It is also a time for us to think about what our aspirations and dreams for Te Reo Māori are.

A new facebook page has been set up, Takohatia: Share your aspirations for the Māori language.

Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, shared his, and the Commission’s, aspirations for Māori Language on the Takohaita page.  We challenge you all to think about your aspirations and take a photo of yourself holding it and post it to the page too.

The Commission has some new resources to celebrate the week.  A new reo Māori booklet of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a bilingual booklet on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and a four page reo Māori guide to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Other reo Māori Commission resources can be found on our website.

Have a great week everyone and don’t forget to tell us what is happening in your community – post it to the Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori facebook page.

Also, don’t forget to apply for the Māori Language Awards, the categories include:

• Private sector, Rāngai Tūmataiti
• Community, Hapori
• Local government, Kaunihera ā-rohe
• Government, Kāwanatanga
• Broadcasting – mainstream, Ao pāpāho – auraki
• Broadcasting – Māori media, Ao pāpāho – reo Māori
• Print – Tānga
• Information Technology and Telecommunications – Te Hangarau mōhiohio me te ataata rongo
• Education – mainstream, Ao mātauranga – auraki
• Education – Māori medium, Ao mātauranga – reo Māori
• Tertiary – Kura Tuatoru
• Māori Language Week – Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
• Te Tohu Huia te Reo - supreme winner of open categories
• Te Tira Aumangea – awarded to Māori language community group
• Taku Toa Takimano – awarded to an individual 

Entries close on 10 August.  Have an awesome te wiki o te reo and send your applications in!

The resource helps identify the human rights dimensions of the Treaty.  It works towards a greater understanding of the human rights aspects of the Treaty and the implications in our lives today. 

Order your copy of the Treaty framework at resources@hrc.co.nz  or phone 0800 496 877.

It can be accessed on the Commission’s website.

The paper aims to promote human rights as a central consideration in the evolving debate about freshwater – its availability, its quality and safety, its affordability, its use and the relationship with the Treaty of Waitangi, the degree to which citizens participate in decision-making about it, and the accountability that is linked to national guidance and standard-setting.

Water rights have been the hot topic of discussion in recent weeks and the Waitangi Tribunal has met urgently to talk about the issue.  When considering these issues the Commission supports the notions that the Treaty belongs to all of us and is the promise of two peoples to take the best possible care of each other.  An expert witness for the NZ Maori Council, Mr. Alexander, echoed these ideas when he said the Government has the right to govern, but the hapu and iwi had the right to exercise their rangatiratanga over the water. Integration of these two sets of rights needed to occur through consultation and negotiation between equal parties.

The theme is “Aotearoa, A Fair Go for All”. You can find more details on the NZ Diversity forum website

Some forums that might be of interest include:

Together We Grow: The Treaty, Diversity and the Constitution

The Constitutional Advisory Panel will shortly begin consulting New Zealanders about constitutional issues including Crown-Maori relationships, Maori seats in Parliament and local government, the role of the Treaty of Waitangi within NZ’s constitutional arrangements and whether NZ should have a written constitution.

Te Papa Tongarewa and the Human Rights Commission encourage you to get involved in the discussion.  This forum will provide information on basic issues such as: What is a Constitution? How should the Treaty inform our constitutional framework? Why do we need Māori seats? And how should the constitution reflect our diversity?

The forum will be opened by Dr Claudia Orange from Te Papa and Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres. They will be followed by a panel of experts who will open up discussion on the topic.  Representatives of the Constitutional Advisory Panel will also attend.   

Taku Manawa & Tūhonohono – Human Rights and Community Development

The Human Rights Commission has been working with an approach that builds sustainable human rights capacity in communities. It involves a ‘bottom up’ approach where communities actively participate in constructing their own idea of human rights and work toward developing their own strategies to realise them. 

This session will include a panel of speakers who will draw off their own experiences of community activism to bring about social change and the realisation of human rights.

Treaty of Waitangi: Tangata Tiriti

What is the significance of the Treaty for migrants?  This session will explore the importance of the Treaty to all peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand, regardless of when they arrived or their country of origin.

A Fair Go for All: Changing the Systems that perpetuate ethnic inequalities

While there have been many attempts to eliminate major ethnic inequalities in health, education, criminal justice and the public sector, inequalities persist.

In 2011-12, the Human Rights Commission researched and workshopped a discussion paper that examined the role structural discrimination or institutional racism plays in perpetuating inequalities.

This forum will present the findings of the Commission’s structural discrimination report. It will provide an overview of what structural discrimination is, what things perpetuate it, and ways it can be addressed.

The forum session will be facilitated by Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres from the Human Rights Commission. He will be followed by a panel who will present on successful initiatives to address entrenched ethnic inequalities.  The floor will then be opened for discussion.

Living Languages (Promoting our official languages): Te Reo and NZSL

This is a forum on New Zealand’s official languages. It will include a panel discussion between speakers of and experts on Māori signs, NZSL and te reo Māori. The panel will consider the advantages and disadvantages of the New Zealand Sign Language Act and the Māori Language Act. It will explore how communities can learn from each other how to record, protect and promote language; how fluency can be increased in te reo Māori and NZSL; and how to increase communication for Māori with hearing impairment within their communities.

Please click on the links above for dates, times and registration details.

Naumai, Haere mai, it will be great to see you there.

Rangatiratanga is one of the human rights dimensions of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Commission’s Treaty resource states that Rangatira affirmed their Rangatiratanga, their authority to protect and develop their taonga, through the Treaty.

Self determination is the nearest description of Rangatiratanga used by human rights institutions including the United Nations. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) says “Indigenous peoples have the right to self determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” The UNDRIP provides minimum “standards of achievement to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect.”

In 1840, Rangatiratanga was attributed to hapū in the Treaty. Today Rangatiratanga resides in whānau, hapū, iwi and marae. Some national pan-Māori organisations practice Rangatiratanga. Those institutions have a diverse range of ways through which they express their Rangatiratanga. These can be seen in the structures, institutions, and rules used to make decisions that determine the protection and development of their taonga.

Below are some questions that we would really value feedback on - representing yourself, whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or organisation:

• What do whānau, hapū, marae, iwi and national organisations do to express their Rangatiratanga?
• How are, the rangatira who lead the entity, selected?
• How are rules developed to ensure decisions are made by and for the whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or national organisation?
• What are the taonga your whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or national organisation aim to exercise Rangatiratanga?

This is a new publication specifically for Māori, and from a Māori perspective, that gives a snapshot of information on Māori well-being and development.

Te Ao Mārama was developed due to the recognition that information about Māori needed to be published in an easily accessible way with key information collated into one area. Te Ao Mārama includes information on population, cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, Treaty settlements and environment. It uses easily understandable graphics and graphs to convey information quickly.  If you want more information the graphs and graphics are linked to a more detailed statistical report.

Te Ao Mārama is available in print from Statistics New Zealand in both te reo Māori and English.

In addition to Te Ao Mārama, Statistics New Zealand has further developed the Māori statistics section on their website. This gives fast and convenient access to a wealth of information related to Māori.

Ka pai Statistics New Zealand!

EMRIP provides thematic expertise and makes proposals to the Council relating to the rights of indigenous peoples. It works as a tool to progress indigenous human rights issues.

New Zealand Human Rights Commissioner Karen Johansen attended the fifth session of the expert mechanism in July 2012. The session focused on the role of languages and culture in the promotion and protection of the rights and identity of indigenous peoples.

 “A culture’s language embodies the history, values and traditions of a people. It binds people together and enables the transfer of the culture from one generation to the next,” said Commissioner Johansen. 

“It is also timely to take stock of progress made on the implementation of UNDRIP as it is two years since New Zealand announced its support for the declaration.”

Under its mandate to strengthen human rights and increase respect and understanding for the Treaty of Waitangi (the domestic expression of UNDRIP), the New Zealand Commission will participate in its country’s constitutional review.

The World Conference in 2014 will mark the seventh anniversary of the General Assembly’s adoption of UNDRIP. Key points raised during the session will be revisited at the conference. These include:

1. self determination, participation in decision making, and free prior and informed consent
2. equality and non-discrimination
3. respect for and protection of culture.

Further documentation from the Human Rights Council EMRIP – Fifth Session, July 9-13, 2012, Geneva:

• NZHRC intervention on New Zealand’s implementation of UNDRIP
• NZHRC Intervention on Language and Culture
• Joint Statement by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda and Human Rights Commissioner Karen Johansen to the EMRIP.

Rangatiratanga is one of the human rights dimensions of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Commission’s Treaty resource states that Rangatira affirmed their Rangatiratanga, their authority to protect and develop their taonga, through the Treaty.

 Self determination is the nearest description of Rangatiratanga used by human rights institutions including the United Nations. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) says “Indigenous peoples have the right to self determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” Previously, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights reinforced this with its first article, which states that “All peoples have the rights of self-determination.” The UNDRIP provides minimum “standards of achievement to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect.”

In 1840, Rangatiratanga was attributed to hapū in the Treaty. Today Rangatiratanga resides in whānau, hapū, iwi and marae. Some national pan-Māori organisations practice Rangatiratanga. Those institutions have a diverse range of ways through which they express their Rangatiratanga. These can be seen in the structures, institutions, and rules used to make decisions that determine the protection and development of their taonga.

Below are some questions that we would really value feedback on – representing yourself, whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or organisation:

• What do whānau, hapū, marae, iwi and national organisations do to express their Rangatiratanga?
• How are, the rangatira who lead the entity, selected?
• How are rules developed to ensure decisions are made by and for the whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or national organisation?
• What are the taonga your whānau, hapū, marae, iwi or national organisation aim to exercise Rangatiratanga?

The theme: "Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices" aims to highlight the importance of indigenous media, and its role in helping to preserve indigenous peoples' cultures, challenge stereotypes and influence the social and political agenda.

"From community radio and television to feature films and documentaries, from video art and newspapers to the internet and social media, indigenous peoples' are using these powerful tools to challenge mainstream narratives, bring human rights violations to international attention and forge global solidarity," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the day. “They are also developing their own media to reflect indigenous values and fight against myth and misconceptions."

A Media Forum: "Māori News is Bad News" is planned for the upcoming annual Diversity Forum, being held at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, on Monday 20 August from 3.30pm to 5pm. New research comparing news stories about Māori shown in Māori television news bulletins to English-language news bulletins has found that Māori news in English-language bulletins is relatively rare, and prioritises violence and criminality. The forum will be hosted by Kupu Taea, a media research group in Auckland, and discussion guided by panellists Dr Ray Nairn, Jenny Rankine and Angela Moewaka Barnes on this and other research which highlights this media bias.

To register your interest or for more information on this and other sessions check out the NZ Diversity Forum website.