Coming up on Te Karere... A prominent leader of Te Arawa is laid to rest. The Maori Language Advisory Group will start a round of consultation meetings next week to show their new proposed changes to the te reo Maori bill. And this chef has some words of encouragement for fellow Maori chefs around the country. Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. As we reported yesterday, the Maori Language Advisory Group hits the road next week. It'll explain its recommended changes to the Maori language bill. It claims the recommendations address concerns expressed when the new bill was first unveiled. Irena Smith has the details. Te Whare O Te Reo Mauriora - new proposals by the Maori Language Advisory Group. This legislation is complicated. The relationships between the Crown and whanau are complicated. So Te Matawai is about giving a voice to iwi, hapu and whanau. So we've used the wharenui as a metaphor to explain the findings. In their meetings with groups advocating for te reo Maori, they have decided to group them under either education, media and community groups. A new role was recommended, one for representing urban Maori interests. The Minister's advisory committee was appointed to look into iwi concerns. They have finished their discussions and improvement on the grey areas in the legislation. These are a sample of korero we received and it presents our thoughts about the language and whether or not Maori would support the legislation or not. Those thoughts can be included in the report. The committee's final report will be presented to the Minister on June 30. Irena Smith, Te Karere. And joining me now is a former CEO of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, Pita Paraone who these days of course is a MP for NZ First and a member of the Maori Affairs Select Committee scrutinising the passage of the bill. Tena koe, Pita. Your thoughts on what's being proposed by the Minister's advisory group for the Maori language bill? We're unable to provide subtitles. Pita Paraone, thank you for your time. A decision has been made regarding the merging of Wellington's councils into a supercity-style coucncil. So, what's the decision? Let's cross over live to Wellington to reporter Heta Gardiner. What's happening? We're unable to provide subtitles. Thank you for the update, Heta Gardiner. After the break, A decision has been reached New decile ratings for some schools, but some ask why theirs won't change? As soon as your kid gets a sore throat, then you need to get it checked. Untreated sore throats can lead to rheumatic fever and heart damage. ...for advice. The results of a decile review are to be announced this week to 160 schools around the country following last year's recalculation. Just over half of them are being reassigned to lower deciles, but like Te Wharekura o Manurewa, many are still trying to understand many are still trying to understand why their decile rating won't be changing. Te Wharekura o Manurewa sits in a low-income suburb, and is school that has been Decile 1 since its inception. This year Te Wharekura o Manurewa is a Decile 2 - Step D. Last year it was Decile 1 - Step C. The school was alarmed to hear their decile had increased. We weren't just alarmed, but it became problematic where funds are concerned, if you go up a decile, funds are cut. Only 7% of schools requested a review from the Ministry of Education last year, those who didn't agree with MOE's initial results. We just don't see how the Ministry of Education came to this conclusion, and we've put to them that if this community is better-off financially we'd have seen that, yet we haven't. In the suburb of Manurewa, only 2 schools have had their decile change from 1 to a 2, and both are Kura Maori. Yet Auckland Grammar in Epson has had their decile lowered from 10 to a 9, which means they'll receive more funding. We don't believe in the Ministry's process of using the mesh blocks to dictate how the entire suburb is assessed. We think that's wrong. His school, along with the rest of those who requested a review from the Ministry of Education will out in the next few days whether their decile decreases or stays at the decile they were designated last year. Peata Melbourne, Te Karere. We know the case best, so they need to provide what we need. That's what Sir Toby Curtis and William Emery had to say to Te Puni Kokiri and the committee for the Ture Whenua Maori Act. Kereama Wright has more. In Rotoiti, most of the land in that area is still Maori Customary land. There are 500,000 hectares of Maori Customary land There are 500,000 hectares of Maori Customary land in the Bay of plenty and there are almost 2000 trusts that manage the different land blocks. William Emery is a Chair and Trustee to many land blocks in his rohe of Ngati Pikiao. As for the land, if it's left to Pakeha, it's just land, but to Maori, there is a spiritual component. The Ture Whenua Maori Act is being reviewed so the law can be more robust and relevant moving in to the future. But these two their main priority is ensuring that they exercise their aspirations for their lands. Don't think that we should leave it to them to act on our behalf because they know better. Not at all! We know better. Many people have their concerns about the current status quo of the Ture Whenua Maori Act. But for these two, their Iwi has been working fine with the way the current law stands. The Hui for Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa will be held on the 22nd of June. Manawa Wright, Te Karere. The Auckland Council has launched its 100 events that will take place throughout the Matariki season, beginning with a massive feast. But it was behind the scenes in the kitchen where Pere Wihongi met Maori chef Nancye Pirini of Te Whanau a Apanui, cooking for the masses, also hoping to beat up some inspiration for more Maori chefs. Although the masses await their meals outside. It's just another day in the office for Nancye Pirini. Pirini is a humble women who's been working as a chef for a while. If you were to pose the questions to her. If you were to pose the questions to her; What is her specialty? Her response... Even though she may not know what her specialty is. she does, however, know full well what ingredients it takes to make top chef. Not words to scare off. But words to encourage more Maori to step in to the culinary industry. Food for the people and their stomachs, as well as food for thought. Pere Wihongi, Te Karere. Let's take another look at today's top stories. It's been decided that Wellington will not be a super city - After the break, and then we have the weather. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. He was an Maori academic, an expert at karakia and whakapapa, and a skilled orator. Te Arawa's leader Mauriora Kingi was laid to rest today. Strong shoulders, an orator of great prestige Around 1000 people traversed the country to Te Pakira Marae to farewell a rare treasure. Although there was an outpouring of grief, Although there was an outpouring of grief, he was epitomised by his children. Although he has been claimed by Te Arawa, he was of many other iwi. Mauriora was born in Mangapehi and was raised by the Kingi family of Otaki where the seeds of oratory were sown. As a youth, he arrived to study carving in Rotorua. This plot was gifted by the Schuster family as a final resting place for Mauriora Kingi, here, in the heart of Whakarewarewa, in the forecourt of Tuhoromatakaka, the former residence of Maggie Papakura. He is survived by his three children. Kereama Wright, Te Karere. That's all we have for today. Kia ora tatou katoa. Captions were made possible with funding from Te Mangai Paho. Copyright TVNZ 2015.