Coming up on Te Karere... Commissioners contracted to help schools that are under distress Commissioners contracted to help schools that are under distress are facing a pay cut of over $100,000. Hone Harawira is feeding the kids to highlight his bill to feed kids in low decile schools. Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. The Gisborne District Council has just agreed to enter a 100 year agreement with the Crown and Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou to restore the Waiapu River to its former glory. Tina Wickliffe has more. Waiapu of many mothers, Waiapu of many ailments. The unique weather patterns and the felling of indigenous forests have led to heavy erosion which has devastated the river. To restore the river's health, the Crown and Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou have entered into an accord for the next 100 years. Now the council has jumped on board. This has been the extent of the Council's restoration efforts; dolosses, or concrete blocks which divert the river away from Ruatorea. But the induction of new councillors has given these river guardians high hopes. And realise the truth of the saying 'Waiapu of many mothers' for generations to come. Tina Wickliffe, Te Karere. Hone Harawira's Feed The Kids Bill will have its first reading in the house tonight, although it is not expected to pass, the Taitokerau MP says it's all about getting the message out and making breakfast and lunch free for everyone who needs it, not just a few. To highlight the reading, he invited a few kids to breakfast this morning. Feed the stomach feed the mind, ready for a day at school. If I'm lucky, there'll be breakfast, If I'm lucky, there'll be breakfast, These kids are from Porirua, and their teachers know how tough it is to teach hungry students. But they aren't waiting for the government to do something, in fact they have a breakfast programme in place now that they manage themselves. It's been a year since Hone Harawira's Feed The Kids Bill was first introduced, and it's not going to be easy to get support. My heart is heavy for those who refuse to join me My heart is heavy for those who refuse to join me in declaring what's in their hearts. But the Maori party do support it, so could this be a sign of things to come for the two Parties There's no bad blood between us. Mana and the Maori Party share many common goals. Sometimes we agree, and sometimes we don't, but those are rare occasions. Our problem is implementation. Hone is not the only one with a food in schools bill. Labours David Shearer also has similar bill expected to have its first reading after Hone's. Irena Smith, Te Karere.. Willie Jackson has stepped down from another radio station in wake of the Roast Busters issue. Jackson will no longer host Waatea's Paakiwaha current affairs show and it's not known when he'll return. Two days ago Willie Jackson and John Tamihere both stood down from a programme they hosted on Radio Live until the end of the year. It all started from a controversial interview they conducted about the Roast Busters group. Plenty of laughs echoed through the Manukau Vodafone Centre today, as rugby legend Peter Fatialofa was remembered. The Auckland and Manu Samoa player and coach died last week at the age of 54. After the break, GENTLE MUSIC Looking back, when I first experienced depression, staying active was probably one of the best things I could have done. I didn't realise it at the time, but these days I know that if I don't work out at least three or four times a week, I just don't feel good. Now, it's not the physical buzz that makes me feel good; it's the mental buzz. It's that little feeling of self-reward or goodness that comes from moving around that helps me feel better mentally. At depression.org.nz, I'll take you through a programme that will teach you that regular exercise is going to help you get through depression. Depression.org.nz ` I'll see you there. To start off this part of our broadcast, we have Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta live with us now. Tena koe, Nanaia. The NZEI wants a public inquiry into the use of school commissioners and statutory managers. Why has Commissioner Micheal Eru been paid $150,000, including expenses, to run Moerewa school in Northland part-time? Is this a fair question? We're unable to provide subtitles. Nanaia Mahuta, thank you. A review has been ordered by the Minister of Education into the way interventions are managed in schools. The move is being welcomed by many who claim most affected schools are Maori and are already in strife, but are left to foot ridiculously high bills as a result of commissioner interventions. They come and they go, but it's how long they stay and how much they earn that's infuriating a lot of people. Mike Eru has been the appointed commissioner at Moerewa School. During that time he's charged over $200,000 for his work there during that time and the school itself has to pay around $149,000 of that total cost. Eru is also a commissioner of this school. According to documents sent to Te Karere, he's owed well over $50,000 and the school has to foot the bill. Which is why many are calling for commissioners to be paid by those responsible for imposing them. The Education Minister has ordered the secretary of Education, Peter Hughes, to conduct a review of interventions of schools in difficulty. The real question now is if one commissioner is able to get away with extremely high costs, what about the other 71 schools where commissioners and limited statutor managers are currently in place? Beneficiaries living in Ruatahuna now have to travel to Rotorua to meet with the WINZ workers. Previously they could go to Murupara instead. Murupara is closer to Ruatahuna. Ruatahuna beneficiaries are afraid that if they are unable to physically turn up to their appointments, their benefits will be cut. Today, Hinerangi Goodman spoke to some of the beneficiaries in Ruatahuna. If Ruatahuna beneficiaries fail to report to the Rotorua office of WINZ each fortnigh they risk having their benefits cut in half. There are no jobs here in Ruatahuna. This has been the situation for a very long time now. The question here is why is it that WINZ has changed the office from Murupara to Rotorua? It is a greater distance to travel. They had already decided that this is what their plans were for us, the beneficiaries. We who have no jobs here in Ruatahuna. The length of the time to get to Rotorua is 2 hours, and including the return trip, all up, it's a total of 4 hours and a petrol fill of $100. And the road from Ruatahuna to Murupara is full of potholes, a very bumpy ride indeed. The Ministry of Social Development is still to reply to our queries. Hinerangi Goodman, Te Karere. Northland's four councils will merge into one super council. Nine councillors will be elected from seven wards with the mayor to be elected by the entire district. The newly formed council will also have seven elected community boards and two Maori boards whose members will be appointed by iwi. With Maori making up 43% of the population, they are hoping for more say. However the formation of the new-look council is not yet finalised. The local community can make submissions about the plan. If the local community wants to hold a referendum over the formation of the new council, a petition signed by 10% of registered voters from each district is needed. Te Aute College Trust has been given a second chance after coming close to closure. The school's trustreeship is to be taken over by St Johns College Trust Board to help restore financial strength to both colleges under the trust's care, Te Aute and Hukarere. Peata Melbourne with this report. Without help, a school that has bred life to many a prime figure Very nearly, over the last few years. However now we're looking forward to the upcoming year. Te Aute is one of four Anglican Maori boarding schools and in recent years has found itself in deep financial turmoil and in dire need of a refurbishment estimated to cost $2 million. Te Aute is in debt by less than $10 million. Most of that debt is from a farm investment purchased by the board four or five years ago. St John's College Trust Board has done due diligence on the affairs of the Te Aute Trust Board, and developed its proposal in the wake of that investigation to get Te Aute back on track. Hapi welcomed the proposal safeguarding stakeholder's interests like those of the Ngai Te Whatuapiti hapu who gifted over 4000 acres of land to Te Aute College to house the college. Ngai Te Whatuiapiti hopes the school remains open and that their invesment in the land they gifted to the school is returned. For a school that has built it's reputation on delivering successful figureheads over the last century, it's a legacy they don't want to see die. The school's trust will now be overseen by St Johns College, but they remain confident they can still maintain tikanga Maori under non-Maori governance. We haven't given the board complete control. The Te Aute Trust Board retains that. Te Aute Trust Board will still continue to exist but there will be others coming in to help guide Te Aute Trust Board in their work. With new life being given to the two schools through their trusts, there could be light at the end of the tunnel yet for St Stephens and Queen Victoria Anglican schools in the near future. Peata Melbourne, Te Karere. After the break, we have the weather. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. That's all we have for today. Turou Hawaiki. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ on Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013.