida home in the early hours of November 27. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images).Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
Security guards stand at an entrance gate to the Isleworth community.
Television crews stand in front of an entrance gate to the Isleworth community.
Residents exit the Isleworth community, which is home to Tiger Woods
THOUSAND OAKS, CA – NOVEMBER 30: A sign of Tiger Woods in front of the clubhouse during the Chevron World Challenge preview at Sherwood Country Club on November 30, 2009 in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images).Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
21 November 2009: Stanford and California players watch Tiger Woods flip a coin during coin toss ceremony before the game between California and Stanford at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. California defeated Stanford, 34-28. Photo via Newscom. Content © 2009 Newscom All rights reserved.
PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 21: Tiger Woods holds his daugher, Sam, and speaks to his wife, Elin Nordegren, on the sidelines before the Cardinal game against the California Bears at Stanford Stadium on November 21, 2009 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images).
Photos: Samoa, NZ, Tonga, Vanuatu, Australia at CHOGM Trinidad and Tobago
Posted: November 30, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Environment, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: Arrival, Arts Culture and Entertainment, australian culture, Ban Ki-Moon, british culture, british empire, British Royalty, Business, business person, capital cities, changing, Climate, David Miliband, day, denmark, dinner, Diplomacy, Elizabeth Ii, event, Feleti Sevele, Final, french culture, government, head, hold, horizontal, hotel, Hyatt, Jacob Zuma, john key, Kevin Rudd, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, leadership, meeting, new zealand, Nicolas Sarkozy, Opening Ceremony, Politics, Port Of Spain, president, President of France, Press Conference, Prime Minister, royalty, second, Secretary-General, South African, speech, talking, Third, tonga, Trinidad And Tobago, united nations, vanuatu, vertical Leave a comment »Main agenda for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009:
- Democratic Governance & Governments
- Sustainable Developments
- Assistance for Developing Nations
- Development of youth. A Youth Forum was held.
- A special session on climate change was convened and a declaration made.It is worth noting that although Climate Change grabbed media headlines, the main focus of CHOGM was apparently on YOUTH. We didn’t know that from the mainstream coverage.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – NOVEMBER 29: Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi attends the 2nd Executive Session on the third day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Hyatt Hotel on November 29, 2009 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad And Tobago. CHOGM is held every 2 years, bringing together world leaders to discuss key issues of a global and Commonwealth nature, and key policies and initiatives. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
Youth make strong call for inclusion in decision making
Although discussions and initiatives on Climate Change have grabbed the headlines at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009, the main issue on the agenda of the Commonwealth’s young people was “Youth Involvement in Decision Making.”The Commonwealth Youth Forum officially closed on Friday night after seven days of intense work and some play but the work was not finished because on Saturday, the Youth Dialogue was held. This comprised of a selection of delegates from the Youth Forum in discussions with Heads of State where the case for decision making inclusion was once again put forward by the youth.
CHOMG 2009
Read the rest of this entry »
Update: Still A Chance for Mike Pero’s Erebus Flight to Antarctica
Posted: November 27, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific | Tags: 25th Anniversary, air new zealand, anniversary, auckland, cemetery, drop, Emergencies And Disasters, flower, hold, honour, lost, memorial, mike pero, mode of transport, Mount Erebus Disaster, mourning, Mt. Erebus, natural disaster, new zealand, number 1, paying, People, respect, Rev, Richard Waugh, rob fyfe, serving, Waikumete, water, wind 1 Comment »
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 28: Rev Richard Waugh sprinkles the water from Mount Erebus over the flowers during the memorial service at Waikumete cemetary in Auckland, Sunday, November 28th, 2004 for the 25th anniversary of the Mt Erebus air accident. (Photo by Sandra Teddy/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of an Air New Zealand DC10 crash at Mt Erebus which killed all 257 passengers and crew on board. Their bodies, except for a few, still remain on Mt Erebus. Mike Pero, a Christchurch businessman of Cook Islands descent, announced this week that he would charter a plane allowing as many of the grieving families to fly over Mt Erebus. This comes after Air New Zealand had announced it would provide 6 seats for the families of victims on its special flight. After Pero’s charter flight was publicised, Air New Zealand went on the attack accusing Mike Pero of exploiting the tragedy for commercial gain. Since then, it has turned into nasty and personal attacks on Pero from Air New Zealand’s CEO Rob Fyfe. Not pleasant.
Terrible for the families to witness this. Shame that any ill will has entered into tragedy. Not a good look from Air New Zealand. Wrong call to come out criticising someone who was trying to help the situation. The absurd argument from Air New Zealand, accusing Pero of crass commercialism among other things, suggests they need to look in the mirror. This seems to be the standard approach from Air New Zealand whenever anyone encroaches on their territory so to speak. Think of all the small airlines that they come out criticising and as a result of their relentless PR campaign in the media, which passes without scrutiny, they win the war.
We hope Mike Pero stays strong on this issue, is able to go ahead with the charter flight, and doesn’t give in to the personal attacks from Air New Zealand.
OPTIMISTIC: Entrepreneur Mike Pero believes the charter flight to Antarctica he is helping organise can still go ahead, despite Qantas saying there is no plane available.
Christchurch entrepreneur Mike Pero is refusing to give up hope of flying more than 300 people to the site of the Mt Erebus disaster in Antarctica despite Qantas saying it cannot provide a plane.
Click here for full coverage of the Erebus Disaster Anniversary.
Pero had an agreement with Antarctica Sightseeing Flights to charter a Boeing 747 for 307 people in January.
Roll of Remembrance Mt Erebus Disaster
New Zealanders who died 180 and 20 crew members. Japan lost 24 citizens. United States lost 22 citizens. United Kingdom lost six citizens. Canada lost two citizens. Australia, France and Switzerland lost one citizen each.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 28: People pay their repect to the ones lost in the Mount Erebus disaster at the memorial service held at Waikumete cemetary in Auckland, Sunday, November 28th, 2004 for the 25th anniversary of the Mt Erebus air accident. (Photo by Sandra Teddy/Getty Images)
Unemployment Highest Among Maori and Pacific Job Seekers; Still Worst Hit By Recession
Posted: February 9, 2010 | Author: pacificeye | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Fono Notices, Jobs In The Pacific, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: adults only, Apia, Arrival, bankruptcy, Bronagh, Bronagh Key, celebration, ceremony, Close-up, color image, copy space, dawn, Diplomacy, food, Georgina Te Heuheu, government, Head of State, Highness, hold, Hon Georgina, horizontal, Human Hand, Human Interest, ideas, indoors, inside out, interest, joblessness, John, john key, Kava Kava, key, labour party, lifestyles, Maori and Pacific jobseekers, Maori unemployment, midsection, national party, new zealand, no money, NZ European unemployment, one man only, One Person, Pacific unemployment, People, phil goff, photography, Pita Bread, pita sharples, pocket, Politics, poverty, Prime Minister, prime minister nz, samoa, serving, Sharples, statistics NZ, Traditional Culture, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, UE rate, unemployment, visit, Waitangi, watch, welfare, Whare Runanga, work policies, worst hit by recession | Leave a comment »No pretty picture here. Statistics NZ shows the unemployment rate has risen again for Maori and Pacific job seekers. They represent the worst hit groups normally resident in New Zealand. The unemployment rate for Pacific has almost doubled from 7.8 percent unemployment (December 2008) to 14. percent, as at December 2009.
Unemployment among Maori has risen from 9.8 at 15.4 percent. This does not include the figures for European/Maori which is 13.6 percent. Asian unemployment stands at 9.2 percent. The unemployment rate for those who identify as European is 4.6 percent.
MP for Mana Luamanuvao Winnie Laban says the rate should shame the Government into action.“Just over three months ago unemployment rates among Pacific Islanders was 12.3 per cent and we were being promised by the Government it was working to get people back to work, “she says.
The Labour Opposition Spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs says this latest increase shows their policies are not working. “In just one year, 5000 additional Pacific Island people have lost their jobs. Pacific Island people, who are overrepresented in lower paid jobs, were also bitterly disappointed at the miserly rise in minimum wage announced last month.”
Luamanuvao says many in the Pacific community are saying they are disappointed with a lack of action from the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Georgina Te Heuheu.
Te Heuheu, who is the second Maori woman to gain election to the National Party, is widely criticised within the Pacific community for her lack of action on Pacific issues.
Luamanuvao on Te Heuheu:
“She is virtually invisible in the portfolio and offering no support or ideas. I am deeply saddened that the Government is failing so many families and that the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs has sat back and done nothing.”
NZ Pacific Affairs Minister Georgina Te Heuheu(right), during a visit to Samoa with the Prime Minister John Key(next to her) and Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples (left), July 7, 2009 in Apia, Samoa.
Opposition Leader Phil Goff says unemployment in New Zealand is now at the highest level it has been in 16 years and is growing at the highest rate in a decade.
“168,000 Kiwis are now unemployed. The total number of jobless is more than 275,000,” says the Labour Leader.
“The Government’s stimulus package has produced just 2300 jobs. That is a lot less than the 3500 people who queued for hours last month for the chance to grab just 150 jobs at a new South Auckland supermarket.”
Goff, who is highly critical of Prime Minister John Key’s Job Summit for producing few results to help those who need it the most, says more and more people are struggling to make ends meet, with the young, the less well off, Maori and Pacific communities and other ethnic groups especially hard hit.
Single/combination unemployment rate (unadjusted) by ethnic group
quarter (percent)
quarter (percent)