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In the media

Greens want end to Māori land perpetual leases ahead of Waitangi Day – ‘unjust colonial weapon’

In a media conference this morning in Waitangi, Green List MP Elizabeth Kerekere called for the end of perpetual leases on Māori reserve land – which can have fixed rent for 21-year periods with perpetual right of renewal by the lessee. “Māori landowners continue to be locked out of their own whenua by perpetual leases…

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In the media

‘Really, really unjust’: Green Party calls for end to perpetual leases

The Green Party has called on the Government to end perpetual leases on Māori land, saying it rips off Māori landowners and is “unjust”. Green Party Māori Development spokesperson Elizabeth Kerekere said land reserved for Māori was leased to European settlers 120 years ago, “at the expense and serious disadvantage of those Māori landowners”. Read…

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In the media

Rainbow youth survey finds Māori face added disparities, including those in state care.

The first nationwide rainbow youth survey has found that Māori participants face added disparities, including those in state care. … Green MP, takatāpui [LGBTQIA+] advocate and research member Elizabeth Kerekere says takatāpui participants had placed a lot of value on culture and whānau, in which upliftment had a detrimental impact on their mental health. Read…

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In the media

Petition to drop age of bowel cancer screening delivered to Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere at Parliament

A Taranaki bowel cancer survivor has delivered a petition to Parliament calling on the screening age to be dropped in the hopes more lives can be saved. “Early bowel cancer detection has been proven internationally to save lives.” Ahead of the petition presentation, Kerekere said she was happy to accept the petition. “We’re very committed…

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In the media

‘If you restore the name, you restore everything else’: Campaign aims to remove colonial name from Hawke’s Bay river

Green Party MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere​ lent support to the campaign, leading to a petition which gained more than 3700 signatures. Kerekere (Whānau a Kai, Ngāti Oneone, Te Aitanga ā Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) said restoring the river’s name would signal to others that its whakapapa mattered. “If you restore the name, you restore everything…

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Media release

Greens Welcome Step Forward For Waimana Whānau

The Government has finally agreed to meet with the whānau of Te Waimana Kaaku, a step the Green Party says must lead to warm, dry, secure homes being provided on their whenua and papakāinga. In response to Dr Elizabeth Kerekere during Question Time in the House this week, the Minister of Housing (Māori Housing), Peeni…

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In the media

Making change by Counting Ourselves

The second Counting Ourselves survey is underway. It will be launched at Parliament today by Green Party Rainbow spokesperson Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, who is also an Associate Investigator for the study and co-chair of the cross-party Parliamentary Rainbow Network. Read blog by Jack Byrne, University of Waikato

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In the media

Hapū make ripples over Clive river name

The Green Party is backing an effort by the hapū of Kohupātiki Marae near Heretaunga to put the Clive River back under its original name, Ngaruroro. MP Elizabeth Kerekere says that comes from Ngaruroro Moko-tū-ā-raro-ki-Rangatira, the name given by Ruawharo, a tohunga on the waka Tākitimu, who was describing the ngaru or ripples (ngaru) created…

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In the media

Parliament passes law banning conversion therapy with near unanimity

In their speeches, MPs Grant Robertson and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere acknowledged that for some, the bill doesn’t go far enough to protect vulnerable rainbow people from conversion practice. Kerekere said the bill is not “the be all and end all.” It may be amended in future, and the whakapapa of the bill found in select…

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In the media

Parliament unanimously passes sex self-identification law, simplifying changes to birth certificates

Parliament has unanimously passed a sex self-identification law which will make it easier to amend a person’s sex on their birth certificates. Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, who is herself takatāpui (a Māori member of the LGBTQI+ community), held back tears as she spoke on the bill… “This bill signals the continuing shift in New…