Page 18 - Phil Marsh News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Te Kōtui Reo Taumata collective spokesperson, Meihana Durie of Ngāti Kauwhata, leads a haka in the square. “What do we want? Māori wards! When do we want them? Now!” The march, the largest protest in Feilding in living memory if not all time, was led by the marae collective Te Kōtui Reo Taumata. It began at Te Runanga O Raukawa on South St, through the town square, and to the council building on Manchester St. Barbara Cameron, the only Māori to be elected to the council, said she had not seen a protest of such a scale in her 15 years of local government.

WARWICK SMITH/Stuff Miriama Kereama, left, and Hinemoana Durie work together with representatives of 12 marae in and around Feilding to make banners for their protest march to the Manawatū District Council building. Iwi have broken ties with the Manawatū District Council over accusations of cowardice and disrespect. Te Kōtui Reo Taumata, a Manawatū collective of tangata whenua, was established after the council voted 6-4, with one abstention, to defer the decision on whether to establish Māori wards to 2023, at a meeting last Thursday. Collective spokesman Meihana Durie said Māori wou...

DAVID UNWIN/STUFF/Stuff Rangitāne leader Wīremu Kīngi Te Awe Awe says his marae will quit the Manawatū District Council's advisory committee after they voted to defer a decision on whether to establish Māori wards. A law change in February meant the introduction of Māori wards could no longer be stopped by binding public polls. Palmerston North and Rangitīkei councils have both since introduced Māori wards. The Manawatū council had tried to do the same ahead of the 2019 local body elections, as a means of honouring Treaty of Waitangi obligations and improving Māori representatio...

Already-delayed Island Line re-opening looking unlikely to hit promised mid-May date, says expert Rail expert visits each Isle of Wight station and says work on the infrastructure looks “nowhere near completion” A transport expert who recently visited every Isle of Wight train station to monitor progress says work on the infrastructure looks “nowhere near completion”. The already-delayed opening of the line was due to occur on mid-May. Island Line was originally due to return to service at the beginning of April (after being out of action for three month), with newly refurbished trai...

The council had voted 6-4 in favour of establishing a Māori ward in 2017. Only two members from that time are no longer on council. Of those who remain, five – Alison Short, Phil Marsh, Hilary Humphrey, mayor Helen Worboys and Shane Casey – voted in favour of the ward. Councillors Steve Bielski, Stuart Campbell and Andrew Quarrie were opposed. The vote of first-time council member Heather Gee-Taylor is uncertain. She said she was still to familiarise herself with the process involved. She may be the deciding factor if councillors vote the way they did in 2017, with fellow first-tim...