22 Aug 2012

Iwi sets deadline to quit commissioner

12:45 pm on 22 August 2012

A South Taranaki iwi wants a Pakeha commissioner removed from a local kura kaupapa Maori by the end of this school term.

Parents of pupils who attend Te Kura O Nga Ruahine Rangi object to having a government-appointed official who can't speak te reo Maori.

The official was put in charge of the Maori immersion school in Mangatoki three years ago, following a critical Education Review Office report.

Nga Ruahine iwi chairperson John Hooker says its prime goal is to have a local board in place by the end of September, and the iwi would have significant concerns if there was no progress by then.

Mr Hooker says protest action could be an option, but only if face-to-face negotiations fail.