Issue 85

He Whakaaro
Material hardship – whose responsibility is it?

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch”, they say. And yet, with the stroke of a pen, “free” lunches are being offered to over 7000 students in 31 schools nationwide. By 2021 the number of schools will rise to 120, with more than 21,000 students serviced.
Well the saying isn’t wrong – there are no free lunches – someone always pays. But more on that later.

Kaitohu – the signatories

Waikahutia Tamati Tupa’i (left) and Kiliona Tamati-Tupa’i (right) perform a fearsome wero as manuhiri approach Ōtākou Marae for the Ngāi Tahu Treaty Festival. The theme of this year’s event was Kaitohu – the signatories, in honour of the seven Ngāi Tahu tīpuna who put their names to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.

Protecting our taonga

Whitebaiting has been a customary practice for many generations of Ngāi Tahu, and a popular pastime for many Kiwi. In recent years, declining fish stocks throughout the country have prompted the Minister for Conservation to announce a consultation period on proposed changes to whitebait management, including regulations that would limit when, where and how the practice occurs. Kaituhi Anna Brankin catches up with Ngāi Tahu whitebaiters to learn more about the significance of the custom, and to hear their thoughts on the proposed changes.

Bringing tikanga Māori into the courtroom

“When I came to leave high school, the deputy principal called me into the office and said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I don’t know’, and he said I should go into the army.”

But Quentin said he couldn’t be bothered getting up early in the morning and shining his shoes. The deputy principal asked what he did want to do, and his flippant answer at that young age was that he just wanted to make money.

“His response was to be a doctor or lawyer. I said, ‘I can’t be bothered getting up early in the morning and delivering babies, so I’ll go lawyer then.’”

He laughs about that little exchange now, with many years of success in the profession behind him. As one of the country’s newest judges, Quentin is now on a mission to bring his own personal style to the District Court.