Coming up on Te Karere... Maureen Waaka, one of the first Maori women to be crowned Miss New Zealand, has died. Tributes begin to flood in - we take a look at her life and what she achieved. Will the Maori Party survive next year's elections? Maori Language Week kicks off and we take a look at celebrations. Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. Maureen Waaka, the first Maori woman to be crowned Miss New Zealand, has died. The former radiographer, who won Miss New Zealand as Maureen Kingi in 1962, passed away in Rotorua Hospital today after suffering a stroke last month. Rotorua and its District Council grieve the passing of a matriarch. A woman dear to our hearts, who we turned to for all Te Arawa matters. After suffering a stroke two weeks ago, Maureen Waaka was recovering at Auckland Hospital, before taking a turn for the worst last week. She was then brought back home by her whanau on Thursday. The community is mourning the loss of what they say is an extremely talented woman. First noticed nationally in 1962 when she won the Miss New Zealand title. Up until her passing, Waaka had given 18 years of service to her people as a district councillor, involved in cultural issues, political issues, and much more. She was involved in everything, not just the one thing, but in all of the council's matters. Those, amongst many other reasons, are what led to Waaka receiving the NZOM in 2001. Her body has been taken to rest where she grew up, at Tamatekapua. Kereama Wright, Te Karere. One of Hone Harawira's nephews has been jailed for three years and two months for a drunken assault of a 12-year-old boy. Mau Toa Harawira, who is the son of Hinewhare Harawira, and another man whose name is suppressed, chased the boy home from a beach at Blockhouse Bay and beat him in his bedroom after they thought he'd insulted someone in their group. Judge Harvey described the beating as gutless. The mother of the boy says the emotional damage has been horrendous. What can the Maori Party do to win back support from Maori voters? The Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election results showed how much the in-fighting and split between its MPs has hit the party. Hone Harawira has welcomed the Maori Party into his corner, but from past relationship breakdowns it seems an unlikely marriage. In the ups and downs of politics and the Ikaroa Rawhiti by-election the Maori Party has been left in the dust by Labour and Mana. Elections are hard and I think it wasn't just one issue that affected Na's campaign The Maori Party were surprised that they were chasing the tails of the Mana Party. Hone Harawira says the Maori Party's days are over. Maori supported the Maori Party when the controversial Foreshore and Seabed act was being passed, but then Hone Harawira split from the party and now they are all fighting for Maori votes and support. The old saying goes do not make the same mistake twice but that's something that the Maori Party has to discuss, it's not for me to make a decision. But the Maori people still want an independent voice in Parliament; Maori supported NZ First when they won the Maori seats, but were disillusioned by the lack of focus on Maori needs. Maori felt let down and turned their backs on the party, and it looks like that could happen again with the Maori Party. The Maori Party will have their AGM next weekend where all the issues will be discussed and they will find a way forward. Irena Smith, Te Karere. Maori Language Week was launched today in Auckland. This year's theme is Nga Ingoa Maori and Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Maori staff were out in force to hand out merchandise and fruit to people at the train station. That was followed by an event held to officially launch the week by Minister of Maori Affairs Pita Sharples. There's lots more events being held throughout the week to celebrate Maori Language Week. So today marks the start of the 38th Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, but Census data reveals a drop in those who can speak Maori, that's about one in every six people. Meanwhile the Government is yet to release its Maori language strategy. So what's being done? Joining me now in studio is the Maori Language Commission chair Erima Henare. Encouraging non-Maori to give Te Reo a go is obviously a priority for Maori Language Week, but what do you say to the language gurus who believe it's better to spend public money on those who are committed? We're unable to provide subtitles. Erima Henare, thank you for joining us. After the break, now that both men's and women's Sevens team won at the world champs, their eyes are set on the Olympics in 2016. The introduction of compulsory Maori language in schools is seen by many as a solution to stopping its decline. But should communities in places like Remuera be forced to teach Maori in schools? Joining us with her views is the National Party's te reo Maori speaking Minister of Education Hekia Parata. Tena koe Hekia. Are we any closer to having compulsory Maori in schools? We're unable to provide subtitles. Hekia Parata, thank you for joining us. A sustainable primary health care business has begun serving the Kirikiri ward that neither the local iwi nor health sector was capable of doing on their own. Te Waiora is the name that has been given Just like a marriage it comes with the understanding that in the event of a divorce, it's a 50/50 split. The official signing bringing skills, intellectual and financial assets of local hapu and Crown to implement a new health system under Maori etiquette, not coming without it's challenges. They weren't that enthusiastic toward sharing their assets under this regime but in due course they came to see there's no problem and we all benefit in the end. One local businessman said to have raised $1.5 mil in capital towards the erection of the two new proposed buildings. But more significantly perhaps was its democratic approach. Both the Crown and local tribes agreed the best way forward was to use Maori practices as a guide. Te Runanga o Raukawa have long been looking at how to best execute these practices across the board. In the end these issues bring challenges to the table. They're able to bring their partners in to understand Maori etiquette. From those experiences they are now more aware of that, and can see the benefits of Maori practices, not just for Maori but for everybody. The local tribes however very conscious of the health impacts on local elderly, and of issues affecting Maori everywhere. Another problem they face is affordability of getting to the health clinics, and even getting there, A long lasting marriage one would hope where Pakeha, Maori, and more importantly the Kerikeri locals will all benefit from. Peata Melbourne, Te Karere. The NZ men's and women's rugby sevens teams have completed a World Cup double in Moscow. Both teams big winners in their finals. They'll now be firm favourites for the 20-16 Olympics, where sevens will be played for the first time. Final score for the women's was 29-12 and for the men's 33-0. It's an effort that only the faithful supporters would've thought they'd pull off, five in a row but that's what the Warriors did yesterday at Mt Smart beating the Broncos 18 - 16. The Broncos dominated the game all the way to the end going for a penalty goal in the dying minutes that would have levelled the score. Konrad Hurrell's run away try was a stand out. After the break, we have tomorrow's weather. Buck Shelford. Buck Shelford. Hi. You're here for the heart and diabetes TV ad? You're here for the heart and diabetes TV ad? Yeah. Of course. Of course. What do you mean? Well, heart disease and diabetes kill more than 6000 Kiwis every year. I know. I know. So, I'm a woman ` fat and funny ` and you're a... ex-All Black ` not so funny. So? So? So we've got all of the demographics covered. Not all of them. Not all of them. Oh, hey, guys. Not all of them. Oh, hey, guys. Boom. PEOPLE CHATTER To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. This year, the focus of Maori language week is about pronunciation of Maori place names, today we have our intern Em-Haley Kukutai Walker having a go at getting the message across. Invercargill is also known by some Maori as Murihiku. Also known as the city of water and light, now it is called Invercargill where dreams come true. Otago Girls High school is one of the oldest schools of Dunedin, there; students are also able to learn te reo Maori. This is the Maori greeting of the region: Welcome to all, it is by the learning of knowledge that the Totara tree stands tall. Otago: Ka puna karikari o Rakaihautu. Their leader was Rakaihautu, both a deity and a man; The first European to see Lake Wakatipu was Nathanael Chalmers who was guided by the chief Reko. It is likely Ngai Tahu Maori visited Queenstown en route to collect Pounamu, although no evidence of permanent settlement is known. Oamaru contains many sacred areas. Maori tradition tells of the ancient people Kahui Tipua building a canoe, Arai Te Uru, which sailed from southern NZ to the ancestral Polynesian homeland, Hawaiki, to obtain kumara. On its return it became waterlogged off the Waitaki River mouth, lost food baskets at Moeraki beach. That's all we have for today. Turou Hawaiki.