Te 3 o nga ra o Haratua 2004 / 3 May 2004

Three Easy Steps To Connect With Your Iwi

Maori voters are being urged to follow three simple steps to connect with their iwi.

From today (03/05/04), more than 353,000 Maori electors will receive an affiliation and consent form from the Chief Registrar of Electors seeking their permission to pass on their contact details and iwi affiliation first to Tuhono, then to their designated iwi.

Dan Te Kanawa, the chief executive of the Tautoko Maori Trust which has set up Tuhono, says the consent form may appear complicated at first but filling it out only takes three simple steps.
"Sign and date it, identify your iwi and send it back - it's easy as!" Mr Kanawa says. "This is an important step that will connect you, your whanau and your iwi into the future."

New Zealand Idol judge Frankie Stevens - who's affiliated to Te Atiawa - says an iwi affiliation service is long overdue.

"If Tuhono had been around when I was a young man, I'd be a very different person today. I'd have learnt te reo Maori, learnt more about my iwi and had more to do with my iwi organisation. I think Tuhono is a brilliant concept."
Mr Te Kanawa says individuals who are not sure of their iwi should talk to family or wider whanau to find this out so they can fully benefit from the new service.

People who do not receive the Tuhono affiliation and consent form may not be registered on the electoral roll, their contact details may be incorrect and need to be updated, or when they enrolled, they didn't indicate they were of Maori descent.

To enrol or check if your enrolment details are correct, visit www.elections.org.nz or phone 0800 36 76 56.

If you have any questions about the consent form, phone 0800 160 088 or e-mail tuhono@maori.org. More information about Tuhono is available on the website, - www.maori.org.

ENDS

© Scoop Media