Waatea News: Māori Radio Station

A new report from Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission has exposed deep and ongoing inequities in Aotearoa’s health system, with Māori and Pacific disabled people among those most at risk of harm.

The findings point to systemic failures across health services, including gaps in data, poor access to care and unequal treatment for disabled communities. But advocates say the issue is not just about statistics.

The March 2025 case of an 11-year-old non-verbal Māori autistic child, who was misidentified, restrained and mistreated, has brought those failures into sharp focus.

Associate Professor Bernadette Jones says the case shows how racism and ableism can combine inside the health system, leaving Māori disabled tamariki vulnerable to serious harm.

She says disabled people, including Māori and Pacific disabled communities, must be recognised as experts in their own lives and included in decisions about the services designed for them.

The report highlights major gaps in health data, but the treatment of the child shows how those gaps can translate into real-world consequences when systems fail to understand identity, disability and cultural safety.

Advocates are calling for urgent action from Health NZ and the Ministry of Health, including stronger safeguards for disabled children, better staff training, improved identification processes and genuine partnership with Māori and Pacific disabled communities.

They say preventing future harm means listening directly to disabled whānau, resourcing culturally safe care and confronting the structural racism and ableism embedded across the health system.

For whānau Māori, the message is clear: disabled tamariki deserve dignity, safety and care that recognises the fullness of who they are.

The post #national: Māori Disabled Tamariki Still Being Failed by Health System appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

The growing use of artificial intelligence in the music industry is raising alarm bells among Indigenous artists and intellectual property experts, as Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music is increasingly being absorbed into AI training datasets without consent.

The issue has gained fresh attention after reports revealed that works by prominent Māori artists, including Stan Walker, Six60, Maisey Rika, Marlon Williams and taonga pūoro practitioner Horomona Horo, appear to have been included in datasets used to train AI systems.

Indigenous intellectual property and copyright expert Lynell Tuffery Huria says the concerns extend far beyond traditional copyright issues, touching on questions of cultural authority, ownership and the protection of Indigenous knowledge.

Unlike conventional copyright infringement, which typically centres on the unauthorised reproduction of individual works, the use of Indigenous music in AI systems raises broader concerns around Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). These rights encompass not only songs and recordings but also language, stories, cultural expressions, traditional knowledge and collective ownership held by communities across generations.

For Māori, the issue is particularly significant because many waiata, compositions and taonga pūoro traditions are deeply connected to whakapapa, tikanga and cultural identity. The extraction of those works by AI systems without permission raises concerns about cultural misuse, misrepresentation and the loss of control over how Indigenous knowledge is shared and reproduced.

While existing copyright laws provide some protection for recorded works, legal experts argue significant gaps remain when it comes to safeguarding Indigenous cultural expressions from AI training processes. Current legislation was largely developed before the emergence of generative artificial intelligence and often struggles to address collective cultural ownership or the use of material by machine learning systems.

Calls are growing for stronger protections, including clearer consent requirements, transparency around training datasets, recognition of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights in law, and compensation mechanisms for artists and communities whose works are used.

There are also increasing demands for governments, technology companies and the music industry to develop policies that recognise Indigenous data sovereignty and ensure Māori and other Indigenous peoples retain authority over how their cultural materials are accessed and used.

As AI technology rapidly evolves, many Indigenous advocates warn that the conversation is no longer simply about copyright. It is about protecting cultural heritage, preserving Indigenous identity and ensuring future generations retain control over their stories, languages and artistic traditions in a digital world.

The debate is expected to intensify as lawmakers and industry leaders grapple with how to balance innovation with the rights of Indigenous creators and communities.

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The Government is ramping up efforts to protect Aotearoa’s native environment and support vulnerable communities, announcing a $2 million funding boost for the Wasp Wipeout programme alongside an additional $14.5 million to help tackle homelessness.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says the investment in wasp control will strengthen efforts to protect native ecosystems from one of the country’s most destructive invasive species.

Introduced wasps are a major threat to indigenous biodiversity, competing with native birds and insects for food sources and disrupting fragile ecosystems. The expanded Wasp Wipeout programme is expected to support larger-scale control operations and improve protection for forests, wildlife habitats and conservation areas across the country.

The Government is also increasing support for predator control initiatives aimed at safeguarding endangered native species. Predator management remains a cornerstone of conservation efforts, with programmes targeting pests such as rats, stoats and possums that threaten many of New Zealand’s unique birds and wildlife.

Officials say success will be measured through reductions in pest populations and improvements in native species survival rates, breeding success and habitat recovery.

Alongside environmental investments, the Government has committed an additional $14.5 million to address rough sleeping and homelessness.

The funding is expected to support frontline services, emergency accommodation and wraparound support aimed at helping people move into stable housing. Ministers say the focus is on long-term solutions that address the underlying causes of homelessness, including housing insecurity, mental health challenges and access to support services.

The announcement comes as public debate continues over the future of conservation land, with recent polling indicating strong opposition to any sale of public conservation areas.

The Government has sought to reassure New Zealanders that conservation values remain a priority, emphasising ongoing investment in biodiversity protection, predator control and ecosystem restoration.

For many environmental advocates, the challenge will be ensuring conservation funding delivers measurable results while maintaining public confidence that protected lands remain safeguarded for future generations.

With growing pressures on both the environment and social services, the latest funding package reflects an attempt to balance ecological protection with community wellbeing, while addressing some of the country’s most pressing long-term challenges.

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New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones is facing fresh scrutiny over his ministerial travel costs, questions about a reported budget overspend, and delays to his fisheries legislation.

Jones has been pressed on why his travel expenses cost significantly more than expected, and whether details about the spending were leaked.

The issue has raised wider questions about accountability, with Jones asked whether he accepts responsibility for the overspend and whether he considers the matter important to public trust.

Attention has also turned to the delay of his fisheries bill, with critics seeking clarity on why the legislation has been pushed back and what impact that could have on the sector.

The controversy comes as Jones faces questions over his judgement and whether the public can have confidence in his decision-making while concerns remain unresolved.

For the Government, the issue is about more than travel costs. It goes to transparency, ministerial responsibility and confidence in the management of public money.

Jones is expected to face further questioning as pressure grows for a clear explanation on the spending, the source of the information, and the future of the fisheries reforms.

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A new poll showing strong public opposition to the sale of conservation land has intensified pressure on the Government as it advances proposed changes to conservation laws.

The survey found 64 percent of New Zealanders oppose the sale of public conservation land, a result conservation advocates say sends a clear message about the value people place on protecting Aotearoa’s natural heritage.

Forest & Bird chief executive Richard Capie says the findings demonstrate broad public support for keeping conservation land in public ownership and protecting it for future generations.

The poll comes amid growing concern over the Government’s proposed Conservation Amendment Bill, which critics argue could make it easier for conservation land to be sold or exchanged.

Capie says the level of opposition is particularly significant because it extends across the political spectrum, including among voters who support parties currently in Government.

Environmental groups warn that under the proposed changes, a substantial portion of the conservation estate could become eligible for disposal or exchange, raising concerns about the long-term impacts on biodiversity, public access and environmental protection.

Aotearoa’s conservation estate plays a critical role in safeguarding native species, protecting ecosystems and providing recreational opportunities for communities and visitors alike.

Conservation advocates argue that once public land is removed from the conservation estate, the consequences can be difficult or impossible to reverse, particularly where habitats of threatened species are affected.

The polling also suggests the issue may carry political consequences heading into the next election. Nearly half of respondents indicated they would be less likely to support political parties that back changes allowing conservation land to be sold or exchanged.

With environmental issues increasingly featuring in public debate, the findings are likely to add pressure on ministers to justify the proposed reforms and reassure voters that conservation protections will not be weakened.

For many New Zealanders, the conservation estate is viewed not simply as public land, but as a national taonga that should remain protected for future generations.

As debate over the legislation continues, the Government faces growing calls to reconsider the proposed changes and ensure conservation values remain at the centre of decision-making.

The post #nature: Voters Draw a Line in the Sand Over Conservation Land Sales appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

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E ai ki Te Hiringa Mahara, he nui ngā tūraruraru, he nui hoki ngā āputa I te pūnaha hauora hinengaro o Aotearoa mā te rangatahi me te Māori.

E ai ki te rīpoata hou nā te Hiringa Mahara he nui ngā whānau kei te takataka ki ngā āputa o te pūnaha rā, hai tā te Kaitohu hauora Māori hai tā Maraea Johns, ko tētahi o ngā take e pēhia nei ngā ratonga hauora māori ko te iti o te pūtea ka tau iho ki a rātou hai pūtea whāngai i ngā kaimahi e whakahaere nei i ngā hōtaka hauora whānau.

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I te kātata maitanga o te kōwhiringa pōti, i uia te pātai ki te Minita Whanaketanga Māori, ki a Tama Potaka, mēnā rānei i tutuki i a ia te nuingā o āna whāinga hai Minita.

Hei tā Potaka, nāna i ārahi i ētahi o ngā whakataunga Tiriti huri noa i te motu, ā, nānā i whāngai pūtea ki ngā kaupapa Māori maha hoki.

E ai ki a ia, kei te noho aua kaupapa ki raro iho i te marumaru o āna kōpaki arā ngā take whāomoomo i te taiao, te oranga o te whānau me ngā tini kaupapa whanake i te Māori.

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E ai ki te Pirimia, e ai ki a Christopher Luxon, ka kore te kaupapa karihi-kore o Aotearoa e panoni.

I puta ēnei kōrero whai muri i ngā takinga a te Minita Whakamaru, a Chris Penk, e mea ana me whakaaro anō te tū o tō tātau motu e pā ana ki ngā take pūngao karihi.

Hei tā te MP Kākāriki, a Teanau Tuiono, me waiho ngā mahi hōia a AUKUS ki reira, kaua e kawea mai ngā waka karihi ki ngā wai o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

E ai ki a ia, kua roa Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa e tū ana hei  kaiwhakahē i ngā kaupapa karihi.

The post Teanau Tuiono | Ka Tohe Ngā Kākāriki kia Noho Karihi-kore a Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa āke āke. appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

I tērā wiki i wero te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Hauora i te Minita, a Simeon Brown, mō āna whakahaere me āna whakapaunga pūtea i roto i te ahumahi nei.

E ai ki tētahi o ngā mema o te komiti whiriwhiri take hauora, a Hūhana Lyndon, kīhai te Minita i whakautu tōtika i āna pātai, ā, kīhai hoki ia i tino mōhio ki te whānuitanga o ngā whakapaunga pūtea i tōna kōpaki.

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