Stories by Moana Ellis
News
PGF-funded marae upgrade project nears completion
A $16 million marae renovation programme is drawing to a close, with a third of marae in the west of the North Island, the top of the South Island and the Chatham Islands benefiting from major…
Iwi eye back-country stations in bid to lift Māori vaccination rate
A mobile Covid-19 team in Rangitīkei will head into back-block farm stations in the drive to close the vaccination gap for Māori as the country braces for Omicron.
Iwi seeks storage for Omicron food and supplies
An iwi is searching for a storage area for food and basic supplies as it prepares to support the Whanganui community through the widely expected Omicron outbreak.
Omicron: A 10-point list to help whānau prepare
Māori communities at a dangerously high risk of Omicron spread need more support to prepare for isolation, infection and illness, researcher Rāwiri Taonui warns.
'Too late': 100,000 Māori can't get booster until March
A Covid-19 Māori health analyst says more than 106,000 vaccinated Māori are not eligible for a booster shot until after 1 March - too late to protect against the expected Omicron surge.
Covid-19 analyst calls for Māori and Pasifika priority in under-12s vaccinations
A Covid-19 Māori health analyst is calling on the government to prioritise Māori and Pasifika children in the 5-11 years vaccine rollout or risk the consequences of a "brown pandemic".
Whanganui takes on new saliva testing approach as Omicron threat looms
Whanganui iwi Tūpoho is opening the region's first Covid-19 saliva testing clinic tomorrow, as part of a community approach it hopes will be picked up around the country.
Iwi collective’s online blitz targets hesitancy over children’s vaccinations
An iwi collective's Covid-19 campaign to lift Māori vaccination will go out on the front foot with an online information blitz to tackle hesitancy about vaccinating children.
Iwi set to put safety monitors on upper reaches of Whanganui River
Whanganui River iwi concerned about the risk of collision between canoeists and jetboaters are to put a team of monitors on the water to ensure the safety of river users.
Vaccine passes and photo ID required at scaled-back Rātana event
Thousands of Rātana followers, politicians and dignitaries have been asked to stay away because of the threat of Covid-19 and most traditional activities have been called off.
Rapid response Covid-19 teams grapple with shortage of nurses
A leader of an intensive effort to boost Māori Covid-19 vaccinations says nurses are in short supply and it's time to look at training more Māori.
Early start to planning around Covid-19 to enable 2023 tribal river journey
Planning will get underway to enable the tribal river wānanga the Tira Hoe Waka to go ahead in 2023 after being axed for two years running.
Whanganui River tribes axe annual tribal pilgrimage
The two-week journey down the Whanganui River for the River tribes has been happening every year since 1988, but has been axed for the second year running because of the threat of Covid-19.
Māori urged to ‘take action and work together’ to combat increased Covid risk
A Covid-19 Māori health analyst is urging Māori to "take action and work together" to reduce the impact of expected Delta outbreaks as the country begins travelling.
Ruapehu District Council tackles ‘huge’ level of gambling harm
Ruapehu District Council is proposing a sinking lid policy for pokie machines and venues.
Border opening puts nearly half the Māori population at risk
A Covid-19 researcher says opening the Auckland border has exposed nearly half of the Māori population to the risk of contracting Delta - and children could be the biggest spreaders.
Covid-19: Iwi collective urges whānau to prepare to be frontline carers
The 15th of December is D-Day for the Ranga Tupua iwi collective as it scrambles to protect vulnerable communities in the central plateau, Rangitīkei, South Taranaki and Whanganui against Covid-19.
Iwi collective mobilises Covid-19 teams to reach vulnerable communities
The Ranga Tupua iwi collective will use millions of dollars of government funding to send mobile units into isolated, rural and vulnerable communities to help them prepare for Covid-19.
Up to 33 unvaccinated Whanganui DHB workers could lose jobs
Up to 33 health workers employed by Whanganui District Health Board will be stood down on pay and may lose their jobs because they have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Housing a priority focus for central North Island iwi Ngāti Rangi
A Ngāti Rangi leader says housing is a top priority for the central North Island iwi.
Six stand for seats on Whanganui board of one of country's biggest farmers
Six people are standing for two positions on the board of one of the biggest farmers in the country, the Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation.
Crown and iwi appoint new ‘face and voice’ of Whanganui River
The government and Whanganui River iwi have jointly appointed a new Pou Tupua to act and speak on behalf of Te Awa Tupua, the special status accorded to the Whanganui River.
Iwi leaders to drive World Expo's first ever Festival of Indigenous and Tribal Ideas
Aotearoa New Zealand is leading a world-first event at Expo 2020 Dubai to support the resurgence of Indigenous and tribal economies.
Māori electoral option will fail Māori voters in council elections - Justice Minister
Māori voters will only be able to vote for Māori ward candidates in the 2022 local elections if they are already on the Māori electoral roll - and the next opportunity to switch rolls is currently…
New $50m courthouse and police hub for Whanganui
A new courthouse will be built in Whanganui with "community-led wellbeing" central to its design, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi announced today.