LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

The young maori leaders conference, held in Auckland last September, made a beginning of a task that badly needs doing: namely to make a coherent plan for Maori development over the next generation. So far our efforts have tended to be piecemeal: various Government departments have planned their own particular areas, education or land or housing or—to some extent—crime prevention, but when it came to a more general plan, there was never very much progress. At the best, there were battles of words in various newspapers as to whether the Maori should be ‘assimilated’ or ‘integrated,’ whether there should be a ‘separate culture’ or ‘symbiosis’. Whatever the merits of these controversies, they certainly led to no accepted practical programme.

Then what are the issues confronting the Maori? How can we see the problem as a whole? That, very briefly, was the problem of the young leaders' conference. Did the conference give the answer? I would say it did not quite, but it managed to lay some foundations for an answer. Very wisely, no time was wasted at the outset on general philosophical speculation; the organizers were well aware that such speculation could only be valuable if it came after—and not before—a study of the actual situation.

The great value of the conference was that the 50 younger leaders and the 25 older leaders present were a good cross-section of Maori opinion, and furthermore a highly intelligent one. There was a mixture of the more educated and the less educated (there was perhaps too much education at the conference rather than

The Young Maori Leaders' Conference 1959 was held at Auckland University from August 31 to September 4. Its plan was based on a similar conference held twenty years earlier where the discussions, especially on welfare and adult education, proved to be very fruitful indeed, as they helped to bring about important new moves by the Government. The latest conference was organized by the Auckland Regional Council of Adult Education. Conference president was Mr A. T. Carroll, the well-known Maori leader from Wairoa, and organizing secretary Mr Matiu Te Hau who is the Maori adult education tutor for Tokerau. A fuller report will follow in our next issue.

too little). By and large, the opinions the conference reached were representative of the Maori of today. They represented Maori aspirations, and the picture the modern Maori had of himself.

A good deal of time was spent on discussing land. Out of this discussion two main principles emerged: the Maori remains as attached to his land as ever, he fears being separated from it, but he is willing to accept devices to adapt Maori land ownership to present day conditions. The same pattern emerged out of the discussions on health, housing and leadership: some parts of the Maori tradition are held sacred while in some other matters there is often a quite strong desire for change: the reduction of deafness in children, the modernizing of Maori house design, the intensifying of agricultural education were some of the aspirations of the young leaders. One moment they were strongly conservative in defence of what they considered essential Maori values, the next moment they were ultramodern in their search for reforms. There was nothing inconsistent or wavering in this: on the contrary, their views were strong and definite on most issues, nor was there much disagreement on essentials. To give only one small example, the attitude to the tohunga is different now from what it was in 1908 when the ‘Tohunga Suppression Act’ was passed. At that time the young leaders were resolutely turned against the tohunga. At the present conference there was a balance: there was complete unanimity that people should use normal medical services; also that there should be more health education to reduce much unnecessary sickness. On the other hand, speakers insisted that there was a place for the honest tohunga who could remove mental distress and who might be successful where ordinary medicine fails. Nobody would condone the action of a tohunga who attempts to cure tuberculosis; everyone agreed that a sick person should at once go to a doctor to diagnose his complaint. Yet, conference recognized that somewhere, at least for the present generation, there might be a place for the tohunga.

What goes for the tohunga, went also for other surviving features of Maori life.

Unfortunately, conference was too brief to draw together the many ideas that were brought forward, and to offer a rounded design for Maori development. A second conference will be needed to achieve this. There is no doubt that over the last twenty years new attitudes have developed: there is a stronger belief today that Maori values have a place in the modern world; there is also a stronger desire to master European techniques and fully equal European standards. It is therefore interesting to see whether the ideas thrown

up at the conference will later be crystallised and reduced to practical guiding principles. Twenty years ago the Maori race had Sir Apirana Ngata to do this kind of thinking; today it will need to be a collective effort of a number of leaders.

It is impossible to do justice to the conference in the space of an article. We shall therefore devote most of our next issue to the conference discussions and the papers that were presented. We think this will be worth while especially because most of the vital Maori questions were studied, and there is no better way of getting a grasp of the Maori situation today than to read a selection of the best material produced. In addition to a full report on the meeting, we shall present three of the ‘data papers’—Dr Maaka's on health, Mr Te Hau's on incorporations, and Dr Winiata's on leadership. In addition we shall print reports of some of the actual discussions, as well as the two excellent evening lectures. To add to the value of this survey of Maori questions, we have also commissioned some special articles from delegates who made outstanding contributions to conference, thus introducing them more fully to our readers.

E. G. S.

REMINISCENCES

by RORA

There surely is something wonderful about giving birth to a precious little baby. It has been enlarged upon so many times, the whole world over—the blessing of motherhood; yet very often it does not appear to be a blessing, in the early stages of pregnancy, when there is that persistent sickness in the pit of one's stomach, and an oversensitive sense of smell, not noticeable before, to say nothing of the sudden awareness of, and longing for, certain foods, especially those difficult to procure. Nor does it seem a blessing in the latter stages, when shortness of breath sets in, and various aches and pains come, and one becomes touchy, full of misgivings, and worries over the least thing.

But, at last it is all over—the fretting, the worrying, the touchiness, the ill-humour, the misgivings and concern—all slip into the past and are soon forgotten, for the time being at least, in that wonderful feeling of motherhood, as it surges forth to envelop yet another tiny soul, who, though perhaps unwanted in early pregnancy, now strangely calls forth a deep well of love and joy and satisfaction, and peace with the world. Yes! It is indeed a blessing to hold such a tiny mite in your arms, and it is a privilege to watch his every expression and movement, but it is also a grave responsibility, for his little life is given into your care, and to you is left the care of his every need, and the early planning for his future welfare and training, and it is you who will eventually answer for this “little lamb of the flock,” and it is you who will be asked in that day, “where is thy flock, thy beautiful flock?”

And so it was my joy and privilege to hold just such a tiny mite of humanity—to cuddle him close to my bosom—and to silently pledge myself to give him the best that it was in my power to give, and to bring him up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord;” for such were the thoughts and the feelings that welled up within me, though I knew it to be no easy matter to carry out, for the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

After those first few days, I felt well and happy, and my thoughts began to reach out to the family at home. What would they be doing now, and how would they be faring?

WERIHE TE TUIRI

by PEI TE HURINUI JONES

The day after the ceremonial opening of the Tuwharetoa tribal meeting house, Tapeka, last May, the memorial of the late Werihe Te Tuiri was unveiled. The memorial was erected over his grave in the Turumakina sub-tribal cemetery at Waihi at the foot of the bush-clad hill behind the village, and on a gentle slope overlooking the waters of Lake Taupo. The unveiling ceremony was performed by Tumate Mahuta, first cousin of King Koroki, on Sunday the 19th of May, 1959.

Werihe's father, Te Tuiri Takiwa, was of the Parekawa sub-tribe of the Tuwharetoa tribe and his mother, Te Rohu, was a daughter of Te Heuheu Patatai Tukino, the donor of the Tongariro National Park.

I first knew Wehihe when I was a school-boy on a summer holiday at Tokaanu with Hoani Te Heuheu. Werihe and his first cousin, Kahotea, the elder brother of Hoani, were boon companions. Werihe and Kahotea took it in turns to act as secretary to the Honourable Te Heuheu Tureiti Tukino M.L.C.—the father of Kahotea and Werihe's uncle. These two cousins were very kind to me and often told me tales of the lake and its people.

With the passing of the older generation of tribal leaders, Werihe with his cousins, Tupu Paurini and Te Pau Mariu, became the leading elders in their turn. Kahotea and his brother-in-law, Te Hehe Tamaira, had, in the meantime, died.

I spent many a pleasant time with Werihe and his wife, Huriana, at his home above Te Rapa, near Waihi. The home is on an elevated position from which a glorious view of Lake Taupo can be had on a fine day.

The foregoing sketchy account is intended to serve as an introduction to Werihe's song. The song was composed in the early 1930's, and was inspired by the introduction by Sir Apirana Ngata of Land Development into the Lake Taupo district, under the Maori Affairs Department—then called the Native Department.

The beginnings of land development on the pumice lands of Taupo at Tauranga—Taupo were at that time on an experimental basis, on account of the problem of soil deficiency. Treatment with cobalt had not yet been introduced. Elsewhere, among other tribes, land development was being carried out in large-scale Land Development Schemes.

These brief notes on land development will explain the theme of Werihe's song.

When the tribe received advice that a Maori festival of haka, action songs and poi dances were to be a feature of the Waitangi celebrations, the women of Ngati Tuwharetoa decided to adopt Werihe's song for their poi dance.

The Waitangi celebrations were held to mark the handing over by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, of the Waitangi Treaty property as his gift to the Nation. The Maori festival competitions were judged by Te Taite Te Tomo, the member for the Western Maori Electorate, and in the poi the Ngati Tuwharetoa were awarded the first prize.

When awarding the prizes Te Taite Te Tomo explained that in the haka, actions songs, and in the poi, the performers should evince pleasure in the dance. It was necessary, he said, for the pleasure of the performers, and for the enjoyment of the on-lookers to bring into the dance the appropriate gestures; the haughty stare and the seductive side-long glances, together with the exact movements of head, body and hands. At the same time a subtle restraint must be maintained during the performance.

The performance of the women of Ngati Tuwharetoa fulfilled the requirements, said Te Taite, and he complimented them on the theme of their song.

HOW FAMILY BENEFITS
ARE USED TO
FINANCE MAORI HOUSING

For many families the desire to own their own home can now be realized through the Capitalisation of Family Benefit. This scheme places the opportunity of immediate home ownership before those families who were previously unable to find the balance of the cost of a house not covered by the loan limits of the Department of Maori Affairs and the State Advances Corporation.

Some of the questions people ask about this new scheme are answered in the following statement prepared by the Department of Maori Affairs:

Who May Apply?

Any parent of a child between the age of one year and 16 years may apply providing the child is living with, and is being maintained by the parent.

How Old Must the Child be before the Benefit may be Capitalized?

The child must be at least one year old before the benefit can be capitalized.

“When my first child is born, I should like to put the whole family benefit, from birth onwards, towards my house. How can I do that?”

When you apply for Family Benefit following the birth of the child, you can instruct the Social Security Department to accumulate your benefit without interest. At the end of the year, you apply to have the benefit capitalized in the usual way. The accumulated lump sum of family benefit is then added to the amount available for housing.

This is to be especially recommended when the child is the first one, but parents of larger families may also find it convenient.

What is the Greatest Amount Available for each Child?

This will depend on the age of the child when capitalization is applied for. Where the benefit is capitalized from the age of one year until the age of 16 years, the maximum amount in most cases will be £473 16s.

What is the Greatest Amount Available to any one Family?

An application may be made to capitalize a benefit in respect of any number of children in a family, but in no case can the capitalized benefit exceed a total of £1,000.

What is the Minimum Amount Available?

No advance may be made where the capitalized value of the benefit is less than £200.

For What Purposes may the Benefit be Capitalized?

The benefit may be capitalized for any of the following purposes provided the house will be used as a home for the family:

(a)	To acquire a section and erect a new house thereon.
(b)	To acquire a section with a new house already erected thereon that has not previously been occupied.
(c)	To erect a new house on a section already owned.
(d)	To meet the cost of alterations or additions to a house already owned, for the purpose of providing additional bedrooms or living

(e)	To repay in whole or in part any mortgage or amount due on a registered agreement for sale and purchase owing as at 1st January, 1959, in respect of a home already owned at that date.
(f)	To repay in whole or in part any other debt owing as at 1st January, 1959, and incurred in acquiring a home for the family or in the making of alterations or additions to such home.

Who Must be the Owner of the Property?

The benefit may be capitalized only if the beneficiary (normally this is the mother) is the sole owner of the property, or the property is settled in the names of the beneficiary and her husband as a Joint Family Home, under the Joint Family Homes Act, 1950.

In the case of Maori freehold land where the beneficiary being the wife, is not the owner, a joint tenancy created by the means of a vesting order under the Maori Affairs Act, 1953, is necessary.

If the property is to be settled as a Joint Family home, it is not essential that this be done at the time of the application to capitalize the benefit. Eligibility to capitalize and suitability of the housing proposition will be investigated and an advance of capitalized benefit may be authorised with security meantime over the land in the name of either husband or wife, provided suitable arrangements are made for settlement of the land as a Joint Family Home.

What Security is Required for the Advance?

The advance will be secured by a charge registered against the land. There is no stamp duty or registration fee on the charge. In the case of Maori applicants who are also applying for a loan through the Department of Maori Affairs, that Department will prepare and register the charge.

Is the Advance Repayable?

Normally, the advance is automatically cleared when the child whose benefit has been capitalized reaches the age of sixteen provided the property has continued to be used as a home for the child. If, however, circumstances arise whereby the benefit, if it had not been capitalized, would cease to be payable or the house ceases to be used as a home for the family (e.g., it is sold or let), repayment of the advance will be required. If the child dies within one year of the date of capitalization, the advance remains as a charge on the property until repayment is required. If the child dies more than one year after the date of capitalization repayment will not be required.

How is Eligibility to Capitalize Benefit Determined?

The need for a home and the need for financial assistance to help meet the cost of the home have to be established. In so far as need for a home is concerned, parents of children under sixteen years of age who do not own their own homes will normally be regarded as needing a home.

Financial need will be determined on the over-all financial position of both husband and wife. There is no fixed salary or income limit, but the total income of the husband and wife from all sources, their combined assets, their liabilities, their family responsibilities and their ability to meet commitments on the housing proposition, will be taken into account. Full details must be disclosed when the application is made.

How is an Application Made?

Maori applicants who are arranging their whole housing proposition through the Department of Maori Affairs, will make their application for capitalization of Family Benefit to that Department at the same time as they lodge their application for loan finance.

The Department of Maori Affairs will deal with the Social Security Department on behalf of the applicant as soon as application to capitalize benefit is taken. This will be helpful to Maori applicants as they will find it necessary to deal with only one Department on all matters affecting their capitalized benefit and their loan application.

Where the Maori applicant is applying for loan finance from the State Advances Corporation, or other lending institutions, it will be necessary for him to make his application to capitalize benefit direct to the Social Security Department.

Does it pay to Capitalize?

The answer to this question largely rests with the individual.

The capitalization table is based on 3% compound interest, plus a mortality risk element and these factors have the effect of reducing the amount of capitalized benefit available from the amount that would be received if it was taken by normal monthly payment. In other words, the maximum amount that can be capitalized for one child is £473 16s. If the applicant was to receive Family Benefit at monthly intervals, for the same period as the capitalized advance, approximately £591 would be received. However, the advantage of being able to capitalize the benefit at the time when a home is badly needed may outweigh the loss of part of the benefit from capitalization. It is suggested under the circumstances that any family would be well advised to capitalize where they do not have the cash to meet the difference between the total cost of the housing proposition and the available loan monies and where

there is urgent need for better housing for the family.

There are cases where the beneficiary relies to a considerable extent on the regular Family Benefit payments for the care and attention of the children. If the benefit is capitalized, considerable difficulty may be found in meeting commitments under any loan which is in operation. The type of people who may be affected in this way include widows, and couples where invalidity or unemployment benefit are the only income. The Department of Maori Affairs has special provisions for dealing with the housing needs of these people, and there may not be the need to capitalize to obtain a new home.

Maori families who feel that capitalization may help them are encouraged to visit the nearest office of the Maori Affairs Department, and talk over their problems with the officers of that Department.

A well-attended meeting at Pakipaki last August formed a branch of the 28th Maori Battalion Association. The new branch will take in an area from the Waikare hotel to the Te Aute hotel and from the coast almost to Te Haroto. The president is Mr E. H. Nepia, secretary Mr W. Mohi.

A Gisborne branch of the Association was also recently formed, with Mr K. Te Hau as patron, Mr K. A. Keiha as president and Mr M. Searancke as secretary.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Maori musical operas are becoming a popular entertainment. The latest major shows: ‘Skin Deep’, written by Brother Reginald, performed jointly by pupils of St. Peter's Maori College and Queen Victoria School for Maori Girls, and ‘The Adventures of Hatupatu’, a three-act musical play with a Maori cast thirty strong, staged by the Wairoa Maori Club. In addition there has been the long nationwide tour of Nga Waka concert party, tracing Maori history from the first canoe in dialogue, song and dance.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

A worthwhile meeting was organized at Otorohanga last August when various tribal committees and representatives of two primary schools met at Otorohanga College to discuss Maori education problems, notably absenteeism and misbehaviour. Tribal committees planned action to assist the schools in their work.

PUHIWAHINE — MAORI POETESS

by PEI TE HURINUI JONES

RAPUA TE MATAURANGA O TE PAKEHA
I ROTO I TE AO HOU

Na PARAITI TIPUNAKORE KAUA

Kinga matua, tipuna, kaitiaki o a tatau tamariki me koutou hoki tamariki ma huri noa nga rohe katoa o Aotearoa, tena koutou katoa I Ko te tumanako kia manaakitia tatou katoa i roto i nga mahi kei mua i a tatou. Ko nga mea o tatou kua roa noa atu e korero ana i nga tini taonga o roto i ta tatau pukapuka o “Te Ao Hou” kei te mohio koianei tetahi wahi, huarahi hoki hei whakaputa i o tatou whakaaro hei tirohanga hei korero hei wananga ma tatou ma nga mea e whiwhi ana i tenei pukapuka. Ko au tetahi o koutou hoa, whanaunga hoki kei roto i nga whakawaha a taua a te Iwi Maori i enei ra i roto i te ao hou. Ko etahi o aua pikaunga na taua tonu na te Maori kati kia kaha taua ki te mea i enei kia ngahoro atu i raro i a taua. Ki au nei ko te ao hou e korerotia nei i timata i muri tata o te mutunga o te Pakanga Nui Tuarua ara i te hokinga mai o Te Hokowhitutoa-a-Tumutauenga ki Aotearoa nei i te tau 1946.

I tera wa he toko maha tonu o tatou kaumatua kai-arahi rongonui hoki i te ora ara nga kai-hautu o tatou tini waka o te iwi Maori. He tini o tatou karanga maha i haere ki te Pakanga Tuarua i runga i ta ratau whakahau otira ko taua ko te Iwi Maori na taua tonu to taua nei whakaaro kia haere ki te arai atu i te hoariri kia kaua e tae mai ki Aotearoa nei. Ara e takoto mai ra i tawahi i runga i nga tini marae o te riri etahi o koutou karangatanga maha, i mate ratou kia ora tonu ai tatou. Kei roto i o ratou hoa i hoki mai ki te wa kainga nei etahi o nga kai-arahi mo taua mo te Iwi Maori i enei ra notemea i te wa o te Pakanga i tera mahi nui whakaharahara ko ratou nga kai-arahi o nga tamariki o tera wa i whakawhiti i te Moananui-a-Kiwa ki te arai atu i te hoariri. He mahi uaua i mahia e ratou a oti pai, waihoki inaianei i roto i tenei i te ao hou he nui nga ahuatanga kei runga i te huarahi e arai ana i te tangata, a ko taua ko te iwi Maori etahi kei te haere i runga i te huarahi ara i te ao hou.

Ko te ao hou no te hunga tamariki ara no te rangatahi. E korero ra tetahi whakatauaki “Ka pu te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi. He tika enei korero engari ki toku nei whakaaro kaore e tutuki i te Rangatahi anake nga mahi hei painga mo ratou mo te iwi mehemea kaore o ratou kaumatua o enei ra i te tautoko i a ratou. Ko te nuinga o nga hoia o te Pakanga Tuarua kua eke ki runga i a ratou te tohu kaumatua—kua hina, kua pakira, kua moe wahine kua whiwhi tamariki mokopuna hoki. Otira ahakoa ehara tatou katoa i te hoia i haere ki te pakanga i tawahi, i tenei wa he hoia katoa tatou hei pakanga kia pumau tonu ai te ora me te tipu o te Iwi Maori mo ake tonu atu i roto i te ao hou. Ko te mahi nui ma tatou inaianei he tautoko i nga mahi katoa e awhina ana i a tatau tamariki mai i to ratou ra i whanui ai, haere ai hoki ki nga kura whakaako kia riro mai i a ratou te matauranga o te Pakeha hei whaka-whiwhi i a ratou ki nga mahi tika hei pou tokomanawa mo ratou i roto i te ao hou. Kei te mohio tatau katoa he mahi uaua te tohutohu i te tangata kua pakeke engari nga taitamariki kei te tamariki tonu nga hinegaro ka taea te kukume ki nga huarahi tika hei painga mo ratou. Ko etahi pakeke kua waia ke ki te haere i a ratou na haere he uaua te whakatitahi i a ki ratou etahi huarahi ke atu.

Ahakoa kua ngaro i waenganui i a matou i nga tangata Toko i te ora mo taua mo te Iwi Maori to tatou kaumatua a Tipi Ropiha raua ko Rangi Roera e kore e wareware a raua tohutohu i roto o nga mahi. Ko Rangi te kai-whaka-haere tuatahi o nga mahi Toko i te ora i te timatanga o tenei ropu i roto i nga mahi a to tatou Tari Maori. I tera wa e ora tonu ana to tatou matua a Ta Apirana Ngata. I taua wa ka waimarie taua te Iwi Maori ka whakaturia he Maori hei Tumuaki mo to tatau Tari Maori ara ko Tipi Ropiha, he tangata i tipu ake i roto i te Ao Maori me te haere tahi ano i roto o te Ao Pakeha, he tangata i haere ki nga kura Pakeha kura Maori hoki a i kaha ki te whai i te matauranga o te Pakeha me te mau ano ki tona Maoritanga. I haere i a ki Te Aute Kareti ki tera o nga kura pupuri i to taua Maoritanga me nga tohutohu Karaitiana. Ko ia tetahi o nga taina o tera whakatipuranga i a Tau Henare, Ta Maui Pomare, Ta Te Rangi-hiroa, Ta Apirana Ngata otira o te nuinga noaiho kei te rongonuitia i Aotearoa nei. I raro o tenei kaumatua katahi ano te taha Maori o roto i nga mahi o te Tari Maori ka tino pakeke haere me

te puta haere ano hoki o etahi o ona tamariki i roto i nga mahi o te Tari Maori. Ko Rangi Roera tona tino hoa i roto i nga mahi Toko i te ora, otira ko Rangi tetahi o nga tohunga na ratou nei i timata te kaupapa Toko i te ora mo taua mo te Iwi Maori.

Ko Rangi tetahi o nga tamariki a nga kaumatua kua oti nei te whakahuahua atu o ratou ingoa, he tamaiti i tipu ake i tona taitamarikitanga i roto i te Tari Maori a na te eke tonutanga o tona wa mo te mutu te mahi ka-tahi ano a ia ka ngaro i roto i a tatou mahi. I Muri iho i a Rangi ka whakaturia ko Taare Peneti uri o Pihopa Peneti ki tona tunga a me ki na tenei o a koutou tamariki i whakatakoto whanui te kaupapa hou a Te Roopu Toko i te Ora o to tatou Tari Maori. Kei te mohio etahi o koutou ki nga whai a te kaupapa nei notemea i tera atu tau nei i panui haeretia e Taare Peneti huri noa nga rohe o Aotearoa. I muri iho i a ia ko matau ko a koutou Apiha Toko i te Ora o tena rohe o tena rohe kei te kaha ki te whakaatu ki a taua ki te Iwi Maori i te tino hohonu-tanga o taua Kaupapa.

Ko nga mahi tuatahi e mahi ana matau i te timatanga o te Roopu Toko i te Ora he mea kia kaha taua te iwi i nga wahi katoa ki te whakatikatikai a taua tuatahi a me ia mea takitahi ano hoki o tatou. He mea kia oti pai o tatou marae ara nga wahi huinga tangata tae atu hoki ki o tatau kainga noho. I whakaturia he Komiti Hapu a Iwi hoki huri noa a Aotearoa hei awhina i enei mahi, kati kitea ana ko etahi rohe ahua ngoikore ana nga komiti ki te awhina i roto i o ratou na takiwa. Ko te kaupapa hou nei he whakaoho i a tatou katoa kia mataara i roto i te ao hou o te Pakeha, a he awhina i tenei ahuatanga ka whakahoutia te kaupapa a te Roopu Toko i te Ora mo te Iwi Maori. E toru nga tino wahanga kua whakatakotoria—Tuatahi, he awhina i te Maori, otira kia kaha rawa atu te awhina i nga tai-tamariki kia tipu tika ai ratou, kia waia ki nga ahuatanga me nga tapokotanga o te ao hou ara te Ao Pakeha. Tuarua—apiti atu ki tenei, ki te whakatipu i te ahua whakahoahoa aroha hoki i waenganui i a taua i te Maori me te Iwi Pakeha. Tuatoru—he awhina i a taua i te Maori ki nga ahuatanga e mau tonu ai to taua Maoritanga.

Tera atu etahi o nga mahi kaore e whakararangitia e au otira ko nga mahi whare me etahi o nga mahi kei te mahia tonutia engari ko enei kua korerotia ake nei h [ unclear: ] i kauhau ma matou ki a koutou i enei o nga ra. I a Taare Peneti e haere ana i roto i nga rohe o te Tairawhiti nei i te tau 1956/57 ko nga korero i tino kaha a ia ki te kauhau haere ko nga mea e pa ana ki a tatau tamariki. I puta i a ia etahi korero papai na Ta Apirana Ngata i tuhituhi ki roto i te pukapuka a tetahi o nga mokopuna a Pihopa Peneti. Kei te mohio tatou ki nga taitamariki mataara whai whakaaro hoki ki te kite ratou i tetahi tangata rongonui kaumatua ranei ka tono ratou ki taua tangata kia hoatu ki roto i a ratau pukapuka etahi korero kupu tohutohu ranei hei titiro ma ratou i nga ra kei mua e takoto mai ana. I te tononga atu a taua tamaiti nei ki te koroua ra ka tuhia e ia enei korero ki roto i te pukapuka:—

• “E Tipu e Rea, i nga ra o tou Ao,

• Ko to ringa ki nga rakau a te Pakeha hei ora mo to tinana,

• Ko to ngakau ki nga taonga a ou Tipuna hei tiketike mo to mahunga,

• Ko to wairua ki te Atua Nana nei nga mea katoa.”

E hika ma katahi nga kupu whakamiharo ko enei mehemea ki te ata tataritia e tatou nga tohutohu kei roto i enei kupu ka kite tatou kei roto i aua kupu te ora mo a tatau tamariki otira mo taua mo te Iwi Maori i roto i te ao hou. Ko te rea e korero atu ra te koroua a Apirana ko a tatau tamariki o te ao hou nei. E ki atu ana ia “E Tamariki ma—e tipu koutou i roto i te Ao Pakeha. Kia kaha ki te whakaako i a koutou ki te matauranga o te Pakeha, haere tahi koutou kia mohio ai koutou ki ana mahi katoa, koiana tonu hei ora mo koutou. I a koutou e whai ana i te matauranga o te Pakeha kaua hei wareware ki to koutou Maoritanga, puritia kia kore ai e ngaro ma kona koutout ka mohiotia ai he tangata. Kei wareware hoki ki to tatou Kai-hanga te kai homai o nga mea katoa.”

Kei roto i enei kupu nga tohutohu ano ki a tatou ki nga matua o enei ra. Koianei te tino take i tuhi ai au i enei kupu he inoi atu ki nga matua, tipuna kaitiaki hoki o nga tamariki. Whakapau tatou i o tatou kaha ki te tuku i a tatau tamariki ki nga kura, kati te moumou i a tatau moni ki nga mea mo tatou anake te painga engari hoatu te wahi tika tonu ma a tatau tamariki. Whakapaua paitia a ratau moni penihana ki a ratou ano meinga hoki ratou kia u te haere ki

nga kura ki te rapu i te matauranga. Ina pau te kaha ki nga kura o raro tukua ratou ki nga kura o runga atu kia tae ki te mutunga o to ratou kaha. Ki te kore e tutuki i a koutou ratou ki nga kura e tika ana he nui tonu ra nga awhina mo ratou ara awhina moni. Ko nga Apiha Toko i te Ora o koutou rohe etahi kei te mohio ki nga putea moni hei awhina i nga tamariki no reira kaua e wareware ki te korero atu ki a ratou.

Tera atu nga awhina ma tatou i a tatou tamariki. Ko etahi o tatou mataku atu ki te eke ki runga i nga komiti whakahaere kura, kaore e haere ki nga hui. Kia kaha tatou ki te haere ki nga hui o nga rohe kura e tata ana ki a tatou whakaeke ki runga i nga komiti whakahaere kura me nga komiti whakahaere hoki i te taha o nga matua o nga tamariki me nga kai-whakaako i nga kura. Kaua e tomuri ki enei o nga mahi, notemea koianei etahi o nga huarahi awhina i a tatau tamariki i a ratou e rapu ana i te matauranga. Mahi tahi i te taha o nga hoa Pakeha kaua ratou e whakatangata-ke-tia. He tokomaha a tatau tamariki kei te haere ki nga hai-kura i enei wa, a e u ai ratou ki reira ma tatou ratou e arahi e awhina.

Kaua tatou e whakamanamana ki o tatou hoa Pakeha engari whakahoahoa atu, whakauru atu ki roto i a ratau mahi—notemea na te Pakanga Nui Tuarua taua te iwi Maori i hapai atu kia tata atu ki a ia a ka nui tona pai ki a taua. Ko te Pakeha te kai-homai mahi o te ao hou engari “ko wai ko wai ka tohu” tera pea i roto i nga tau kei mua taua te Maori te pera i a ia ka tu hei kai-hoatu mahi. Koia nei te wawata kei roto i te ngakau kia tokomaha nga Maori hoatu mahi ma nga Tamariki o-Aotearoa a nga tau kei mua. Kei te kaha matou a koutou Apiha Toko i te Ora ki te whai i tenei kaupapa whakahoahoa a kei te whiwhi etahi o a tatau tamariki inaianei ki nga hua o te aroha o nga hoa Pakeha. Ko a tatau tamariki me o ratou hoa Pakeha kei te haere tahi ki nga kura kei te whakahoahoa ratou ki a ratou na reira kia kaha ano tatou ki te awhina i tenei ahuatanga.

Ma te matauranga ka whiwhi te tangata ahakoa Maori Pakeha ranei i tetahi mahi tika, e riro mai ai i a ia he whare pai mona tae atu ki nga mea mo roto—ka pai hoki te noho a tana wahine me a raua tamariki. E kore e wareware i a tatou nga mahi pai me nga tikanga pai a taua a te Maori kei te mahia i enei wa i tena wahi i tena wahi kei reira te Maori e noho ana. Ahakoa i roto i nga taone kei reira e mahia ana nga mahi katoa e mau ai to taua Maoritanga. Kei te kaha etahi o tatou kei nga Kura Wanaga ki te ki atu ki nga mangai whakaako a te Kawanatanga tae noa atu ki to tatou Minita Maori Pirimia hoki kia whakaakona to taua Reo Maori i roto i nga hai-kura he tamariki Maori kei reira, kati ko te tumanako o te nuinga noa iho kia tuturu tenei ahuatanga. Koianei tetahi o nga tino taonga a taua a te Maori ko to taua reo kia kaha taua ki tenei taonga kia kore rawa e ngaro. I roto i a tatau awhina i a tatau tamariki ki te rapu i te a mataura-nga akona ratou ki etahi o nga taonga o to tatu Maoritanga hei tikitiki mo ratou mahuna i roto te Ao Hou.

Hei whakaoti ake i enei korero me whai i nga korero whakamutunga a te koroua ra a ta Apirana ki tana mokopuna ara “Ko to Wairua ki te Atua nana nei nga mea Katoa.” I nga ra i mua atu i te taenga mai o te karakia Pakeha ki Aotearoa nei he Atua tonu o taua o te Iwi Maori, Otira no te taenga mai o Te Wiremu me ona hoa ki Aotearoa nei katahi ano taua ka mohio ki te Tokotoru Tapu ara ka huri taua te Iwi Maori ki te Hahi Karaitiana. He maha nga hahi o Aotearoa i roto i te Ao Hou nei, engari kei te whakapono katoa ki te Tokotoru Tapu i raro i nga Hahi tokomaha o Te Ao Pakeha. Ahakoa he aha te Hahi i raro i nga hahi tokomaha o Te Ao Pakeha. Ahakoa he aha te Hahi i raro i te Tokotoru Tapu Tapu kia kana ki te mau i a tatou tamariki ki tera taha nui tonu o tenei Ao. Meinga ratou kia whai i te Ropu Karaitiana kia haere ki nga mahi a te Hahi, kia whakamoemiti atu hoki ki te Kaihanga te Kaihomai o nga mea katoa.

Four Maoris will be among a delegation of ten New Zealanders who are to visit Indonesia next year under the auspices of the National Council of Churches. The party will visit churches in Java and the outlying islands. The visit will begin in mid-April. The Maori members are: Rev. Rangi Rogers, Methodist; Canon Raniera Kaa and Mrs Kaa, Church of England; and Miss Pamela Ormsby, Presbyterian.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Mrs J. Hawkins, Whakatu, was this year's winner of the annual Maori home garden competition held in Hastings under the auspices of the Heretaunga District Council of the M.W.W.L.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The Second Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment left for Malaya last November. Of the 750 members of the battalion, no less than 300 are Maori. In a public statement Lt.Col. J. D. Aitken, commander of the battalion, said the Maoris were extremely quick to adapt themselves to bush conditions during their training in New Zealand, and set an example for the others.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The work of Maori trainees in carpentry at the Panmure training school greatly impressed members of the New Zealand Carpentry and Joinery Apprenticeship Committee during a recent visit, according to the Commissioner of Apprenticeship, Mr H. McQueen. Progress had greatly exceeded expectations.

TOLAGA BAY
AND ITS DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL
A Survey of the Tolaga Bay Community (Part 2)

by Dr. D. SINCLAIR

The author, who belongs to the Ngaitahu tribe, is medical practitioner in Tolaga Bay; he represents the East Coast on the Hawke's Bay Education Board. In this article he gives a survey of the Tolaga Bay Maori community, and the way it has changed over the last century. The local school has had the deepest influence on the development of the people; he therefore discusses the function of the school and its achievements in much detail.

In the first instalment of his article, which appeared last March, Dr Sinclair described the introduction of the Christian faith, and the selling of the land. He showed that the operations of the East Coast Commission and the establishment of Maori incorporations gave the Tolaga Bay Maoris new economic strength. In the part that follows here, he discusses the movement to the cities and the remaining opportunities of Maori youth in Tolaga Bay. education that is suitable to both future town dwellers and those who will stay on the Coast.

The great bulk of the Maori population remained closely attached to the hereditary soil over the greater part of the first fifty years of European settlement. Many of the Tolaga Bay families migrated from the district when their land holdings became too small, to take up

lands that they had inherited on different ancestral lines further ‘down the coast’. The great war gave many of the young men their first acquaintance with city life while in the military camps and their hard won skills and splendid battle careers brought them home imbued with a new confidence that was never to leave them. The depression years were weathered and the new prosperity of the pre-war period saw the birth of the policy of the Government encouraging young Maoris to enter the various walks of the Civil Service, to complete the Teachers Training College Courses and then enter the teachers profession in the various Maori schools. The several Maori secondary schools gained increased rolls and kept turning out well qualified young men and women who made their way to the professions, helped by generous scholarships. Then came the war; many battle honours were won by the 28th Maori Battalion. The important thing that came out of that war was the new respect that Maori and Pakeha gained for each other.

LIFE RETURNS TO POUTO

by E. G. SCHWIMMER

A long narrow strip of land hangs like a whale's tooth from the upper jaw of Kaipara Harbour. It stretches from just south of Dargaville straight down for almost fifty miles, narrow, low-lying and sandy, but surprisingly fertile. Scientists say that the fertility of this land is due to the cirradella grass that became established over the ages and gradually converted the top layer of land into humus. The land was settled by the Ngati Whatua.

Almost at the bottom is Pouto, one of the latest land development schemes of the Department of Maori Affairs. To the traveller, the place is distinguished by the strikingly new houses, the obviously new grass, the new fences and the half-built school.

Pouto is interesting as an example of the sort of land development scheme which it is the government policy nowadays to establish for Maoris. Like most other modern schemes, Pouto is a large one, 9153 acres (3585 in grass, 2315 under development, rest unsuitable). Ultimately it will settle 35 farmers and produce 500,000lbs of butterfat per year. Each farm is to have a milking herd of 60 cows, a good house and shed and enough land in grass to feed the herd comfortably. (The areas already settled average 124 acres in grass, varying from 109 to 140). Settlers will hold their land under 42 year leases to which the owners agreed in principle before settlement began; no man is selected for settlement without the owners' agreement. Leases are not signed before occupiers have shown their ability to get good production from the land.

These are conditions very different from the older settlements developed before the war. The advantages are obvious, but balanced against these, there is always the difficulty that farms of the Pouto type are expensive to develop. Unless production is really efficient, settlers on these farms find it hard to keep going.

Before settlement started five years ago, only few people were living at Pouto. Their source of income was gum digging. Most of the people had gradually scattered to areas on the other side of Kaipara harbour or even further afield.

The person who first turned the minds of the people towards land development was Brown Kena, of the prominent local Kena family, who was a consolidation officer with the Department of Maori Affairs in the eary thirties. On his advice, Pouto was gazetted in 1933, although at that time the people hardly understood the significance of the great changes that were suggested to them. In 1939 the road went through; by 1954 2,500 acres were in grass. In that year, the owners of the land agreed to a scheme of sub-division and to the establishment of Maori dairy farmers on leasehold tenure.

Today, these scattered families are returning to their ancestral land as houses are built and areas become available for settlement. A new community is forming, but with the same tribal affiliations as the previous inhabitants. In this community some of the stories of the Ngati Whatua ancestors are still known. The visitor is told that Kaipara Harbour was first settled by two birds which came from Waikato—Reitu and Reipai, Reitu being the older. One of these birds stayed behind, the other flew farther north. The people of Pouto say that it was Reitu who stayed behind, but further north they say it was Reipai. In any case it was from these birds that the tribe descended.

Another ancestor was the whale Pokopoko. He was the youngest of three brothers. The two older ones drove him away from Hokianga Harbour which used to be their habitat; they pursued him to Kaipara where he fought back and drove them off. Whenever a chief of the district died these whales were seen off Kaipara Harbour—one black, one black and white and the third spotted; and the spotted one was always behind. I was told that since the Ratana movement started, the whales have never shown up.

The people still own an old marae at Waikaretu, eight miles from Pouto, at the southern tip of the peninsula. Nobody lives there now, but important tangis are still held there, although the meeting house is becoming rather old.

Since the new settlement began, various modern institutions have grown up, such as a tribal committee(Chairman, Mr Henare Kapa, secretary, Mrs A. W. Thompson), a school committee (Chairman, Mrs Wiki Wright, secretary, Mrs A. W. Thompson), a Maori Women's Welfare League (Chairman, Mrs A. W. Thompson, secretary Mrs Mary Taylor) and a youth club. The latter has been particularly active lately, and occasionally uses the old meeting house. It organises sports, horse events, athletics, socials and dances. The chairman is Mr Maurice Kena and

the secretary Mr James Jericevich. The tribal committee and league are helping to finance the youth club and to renovate the old marae.

Headmaster of the Pouto school is Mr Edward Baker, originally from Whirinaki, who some years ago was chosen out of many aspiring actors to play a part in the film The Seekers. However, since then he has given up the film world and settled down to school teaching.

Meanwhile, the farmers are settling down to the production of butterfat. There are now 13 dairy units; six of them are farmed by Maori settlers under leaseholds while the other seven are farmed by milkers on wages, on the understanding that when these milkers have proved themselves they too will be offered leases. All the lessees produced over 12,000lbs of butterfat over the last farming season, one of them as much as 17,607lbs. Four of the milkers also exceeded the 12,000 mark.

Can we say therefore that from a farming viewpoint Pouto is already a success? Not entirely. What has been produced so far is a hopeful beginning but no more. One has to recognize that the Pouto farmers do not merely enjoy better conditions, but that the demands upon them are much heavier. On the older Maori farms, a settler doing 200lbs per cow is a little above average; probably, his debt is not very high and he can live without too much worry on his present level of production.

However, at Pouto and other modern schemes most farmers will owe a total of £11,000 on settlement. That is for improvements, stock and chattels. Repayments and interest on this figure, for at least the first ten years, would be over £800 per year. After that it would drop to below £600. To this, one must add all the usual farming costs. It follows that a man producing 12,000lbs of butterfat can keep alive but not much more.

Experts say that the Pouto farms can yield 15,000lbs to 17,000lbs of butterfat under good management. Of course it takes a while until the new settlers learn how to get that yield. However, if they get close to that figure, there is no doubt that they will be financially very comfortable.

The majority of the farmers are already showing a pride and an absorbing interest in their calling. There have been visits by the instructor of the Department of Agriculture, as well as by the supervisors of the Department of Maori Affairs. Such visits have led to much discussion

(Concluded on page 55)

MAUNGAPOHATU
AN EPOCH IN HISTORY

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN H. ALEXANDER

High in the mountain fastnesses, in the centre of a vast area of rugged ranges, peaks and deep valleys lies Maungapohatu, former strong-hold of the ancient Tuhoe tribes. Isolated by the formidable bush covered country, which is broken in every direction by countless tumbling streams, the Maoris' old mode of living survived here until quite recent times. In this wild realm of the kiwi and kaka, the Maori deity Tane Mahuta reigned supreme presiding over all the forests and everything that dwelt in his trees, and so the birds came to be known as the children of Tane.

Back in the dim ages, according to Maori legend when men held strange powers and god-like beings dwelt on earth there lived one, Hine-puko-hu-rangi, the Maiden of the Mists. She lured Te Maunga (the Mountain) to earth and from their son Potiki descended the tribe known as Nga Potiki. This tribe is also called Tuhoe from their ancestor Tuhoe-potiki who was partly of Mataatua and partly of Nga Potiki descent. The third name by which these people are known, Urewera, derives from an unfortunate accident that occurred many years ago when an old fighting chief Murakareke rolled over in his sleep into the fire and had his private parts scorched in the flames. Eventually the name “Urewera” came to describe the whole of the mountain area.

The Urewera country is a series of rugged, broken mountain ranges varying from 1,500 to 4,500 feet covered with a dense blanket of bush and even today this formidable area is only partly mapped and surveyed. The valleys are full of pigs, deer and wild cattle, and in some places whole hill faces appear to have received a barrage of 25 pounder shells, where pigs have been rooting. Rainbow trout are gradually appearing in the upper reaches of the tributaries of the various rivers close to Maungapohatu although the big winter floods often wash them down stream again.

A few miles past Ruatahuna, and near the summit on the Rotorua-Wairoa road stands a lone sign post which says Rua stronghold, Maungapo-hatu 9 miles (the distance is believed to be nearer to 12). Starting in a clearing, called Papa totara, below the main road, a trail winds down through the bush to the first of the many creek-beds which it alternately crosses and recrossed countless times until Maungapohatu valley is reached. Many a war party of fierce tattooed warriors has trodden this ancient track and often the old war trail is worn down chest high with the passage of the fighting Tuhoes and their enemies for full twenty five generations. Frequently the track follows cold clear stream beds, where the banks are a dense mass of ferns, surmounted by tawa, tawhero, tawai, rimu and beech bush. Everywhere in the muddy verges of the creeks are pig and deer prints, but few birds are to be heard. Finally after weary climbing up and down the ranges, a surprising view appears, the valley of Maungapohatu. A long narrow sloping area at the bottom of the valley has been cleared of bush, and amongst the remains of

odd slab whares, wild cattle and sheep roam at will in the unfenced clearings, and in the evenings the pigs and deer appear from the bush verges.

Looming across the skyline at the top of the valley the massive Huia-rau range rises sheer from the shadowy ravines below, and it is interesting to note that Moa bones have been found here. With a series of grotesquely weathered pinnacles, the range comes to an adrupt ending at Maungapohatu mountain, 4,353 feet high, which stands as a sentinel and age-old guardian of the lands of the

Tuhoe. Legend has it that the presence of a stranger on the sacred peak is signalled by a veil of mist suddenly appearing on the towering lime-stone cliffs. Every hill-top tells of bloody battles fought in olden times, when the Urewera was full of people, and centuries of continuous warfare and countermarching in search of blood vengeance took place in the mountain hamlets and kaingas now unoccupied by man. The sole inhabitants of Maungapohatu Pa at the present time are old Hemi Toa and his wife, caretakers of the Great Rocky Mountain; although at times as many people assemble for various functions, coming up from Ruatoki or Ruatahuna.

Each summer Hoani Temera, together with his family and relatives, come in with pack horses and for a few days the old pa sees some great activity while the bush sheep are being shorn. Recently over two hundred head of wild cattle were rounded up, the most savage beasts being lassooed and tied to the clearing's trees until they became more docile, and finally the whole herd was driven out over the 12 miles of the old war-trail to the holding pen on the Rotorua road. From there they were trucked to the coast at Wairoa.

By reason of the high altitude and severe winters with snow often lying many feet thick around the kaingas, the wild bushmen of the Ureweras frequently went short of food. Cut off from the sea by hereditary enemies in possession of the coastal regions, their food supplies were hard to obtain. The only vegetable they grew regularly was a small blue potato called “papaka”, and for a kinaki or relish they produced a kind of pickle mixed with bush honey, the vegetable being first allowed to ferment. Native rats, dogs, eels and small varieties of fish were eagerly sought in ad-

dition to berries, fern roots, etc., but it was in the hunting of birds that these hardy mountaineers really excelled. Famous places in former days, were the “ahititi” (where the mutton bird is taken at night). A fire was lit near a net triangular string on high poles, and the birds when attracted by the glare were easily killed by a blow from the bird hunter's stick.

During the 1870's, this isolated wilderness made an ideal refuge for Te Kooti and his war parties between their ferocious raids on the pioneers' settlements.

Maungapohatu Pa, scene of many historic battles, is also famous as the last place in New Zealand where there was a skirmish between the Maoris and Government forces, only 43 years ago, over the arrest of Rua, the Maori prophet. A son of one of Te Kooti's followers, Kenana, Rua attained some eminence as a prophet in succession to Te Kooti and became a sort of Messiah, and his influence extended as far as Rotorua, the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast. He built a curious circular temple at the pa, decorated with clubs and diamond symbols from playing cards, and established himself in an elaborate European styled house, the timber, fittings and furnishings being carried by packhorse up the rugged Whakatane River tracks. By accepting one tenth of all his followers' earnings, he was able to live in comfort together with a large number of wives and his numerous children. Rua had during his lifetime 12 wives and over 70 children. Following a breach of the liquor laws his arrest was ordered, but he defied the police and said he would fight to avoid arrest. A party of 42 armed constables assembled in Rotorua in April 1915 and finally made their

PEN AND WASH DRAWINGS BY JOHN H. ALEXANDER

way over the 90 miles of extremely rough country to his stronghold. Some excitable elements among the Maoris opened fire when they saw their prophet being roughly handled, and a brisk fight of about half an hour followed, during which 4 constables were wounded and one of Rua's sons and another Maori were killed. In this street today a few slab whares still stand, and one wharepuni with earthed-up walls which is one of the last native dwellings of its kind still in use today. The floor is sunken about a foot below the level of the ground, covered with fern and mats, and during the winter when the sliding door and window are closed and a charcoal fire is lit for warmth, the pungent atmosphere has to be experienced to be believed. It was owing to these living conditions in wharepunis (sleeping houses) that eye troubles were a common complaint among old time Maoris.

After Rua's arrest, he was sentenced to a short term of imprisonment and on his release settled down to be a law abiding citizen and an ardent Government supporter, being responsible for raising many recruits for the Maori Pioneer Battalion in World War I. On the death of Rua in 1937, the Government received a shock when his wives issued a combined request for pensions, but history relates they were unsuccessful in their petition. With the passing of the prophet, failure of the potato crops over several years, combined with the rigorous climate, caused severe starvation and many Tuhoe families settled on the Development Scheme on the richer lands at Ruatoki. The tribe has recently sold timber milling rights in the area, and contractors are at present forcing a road through the mountains and soon the centuries old isolation of Maungapohatu will be broken for ever.

WHAT IS MAORI CARVING?

by AGATHA THORNTON

“The Maori people have their own idea of their historic monuments and it is different from the European. Perhaps you could put it briefly by saying that they are more concerned with the sacred side of them than with their beauty.” This suggestion was made in an article published in this magazine last year (Issue 21, p. 34).

Perhaps an investigation like the one I am putting forward here may suggest that the meaning of Maori art down to its detail lies in the region of the sacred, and that its beauty is the artist's reverent tribute to powers that he believes to be divine. Aesthetic considerations would thus be secondary to an appreciation of the religious meaning expressed in this art.

Let us look at the picture of the carved figure of this ancestor. The whole body seems to be bursting with vitality. Now, it appears that the ancient Polynesians believed—as did the ancient Greeks and Romans—that the whole body of a man is full of creative power, and, in fact, that all the parts of the body have their own particular powers. This conception finds expression in many different ways. A wooden figure e.g. of the god Tangaroa from Rurutu, Tubuai Islands (see left) is covered with small figures of human beings all over. According to Tischner, this figure represents the god Tangaroa “at the moment of creation of other goods and human beings.” In addition, we know, of course, that the gods, by their creative powers, gave increase not only in the divine and human world, but also in the world of animals and plants: in fact, they were the creators and providers of food. Increase in human beings and food, however, is not only the work of the great cosmic gods, but it is also and perhaps more immediately the work of the “ancestors”

It is this idea that seems to underlie the decorative carving of the Maori human figures. W. J. Phillipps shows the picture of “A stockade post from the East Coast” (see right) which is topped by the figure of an ancestor. The body of this ancestor is covered with a carved pattern which is called tara tara o kai. This means “peaks and peaks of food,” as Phillipps says, who also points out that this type of pattern “is almost universally used on carved food stores or pataka”. The intention of this pattern is, then, to express and perhaps enhance the powers which are alive and active in the whole body of this ancestor, namely to grant food to his descendants.

The plain ridges on the above figure are called patapata which means “rain drops.” Some forms of these parallel lines of carving are called ‘pata nui’ or ‘patapata nunui’ which means “great rain” or “downpour.” The notched ridge is called pakati. If we divide this work into ‘paka’ and ‘ti’ we find the following: ‘paka’ means “dried provisions,” and ‘ti’ means “cordyline of several species,” a plant the tubers of which were eaten. If this is right, the notched ridge represents “dried provisions of ti-tubers.” The individual notch is called “arapata.” “Ara” has many meanings; perhaps “talisman” is most suitable here. For an “ara” of wood or stone was carried on a canoe. “Pata” means “drop of water,” as we have seen, and also “seed, grain, as of maize etc.”—If, then, the plain ridges represent “rain drops,” presumably as they fall in long line the notched ridge a row of food-stuffs, and the individual notch either a “drop of water” or a “grain of seed” or rather both these things at the same time, what is pictured here is food, and the seed from which food grows, and the rain that fertilises the earth so as to make food grow. The meaning of the details of the carving pattern is, then, the same as that of “tara tara o kai.”

What about the name of this pattern as a whole: “rauponga”? “ponga” or “pongaponga” means “a method of adzing timber” which comes to much the same as what we should call a carving pattern. The particular character of this pattern is indicated by another meaning of “ponga”

which is “cyathea dealbata, a tree-fern.” “Rau” means a “leaf” and a “plume, spray, feather,” also the “blade of a weapon.” “Rauponga” thus seems to mean “frond of a fern-tree.” The notches of the notched ridge would presumably represent either the leaves of the frond or the points of the serrated leaves, and the plain ridges the stem of the frond or the middle ridge of the leaves. The question to be answered now is: what was the significance of a fern-tree to the ancient Maoris? Te Rangi Hiroa has explained the practical significance of ferns in the life of the Maori people. He says: “The curling fronds of young bracken fern (rarauhe), when they begin to open out, indicated the season for shark fishing. The rhizome of the bracken fern was used for food. The curling shoots of forest ferns (pikopiko, mauku) were gathered as a green vegetable. Tree ferns (ponga) were cut down and the leaf heads lopped off to obtain the edible pith in the upper trunk.” We see from this that “rauponga” again refers to the power of the ancestor's body to provide food, in the same way as do the details of this carving-pattern.

Finally, we come to the most striking feature of this carving, the great spirals. Apart from a few smaller spirals, all the bigger spirals are double. In principle, these are the same as the great double spirals on the prows of war-canoes, the only difference being that in the case of the canoes the knotted ridge has gaps. The name given to these canoe spirals is either “pitau” or “tete,” both “referring primarily to the young shoots of a plant, especially the circinate frond of ferns,” as Te Rangi Hiroa says. The meaning conveyed by these spirals when they are understood as representing fern-fronds has been beautifully described by Te Rangi Hiroa in the passage referred to before. He says “The young fronds of the large tree ferns (Cyathea dealbata) had a majestic appearance as they rose from the centre of the leaf head to expand into the new leaf that would take the place of the old in the family of leaves. The symbolism of decay and growth was expressed in the saying:

Ka mate he tete, ka tupu he tete.

As one frond dies, another frond grows.

A variation of the saying to apply specifically to chiefs was made by adding kura (red) to tete so that tete kura symbolized the chief who had the privilege of adorning his face with red ochre.

Hinga atu he tete kura, ara mai he tete kura.

As one red frond falls, another red frond rises.”

This proverb makes it plain that to the ancient Maori the fern-frond was the picture of a chief's life-power. When the ancient carver carved such spirals on the prow of a war-canoe, he did so in order to place there the chiefly powers of attack and defence. Again, when he carved similar spirals on the body of his ancestor, he expressed by these the chiefly powers which he believed to be inherent in his ancestor's body. Such powers were warlike in battle, and creative of offspring and food in peace.

Maori decorative carving is not directly representational. A person who is outside the old Maori culture cannot simply look at this ancestor and say what the patterns mean. On the other hand these patterns are not simply a delightful play with forms. But what we have here is, as it were, a “picture-writing.” If one can discover the meaning of the patterns, one can “read the tale”; and the meaning of the patterns is indicated in the names, and can be interpreted by reference to religious beliefs of the Maori known from other sources.

The fact that the Maori people “are more concerned with the sacred side” than “with the beauty” of their historic monuments seems, therefore, to be an authentic indication of the meaning of these monuments. I want to suggest, then, that Maori decorative carving is religious and indeed symbolical, expressing and enacting religious beliefs.

CONVERSION

Second of a series of articles by
TOITU TE WHENUA

MAORIS VERSUS BRITISH ISLES
TACTICS PROVOKED STRONG CRITICISM

by TERRY McLEAN

As the Rugby match between the British Isles and New Zealand Maoris came to an end at Eden Park, Auckland, early in September, I heard a number of leading Maori Rugby administrators telling each other: “This is a great day for us. Maori Rugby is on the way back.”

This sentiment was also the theme of speeches which extolled the Maoris' achievement in denying the Lions a try and in carrying them to a score of only 12 points to 6. So far as one could discover, most Maori Rugby people were delighted with the events of the day.

I wish I could agree with this viewpoint. Unfortunately, I cannot rid my mind of a particular thought. It seemed to me at the time, and it has seemed since, that the New Zealand Maori team which played the Lions committed a cardinal s [ unclear: ] n: It did not play Maori Rugby.

Even if I could, I wouldn't want to go all the way back to the most remarkable of Maori teams—perhaps the most remarkable of all Rugby teams—the 1888 Native team which played 108 matches around the world. It is valueless now to compare the Rugby of today with that of this remote time when the try counted one point and it was the custom for the forwards to cluster over the ball and maul incessantly for it.

But if tradition is correct, the foundations of Maori-style Rugby were laid by that team and on them were built, down the years, the teams of Maoris, or the individual Maori players, who have contributed so tremendous a portion to the glory of New Zealand Rugby.

Before the Great War, as only one example, Billy Stead, who died last year, was not only captain and vice-captain of New Zealand—he was of course, second-in-command to David Gallaher in the 1905 Incomparables—but he was also regarded as one of the cleverest and most graceful five-eighths who ever drew breath. It was in my presence that Jimmy Hunter, the five-eighths of the 1905 All Blacks and one of the greatest of all players, put his arm around Stead and said: “Without you, I would have been nothing. You were the finest of all.”

Billy, of course, had Maori blood and many an amusing story he could tell of experiences later in his career when he took charge of Maori teams. But the point was that the great qualities of his play—wisdom, cleverness and sharpness—were Maori qualities.

When that terrible war had ended, New Zealand Rugby enjoyed ten years of a Golden Era. Comparatively speaking, New Zealand Rugby was stronger at that stage then it has ever been.

And who were principal contributors to the greatness? For my money, they would include George Nepia, Jimmy Mill, Jackie Blake, Albert Falwasser, Sam Gemmell, Jimmy Walker, Peina Taituha, Wattie Barclay, Dick Pelham, Willie Shortland and a host, an absolute host, of other fine players.

Need I tell you that these men were Maoris? Need I recall to you their alertness, their superb technical skill, above all their adventurousness? It was because of these qualities that they were great players. It was because of these qualities, too, that New Zealand Rugby of the time was great.

On to the thirties, to Charlie Smith and Ropa Watson, Tori Reid, Jack Hemi and Phillips and Tommy Chase and many more. And pass from there onto the forties and the fifties. Do I need to mention more than those magic initials, “J.B.?” And what about Peter Smith, his brother, “Brownie” (“The Big Horse”) Cherrington, Barry Beazley, Keith Davis, Johnny Isaacs, and a whole heap more?

In all of these periods, so I maintain, you will find that Maori players and, very often, Maori teams have set the main so far as outstanding performances have been concerned. Auckland on a Saturday afternoon in winter is a pretty staid sort of place—but not when the Barbarians are playing a Maori team. And when a brother of mine encountered Sam Gemmell outside Eden Park one day practically weeping with pleasure, it wasn't because of some Pakeha quality. Sam had just seen the young Keith Davis playing for Auckland against Australia and he couldn't get it out of his mind that another Jimmy Mill had arrived.

Would Mill and Nepia and Johnny Smith and Wattie Barclay have tolerated the kind of Rugby which New Zealand Maoris played against the Lions?

The answer was put into the mouth of one of his female characters by Bernard Shaw—“Not—likely.”

That's what I found so difficult to understand about the match. These last few years, and especially during the Lions' visit, New Zealand Rugby people have grizzled their heads off about the defensive aspects of Pakeha football. No one takes a chance, you can easily guess what's coming because no one can think of anything unusual to do and the game plods wearily up and down the touchline.

Is this Maori Rugby? No, no, I say, a thousand times no.

Yet this was the sort of Rugby which was played in the name of the Maori people against the Lions. That was the disappointment, the lasting disappointment of the day.

I know very well that Maori Rugby suffered in pride from the mauling by the Springboks in 1956 (and I have always thought that the Maoris that day permitted themselves to be talked into the wrong state of mind). But what happened three years ago was unimportant in 1959. It was a certainty that if the Maoris had played Maori Rugby, the Lions would have replied in kind. Then you almost certainly would have seen the game of a lifetime, furiously fast, spectacular, tremendously exciting.

Apart from the score, was there anything exciting about the game as it was played—I am forgetting the tough stuff and other incidentals? To my mind, there wasn't.

For the sake both of Maori and New Zealand Rugby, I can only plead for the return, as soon as possible, of truly Maori players. These are the chaps who make your hair stand on end because of the mistakes they make—but by golly, look at the way they cover up those mistakes and look, too, at the things they do with the ball in hand! Raureti, Mathison, Walters, Herewini, Davis—these chaps can really play, and revel in, Maori-style Rugby.

Somehow, I can't help feeling that Tom French

THE MAORI BANK
AT CAMBRIDGE

by N. M. Chapple

During the massive and destressing land sales conducted at Cambridge in the early 1880's, the Maori people conducted their own bank, with unfortunate results which show a vivid light on the times.

Around 1880, large sums of money were paid out at the Cambridge sittings of the Maori Land Court to owners of Maori land who had sold their interests to the Government. The money was generally deposited in the two local Banks, and if not placed upon fixed deposit, no interest was payable.

The Maoris reasoned that there must be some profit to the Europeans, otherwise they would not keep Banks, and as it was accordingly represented at a meeting that as the Europeans were making a profit by keeping the Maoris' money, there was no reason why the Maoris should not be their own Bankers and enjoy the profit themselves. A Bank to a Maori of those days was a place where money was kept for safety, to be available to the owner when required. In their Bank there were to be no advances, no overdrafts: everything would go in; nothing would go out. A Board of Directors was appointed, mostly well-known Chiefs selected from various tribes. Two half-castes who had had an English education were selected as book-keepers. The Prospectus was in Maori, a translation being as follows:—

“The Maungatautari Money House.

“Board of Directors (eight names were listed)

“Whereas it has come to the knowledge of the aforegoing Chiefs that the people of the various tribes mentioned herein (six were mentioned) have been in the habit of trading with certain Europeans:

“And whereas the Maori people so banking have been viciously wronged in their dealings with these Europeans, who have largely profited thereby.

“And whereas our hearts are sorely grieved at this robbery of our people:

“Be it known, therefore, that we, the Chiefs of the tribes aforementioned, in Council assembled, have decided to start a Bank for the benefit of the Maori People.

1.	“The Rules upon which the Bank will be conducted are—The right to share in the privileges of the Maungatautari Bank is confined to the people of the Maori race.
2.	No deposit will be accepted for a shorter term than six months.
3.	The rates of interest to be paid on deposits are:—On all sums under £20, 5 per cent; over £20 and less than £50, 10 per cent; over £50 and less than £100, 15 per cent; over £100, 20 per cent.
4.	The Bank will be open to receive deposits on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.”

The premises consisted of a large raupu whare divided into three compartments—office, “strong” room, and sleeping compartment. The clerks and some of the directors ate and slept on the premises. The treasure, some hundreds of pounds, was securely locked away in candle boxes in the strong-room.

J. F. Edgar, formerly a Maori Land Court Judge, who supplied the aforegoing information, continued as follows:—

The confidence of the Bank was almost universal. Every Maori who had a pound which he could not otherwise dispose of put it in the Bank that it might grow. True, there were a few who after a few days began to entertain misgivings and demanded their money back, but the directors were obdurate; the rules could not be broken. Some weeks after the Bank commenced business it became apparent that two or three of the directors had unlimited resources at their disposal. One became the owner of a buggy and

ON THE FARM

Tolaga Bay; continued from page 27

output, once the problems of drainage and raising fertility have been overcome. Some leasehold and freehold economic units will be available to those of the owners who are competent to farm them. Increased allocations will be made to development and investment funds The large incorporated blocks can then extend their farming operations by acquiring more land for development and ultimate subdivision among their shareholders for settlement.

To sum up: in spite of the drift to the cities, the resident Maori population in Tolaga Bay is likely to maintain a steady increase over the years. There is, and will be, for many more years, a continued local demand for more Maori labour than will be available; this demand may well be further raised, in the long run, by the continued success of the large Maori farming incorporations.

WILL THE LEAGUE STAND
ON ITS OWN FEET?

The great topic of discussion at this year's conference of the Maori Women's Welfare League was whether the league should become independent. On the opening day of the conference the Rt. Hon. Walter Nash said to the delegates: “I think you need more independence. You should stand more on your own two feet.” He made the league an offer of a diminishing annual grant of £2,000 for expenses to set itself up as an independent body.

Naturally this caused a great stir, because until that time the League had been very closely associated with the Department of Maori Affairs. The League secretary, Mrs Joan Stone, was (and still is) an officer of the department; much assistance also comes from the women welfare officers who have helped branches and district councils to get started. Even under independence they would be available to attend meetings and give guidance on invitation.

Delegates were very conscious of the help they had received from the department and many were a little afraid of the consequence if they were left to themselves. There was therefore much debate about the Prime Minister's proposal, some favouring independence and others shy of it.

In the end Mrs Iriaka Ratana, M.P., probably expressed the view of the majority when she said: “As long as we are coddled by the department we will never be able to stand on our own feet. The job is now to go out to all our people and explain our decision to them.”

However, delegates were not too sure about timing. They passed no resolutions, but accepted the executive's suggestion that full investigations would be made and detailed proposals would be put to the 1960 conference.

There were also discussions, very realistic ones, about the financial situation under independence. For how long would the grants to the league continue; would they stay at £2,000 per year? On this point the minister's liaison officer, Mr M. R. Jones, gave an explanation to conference. He said that the grants would gradually diminish, as the League's financial means permitted.

Meanwhile, all were agreed that the League would need to get more income from its 3000 members if it wished to prosper under independence. Up to this year, the annual subscription to the league was 2/6 of which 1/- was paid to the Dominion Executive for its expenses, the rest being shared between branches and district councils. This meant a total of £150 per year to the Dominion Council. In addition there were the proceeds of the Day of Giving, £339 this year.

Clearly this did not even begin to pay for the running of an independent organization. The league's estimate of its central office expenditure was £2,550, but observers were agreed that this figure would be an absolute minimum.

As a first step to greater affluence, conference decided to raise annual members' dues to 5/-, of which 3/- would go to the Dominion Executive.

The conference was held in extremely attractive surroundings—the War Memorial Hall in Napier, a fine piece of modern architecture standing on the foreshore and surrounded by a wealth of flower beds; there is even a floral clock. The hall is circular with windows almost all the way round. This shape is very pleasing and ideal for a large conference (there were 200 delegates), because people are concentrated closely together. The Heretaunga District Council were wonderful hostesses.

Remits brought comparatively little that was new, the most valuable probably being two Auckland remits on housing: “That the maximum allowable income for State Rental Housing tenants be assessed on a sliding scale increasing with each additional member of the family”; and “That in making housing allocations, T.B. priorities be deducted from the general housing pool before the Maori allocation is made, as otherwise the high incidence of T.B. among the Maori people absorbs almost the whole of the Maori allocation.”

There is no doubt that in these two resolutions, the league is ably representing the interests of the Maori people. The requests are entirely reasonable and if ways can be found to meet them, they will undoubtedly help to ease the Maori housing situation in the cities.

These were only two out of the 56 remits that were considered by conference. Many of these remits were repeated from previous years, others were entirely local in subject. I wonder whether this rush of formal business is really the best way of using conference time. Naturally there must be remits to government, but surely the planning of programmes and methods of branch work are of at least equal importance. The league works in a rapidly changing Maori world where social and educational work of the most varied kinds is needed. No other New Zealand women's organization is to the same extent responsible for vital innovations in hundreds of communities. If the league is to be independent and therefore has to frame its own approach, then guidance should come from the national conference.

Among interesting contributions were Mr W. Parker's evening lecture and Mr K. I. Robertson's talk on education. Mr Robertson told delegates about new developments in Maori education over the year, quite an impressive list—the training of teachers of Maori language and culture, the preparing of Maori school bulletins, and a book on Maori arts and crafts for schools, the new strength of the Maori School Committees, the reconsideration of the scholarship system. He warned conference of the unfortunate consequences when boarding school fees are not paid —a school may become wary of accepting Maori boarders. Speaking about Maori university students, he stresses that they needed a second year in the sixth form to be confident of success later. Grants from the Maori Purposes Fund are available to help those taking that second year.

Mrs Rumatiki Wright, senior Maori Woman Welfare Officer, told the delegates about her visit to Russia as part of a delegation from the National Council of Women. She was impressed with the cultural standards of Russian women, and with the methods of vocational guidance.

The following officers were elected by conference:

Patroness: Princess Piki Paki.

Dominion President: Mrs M. Logan (re-elected unopposed).

Dominion Vice-Presidents: Mrs M. Hirinii and Mrs M. Szaszy.

Dominion Secretary-Organizer and Treasurer: Mrs J. Stone.

District Representatives: Mrs L. Wallscott (Te Waipounamu), Mrs M. Tamihana (Tairawhiti), Mrs J. Ellison (Waiariki), Mrs L. Te Waari (Aotea), Mrs W. Bennett (Ikaroa), Mrs M. Szaszy (Tokerau), Mrs K. Jones (Waikato-Maniapoto).

Health Department Representative: Miss Cameron.

Representative of the Department of Maori Affairs: Mrs R. Wright.

Official League Delegates: Mrs W. Bennett for the Pan-Pacific Association, Mrs P. Moss for the South-east Asia Women's Association, Mrs M. Logan for the National Council of Women.

The next conference will be held at New Plymouth.

E. G. S……

LEAGUE DOES EXCITING JOB
WITH TEENAGERS

The Maniapoto District Council won the Te Puea Trophy for the best report handed in at this year's Maori Women's Welfare League Conference in Napier. In this district there are five branches, each of which have done a great job in their areas. Especially interesting was the report of the Oparure branch, which presents a fresh approach to the handling of the teenagers in a Maori village. We think the Oparure method is well worth adopting elsewhere.