posted 25 May 2001 10:50 AM         

There was no spectacular splashing out on specifically Maori projects in the Budget that Michael Cullen, the Minister of Finance, delivered yesterday.

As expected, there was funding ($10 million) earmarked for the Maori TV channel that is being proposed for next year. And there’s to be a boost for five Maori regional tourism organisations.

There’s also a $15 million Direct Resourcing Fund that will be run by Te Puni Kokiri and is, among other things, an attempt to by-pass the discouraging complexity of central government contracts. Capacity building, which was launched last year, gets another nudge along – and so does the Maori Business Facilitation Service.

Bay of Plenty

Maureen Waaka, a campaigner for the legislation that would allow for special Maori seats on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, says there’s just one last hurdle to clear. That’s the third reading of the bill – and Maureen sees no reason why it won’t pass through that stage.

Maureen says it’s important for the bill to go through before the end of next month so that arrangements can be made in time for the local body elections this year.

Stephanie La Rosa

A Maori woman has become the first to win the national Toastmasters title. She’s Stephanie La Rosa who has links with Waima in the Hokianga. And, as a result of that win, she’s off to Los Angeles to compete in the world championship.

Stephanie says the tips she’s picked up on public speaking have been invaluable and she reckons other Maori would benefit, too, from learning how to speak more confidently and professionally in public.

Michael Walker

The 17-year-old Maori apprentice jockey, Michael Walker, closed rapidly on one of Lance O’Sullivan’s records yesterday. At Hastings, Michael rode five winners and ended the day with a total of 162 for the season.

That equals the New Zealand record that Lance set four years ago. Seeing that there’s still more than two months left in the racing season – and that Michael has generally been riding four winners a week – he could go close to a total of 200.

In the meantime a more that 40 winning rides clear of Lance, who’s just as far ahead of any of the others.

Genetic engineering

A report commissioned by Te Puni Kokiri last year confirms that many Maori differ from the general population in the way they view genetic engineering. The principal researcher, Fiona Cram, says there is Maori unease about interfering with whakapapa, and concern about what may be seen as unnatural practices.

She says Maori views have tended to be ignored because of the dominance of a scientific world view where there is the assumption that scientists have a right to know. But Fiona says there are other world views, including the idea that we may not have a right to know.