Coming up on Te Karere... The people of Pouakani are carefully considering options to halt the sale of Mighty River Power. It's another issue for us to resolve between ourselves and the law. So the Government won't impede on our discussions with the law. What does the Government want now in the fight against tobacco? And the thoughts of this exponent about the movement for revitalising the Maori language this week. Maori need to get on with speaking the language. Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. The people of Pouakani are carefully considering options to strengthen their bid for an injunction to stop the sale of Mighty River Power. They're angry the sale is going ahead before a ruling from the Waitangi Tribunal. However, following the litigation process is an all too familiar path for Pouakani, especially when they have little confidence in the judicial process. Where is the backing of the law in the Supreme Court's resolution in favour of Pouakani? The people concerned are the descendants of Maori who had 100,000 acres of land taken from under them in the Native Land Laws in 1889. They're concerned that despite the Supreme Court's ruling, their rights haven't yet been made into law. Then there were the Prime Minister's comments ahead of the Waitangi Tribunal's ruling on water rights. They are now thinking of their next step. Especially considering the hard road ahead if they decide to continue on with the courts. Tini Molyneux, Te Karere. For $1000, you can become a shareholder of Mighty River Power. Prime Minister, John Key, says he expects 90% of investors to be New Zealanders. But will that happen? We're unable to provide subtitles Earlier, Hekia Parata gave us her thoughts on some of the current political issues. She is National's representative for issues on the Maori Language. We're unable to provide subtitles. We're unable to provide subtitles. The Greek owners of the container ship, Rena, are meeting with iwi of the Bay of Plenty to discuss the aftermath of the ship's collision on the Astrolabe Reef, Tauranga. The first meeting was held at Whareroa Marae, Mauao. Hinerangi Goodman was there. An apology from the owner of the Rena, Constantinos Sakaratos, was like music to the ears of these members of the Iwi Leaders Forum from Tauranga Moana. He was sincerely sorry about the damage caused by the Rena hitting the reef. Most important of all... We want the sea and beaches returned to their former pristine status. In the spirit of what was said between the parties here today, it was obvious that there are many issues which will be addressed one at a time. We want to carefully handle the process forward so as not to spook the horse. There will be other meetings held during the course of this week with other coastal iwi leaders also affected by the grounding of the Rena. Hinerangi Goodman, Te Karere. A new law which came into effect today means retailers can no longer display tobacco products. Getting rid of cigarette signs from the public's view. Some smokers say it's a good move. Smoking isn't good for the young kids so I think it s a good thing. So people don't see the ads and feel the urge to smoke. So the new laws have been enforced and Tariana Turia has a proposal to remove branding from packaging. Smokers also support Turia's proposal. It's good to hide the branding on packets too, but people won't stop smoking. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2008, 46% of Maori smoked. In spite of all these initiatives, it's really up to the individual whether or not they give up. Anzac Pikia, Te Karere. After the break, the Maori language is being honoured this week, but some still say it's still a long way from revival. People have arrived here from all over the country for the Secondary Kapa haka National Competitions. The trial has begun of a boat skipper involved in protest action against deep-sea oil drilling in the Raukumara Basin. 44-year-old Elvis Heremaia Teddy is charged with resisting arrest, breaching an exclusion zone and using his vessel to cause unnecessary risk to a Petrobas survey ship. His trial is set for four days in the Tauranga District Court. It's been 25 years since Maori became an official language in NZ but its status is still below what it should be. That's the call from language exponents during the launch of Maori Language Week in Hamilton today. These children are loving the language. But they are few in numbers. We can't expect the Maori language to survive if we don't work for it. The Maori language became an official NZ language in 1987, but the struggles still remain. There have been many initiatives to save the language but the statistics in regards to speakers are still very low. Those who fought for the language say the fight is not over. It started with one day, now it's one week, so how about extending it to one month? That's the question. For the experts, the answer is simple. Just do it - just speak it. I believe that if you speak the language, you will encourage others to eventually answer in te reo. Cherishing the language, especially in its sad state. Potaka Maipi, Te Karere. Koro Wetere and Timoti Karetu were two of the composers of the Maori language legislation 25 years ago. We caught up with Timoti Karetu recently to discuss his thoughts on the current status of the Maori language. We're unable to provide subtitles. To celebrate Maori language week, a group from the Auckland City Council were singing Maori songs on the streets of Central Auckland in an effort to have the public hear our language. 'Te reo Maori to be seen, Te reo Maori to be heard' is the vision that the Auckland City Council holds in its efforts to celebrate Maori language week this year. When you walk down Queen Street, you don't hear the Maori language much. This is why we took our cause to the streets. The overall message we want to promote this week is to 'Cherish the Maori language'. There are a 100 thousand people living in Auckland, but only 26 thousand speak Maori. Despite these figures, the council still has big dreams for its travelling waiata group. You might see us at Te Matatini. Overall, we're stoked to have started doing something this year. The council has poi making and Maori letter writing classes planned for the rest of the week. Raiha Johns, Te Karere. After the break, we check out the Secondary Kapa Haka Nationals, and the weather. And now to the Waikato region's rugby team, to the Chiefs preparing to face of with the Crusaders. They'll play the Crusaders head to head this Friday in the Semi Finals. Although the Crusaders have won in the past, the Chiefs are still hopeful. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.NZ. Limited ticket sales for the National Kapa Kaka Secondary Competition in Whangarei has cut the number of supporters who planned to attend the event. But our cameras and reporter Rapaera Tawhai were there at the pohiri for the teams taking part. A warm welcome from the people of Ngapuhi. This is a very special occasion for us Maori, especially for us from the North. Every two years, 14 regions come together to battle it out for these trophies. There were a lot of complaints over the limited tickets sold, but there are more important issues to solve first. We need to get this venue ready for tomorrow's first session starting at 9am. They also celebrate the Maori Language Week starting today. We have informed our MC's about this special week. Throughout the week, the 44 schools behind me will take the stage. There were supposed to be 48 but four schools from the South Island could not make it. Regardless, this is the biggest the competition has been since its inception. Rapaera Tawhai, Te Karere. Rapaera will be in Whangarei for the rest of the week reporting on the Secondary Kapa Haka Nationals. That's all we have for today. Kia ora tatou katoa. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ on Air. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ on Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012.