Maori leader calls for Maori to respect pakeha burial customs

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Updated July 31, 2009 16:49:15

A family dispute over the burial of a Maori man in New Zealand has sparked a debate over what happens when Maori and European customs clash.
James Pakamore, of the Tuhoe tribe, married a Pakeha woman and lived in the South Island city of Christchurch for twenty years. In his will, be said he wanted to be buried there, but his Maori relatives took his body back to their tribal area, without asking his family, who have gone to court to get the body back. John Tamihere, head of the National Urban Maori Authority, says the case has prompted many Maori leaders to call for Maori to show respect for European customs as well as their own.

Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: John Tamihere, head of the National Urban Maori Authority in New Zealand

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