Proposals for Auckland Maori being taken on board

Auckland Council is taking on board a raft of recommendations for the future of the region's Maori, but says it's early days.

The Independent Maori Statutory Board is calling for the council to support the building of a cultural arts centre, a Maori tourism strategy and for te reo to be made compulsory in the region's schools.

Mayor Len Brown says the report is short on detail, but on the issue of Maori language, it seems to him schools are doing well already.

"I'm in at least one school a week, visiting schools, talking to kids. Invariably I'm welcomed with a waiata and so it suggests to me there's a high level of involvement of te reo in the curriculum of schools already and that's great."

Mr Brown says the super city and the Independent Maori Statutory Board itself are still works in progress.

"It's going to take time for everything to settle for the governing body and the boards and the company councils to get themselves established and to really start delivering and understand Maori aspiration."

He says the council will debate the board's suggestions.

Maori Statutory Board chairman David Taipari admits the plan is light on detail, but says that will come.

"Really the plan is the aspirational plans, the implementation plans that follow, and that's obviously work with our officials and council officials as well as our continued work with the governing body, as has been the case in the last two years."

Mr Taipari says the original plan outlines the major issues for Maori, and is also the tool with which to address them.

Photo: NZ Herald