Kei nga waewae kai kapua, kei nga waewae kai pakiaka o te motu ` rarau mai ki Te Hui. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui ` Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei... It's the place where politics, protest and protection collide. Having more than 100 police show up last night during karakia was a surprise. That's an isolated incident that happened at that time, but not to detract from the last two weeks, where our staff have worked really close together. Ihumatao ` testing relationships and leadership. Do you think the police brought you in too late? No, absolutely not. I've been here since the outset. We discuss the latest developments at Ihumatao. And he's going viral with his break-out hit Good Mood. Did you have a feeling it was going to be so successful? I did have a good feeling for Good Mood, that it was gonna do well. It definitely had that kinda positive vibe, which I knew people were gonna resonate with. We catch up with Ngati Huia artist Rei for the launch of his new album ` The Bridge. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 Karahuihui mai. The repossession of Ihumatao has become the first serious test of the Labour government's relationship with Maori. The standoff over a housing development on what was confiscated land is now in its third week. Labour's Maori MPs have visited the site, but the PM's been criticised for not showing face at Ihumatao. So what exactly is the government doing to bring this take to a close? To discuss, I'm joined now by the Minister for Maori Development, Nanaia Mahuta. Tena koe. Tena koe, Mihi. (SPEAKS MAORI) (SPEAKS MAORI) You're right in the thick of it there at Ihumatao. What is being done? You know, who are you meeting with? What's the korero? Look, it's quite evident that since the 23rd of July when the eviction notice was issued and action was taken on the land that this brought to a head, I think, a number of concerns which have touched a number of New Zealanders over a period of time. But let's break it down just slightly. Firstly, the direct issues around Ihumatao, around the housing development, have arisen out of a change to legislation by the previous government, which didn't go through the type of consultation process one would expect. The SHA ` the Special Housing Areas is what you're talking about. Pretty much. And falling off that is that there's a strong ambition, certainly from the hau kainga, to ensure that the development around them doesn't occur in a way that actually divorces their relationship to Otuataua and the reserve that has already been set aside, but more importantly, the development of private land in the immediate vicinity. There's also been some public sentiment that has gained support under the SOUL initiative to protect further some cultural heritage landscape aspects in relation to Ihumatao. But if we really want to ensure that something different happens, then we have to go directly to the community that is most affected and try and find a way forward. And so let's talk about that in two separate issues, and let's just talk about the hau kainga and, as you say, the responsibility that we all have to make sure that they're not divided. Are you heartened by, you know, the Kingitanga being involved and other groups like that? Do you think that is the rongo? When the Prime Minister called all parties together, and certainly ministers, she did that out of a belief that something different needed to happen, because there was a whole widespread view across the New Zealand community that something was fundamentally not right with what was happening at Ihumatao. The process was to try and get everybody in the room to see what the appetite was to find another way forward. That was the meeting that occurred on the 26th of July. And then the decision to hold all works until a resolution was found became the opportunity for ministers, certainly, to encourage parties to come together. Iwi have stepped forward. The Kingitanga has stepped forward. And they've said tae hoake, we will bring hau kainga mana whenua interests together and then form an approach towards going into seeking another way forward, and we're encouraged by that. So, at the moment, you will be giving them some space? So the Kingitanga will be having those hui; you'll be waiting to see what happens after that; and then you'll have to make some decisions? There has been space given for that, and no works has happened since. We are encouraged by the leadership taken by the iwi in support of hau kainga and mana whenua to progress these conversations, and obviously Kingitanga have saw fit to put their support towards that process as well. I want to pick up on that second kaupapa that you talked about ` the fact that there was a re-zoning of that whenua under the last government, which turned it into a Special Housing Area 62, if I'm correct. You are the local government minister. Is that something you're going to look at? Look, let's go back to the original legislation, which was put forward under National. The final legislation was supported by National and the Maori Party and wasn't supported by Labour, New Zealand First, the Greens, Mana, and so there is very much a political element to this that created the problem that we have right now in relation to the development. But as the legislation sits now, we've pretty much drawn a line under the special housing action area legislation. We want to ensure, actually, that if there is going to be intensification in urban areas and development that there's got to be a process of engagement with the community, with councils, and taking greater accord of some very sensitive issues when you come into big cities like Auckland, and the green space issues have to be taken into account. So you're saying you've been left with this issue that was basically done by the last government and the Maori Party supporting that, but even if you go back earlier than that, there were plans in the mix to make this a special reserve for the public. So not only has the public lost that opportunity to have a reserve, but now it has a housing development on it. As the minister, surely you can do something about that? You have all the powers. Well, those plans that you talk about, about widening the Otuataua reserves, happened during the time prior to the Super City, under Manukau City Council. They enjoyed a very good relationship with the people of Te Akitai, and specifically the community at Ihumatao. So, you know, things took its place, and... I think the Auckland City Council recently have reflected on some of its decisions and its contribution towards another solution, and that is now the conversation that we're having. How do we bring all parties that can contribute to a solution to participate in developing one? Importantly, mana whenua are` What do you think is the best resolution? Importantly, mana whenua need to be in a position to be confident to articulate what their aspirations are because they are the community ` hau kainga ` immediately affected, and if a big development happens without them, they're going to be further disenfranchised from their whenua. Local government can do something. I'm sure central government will be thinking about what it can do. What are those options? Are they land swaps? Are they purchasing pieces of land? Are they swapping land? Yeah, look, I'm sure that there are all range of things that contribute towards a solution. It would be premature of me to try and craft that solution around the table in this discussion. But what I can say is that all parties who can contribute to a solution need to be a part of the conversation to look for a different way forward. We are trying to solve some very complex issues, and if the solution was easy, we would have found it by now, and we haven't, because they're so complex. So, you know, the main thing from here on in is to ensure that mana whenua feel confident, that they can articulate the nature of their ambition in looking for a solution and that all other parties that can contribute to a solution are a part of that conversation too. (SPEAKS MAORI) Well,... (SPEAKS MAORI) And it's well known that the lands at Ihumatao were a part of a broader confiscation of Waikato lands during the 1860s. So, the way in which, certainly, successive leaders throughout the Kingitanga led to try and seek the resolution for raupatu culminated in 1995 when the Waikato Raupatu Settlement Act was reached. And going into that process, and on the issue of raupatu in particular, there were a certain set of agreements that were reached. And, actually, at the time, it was known that private land wasn't available to be a part of the treaty settlement process, as hurtful as that is. An apology was issued by the Queen of England ` the only settlement that has received a direct apology from the Queen of England ` to Te Atairangikaahu. That was accepted to atone for the raupatu that occurred. However, it's important that we move forward from this point and try and find a different solution for Ihumatao. We have got a very unique set of circumstances born out of legacy. We are mindful that we can't affect past, present and future treaty settlements and also the private interests of landowners throughout New Zealand. They're very difficult and challenging issues. Tena koe. Kia ora. After the break, we speak to our top cop, DC Wally Haumaha, about police action at Ihumatao. After days of peaceful occupation, all hell broke loose at Ihumatao this week when police unexpectedly ramped up their numbers. Those on the front line of the occupation claim that they were pushed around by police and blocked from accessing blankets and water despite the cold, wet weather. Police say they were responding to information the protectors were about to make a move and praised staff for their professionalism despite being verbally abused. Ultimately, it was up to top Maori cop DC Wally Haumaha, who brought calm to a heated situation. I began by asking him about the plan to reduce police numbers and bring in Maori wardens. So, we've had discussions with Maori wardens who are really keen to go on to the site, and I understand they're looking at increasing the numbers that they've currently got there, so they're quite excited about that. It makes sense, do you think? Absolutely. Look, our wardens, they absolutely love being around people, and so the face of the wardens is quite acceptable to our people, so having the wardens there makes sense. I know you don't want to dwell on things that have happened, but on Monday night, as you know, there was an escalation. There was an increase of police numbers, which caused a lot of tension out there. What were police responding to? What was the threat? Well, look, you know, whether information had come through and we had to respond to whatever that information looked like, that's an isolated incident that happened at that time, but not to detract from the last two weeks, where our staff have worked really close together. You know, this isn't our issue. They've never wanted to be in the middle of this, but they have done a great job up until, you know, those tensions got a little bit heated. You'll recall our police officer who was playing the guitar, singing Whakaaria Mai, which went viral. You look at some of our staff playing football with the kids. That's the sort of relationship that they were developing ` keeping everybody safe and just ensuring that everyone, again, was staying there in a peaceful way. You know, it's unfortunate. And as I said to the organisers, it's an unfortunate thing that took place. But rather than dwell on the past and dwell on those issues which we can't change, it was how could we move forward and influence what's ahead of us. District Commander Jill Rogers released a statement on the Tuesday following that Monday night saying that, you know, they were forced into that position. Meanwhile, Pania Newton, she said that she was pushed around, and there was a bit of force there, I guess. Is that when you came into the situation? Oh, look, it's... Again, from our perspective, I was invited to come up here to have a kanohi ki te kanohi korero and just try and quell any issues that were around at that time. So, I wanted to focus on if there were issues happening at that point in time, how could we move forward? And, I guess, my role is to just come in, again, to support the district, as I say, who have done a brilliant job over the last two weeks. Do you think the police brought you in too late? No, absolutely not. I've been here since the outset, and I've been asked that same question` In the driver's seat? I've been working alongside of our district teams and staying close and working with our iwi, and across a whole range of areas ` so, you know, some of the high-level issues that we've had to deal with. But, unfortunately, like all things, we're all busy, and I had to leave. What does that say? Does that say that there's not enough senior Maori police in the force? We've got some good people coming through the ranks, and we've got some really top inspectors across the country who understand these issues, and they've worked side by side. Yeah. I guess what people are asking is, you know, who did make the decision that Monday night, it wasn't the friendly faces that they'd seen for the few weeks leading up to that night. They said it was` You know, they felt like it was a whole new, kind of, whakaaro kaupapa coming in. Were you aware of it? Well, look... And it is unfortunate. Again, you know, my position is really to understand how we arrived in that position, but more so to how we move on. We've made some small concessions about just signalling an agreement that there will be nobody attempting to move on to the sites where an eviction notice has been served. And so they've got it really well organised there, and together with our staff now in place, or who have been in place, and with the joined-up, sort of, network operating, I think we'll see everybody is just waiting for the outcome and waiting for the resolution that is ahead of us. If you are a Maori police officer in Counties Manukau and assigned to Ihumatao, do you have a choice to not attend, to not go out? Well, absolutely, if they feel strongly that this is a situation that they wouldn't want to be placed in. You know, we are certainly aware of issues where it relates to the health and safety of any of our staff. So nobody is forced into a position. If they strongly feel that this is an issue that they do feel strongly about, then I would encourage them to go and see their supervisor, whoever their leader is, and put those issues to them. Nobody should be afraid of that. Are you aware of any to date? (CHUCKLES) No, not really, because we all swear an oath, you know, to do the best job that we can, and I know our Maori staff, as well as all of our staff, do come... And there's pressure on some of our Maori staff when situations like this happen. And these are complex issues that do face our people. And all we want to do, and all our Maori staff want to do as well, is to go into those situations knowing they can be trusted to do a good job. When your officers do come up against aggression and abuse, as we've seen in a video that's been on social media, how do you deal with that? What kind of support do you offer? You know, that's where I absolutely take my hat off to some of our people who do stand in the face of some of that abuse and that aggression, and they do contain themselves as best as they can. And some of the abuse... Yeah, we've had that over many, many years. You know, post-Springbok tour, we're still on the front line and heard all of that stuff. But I think because of the way our police conduct themselves. If you reflect on things in the past like Bastion Point and Pakaitore, we've now got these, you know, really respected ropu, like the Kingitanga, who are trying to facilitate hui. I mean, is this a sign of the times? Absolutely, and I think, you know, you realise our people have come a very long way since those days, and there are some very important people and key players who understand the landscape inside of those areas. And to have the right people in the right place having those discussions is probably the right thing to do. All those who come in to try and achieve a resolution, the more discussions that take place, the more that we have people who can communicate with each other in that way, well, it helps to take the police out of the front line. So if they get it right up front, then there's no need for the police to be there. What's different this time round? You know, you've been in the police force for a long time. You've been around from Pakaitore, the Tuhoe raids, where, you know, mana whenua weren't involved in any of that kind of discussion, yet here we are today, and you are facilitating hui. I believe the leadership of the organisation has changed quite significantly, and the culture of the organisation has changed, and the understanding of Maori issues is important to us as an organisation. In particular, one of our values about our commitment to Maori and the Treaty is important to us. This week, you stood shoulder to shoulder with one of the protectors at a press conference. You know, it was only a decade ago where we had a Prime Minister that was calling protesters 'haters and wreckers'. How far have we come? Well, I think it just shows that people do want to sit down and discuss the issues in a peaceful way, and if it means that the police` It doesn't matter who we join up with. We're there to protect everyone who's a citizen in this country. And standing side by side our people shows that there are some people who don't want to protest, you know, in a violent way. There are people who want to protest and have their issues heard in a peaceful way. And, I guess, standing side by side was a demonstration of how we can support that protest in a peaceful way until a resolution is achieved. Ko Wally Haumaha tera, and he told us that SOUL representatives have asked the police to maintain a presence at Ihumatao to provide security and safety support to the protectors. He kaupapa puoro e haere ake nei no reira kia mau tonu mai ra te titiro. Auraki mai ano. Rising Maori hip-hop star Rei has just launched his latest album, The Bridge. The Ngati Huia singer says it was a labour of love which took more than two years to complete, but includes his breakthrough song Good Mood, which rose to number one on the US Spotify Viral Chart over summer. Rewa Harriman caught up with the talented producer, singer, songwriter as he completes his most intimate work to date. # ...at uni on some scholarships until they ran out. Yeah. Rei is an award-winning artist who can sing, rap and produce. # Every step that I take, # I had to fight for it. # He's a part of the new wave of Kiwi hip-hop artists who are making noise here in Aotearoa and abroad. MAN: He really exemplifies the new future of Aotearoa musicians. He's bilingual, and naturally, you know, bridges and moves between those worlds. (SINGS IN MAORI) I love writing music, and I love performing. Like, that's the main thing. But this Maori muso doesn't want to be a one-hit wonder. Like, I'm in this music thing for the long haul. You know, like, I'm not gonna be a flash in the pan. I'm gonna keep writing music. I'm gonna... Like, this is my thing. # I just wanna be myself. # Everybody's so caught up in their dream lifestyle. # Rei's passion for music and making beats started in his bedroom. Over my teenage years, was always making music and making beats and rapping and writing songs on guitar. I always feel, like, most like myself when I'm just in the zone and writing and making music. His mum, Heni, remembers those days well. HENI: Yeah, it was quite amazing how he just seemed to teach himself how to make the beats. I don't know how he learnt it. But before long, he was doing it and putting songs together. Not too much has changed for Rei. Despite his success, he's still making hits in his bedroom. (HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS) But instead of relying solely on his talent to succeed, the Wellingtonian also got a degree from Victoria University. Te Reo was my major and marketing was my minor. So, I did Maori just for myself, really, cos Maori language and culture is a big part of my life and everything. And the marketing was specifically to help with music and give me a bit more of a business grounding. After graduating, Rei moved to Auckland in 2015 and started working with Kog Studio and industry giant Chris Chetland. I thought what he was doing was really interesting, and he was definitely ahead of the curve musically, and he could sort of see the future of where things were going. Chris has worked with international artists and a long list of local artists, including Savage and Scribe. I think Scribe was the first, like, New Zealand artist that I really looked up to. I think the first New Zealand CD that I owned was Scribe's Crusader. So it's pretty cool to kind of go full circle now since I'm working with the person that, like, really was behind that album in a big way. The baseline is 50% there. Yeah, hard. Once we get that done, and I think it's pretty easy, yeah, the whole thing will roll. Yeah, we'll get it there. And the whole kaupapa at Kog Studios is to empower the artists, to teach the artists as much as possible about every aspect of the industry. So, I've definitely learned a whole lot. Really grateful to have that, kind of, mentor or whanau relationship with Kog, where they've just been teaching me all these things. Rei's breakthrough came last year with his hit single Good Mood. The song literally went viral, kicking Ariana Grande's Thank You, Next off the top spot on the US Spotify viral chart. # Yeah, today I'm in a good mood. # Got good drank and good food # with some good friends and good news. # Did you have a feeling it was going to be so successful? I did have a good feeling for Good Mood that it was gonna do well. It definitely had that, kind of, positive vibe, which I knew people were going to resonate with. Kind of like, you know, Pharrell's 'Happy' or something like that. It just works. But, yeah, I didn't think it was gonna hit number one on the US viral Spotify chart. Like, I didn't see you coming. That was cool as. And a relief for his parents. We have to admit, we did have some nervousness about him venturing on a career like this, which is high-risk, and not many people that try can actually make it through and make a living from it. We're really very proud of our boy. Rei has produced three albums, five EPs and several singles ` some of them in Te Reo. (SINGS IN MAORI) I didn't really hear much Maori hip-hop R & B music, so I kind of just wanted to make some Maori music that I'd really want to listen to. (SINGS IN MAORI) Also, with the type of Te Reo that I use in my Maori music, I use a lot of transliterations and get really cheeky, make up my own words. Cos, you know, with American hip-hop, they make up words, new slang all the time, so it's just the same thing. Like, we're just trying to push Te Reo forward and make it relevant for 2019. # Ka nukunuku ka nekeneke. # To aroha ka tuku tena kia tere. # Rei isn't just floating in and out of languages; he's crossing genres as well. Yeah, Rei is comfortable to work with a lot of different genres. But that's a really common trait amongst successful artists, because it's just like languages ` the more words you have, the more you can do, the better poetry you can write. This year, though, Rei's top priority was to complete his latest album, The Bridge. I've never worked as hard on any kind of project as this. I've been quite a lot more harder on myself on, like, making songs as good as possible, especially when it comes to the mixing and engineering side of things ` just making sure every sound is perfect, making sure every lyric is perfect, the vocals sit right and everything like that. # I never hesitate, never hesitate, no. # Rei stayed here, down in our little whare, for about six weeks while we worked on the album, and we just kept on going over it and honing it and honing it. So you were staying here while you were mixing your album? Yeah, I was staying down here in whare iti ` that's the name of this whare. It's just a beautiful place to be able to really focus on the album and try to block out everything. No WiFi down in this whare, so that's good. Today, all that sacrifice is rewarded at the official launch of his album. Nau mai, haere mai. It's so good to see you guys here tonight. CHRIS: It's definitely his best work. It's pretty much a concept album, which is a rare thing for an artist to do these days. Rei's one actually tells a story. # Today I'm in a good mood. # Rei says The Bridge is a kaupapa-driven album. I try to keep my music within this theme of rangatiratanga, of empowering people to be chiefs of their own environment and of their own minds and of their own lives. I try to keep everything under that. If it's a heartbreak song or a love song, like, at the end of the song I want people to be feeling better and more empowered, so hopefully I do that. He's definitely got a big future within New Zealand, but also internationally. It's all pretty exciting, but nothing's, like, locked in. I'm just gonna follow where life's leading me, not trying to force anything. # Yeah, today I'm in a good mood. G-G-Good mood. # Kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. Newshub Nation's next. Pai marire ki a tatou katoa. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 ALL: He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho. The Hui is made with support from NZ On Air.