April 18, 2016
New start for wardens
Maori Council chair Sir Taihakurei Durie says the council wants to give Maori wardens greater access to qualifications and boost their contribution to community development.
He says now the council has resolved a painful leadership scrap it is keen to make progress on the future of the wardens.
The council went to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2014 to uphold the statutory responsibility it has for the wardens and fend off a takeover by Te Puni Kokiri.
Sir Taihakurei says they are a critical part of its vision for community development.
"We are now putting in place plans where wardens can work in association with other voluntary groups, receive qualifications or tohu that will enable them to work alongside government departments. We are trying to reshape these wardens. I believe we are well on track to doing so. There have been difficulties in the past with the wardens. I believe we are going to see new life breathed into what is a very important organisation for Maori," he says.
Sir Taihakurei Durie says at a national policy level, the New Zealand Maori Council's priorities are to get movement on the water and Trans Pacific Partnership claims and Resource Management Act reform.
SIR TAIHAKUREI DURIE INTERVIEW
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