Stories by Leigh-Marama McLachlan

A group campaigning to protect their land from a housing developer are taking their fight to Parliament.

Sports presenter and journalist Melodie Robinson has become the first New Zealander to have a Barbie doll made in her likeness.

Hundreds of people gathered at Pākaitore in Whanganui to mark 24 years since the iwi occupied the land for 79 days.

Oranga Tamariki says there have been sweeping changes at its Porirua office as the community speaks out over a rise in the number of children being put into state care.

People in Porirua want Oranga Tamariki to keep its hands off local children after a sharp rise in the number who have been taken into state care.

Kapa haka groups are using the Te Matatini stage in Wellington to send political messages to Parliament.

A government review of Whānau Ora shows despite it working well, other agencies don't even know what it is and aren't buying into it enough.

Te Reanga Morehu o Rātana is the first group performing in Te Matatini Ki Te Ao today. They get to "take everyone to church". Video

The Minister for Whānau Ora says other government agencies need to get on board with its approach.

The government is being told to get out of the way and let Māori take charge to keep their own out of court and jail.

Whanganui locals are at their wits end over rapidly rising rental costs and a shortage of homes to rent.

Māori landowners are welcoming a new $100 million land fund, saying they have been shut out from banks for years.

Iwi leaders want more influence over government policy and a stronger relationship with the Crown.

Iwi leaders are working together and sharing insights on how to build the Māori economy and create jobs.

A man is in custody and is due to appear in court today following a series of stabbings in Whanganui that left one person dead and five others injured. Audio

More than 100 people have paddled down the Whanganui River between marae, learning about the river and refreshing their connections to it.

Claims by Wanganui Ratepayers Association that local iwi might block access to parks and reserves if they gain ownership have been called "scaremongering" and "ignorant".

Tobacco is four times more available in low-income communities compared to affluent ones, says a Māori health organisation.

More than 3500 paddlers will take to Lake Karāpiro this week for the National Waka Ama Championship in Cambridge.

A new report is being seen as stronger evidence that the government is ignoring Waitangi Tribunal recommendations.

A Wellington iwi social service has been left confused and angry after the Wellington City Council declined its funding bid to help the homeless.

Educators want schools to teach the Treaty of Waitangi accurately and in depth, but say that's being hampered by a lack of teaching materials and underlying resistance.

The use of a Māori karakia in a Korean pop song has ramped up calls for the government to step up and protect Māori intellectual property. Video, Audio

Virtual reality is being used in Otago prison to help inmates learn to read while they fix cars. Video

Politicians and iwi leaders are criticising the Taxpayers' Union for saying the government shouldn't give koha because it could be used to buy Māori support.