Taputapuātea, an ancient marae constructed of stone on Ra'iātea in the Society Islands, restored in 1994.

A marae (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian) malaʻe (in Tongan), malae (in Samoan and Hawaiian^{[citation needed]}) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the word also means "cleared, free of weeds, trees, etc." It generally consists of an area of cleared land roughly rectangular (the marae itself), bordered with stones or wooden posts (called au in Tahitian and Cook Islands Māori) perhaps with terraces (paepae) which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes; and in some cases, a central stone ahu or a'u. In the Rapanui culture of Easter Island "ahu" has become a synonym for the whole marae complex).

In some modern Polynesian societies, notably that of the Māori of New Zealand, the marae is still a vital part of everyday life. However, in tropical Polynesia, most marae were destroyed or abandoned with the arrival of Christianity in the 19th Century and some of them have become an attraction for tourists or archaeologists. Nevertheless, the place where the marae were built are still considered as tapu in most islands. In the Cook Islands, a few marae (Arai-te-Tonga, Vaerota, Taputapuātea^[1]) are still maintained, and are quickly tidied up before the investiture of a new ariki.

Etymology[link]

The word has been reconstructed by linguists to Eastern Oceanic *malaqe with the meaning "open,cleared space used as meeting-place or ceremonial place".^[2]

Marae in New Zealand[link]

A marae at Kaitotehe, near Taupiri mountain, Waikato district, 1844. It was associated with Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, a chief who became the first Māori king.

In Māori society, the marae is a place where the culture can be celebrated, where the Māori language can be spoken, where intertribal obligations can be met, where customs can be explored and debated, where family occasions such as birthdays can be held, and where important ceremonies, such as welcoming visitors or farewelling the dead (tangihanga), can be performed. Like the related institutions of old Polynesia, the marae is a wāhi tapu, a 'sacred place' which carries great cultural meaning.

In Māori usage, the marae atea (often shortened to marae) is the open space in front of the wharenui or meeting house (literally "large building"). However, the term marae is generally used to refer to the whole complex, including the buildings and the open space. This area is used for pōwhiri - welcome ceremonies featuring oratory. Some marae do not allow women to perform oratory there. The meeting house is the locale for important meetings, sleepovers, and craft and other cultural activities. The wharekai (dining hall) is used primarily for communal meals, but other activities may be carried out there. Many of the words associated with marae in tropical Polynesia are retained in the Māori context. For example, the word paepae refers to the bench where the speakers sit; this means it retains its sacred and ceremonial associations. Marae occur in various sizes, with some wharenui being a bit bigger than a double garage and some being larger than a town hall.

Legal status[link]

A marae is a meeting place registered as a reserve under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 ('The Māori Land Act'). Each marae has a group of trustees who are responsible for the operations of the marae. The Act governs the regulation of marae as reservations and sets out the responsibilities of the trustees in relation to the beneficiaries. Generally each marae has a charter which the trustees have negotiated with the beneficiaries of the marae. The charter details matters such as:

• the name of the marae, and a description of it;
• a list of the beneficiaries: usually iwi (tribes/nations), hapū (clans) or whānau (families); in some cases, the marae is dedicated to the common good of the people of New Zealand.
• the methods used to select trustees;
• general governing principles of the marae;
• the ways in which the trustees may be held accountable by the beneficiaries, and methods for conflict resolution;
• principles governing appointment and recognition of committees to administer the marae;
• procedures for amending the charter, and for ensuring adherence to its principles.

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Act, 1963 was passed and the institute built to maintain the tradition of Whakairo. The NZMACI is responsible for the restoration and building of over 40 marae around New Zealand.

Tangihanga[link]

Like in pre-European times, marae continue to be the location of many ceremonial events, including birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. The most important event located at marae is the tangihanga. Tangihanga are the means by which the dead are farewelled and the surviving family members supported in Māori society. As indicated by Ka'ai and Higgins, "the importance of the tangihanga and its central place in marae custom is reflected in the fact that it takes precedence over any other gathering on the marae" (p. 90).^[3]

Traditional, church, and educational uses[link]

Waipapa marae, University of Auckland, New Zealand. The grassed area in front of the meeting house is the marae ātea

Most iwi, hapū, and even many small settlements have their own marae. An example of such a small settlement with its own marae is at Hongoeka Bay, Plimmerton, the home of renowned writer Patricia Grace. Since the second half of the 20th century, Māori in urban areas have been establishing intertribal marae such as Maraeroa in eastern Porirua. For many Māori, the marae is just as important to them as their own homes.

Some New Zealand churches also operate marae of their own, in which all of the functions of a traditional marae are carried out. Churches operating marae include the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches. In recent years, it has become common for educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, technical colleges, and universities, to build marae for the use of the students and for the teaching of Māori culture. These marae may also serve as a venue for the performance of official ceremonies relating to the school. The marae of the University of Auckland, for instance, is used for graduation ceremonies of the Māori Department, as well as welcoming ceremonies for new staff of the University as a whole. Its primary function is to serve as a venue for the teaching of whaikōrero (oratory), Māori language and culture, and important ceremonies for distinguished guests of the University. Two spectacular secondary school marae are located in the Waikato at Te Awamutu College and Fairfield College. The latter was designed by a Māori architect with a detailed knowledge of carving and weaving. The wharenui features an intricately carved revolving pou as well as many other striking features. In addition to school activities it is used for weddings.

Rapa Nui/Easter Island[link]

In the remote southeastern corner of the Polynesian Triangle elements of the traditional Polynesian marae evolved into the Rapa Nui/Easter Island Ahu and their iconic Moai (giant forms of Polynesian statues).

Tahiti[link]

In Tahiti, marae were dedicated to specific deities, and also connected with specific lineages said to have built them. During the 1994 restoration of Taputapuātea marae at Ra'iātea island by archaeologists from the Tahiti Museum, human bones were discovered under some of the structures. It is possible they were the remains of sacrifices to the Polynesian god ʻOro, revered in Tahiti.

See also[link]

• List of Marae in the Gisborne Region

Notes[link]

1. ^ Rarotongan tradition holds that Taputapuātea marae at Rarotonga, which archaeologists have dated to the 13th century, was built by Tangi'ia who brought the central stone with him from the ancient marae of the same name at Ra'iātea. Indeed, it seems that it was quite usual in ancient times to take a stone from this marae. The son of Tetupaia and Teu had not only the right to a seat in the great Marae of Taputapuatea in Raiatea, but he could take his stone from Taputapuatea and set it up in his own district of Pare Arue (Tahiti), so founding a Marae Taputapuatea of his own to wear the Maro-'ura (red waist girdle of the ariki)in. Ta'aroa Marau, "Memoirs of Arii Tamai e marama of Eimo Teriirere of Tooarai Terinui of Tahiti Tauraatua i Amo"
2. ^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online
3. ^ Ka'ai, T. M., & Higgins, R. (2004). Te ao Māori - Māori world-view. T. M. Ka'ai, J. C. Moorfield, M. P. J. Reilly, & S. Mosely (Eds.), Ki te whaiao: An introduction to Māori culture and society (pp. 13-25). Auckland. New Zealand: Pearson Education.

References[link]

• Hirini Moko Mead, 2003. Tikanga Māori: Living by Māori Values. Huia Publishers:Wellington.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marae

• New Zealand in History: the marae - meeting place
• Gérard, Bertrand, Le marae: description morphologique in Cahiers des Sciences Humaines, 1978, Vol. 15, No 4, p. 407-448. Architecture and morphology of Society Islands Marae
• John Joseph Knight Hutchin, E Tuatua no te apai atinga ki mua i te marae, i te tuatau etene anga ("Tale of the offerings at the marae in heathen time") in "Collected songs and legends from the southern Cook Islands (c. 1883-1912)", notebook 2
• Marae Protocols

Quade Cooper

Full name	Quade S. Cooper
Date of birth	(1988-04-05) 5 April 1988 (age 24)
Place of birth	Tokoroa, Waikato, New Zealand
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight	92.5 kg (14 st 8 lb)[1]
School	Forest View High School[2] Anglican Church Grammar School[2]
Notable relative(s)	Sean Maitland
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fly-half, Inside Centre
Super Rugby
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2006 – present	Queensland Reds	68[2]	(434)[2]
Current local club	Souths[2]
correct as of 24 May 2012.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2008 – present 2007 2005–2006	Wallabies Australia U-19 Australia Schoolboys[1]	35	(65)

Cooper during 2011 World Cup

Quade S. Cooper (born 5 April 1988^[2]) is a New Zealand born Australian rugby union player.

He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and the Australia national rugby union team, generally as fly-half.

Career[link]

Born in Tokoroa, New Zealand, Cooper attended Forest View High School, before moving to Australia in 2001. Once in Australia, Cooper was selected in the Australian Schoolboys squad in both 2005 and 2006 through playing a star role in the 1st XV squad at the Anglican Church Grammar School, where in 2005, they won the GPS (Greater Private Schools) championship. Contracted to the Reds after playing for the Australian Schoolboys at five-eighth he has represented Australia at schoolboy and Under-19 level. He has been in the high performance program working with the ARU-funded National Talent Squad, and representing Queensland and Australian Schoolboys.^[2]

Cooper became one of three young players to break the record for most Australian schoolboy caps.^[2] Cooper's first Super 14 try came 3 March 2007 when he was given the role as starting five-eighth to play the Lions at Suncorp Stadium. Cooper first start of the 2008 season against the Bulls, the Reds won 40–8 in a huge upset. In November 2008 Cooper came off the bench to make his international debut against Italy, scoring the winning try in a 30–20 win. As a mark of Cooper's progress, he was awarded the 2010 Super 14 Player of the Year Award.^[3]

Possible change to rugby league[link]

In August 2010 Cooper was rumoured to be considering a switch to rugby league and playing for the Parramatta Eels in the 2011 NRL season. This would have meant Cooper sacrificing his Wallabies' position.^[4] A figure of $850,000 was speculated,^[5] and Parramatta reportedly offered Cooper $1.5 million over three years.^[6] The issue was resolved in September when Cooper signed a one year deal with the Australian Rugby Union.^[6] He said, even though he found the Parramatta offer flattering, he still saw his future in rugby union. For 2011 he wanted to continue with the Reds, and hoped to continue with the Wallabies and represent Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.^[6]

Career highlights[link]

• Representative Honours: Australian Schoolboys Squad, (05, 06), Australian Under-19 Squad.^{[citation needed]}
• Queensland Debut: Queensland Reds vs Japan at Tokyo National Stadium Tokyo, 10 November 2006
• International Debut: Australia vs Italy at Padova, Italy, Saturday, 8 November 2008.
• Awards: 2010 Investec Bank Super 14 Australian player of the series.^[7]
• Championships: Super Rugby: 2011
• Tri-Nations Champions: 2011

World Cup[link]

Cooper's impressive form showed no sign of abating and he was named in the Wallabies 30-man squad for the 2011 World Cup. However, once in the tournament, Cooper failed to find the level of form previously showcased for the Reds and during the Tri-Nations. With the New Zealand public on his back, Cooper struggled in their semi-final against the All Blacks nudging the kick-off straight into touch.

However, in the bronze final against Wales, Cooper showed early signs of being back to his mercurial best playing at a quick tempo and showcasing his range of skills. But midway through the first-half, he was struck down by a knee injury which brought an abrupt end to his game. In the post-match press conference, Robbie Deans confirmed that he believed the injury to have been related to Cooper's anterior cruciate ligament.

Controversy[link]

In December 2009 Cooper was charged by police with burglary after allegedly taking two laptops from a residence on the Gold Coast.^[8] The charges were withdrawn after "completion of a justice mediation process with the complainants".^[9]

In August 2011, Cooper was accused of deliberately kneeing Richie McCaw in the face^[10] at the 2011 Tri Nations test, but at the subsequent SANZAR judicial hearing in Brisbane the charge was dismissed.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Cooper formerly dated Australian Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice after she attended the 2010 John Eales Award Ceremony with him.^[12]

Cooper is the cousin of New Zealand Rugby Union player Sean Maitland.^[13]

Personal life[link]

Cooper is the cousin of Meesha Williams and New Zealand Rugby Union player Sean Maitland.

External links[link]

• Wallabies profile
• Reds profile
• Quade Cooper It's Rugby UK Super 14 statistics
• Quade Cooper ESPN scrum profile

Marie Te Hapuku (formerly Marie-Adele McArthur) is an operatic soprano from Gisborne, New Zealand and is a direct descendant of the Māori chief, Te Hapuku.

Life and career[link]

She made her professional debut with Utah Opera as Hänsel in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. She went on to sing in the San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program and gave notable performances in Western Opera Theater's national touring production of Die Fledermaus.^[1]

Te Hapuku has been the recipient of several awards and has won several major competitions including the Jay Darwin Memorial Award for the San Francisco Opera Auditions, the Sir Frank Tait Bursary award, the Willi Fels Memorial Trust, and the Sylvia Lerner and Wagner Society awards for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Prestigious opera companies include the Metropolitan Opera,^[2] the Liceu, Sarasota Opera, Phoenix Opera, The NBR New Zealand Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera North, and OperaDelaware. Te Hapuku is also active as a concert recitalist and has appeared with several professional music ensembles including the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Italo Marchini's Coro Lirico, the American West Symphony, the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Pops Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. McArthur has also performed at the New Hampshire Music Festival and with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.^[3]

Ms. Te Hapuku was also one of three featured artists in a gala concert as part of the celebrations for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Ms. Te Hapuku holds dual citizenship in the United States and New Zealand, and currently resides in New York City.^[1]

Opera roles[link]

• Abigaille, Nabucco (Verdi)
• Aida, Aida (Verdi)
• Amelia, Un ballo in maschera (Verdi)
• Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni (Mozart)
• Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Mozart)
• Leonora, Il trovatore (Verdi)
• Lina, Stiffelio (Verdi)
• Liù, Turandot (Puccini)
• Mimi, La bohème (Puccini)
• Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss II)
• Tosca, Tosca (Puccini)

Solo concert work[link]

• Bach's Christmas Oratorio
• Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
• Handel's Messiah
• Handel's Judas Maccabaeus
• Verdi's Requiem

Listen[link]

To hear Marie Te Hapuku sing Schubert's The Omnipotence with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir click here: Watch Here

To hear Marie Te Hapuku sing the role of Abigaille from Verdi's Nabucco click here: Watch Here

To hear Marie Te Hapuku sing the role of Lina from Verdi's Stiffelio click here: Watch Here

To hear an unaccompanied Marie Te Hapuku sing the traditional Maori folk song Pokarekare Ana: Watch Here

References[link]

• • William Dart, Review: Don Giovanni at Aotea Centre, The New Zealand Herald, 16 July 2005.

External links[link]

• [1]
• Official site
• Biography on Opera New Zealand

Ken Mair is a New Zealand political activist and politician. He was ranked seventh on the Mana Maori party list for the 1999 New Zealand general election, and second on their party list for the 2002 New Zealand general election.

Mair has acted as a spokesperson for Māori iwi in the area around the Whanganui River,^[1] and was one of the organisers of the 1995 occupation of Moutoa Gardens in Wanganui, in protest at grievances under the Treaty of Waitangi.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Photograph of Mair at Moutoa Gardens protest
• Photograph of Mair on Television New Zealand website

This article related to the Māori people of New Zealand is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a New Zealand politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Michael Laws (born 1957) is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer/columnist. He served two terms as a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand, representing the National Party (1990–96). He was elected as Mayor of Wanganui in 2004, was re-elected in 2007 but announced his retirement from the mayoralty for the October 2010 elections. He is currently an elected district councillor and district health board member. He is a Radio Live morning talkback host and a longstanding Sunday Star-Times columnist.

Early life[link]

Born in Wairoa, Laws moved with his parents to Wanganui where he received his pre-tertiary education at Tawhero Primary School, Wanganui Intermediate School and Wanganui Boys' College. (His father, Keith Laws, a schoolteacher, became Rector (Principal) of Waitaki Boys' High School (Oamaru) and then of Scots College, Wellington.) On leaving school, Laws spent two seasons at the Whakatu freezing works before entering University of Otago, where he graduated with first-class honours in history and earned a University Grants Committee Postgraduate Scholarship. He also won an Otago University sporting blue.^[1] He later obtained a Master of Arts from Victoria University. During his time at Otago he attracted controversy as a key member of a student organisation that supported the 1981 Springbok Tour. He also became an accomplished public speaker and captained both the New Zealand Universities and New Zealand debating teams in the early-mid 1980s.

National Party Member of Parliament[link]

Having become involved in the New Zealand Young Nationals (the youth wing of the National Party), Laws worked as a parliamentary researcher for National between 1985 and 1989. Most of this time he spent as a senior researcher and press secretary, including assisting the dissident National MP Winston Peters from 1987 to 1989. In the 1987 elections, Laws stood as the National candidate for the Hawkes Bay seat, but narrowly failed to defeat the incumbent Bill Sutton of the Labour Party. In the 1990 elections, however, Laws wrestled the seat from Sutton to enter Parliament with a majority of 2,895 votes. In the 1993 elections he retained his seat with an increased majority — despite a significant nation-wide swing away from the National Party.

Renegade MP[link]

Laws never had a good relationship with the National Party's senior hierarchy. As a researcher he had done much of his work for Winston Peters, whom party leader Jim Bolger looked upon with disapproval. Tensions persisted between Laws and Bolger after Laws became an MP, made worse by Laws' declaration that he would attempt to follow popular opinion in Hawke's Bay rather than National Party policy. Laws voted against his party on a number of issues, joining several other dissident MPs to oppose the economic policies of the Minister of Finance Ruth Richardson. In early 1991 he even organised public seminars designed to avoid his government's new superannuation surtax policies. The Bolger administration later abandoned the surtax, but Laws earned the ongoing enmity of his colleagues for his stance. He also championed the unsuccessful Death with Dignity Bill, which aimed to legalise voluntary euthanasia. The terminal illness of Cam Campion, a fellow dissident in Laws' first term in parliament, prompted this advocacy.

Throughout his parliamentary career, rumours frequently circulated that Laws planned to join a new party. When Gilbert Myles and Hamish MacIntyre, angry about Ruth Richardson's policies, founded the new Liberal Party, they invited Laws to join them, but he declined. Later, when his old boss Winston Peters established the New Zealand First party, rumours claimed Laws had considered changing parties, but eventually decided that New Zealand First lacked the organisation and principle for success. Finally, Laws became involved in discussions with Mike Moore, former leader (1990–1993) of the Labour Party, to establish a new centrist party. It did not eventuate, however, with Laws claiming that Moore showed unwillingness to commit to it. In the end, Laws' relationship with the National Party deteriorated to the point where he no longer attended caucus meetings, and he decided to join New Zealand First in April 1996.

The "Antoinette Beck" affair[link]

Laws did not remain in parliament much longer, due to the "Antoinette Beck" political scandal. Laws employed a company part-owned by his wife to conduct a Napier City Council communications' poll, in his capacity as a recently-elected (October 1995) Napier city councillor. This contravened the Local Government (Member's Interests) Act, but Laws claimed that "there had been no profit to either company or individuals", and an official inquiry by the Auditor-General confirmed found only a minor and unintentional breach of regulations.

However, Laws' conduct during the matter attracted strong criticism, with Laws misleading the public on a number of issues, and he eventually resigned from parliament. Differing opinions exist over the whole controversy. Laws acknowledges that he did things which he should not have done, but described the scandal as a relatively minor matter which his numerous political enemies blew out of proportion. His opponents paint Laws as corrupt. Official investigations by the New Zealand Police, by the Serious Fraud Office and by the Auditor-General found he had no case to answer. The latter declared that he made "an honest mistake" in not declaring his wife Karen's shareholding in the company that contracted to the Napier City Council to conduct the poll. This poll led to the "Antoinette Beck" affair, so named after a person who did not exist signed off the poll with this name.

Two of Laws' principal antagonists in the Antoinette Beck affair - Napier city councillors John Harrison and Kerry Single - unsuccessfully sued him for defamation, and Laws personally defended himself in the Napier High Court in December 1997. The Court awarded costs of over NZ$200,000 against the joint plaintiffs, and this court victory appeared to re-ignite Laws' public career.^{[citation needed]}

Although he had left Parliament, Laws remained involved in politics, managing New Zealand First's campaign for the general election held on 12 October 1996. He would later write in his political autobiography that the experience resembled nursing a stick of unstable dynamite. Later he served as an adviser to Neil Kirton, who emerged as New Zealand First's leading dissident despite his position as an Associate Minister of Health. Laws' association with Kirton irritated the National Party, which had formed a coalition with New Zealand First. Eventually, the New Zealand First parliamentary leader, Winston Peters, sacked Kirton.

Laws started his own public relations consultancy but eventually became a writer, publisher and newspaper columnist. In 2003 he became a talkback host for Radio Pacific and started appearing in television shows as a writer and presenter.

Mayor of Wanganui[link]

First term[link]

Laws then returned to politics in 2004 by successfully contesting the mayoralty of the Wanganui District Council. He formed and led a "Vision Wanganui" team at the local-body elections, capturing the majority of the Council seats and unseating the incumbent mayor Chas Poynter. Chas Poynter had served as mayor for 18 years but many in the community felt that it was time for change, and on election night Chas Poynter finished third behind Michael Laws and John Martin. Laws gained 43% of the total vote, with voter turn-out at 67% and the second highest for a local body election in New Zealand that year.

Michael Laws saw his victory as a mandate for change. He immediately opened the Council's finance figures to the public, introduced yearly referenda, announced management restructuring and lobbied successfully for a nil rate-increase for the district.^[2] The local community newspaper, River City Press, made him its inaugural "Person of the Year" for 2005.

However, Laws' mayoralty generated controversy, with some citizens complaining about derogatory comments he made about some Wanganui residents in the wake of Laws' campaign to cancel an extension to the Sarjeant Art Gallery. An internal committee of investigation in mid-2005 found that he had not breached the council's code of conduct, but his administration remained controversial.^{[citation needed]} He dismayed the local arts community by canning plans for an extension to the Sarjeant Art Gallery while increasing funding for other local recreational facilities - particularly the swimming complex. Nonetheless, his "Vision Wanganui" grouping subsequently won two council by-elections in February 2006.

In August 2006, in his roles as both talk radio host and mayor, Michael Laws caused national controversy for refusing to lower the municipal flag^{[citation needed]} to recognise the death of Tongan king, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. On his radio-show Laws described the deceased monarch as "a bloated, brown slug" and referred to the anti-democratic leadership of the Tongan royal family. Some people regarded^{[citation needed]} the comments as an insult to the Tongan community residing in New Zealand, and protests occurred^{[citation needed]}, including a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA).^{[citation needed]} The BSA subsequently cleared Laws of any breach of broadcasting standards^{[citation needed]}, and later the New Zealand Press Council cleared columns he wrote on peanut-allergy sufferers and on public-school bans.^{[citation needed]} However, New Zealand Herald readers judged it the "worst insult of 2006".^{[citation needed]}

Despite his controversial style, Laws acquired the reputation of having rejuvenated the "River City" (Wanganui). Both the Herald on Sunday (Feb 2007)^{[citation needed]} and the National Business Review (December 2006)^{[citation needed]} credit him with having raised Wanganui's profile and having had a positive effect upon raising housing prices.

In November 2006 Laws announced he would not contest the mayoralty at the 2007 local-body elections. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his young daughters Lucy and Zoe, but did not rule himself out of standing for lesser public offices. He had previously announced he had signed a five-year contract with RadioWorks to continue his morning talkback-show on Radio Live.

Laws campaigned vigorously against gangs and in April 2007 campaigned for a Yes vote in a Wanganui referendum to outlaw gang-patches and regalia in the Whanganui district. As a result, the Council drafted a local bill which the Whanganui MP Chester Borrows introduced into Parliament in 2008.^{[citation needed]} Parliament's "Law and Order" select committee considered proposed anti-gang-patch legislation and reported back positively on 24 September 2008. The Bill passed its third reading in Parliament in May 2009 and is law. Local Police report ['Dominion-Post' 24 Nov 2009] that the legislation is having a beneficial effect in policing gangs, while the mayors of Timaru, Whakatane, Opotiki and Palmerston North are reportedly considering similar by-laws.

Second term[link]

Citing public pressure, Laws changed his mind about retiring from the mayoralty and on the last day for local-government nominations (24 August 2007) announced he would stand for a second term for mayor and as part of a "reformist" 'Health First' team for the Whanganui District Health Board.

On 13 October 2007, the voters re-elected Laws as mayor with an increased majority; he gained about 33-percent more votes than the next candidate, John Martin, and won 54.1-percent of the total vote ['Wanganui Chronicle' mayoralty election figures 15 October 2007] — the first time since 1995 that a winning mayor has gained a majority of the total vote. However, his "Vision Wanganui" team lost its one-seat majority around the council-table, winning five of 12 seats. Laws also won election to the Whanganui District Health Board, as did two of his "Health First" team.

In 2008 he created a new power-sharing plan by making his councillors "mini-mayors" and giving them responsibility for areas of council policy. He also championed the council's successful search for "soft water" for the Wanganui community, describing it as "a personal crusade", and the construction of the Abelard and Heloise water bores at Westmere. The district council has estimated the savings at $240 per household, and the switch-over is planned for late 2009.

Laws returned to the national headlines in 2008 for saying that pit bull owners "look like their dogs" and for labeling pub charity gambling chiefs as "selfish morons" after they protested a council decision to restrict gambling outlets in the city.

In 2009 he campaigned for the spelling of Whanganui to remain unchanged after local Maori, Te Runanga o Tupoho, petitioned the New Zealand Geographic Board to change to the Maori spelling of 'Whanganui' with an 'h'. The council consequently endorsed his actions and a 2006 referendum showed 82% support for the retention of the traditional spelling, which dates from 1837 (when "wh" was not yet recognised as a distinct consonant in written Māori).

A referendum concluded on 22 May 2009 found 77% support for the status quo. Over 19,000 Wanganui citizens, 61% of the electoral population, voted.

During September/October 2009, the dispute escalated when Laws was accused of "bullying" school pupils who had written to him, in Maori, asking that he cease opposition to the Maori spelling. He wrote back that they should concentrate on "the real issues affecting Maoridom, especially child abuse and child murder". Most mainstream internet opinion polls, though (TV3 News, YahooXtra, New Zealand Herald), sided with the outspoken Mayor.

And two scientific public opinion polls, undertaken by UMR Insight and TVNZ News in October 2009, also recorded strong national majorities in favour of the status quo.

On 18 December 2009, Lands Minister Maurice Williamson visited Wanganui to deliver the Crown's decision on the spelling of Whanganui City. It was that both spellings - Wanganui and Whanganui would be formally gazetted, but that Crown agencies would adopt the Whanganui spelling. The Wanganui council, local newspapers and most local businesses have indicated that they will continue to adopt the 'h'-less spelling. The legislation to mandate the change has still not been introduced to Parliament after the Green Party objected to its inclusion in a 2010 omnibus parliamentary bill.

Laws announced in June 2010 his retirement from the mayoralty for family reasons.^[3]

Election record[link]

List of elections won/lost in Michael Laws' political career:

Other information[link]

Laws has written three books which have sold well - all featured in Booksellers New Zealand's "Top Ten" fortnightly surveys.^{[citation needed]} The first, The Demon Profession, released in August 1998, comprised a political memoir that Laws characterised as an inside view into the real workings of politics. The following year he released a mystery novel entitled Dancing With Beelzebub. His third book, Gladiator - the Norm Hewitt story, became the New Zealand No 1 bestseller over Christmas/New Year 2001 and sold over 35,000 copies.^{[citation needed]}

Laws hosts a nation-wide morning talk radio show on Radio Live,^[4] has hosted his own weekly rugby media show on SKY Network Television from 2004 to July 2009, and writes a weekly column for The Sunday Star-Times newspaper which won him the Charles Southwell Prize in 2003.^{[citation needed]} He has also appeared on various "celebrity" and "reality television" shows.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2008, the New Zealand Police prosecuted Michael Laws for contempt of court in relation to a breach of a suppression order on his Radio Live talkback show in December 2006. The Court discharged him without conviction. In January 2009, the Broadcasting Standards Authority rejected a complaint from Children's Commissioner Dr Cindy Kiro relating to alleged unfair criticism by Laws. He has repeatedly derided the commissioner as "the worst public servant in the country." Kiro resigned in March 2009.

Michael Laws has five children - two from previous relationships: James (born 1978) and Rachel (born 1979). He has three children with his partner, Leonie Brookhammer - Lucy (born 2004), Zoe (born 2006) and Theodore (born 2008).^{[citation needed]} They separated in March 2009, attempted reconciliation, but separated again in December 2009.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2007 Television New Zealand selected Laws to participate in the television series Dancing with the Stars with dance-partner Lauren de Boeck. Prior to the competition he broke a bone in his foot while practicing, but vowed to continue, saying that Wanganui would benefit from the nationwide coverage. In his Sunday Star-Times column he classed himself as "a dancing duffer", and he did not survive the third episode of the competition.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2008, doctors diagnosed leukemia in Laws' 3-year-old daughter Lucy; they gave her a poor prognosis due to other infections.^[5] However she survived that initial scare and Laws' mayoral website provides weekly updates as to her health.^[5][6] She was readmitted to hospital in March 2009 and spent 22 days overcoming viral infections. Laws has spent time in both 2008 and 2009 on leave from his mayoral duties because of his daughter's health.^[7]

TV3's 'Nightline' programme named Laws as its 'Person of the Year' for 2009. He has twice been a finalist in the NZ Radio Awards for 'best talkback host' in 2010 and 2011.

In August 2011 it was announced that he will fight high profile Maori activist Ken Mair in a charity boxing contest on 3 December to raise funds for victims of the Christchurch earthquake. Laws broke a bone in his right hand in his first sparring bout but has pledged to still meet the charity boxing obligation.

Governor-General Controversy[link]

In 2010, Laws became the second broadcaster from New Zealand (after Paul Henry) to be accused of making "racist" remarks against Governor-General Anand Satyanand.^[8] In an October 2010 broadcast, Laws compared the governor-general to an obese Monty Python character and said that Satyanand's weight seemed "incongruous on an Indian. I mean, we don't all expect Indians to be begging on the streets of New Delhi, but it's like Anand discovered the buffet table at 20 and he's never really left it."^[9]

The comments were followed by outrage and condemnations from New Zealand politicians. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who said "I find Michael Laws' comments offensive because they're deeply personal and they're aimed at the governor-general in a way that I don't think is appropriate for that office,".^[9][10] Key also said that Satyanand (who is of Indo-Fijian ethnicity) was doing a good job as Queen Elizabeth II's representative in New Zealand and that should be the only standard on which he was judged. "I don't rate people on their physical weight, their height or their religious beliefs, and I don't think it's appropriate to take pot shots at the governor-general on that basis,"^[8]

Initially, Laws refused to apologize for his remarks, telling the New Zealand Herald: "I just said he's a fat Indian man, which is true. He's a fat Indian.".^[8] However, Laws backed down from his position following the resignation of Paul Henry over his hostile remarks and racial slurs against Indian politician Sheila Dikshit.,^[8] saying "I apologise to the governor-general for comments which were, upon reflection, uncharitable and inappropriate.".^[8] He also said that while he reserved "the right to be controversial and outspoken", his "off-air comments, in particular, crossed the line from puckish to insulting."^[10]

Radio Live management publicly backed Laws for his on-air comments, saying that they were made in jest.

Comments on theft by man with special needs[link]

In 2011, Laws made written and spoken comments on an incident in Christchurch, involving a young man with Asperger syndrome who was arrested for minor theft in the aftermath of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. He was widely criticized for his unsympathetic remarks about the case, saying that the 25 year-old was "bloody lucky that he received only a black eye" whilst in police custody.^[11] Laws refused to back down on his comments arguing that "Asperger's is not an excuse to commit crime". Despite numerous complaints, both Mediaworks and the Broadcasting Standards Authority found that his views had not breached broadcasting guidelines.

In November 2011 he was suspended by Mediaworks after critical comments of journalists and the media in their coverage of the 2011 general election, and especially their role in the so-called "teagate scandal". No explanation was provided by either Mediaworks or Laws, but in late December 2011, mediaworks announced Laws would resume broadcasting his talkback show from 9 January 2012. [1]

References[link]

Laws, Michael (1998). The Demon Profession. Auckland: HarperCollins (New Zealand).  ISBN 1-86950-257-4

External links[link]

• Official website
• Council website
• New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists. The Open Society, Volume 76 No. 3 Spring 2003 (PDF, 272 KB) Page 17 (PDF 19), brief biography