Provincial Teams Also

Nor is such prominence to be found only on the international plane, for there are also to be found strong and continual challenges by increasing numbers of Maori players for position in provincial teams. To recall a few, there were:

Porima, Raureti (Waikato).

Maniapoto, Walsh, Herewini, Pryor, Nathan, Rangi (Auckland, holders of the Ranfurly Shield).

Nicholls, Taitoko (Manawatu).

Walters, Yates (North Auckland).

Tapsell, Orme, Taiaroa (New Zealand Universities).

Mahupoka (Wairarapa).

These are only a few of them; there were dozens more.

In the East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Counties, King Country, Taranaki, and the other provincial sides Maori players were present in large and representative numbers. New Zealand can boast of having many excellent Maori rugby players right down to Club level.

Among ‘Greats’ of 1962

In picking out the ‘greats’ of 1962 it would not be permissible to go past the northern quartet of Walsh, Herewini, Yates and Nathan. All but Walsh, a past All Black of some distinction, made the 1962 New Zealand team that toured Australia and played the Australian touring side in New Zealand later in the year. I feel that Walsh was most unlucky in not being selected to an All Black side this year. He has been the pivot and ‘nursery man’ for the brilliant Herewini—a combination upon which Auckland shield successes must have rested strongly.

As individuals, this year's All Black trio proved themselves as true internationals. Victor Yates, though his form was not what it was in 1961 against the Frenchmen, still showed that he will be a very strong contender for the British Isles tour in 1963–64.

Mac Herewini, even if he keeps only reasonable form, can ‘pack his bags’. The same can be said of Waka Nathan, and perhaps there will be other Maori players on the scene as well next year.

The trio are an example of the trend in Rugby which I discussed last March in ‘Te Ao Hou’. Maori backs have always been a feature

Mac Herewini, whose photo is on the cover of this issue of Te Ao Hou, comes from Mokai, a tiny mill settlement north-east of Lake Taupo. When he was seven his family moved to Auckland, and for a period of two years in his early teens, he was an apprentice jockey.

His career very nearly ended at one stage during this time, when a savage horse reared, threw him and fell on him. As it fell, one of the horse's hooves struck the young boy in his chest. The injury was extremely serious—but if it had been an inch higher, it would certainly have been fatal. At this stage Mac rode at 6 stone, a tiny wisp of a boy. At 5 ft. 7 ins. he still looks pretty small on a football field, but he's now a strongly built 11 st. 4 lb., and once he's in action it's exceedingly clear that his height is no disadvantage to him.

Mac worked for a time with his great friend Waka Nathan on meat-boning contracts at the Westfield works, but then he took up drain-digging work. He has his own special machine now, is his own boss, and is doing very well at it.

He's also a good tennis player, though there's been less time for this since his marriage, and especially since the birth of his daughter—‘a great little kid’—a few months ago.

of New Zealand rugby but now Maori loose forwards are also coming into their own, and it seems that Maori players will again be contributing their bit to the continued supremacy of New Zealand in international Rugby.

Let's hope that next winter another grand effort from Maori sportsmen will be forthcoming—meanwhile, to all players from Club to International, the ‘has-beens’ and ‘will-bes’ can say ‘thank you for a magnificent year’.

We would very much like to be able to print more news in ‘Te Ao Hou’, and would be grateful for more contributions from readers—accounts of meetings, weddings, obituaries, photographs, and anything else of interest. They don't have to be long, and they don't have to be very carefully worded; you can always leave this to the editor, if you wish. We are always glad to receive stories, articles and poems, also. All published contributions are paid for.

Due to a mis-print, we referred in our last issue to the Hon. J. R. Hanan, Minister of Maori Affairs, as the Hon. J. R. Hanana. When we noticed this later we were rather embarrassed for a moment—till we realised that we had in fact simply given Mr Hanan the Maori version of his name, and what's wrong with that?

If you see a reference to a Mr J. K. Hana in ‘Te Ao Hou’ at any stage, it'll probably turn out to be Mr Hunn in his Maori disgui [ unclear: ] e.

The Primate of New Zealand, the Most Rev. N. A. Lesser, has announced that the Rev. Canon Te H. (Dan) Kaa, B.A., L.Th., who comes originally from Rangitukia on the East Coast, has accepted an invitation to serve in the South Island.

‘Canon Kaa will be licensed to the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, but will exercise a roving commission to work among Maori people throughout the diocese. In addition to this work, the Bishop of Christchurch will readily and willingly agree to Canon Kaa's being available from time to time to assist Maori work in the diocese of Dunedin and Nelson.

‘Canon Kaa took his degree in 1951 and his L. Th. in 1932. He has served all his ministry in the Waiapu Diocese, having been Vicar of Taupo, Waipawa Maori pastorate and Vicar of Moteo Waipatu (Hastings) since 1950. He has served Waiapu Diocese in many capacities, including membership of the standing committee and Maori mission committee.’

He Kupu Whakamarama
Mo Henare Tate

Kua roa a Riki raua ko tana kuia ko Meri e noho tahi ana tetahi ki tona hahi, tetahi ki tona hahi. Kua eke te kaute o nga tamariki ki te toru. Katahi ka uru mai te whakaaro ki roto i te hinengaro o Meri, me huri mai a ia ki te whakapono o tana kaumatua, a ka huri mai.

E kopu ana a Meri i taua wa. Na, te whanautanga mai o te tangata hou ki te ao, he tama wahine, Ko Herapia te ingoa i huaina ai ia i te ra o tona iriiringa; ko te tau 1910. Ka tupu ake, ka wahinetia ia, ka moe tane, ka whakawhanau tamariki ki te ao, ko Hohepa, ko Hori. Ko te toru o nga tamariki, ko Henare Arekatera, i huaina ki tona matua atawhai, ki a Henare Noa. I a ia e noho ana i Motuti, a kura ana ia ki te kura kawangatanga. He wa ano ka hoki kia kite i nga matua mo etahi ra, he wa ano ka haere tahi raua ko tona tupuna ki te hao ika i te awa nui o Hokianga. Te mutunga i te kura ka whiwhi ia ki te karahipi, a ka tukuna e tona matua atawhai ki te kura kareti o Hato Petera.

I reira ka tupu ake te whakaaro i roto i a ia me te hiahia hoki ki te tunga pirihi. He marama no te matenga, he u no te whakaaro, he piri pono ki te karakia, te kotiti ai a Henare i te huarahi e ahu atu ana ki te taumata, ara te whakatapunga pirihi i te ra 30 o Hune. Ka whai hoa a Pa Wiremu te Awhitu, ka tokorua raua kua oti te whakawahi hei pirihi hei hoa mahi mo Hehu Kerito.

Ma te Atua koe e tiaki, e manaaki e Pa Henare; kia maha rawa ai o tau i te mara o te Ariki hei painga mo tou iwi, te iwi Maori.

‘He ra ka taka ki tua—a takoto te pai—hi, hi, takoto te pai’.

This true story of heroism is based on the account given in Percy S. Smith's ‘Maori Wars of the Nineteenth Century’, 1910. Te Aokapurangi and her husband Te Wera later went to live at Mahia, and it was there that she eventually died.

Mrs Mayla Ngawhika of Rotorua has gained top marks for New Zealand in a theory examination for basketball referees. Mrs Ngawhika, a former Rotorua basketball representatives, has been a member of the Rotorua Referees' Association for four years and is a provincial referee. Her mark, 96 per cent, is particularly outstanding. As the mother of seven children, she has little time to devote to studies.

Another Rotorua referee, Mrs D. Anaru, gained 94 ½ per cent in the same examination.

Ngati Manu Tribe

Selwyn belongs to the Ngati Manu tribe. When he was born, at Taumarere in 1927. Selwyn was given the name Te Ngareatua by his grandfather, who prophesied that this, the youngest child of Kapu Reweti and Peter Wilson, would be a special child who would achieve distinction.

After attending the Kawakawa District High School, he went to study at the Elam School of Art. He could have chosen a well-paid position

in commercial art, but Selwyn accepted instead the offer of a position as Itinerant Art Specialist for secondary schools in the area between Waihi, Te Aroha and Katikati. After three years he went back to Elam to complete his Diploma of Fine Art in 1951. While he was still a student he also taught part-time at Wesley College and at Mt Eden Prison.

Study in London

In 1957, after working with the Art section of the Department of Education in Auckland, Selwyn was awarded a Sir Apirana Ngata bursary to study ceramics at the Central School of Art, London. Unfortunately his studies were cut short by illness in his family, but nevertheless he did very well in London. Some of his pottery was placed in the permanent collection at the Central School, and he has also sold much of his work. Though pottery is his main interest he is also a painter, and two of his paintings are in the collection at the Auckland Art Gallery.

When he came back to New Zealand, Selwyn looked for a teaching position near his home. He was glad to accept one at Northland College, for while he wishes to service his Maori people, he is most interested in teaching where Maori and European are together. It is rewarding for him, and perhaps symbolic, that the winners of the competition should represent both races.

Selwyn finds his days well filled with his school duties and in maintaining his family home, but even so he freely gives his time to evening classes and adult education courses. At the moment this leaves no opportunity for him to continue with his own pottery and painting, but he hopes to start again next year. We certainly hope this will be so.

Many pupils like Hira Ripia, who started art classes by saying, ‘Wi, sir, but I'm no good!' have gained confidence by finding, with Selwyn's guidance, that they never know what they can do until they try. At least three of Selwyn's pupils have continued in art; Margaret Sampson of Waihi has completed her Diploma of Fine Art and is now teaching at Otorohanga, while Mere Harrison of Ruatoria and Buck Niu of Kaikohe are students at Elam.

When he was asked to what he considers his success is due, Selwyn replied doubtfully, “‘Success?”—Well, anything I have achieved has been due to hard work, tenacity, and to the determination of my parents.’

We have received a request for a Maori penfriend from Mr E. J. Pilkington, of 727 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver 10, B.C., Canada.

He writes that he would like a penfriend, regardless of age and sex, to whom he could send pictures and information about Canada, and who could send him pictures and information about Maoris and New Zealand.

Mr Pilkington is in his late 50s, a war veteran, and an Anglican by faith.

Under the Sale of Liquor Bill introduced in Parliament by the Minister of Justice and Maori Affairs, Mr Hanan, it is made illegal for hotels to refuse accommodation, meals or liquor to any person because of race, colour, nationality or beliefs.

Mr Hanan said this was a new provision which he was sure all Members of Parliament would welcome.

Children Need Watching

How many water hazards are there on or near your property? It would pay to look round and do something about it. Prompt action could save lives.

Three older children, aged between 5 and 10, drowned while swimming. It is hard for parents with large families of young, adventurous children to keep their eyes on them all the time, but it is surely better to let the work suffer than to lose a child.

The loss of seven men in the prime of life was also a tragedy for the Maori race. One drowned when a dinghy was swamped while negotiating

treacherous seas at a river mouth. Another man, and a married woman in her forties, were killed when a dinghy was swamped in a swell.

Care In Boats

If you use small boats you shouldn't go out when the sea is rough or the weather is threatening. Your boat should be in good condition and properly equipped. Even an outboard runabout needs oars and rowlocks, in case the motor breaks down. An anchor, rope, a spare bung, and a bailer are also essential.

Everyone in a boat should wear a lifejacket. None of the 39 people drowned in accidents to small boats last year was wearing a lifejacket. They might all be alive now if they had.

In another accident, youths clung to a capsized canoe and were saved. The other man tried to swim to the shore, and drowned. If a boat capsizes and doesn't sink, it is safer to cling to it than to try to swim to the shore. A man clinging to a boat will find it easier to stay afloat and will be easier for rescuers to find.

The hazards of swimming in rivers were illustrated by the drowning of two teenage youths. A young girl, who had been swimming with the boys, said that one went to the middle of the river and the other to the opposite side. The youth in midstream began calling for help but the girl, thinking he was fooling, left the water and walked along the bank. When she returned both boys had disappeared. Still thinking she was being teased, the girl did not call help until more than an hour had passed.

Watch River Snags

When you swim in rivers, creeks and streams, first look for underwater snares—snags, logs, branches, boulders, or thick weed growth. They can be fatal traps. The old swimming hole can never be taken for granted; rivers change all the time and quickly. The place that was safe yesterday can be dangerous today.

Everyone with his own safety and the safety of his loved ones at heart will want to learn more about water safety. Booklets about water safety and safety in small boats can be obtained free of charge by writing to the National Water Safety Committee, Department of Internal Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington. The Committee will also send a free leaflet about rescue breathing, the simplest and most effective method of reviving people who have apparently drowned, to those who ask for it.

In this poem Rangi Harrison writes of the Pacific Islands he has visited, and expresses his feelings in thinking of their long and sometimes tragic history.

Marama Paewai, who writes here about her experiences as an American Field Scholar, is one of a number of Maori secondary school pupils who, along with pakeha pupils, have spent a year studying in American schools. Two others who have visited America under the scheme recently are Ngapera Kaa of Te Kaha, and Timothy Te Heu Heu, whose photograph is on the next page.

Relaxed Atmosphere at School

Socially, the American teenager has loads of fun—the ball games, the cheering squads, the drive-in movies, the many parties, the bowling alleys, and the school proms.

School life at Theodore Roosevelt High, a co-educational school with two thousand students, is a phase of life which I miss very much. The students there enjoy a very relaxed relationship with their teachers, and the absence of uniform creates a casual atmosphere in the school. However, I never did decide whether or not I favoured this attitude. My studies there included English, American Literature, American Government and Economics, Latin and Biology. Languages and all fields of science seemed to be the subjects most stressed.

The big city life, which we hear so much about, really exists. Chicago and Los Angeles are big, industrial, and therefore dirty cities, but New York and San Francisco impressed me as being

tremendously big, beautiful, clean and exciting cities.

Family life, which is stressed a great deal, taught me many things. The home of Mr Roger Johnson, in which I lived as a daughter, was run on love and consideration. I will not say that the children were not more demanding than we seem to be, but very enveloping love and respect were always foremost.

Visit to President Kennedy

On the 24th of June, thirty-three A.F.S. students, including myself, left Iowa for a month's tour of the Eastern States, staying with families in the various communities. The highlights for all, I think, were New York city, the United Nations, and a visit to the White House where we met President Kennedy. I will always fondly remember the company during this time of European, Latin American, and South East Asian students.

After a month in San Francisco, during which I lived with an outstanding Negro family, I turned towards Aotearoa, and that was the most wonderful part of it all.

I can only thank sincerely, all those who helped me in any way for this wonderful year, and wish that in future years the number of young Maori people who receive this scholarship will increase.

Field Scholar
in America

Maori Soldiers Sing
Malayan Songs

A Maori record with a difference has just appeared under the Kiwi label. Called ‘Maori Soldiers Sing Melodies of Malaya’, it is the third release from the Concert Party of the Second Battalion the New Zealand Regiment. (The other two are ‘The Coming of the Maori’ and ‘Maori Soldiers Abroad’.) All royalties from the record have been donated to the Maori Education Foundation.

One of the party's visits to the Malayan capital, Kuala Lumpur, coincided with ‘Bulan Bahasa Kebangsa'an’—a special month-long promotion by the Malayans to encourage all members of their multi-racial country to speak Malay, which is the national language. ‘Bulan Bahasa’ is an annual event which is very important in Malaya. At the request of the New Zealand High Commissioner, Mr C. M. Bennett, D.S.O., the officer in charge of the party took several popular songs and gave them Maori words (and in one case, actions) and also wrote verses in Malay telling of the party and its work.

The soldiers' performance of these Malay songs was an immediate hit; in a special farewell article to the Battalion, the newspaper the ‘Malay Mail’ expressed this when it said that ‘by singing popular Malay songs and by their friendly ways they have won the confidence of Malayans and helped foster closer understanding between the two countries’.

When the party came back to New Zealand their Malayan songs pleased audiences here too, and this prompted ‘Maori Soldiers Sing Melodies of Malaya’.

This group performing a powhiri for Lord and Lady Freyberg are in the Guildhall in London, a famous historic building which is certainly a novel background for Maori action songs. The people in the group are, left to right: front row, Luie Tawhai (from Rotorua), Margaret Moore (nee Paiki, Christchurch), Norma Morehu (Otaki), Winnie Waapu (Hastings); second row: Sam Karetu (Hastings), Cini Boynton (Waimana), Mary Peni (Pipiwai), Margaret Smith (Kohukohu), Tom Russell (Hastings). One member of the group, Ben Wanoa from Tokomaru Bay, wasn't able to be present on this occasion.

The photo was sent to us by Mr Sam Karetu, the Information Officer at New Zealand House in London, who promises to keep us in touch with Maori activities in London. He says that he knows of at least 32 Maori residents in London at the moment, all of them enjoying it very much. They have formed an amateur group called the Aotearoa Maori Entertainers and have found that action songs, poi and haka are very popular with English audiences. Not everyone who would like to belong can get to practices, though, because many are nurses on night duty.

Boys Feel Responsible

Much of this comfort is due to the Company's concern for their welfare, but the big thing is that the boys have been led to feel responsible for the place, and, as a consequence, to be proud of it. They have been encouraged to acquire the facilities for many spare-time activities, but they have mostly raised the money for these things themselves; the TV and their expensive band instruments, for example, were paid for through their own fund-raising efforts. They know that they could ask the Company for money—but they take a pride in being independent. This pride is surely the reason for the spotless condition in which things are kept, and for the happy atmosphere there.

During the peak season at the works there are up to 80 boys, nearly all of them Maori, living at the hostel, and even in the off-season there are about sixty of them. Nearly all of them are under 21 (after this, if they're not married they usually share a house with friends), and they come from all over New Zealand—from Waikato, Northland, Taranki, the East Coast, Wellington itself, and elsewhere.

They get on very well at the Gear Meat Works, where 45 per cent of all the workers are Maoris; ‘we really welcome Maoris here,’ Mr Steve Watene, the Company's Welfare Officer, told ‘Te Ao Hou’. Maoris have a natural aptitude for the work, he said; provided a company looks after them, they are exceptionally good workers.

Good With Their Hands

Mr Watene, who has been Welfare Officer at the Company for six years, told us many interesting things about Maoris in freezing works. They manage well because they are particularly good at using their hands, and enjoy doing so; this capacity to enjoy their work, especially when they are in groups (a capacity which in general is probably more typical of

Maoris than Pakehas), makes all the difference.

Though they get on well with their Pakeha mates, they prefer on the whole to work in all Maori groups. They don't like detailed work, such as meat processing jobs, but are very good at the heavy work, like butchering and dressing. The expert teams of ‘tally men’ are 90 per cent Maori, simply because Maoris are usually better at this work than Pakehas. (Maoris don't like the cold, though, it seems; there are few of them in the freezing chambers, even though the pay is good there).

In the last few years, Maori workers have been especially encouraged to take on responsible positions, and at present three out of fifteen supervisors are Maori, with seven more training for the job.

This is quite different from the situation a few years ago, when Maoris had responsible jobs at the Works, and when things did not always go smoothly as regards the Maori employees there. The change in atmosphere which has occurred since then is due to a new management's intelligent interest in the welfare of their employees; one aspect of this is the especial attention which they have paid to Maori welfare, both as regards the hostel and in other respects.

Much of the credit is certainly due to Mr Watene, who came to the Company in the first instance simply as its Welfare Officer, and only by chance found himself concentrating upon Maori problems. Mr Watene, who comes from Auckland (he used to be with Hellaby's there) has done a great deal to improve the situation at the Works.

The Company is certainly benefiting from their new policy also; there hasn't been a single work stoppage at the Gear Meat Works in the past four years—and this is a pretty notable record.

Change of Organisation

Four years ago the representatives of various teams got together, and, under the lead of some of the more successful teams, decided to put the management of the Competitions under a Central Committee composed of delegates from each performing team. This move was greeted with some misgivings at the start but it has proved very successful. The winning team in gaining the highest number of points, now receives nothing more than the mana which accompanies the Kariatiana Tamararo Shield. But every team, whatever its standard, receives a mileage allowance of 2/- a mile, toward the expense of running buses. With the district now spreading from Waiapu in the North to Maungahaumi in the West and to Wairoa in the South, hiring buses can be an extremely heavy burden. A mileage cheque for £30 to £40 can make all the difference between a team's being able to compete and its having, reluctantly to decide to stay at home.

This year, for the first time, new teams were able to hire piu-pius from the Central Committee at the rate of 1/- a piu-piu for Seniors, sixpence for Juniors and threepence for Primaries. This is opening the door to many young teams who have so far been unable to raise funds to buy their own and have been diffident about borrowing them. The Central Committee were fortunate in getting a pound-for-pound subsidy from the Maori Purposes Fund Board for the purchase of their piu-pius.

Held On Their Own

The Competitions differ from others of their kind only in the fact that they are held in their own right. They are not an associate part of a hui or church gathering, but are held purely for the purpose of keeping alive this aspect of Maori Culture in the area.

There are no paid officers; everyone who works does so in a voluntary capacity. The Central Committee does not undertake billeting but a meal is provided for distant teams on arrival and there is a supper for teams and supporters at Poho-o-Rawiri Marae after the concert on the final night. All expenses are borne by the Committee.

High Standard Maintained

There is seldom much left in its bank account after the expenses and mileage grants are paid, but everyone concerned has had the satisfaction of seeing a high standard of haka competition being maintained for yet another year. The East Coast districts have a very wide reputation for this class of Maori Culture and it is undoubtedly true that the incentive offered by these Annual Maori Competitions has played a part in keeping interest so much alive in the wide district from which the competing teams come.

Fields Were Tapu

The field where the kumaras were to grow had to be made tapu; as part of this ceremony, and usually before the kumaras were planted, long poles were brought and placed upright around the field. These poles represented the gods connected with the cultivation of the kumara—gods such as Rongo, Maui, Kahukura and Marihaka. Sometimes the people put the dried heads of famous ancestors upon the tops of these poles, and sometimes they brought other bones of their ancestors also, painted with red ochre and ornamented with feathers. These were put to watch over the fields so that their mana might ensure food for their descendants.

Sometimes stone statues, such as the one which we illustrate, were also brought to guard the fields. These seem usually to have represented Rongo, the chief of the gods associated with agriculture, but some statues had other names. Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua, for instance, was a very tapu island, largely because of the presence of the ancient statue called Matuatonga, which is still there today. Kumaras grew very well on Mokoia, and this was attributed to the great powers of Matuatonga. Because of this, each year before the planting began the tohungas from the surrounding districts would bring their seed-kumara to the island so that they could touch the figure of Matuatonga, thereby gaining its mana.

Ritual of Planting

The day on which the field was planted was very sacred. The planters arrived at the field before sunrise, and the tohunga chanted a prayer to Rongo, while they all faced towards the rising sun. Then the priest took a sacred basket of kumara and planted them, with ritual gestures, in a specially tapu part of the field. After this the men planted the rest of the field. When the work was over they ate a ceremonial meal of kumara from two sacred ovens; this was part of the ritual of removing the tapu which rested upon them during the planting.

While the plants were growing it was forbidden for strangers to approach them; if, in travelling across the country, you accidentally stumbled across the other tribe's kumara plantations, you were very likely to be attacked. During the summer the only people allowed near the kumara were the workman who did the weeding.

When the stars showed that the time had come to harvest the kumara, there were once again elaborate ceremonies performed by the tohunga, and once again the men working the fields (no women were allowed) were in a tapu condition. After all crop was lifted, and after ceremonial offerings of kumara had been made to the gods and all the necessary rituals were performed, it was the time of year for going visiting: a time when neighbouring friendly tribes entertained each other with elaborate feasts, when kumara and fish were displayed in great piles on tall platforms, and there were speeches, games, dancing, singing and festivity.

Readers interested in the nature and significance of the ceremonies by which the tohunga ensured fertility for the fields will find an authoritative and very interesting discussion of this in J. P. Johansen's ‘Studies in Maori Rites and Myths’ (1958).

Over the page we publish one of the many different stories which tell how the kumara first reached New Zealand.

Double-Hulled Canoe

The canoe is to be a double-hulled one, as were the canoes which originally came to New Zealand. There are still some people, he said, who have the knowledge to make canoes, and who know the correct karakia to recite in connection with this.

No-one knows exactly where Hawaiki is, but the immediate setting-off place is generally agreed to be Tahiti, and before this, perhaps, Hawaii. Hawaii has a special interest for Mr Metekingi because of the Polynesian Village which the Mormon Church is building there at present. He is a member of the Mormon faith, and would very much like to there for the opening of this Village next September.

Spirit of Adventure

Now he is looking for thirty men, Maoris for preference, who possess the necessary spirit of adventure for an expedition of this kind—‘I'm not interested in anyone who says it can't be done. The men I want must have a positive outlook and be prepared for some degree of hardship with cheerfulness and optimism.’ The vessel will have to carry radio, lifeboats, lifebelts and rafts, but apart from this he plans to make the conditions as traditional as possible. The main diet for all will be taro and kumera, and a quantity of dried fish and karaka berries will also be included.

‘As far as I'm concerned at the moment there will be nothing cooked on the voyage. Everything will be either dried or preserved and for the entire trip members of the expedition will be living on a spartan diet.’

Training would be required and much of it would have to be done in their own time. Self-discipline would be a basic requirement, because the early Maori voyagers were able to travel for long distances without water.

One other difficulty will be that the ocean winds are not nearly as favourable for a voyage from New Zealand to the Central Pacific, as they are for canoes coming in the other direction.

Mr Metekingi gives his reasons for the voyage as being sentimental, historical and scientific, and hopes to be able to make a start in a few months.

Sometimes it is pretty puzzling to find your way round a library. There are so many different sections for different sorts of books, that it is easy to miss books you would find interesting.

The Upper Hutt branch of the M.W.W.L. recently held a most successful ‘Library Night’ in their local library. The librarian, Mr I. W. Malcolm, showed them in an informal way how to join the library, how to take out books and how to find the books they wanted. He emphasized that librarians are very glad to help people find their way around.

Members of the League found the evening a most interesting one, and were impressed by the number of books on practical subjects, and also with the number of books on Maori subjects.

This ‘Library Night’ was so successful that a number of other branches of the League are thinking of following the example of the Upper Hutt group.

As well as Sir Turi Carroll (whom we had an article on in our last issue), a number of other Maoris received honours in the Queen's Birthday Honours this year.

Mr Hone Heke Rankin of Kaikohe was awarded the O.B.E. Mr Rankin is a descendant of the famous Hone Heke who three times cut down the flagstaff at Russell, and a nephew of the Hone Heke who was the first Northern Maori, M.P.

Mr Rankin has worked hard over a long period for Maori interests, taking an active part in many enterprises and organisations.

Mr Mete Kingi Takarangi, a highly respected elder of Putiki, Wanganui, has been awarded the M.B.E.; so has Mr D. M. Perry of Opotiki, a Pakeha who is very well known indeed in Maori circles, and who has done much to assist Maori organisations.

Major B. M. Poananga, of the New Zealand Regiment (Regular Force), who lives at Porirua East, was awarded the M.B.E. (Military Division), and Corporal Lewis Tuka Williams of the New Zealand Regiment (Regular Force), who is serving in Malaya, was awarded the B.E.M. (British Empire Medal). Flight-Lieutenant Te Waaka Hemi Morete, of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Whenuapai, received a Commendation ‘for valuable services in the air’.

This is the second and last instalment of Mohi Turei's history of the famous Ngati Porou ancestor Tuwhakairiora. A slightly modified translation of this story appeared in the last June issue of Te Ao Hou.

toa o era matua me hui mai hei matua maku, ahakoa tona tini makiu, he kai na te patu. Kei te matau atu au ki tona tohu.’

Ka whitia e ia te rapa o tona taiaha ki runga; ka ruia nga awe, ka puaha, ka tohu atu ia, he wha raupo tona tohu, he ngaru roa. Ka tatere, he kai na te patu, mana tonu ia a tami, e takahi, e patu. Katahi ka whitia e ia te reke o tona taiaha ki runga, ka hō nga awe ki runga ki te tākakīi, puritanga o te ringa whangai; ka karanga ki nga matua ra, ‘He kura-takai-puni e kore e pakaru i a ia. Ko te tohi a Te Aotaki i a au, kaore i nanunanu, i whati, me nga whakaaraara a Haruru-ki-te-rangi, a Whetuki-ki-te-rangi, a Ueue-ki-te-rangi, he tohu toa, he tohu ora, apopo koe i te ata hapara te rongo ake ai. Kaore na hoki; a ka ngaro, ko te pa tahuri, ko te puta taua i te ra kotahi.’ E tohu ana ia i mua o nga matua ra, me te mea tonu ka whatawhati te taiaha i roto i nga ringa. Kei te ki nga matua ra, ‘Ana oti, ko nga rongo toa kia nui, a ko nga tohu o te toa kia iti?’

Ka mutu, ka mihimihi ki te iwi, me te iwi ki a ia, me te mihi a te iwi i te moenga a Ruataupare i a ia. Tera nga rongo ka tae, kei te Whakahiato nga pa katoa o tenei taha o Whareponga ki roto i tona pa nui i Tokaanu. Ko nga iwi o te taha ki te tonga o te awa o Whareponga i hui ki Kokai, ki Tokatea.

Ka rite te ope a Tuwhakairiora, me nga o, ka whakatika. Ki te titiro pau tonu ki roto i te kanohi kotahi, engari e haere huuora ana i te tohu waiora a Tuwhakairiora. Kua oti te tohutohu ki a ia te ahua o te pa. Te taenga ki te one i Tirau tera ka kitea mai e nga toro. Tera kei te korerotia atu ki ona mano tini, ‘Kaore taua e rato, e whara, tango noa tahi ki te oneone apopo.’

Te taenga o te ope ki Paepaenui ka ahiahi hoki, kei te ki iho ano, ‘Pau tonu ki roto o te whatu kotahi; te whara te waha te aha.’ I te ata po tonu ka takoto nga matua a te ope. Takoto ake e toru; ko te matua nui, ara ko te Whare; ko te Puarere ko te matua i whakaritea hei tomo mo te pa, hei tahu; ko te Patari, ko te matua a te kairakau a nga toa. Kei te heke iho nga matua a tera, ka takoto he matua, he matua, tona tini. Ka kitea atu nga kakahu o nga rangatira, te topuni, te ihupuni, te puahi, te mahiti, te kahukiwi, te kahukereru me te parawai, me te rakai o nga matua e takoto mai ra, koia ano me te tahunatara te raukura ki runga i te upoko; nga taru o Taurikomore o Tauritoatoa.

Katahi ia ka tohu ki tona ope, ki nga matua e toru, ‘He waimarie, mei noho atu ia i te pa, e roa te kawenga; ko tenei ka puta ia ki waho, ka mate akuanei, a, taui ana to ringa i te patunga.’

Ka ki ia ki tetahi o nga matua, ki a te Puarere, ‘Ko tau riri, ko te pa; ko ena matua e takoto mai na, takahia: e tu koe ki runga, kia ki te waha, tukua i runga i te poupoutahi. E taea e koe te pa, tahuna! Maku koe e karanga ka whakatika ai.’ Ka tohu ia ki te matua nui, ara ki te Whare-o-te-riri me etahi o nga toa i whiria e ia hei hoa mona. Ka whitia e ia te reke o tona taiaha ki runga, ka karanga ia, ‘Huia mai ki a au, e karanga au kia tu ki runga, kia rite te whakatikanga ake ki to te ra whanaketanga i te rua. E rere au i mua me taku ope, kia ki te waha, whakangahorotia te poupoutahi i roto i te matua, ko te Whare o te matua kia mau. E ara te kura o taku taiaha ki runga, katahi ano te matua ka pakaru, ka riri koe i to riri, i te mea ka pakaru nga matua a tera.’ Ka karanga ia ki te matua a nga toa, ara ki Te Patari, ‘Whakatika, riria tena matua me tera ra, kia wawe te hinga.’

Ka mutu ona tohu, ka noho ia ki raro, ka karanga ki tona kai-whangai, ‘Homai taku toenga, whangaia mai au.’ Ee kai ana ia, i karanga te tangata, ‘Tuwhakaririora, e! ka pau tera kai raro.’ Ka karanga ake ia, ‘Riria, riria!’ Ka ki atu ia ki tona kai-whangai. ‘Homai te hiku o taku tawatawa, whangaitia mai kia pau.’ Te paunga o te hiku, ka whakatika, ka tu, ka titiro. Katahi ka karanga ki te matua hei tomo mo te pa, hei tahu, ‘Whakatika!’ Te pakaru; tunga ki runga, ka ki te

waha, ka tukua i runga i te poupoutahi, ka hinga era matua, ka pakari kua puta. Ka karanga ia ki te matua nui, ‘Whakatika!’ Te whakatikanga ake, ano he ra whanake i te rua. Ka ki te waha. Ka rere ia i mua, me te whai tonu nga toa me te poupoutahi. Kei te ki tonu te waha o te matua. Kua uru ia ki roto o nga matua a tera, tata haere ai takirua, takitoru, ki roto i te rapa o tona taiaha. Kei te pera tonu hoki a muri i a ia. Kua pakaru nga matua nui katoa a tera, te Whare-o-te-riri. Kua ara te kura o tona taiaha ki runga, kua kitea mai e te matua. Katahi ano te matua ka pakaru, ka patua. Ka ka hoki te pa i te ahi; pokia te whenua e te auahi. Ka rua ki te patu, ko te pa e kaia ana e te ahi, he patu kau noa iho ia ta te ope i nga tini e patua nei, ara ke hoki he tini ko nga tamariki, nga mokopuna, nga wahine, koroua, kuia, me ara atu, nga whare, na taonga, e patua iho ra e tera matua, e te ahi hoki. E tihi ana hoki te hau mihi kainga, te parera Hikurangi. Ka patua nei, ahiahi noa i te patunga.

Ka hui te ope ki te pupahi. Ka mutu nga mahinga i te ope me te kai, ka tonoa e Tuwhakairiora etahi o nga toa hei karere ki a Te Aotaki me te iwi, hei kawe i te ahi-karae, i te mariunga o te puta me te pa tahuri, me nga korero katoa. I te po ka haere. Ka ko nga kopara o te ata, ka tae ki Okauwharetoa, ki te whare i a Te Aotaki. Ka mutu nga korero, ka puta ia ki waho. Ka kainga hoki e ia te ahi-karae me nga mariunga i mauria ra; ka mutu, ka marama hoki te ata hapara, ka whakaaturia e ia, ‘Ka hinga, ka hinga a Ngati Ruanuku, ko te pa tahuri ko Tokaanu, ko te puta taua ko Te Hikutawatawa, i te ra kotahi.’ Ko te ingoa nei na Te Aotakī i tapa; ko te ki a Tuwharakairiora ki tona kai-whangai i roto i te ope, ‘Homai te hiku o taku tawatawa kia pau.’ E mau nei ano aua ingoa. Ko te pa tahuri ko Tokaanu, ko te parekura ko Te Hikutawatawa.

I te ata ka whakatika te ope ki te mahi i tona parekura me te pa tahuri. He maha nga ra i mahia ai. Ka kitea nga wahine, nga tamariki, koroua, kuia, e huna ana i roto i nga haemanga o nga hukitau o nga wai i nga wahi kino; ka patua katoatia, ko nga morehu no te po i oma atu ai ki Kokai, ki Tokatea. Ka mutu te patunga me nga mahinga katoa, ka hoki te ope. Te taenga ki Okauwharetoa ka mahia e nga tohunga nga karakia purenga me te hurihanga takapau.

Ka noho a Tuwhakairiora me tona wahine, me Ruataupare, ki roto o Okauwharetoa, me te iwi. Ka ea te mate o tona tipuna i a ia, ka rite te whakatauki aroha a tona koka i a ia. Kihai i tangohia e Tuwhakairiora te whenua, i a ia tonu hoki te whenua. Ko te kai-kinotanga anake o tona tipuna i whakaeangia e ia.

Nga whakatauki mo Tuwhakairiora: ‘Te koau tono hau a Te Ataakura.’ ‘Tautahi a Ngatihau.’

Ways to Help

Realising the importance of Maori education, the Commission devotes a whole chapter to it in this Report. It makes it clear that there is a very great effort needed now by all concerned with the education of our Maori children. There are so many of them who have the ability to do well at school but who, for a variety of reasons, are not successful. There are so many who, because they have not been able to get the most out of their education, must always stay in jobs that make use of only half their intelligence. The Commission makes twenty-three recommendations in connection with Maori education, all of which, it thinks, will help your children in one way or another.

While the report deals with the problems of teaching Maori, of providing scholarships big enough to meet the cost of boarding-schools, of meeting the needs of the pre-school child, most attention will probably be focused on the suggestion that the Department of Education should aim at handing over all Maori schools to Education Board control within the next ten years. At first sight this looks as if it will be a most unpopular suggestion. We all know how proud many settlements are of their Maori schools and how strongly they have opposed this change in the past. What the report proposes, however, is going to give far more than it takes away and deserves careful thought on the part of all Maori parents.

At the present time only one-child of the Maori children at primary schools attend the Maori schools which are administered by the Department of Education. The other two-thirds attend schools run by Education Boards, even though some of them have only Maori children on their rolls. The Commission proposes that all schools with more than a certain proportion of Maori children should be classed as ‘Maori Service’ schools, being given special assistance on a higher scale than Maori schools receive at present. These Maori Service schools would have extra money for library books, extra teachers to help children overcome reading difficulties and other specialists to guide the pupils in their school work and to advise parents how to help their children. This would apply to secondary schools as well as to primary.

‘A Special Need’

Probably some people will say that Maoris should be content with the same education that is available to everyone else. This is a shallow argument that supposes all children to be the same. What the schools try to do is to provide the very best education for all children, whether they are bright, dull or only average, whether they are blind, in hospital or perfectly healthy, whether they are Islanders, Pakehas or Maoris. The Commission says this, ‘that Maori education must become an area of special need, requiring special measures and, inevitably, increased expenditure. It (the Commission) believes that the Maori has as good a right to claim this from our community as have any other groups where children are handicapped through no fault of their own….’

The recognition of this special need is a good starting point. Not everyone will agree with the Commission's next step, the replacement of Maori schools under the Education Department with Maori Service schools under the Boards. In the writer's view, however, the gains should be far greater than the losses and should result in a far better educational deal for Maori children than they get at present.

‘New Zealand in Colour’, Vols. I & II
A. H. & A. W. Reed, each vol. 25s.

These big twin volumes contain well-printed colour photographs of New Zealand scenery, mostly beaches and lakes. Apart from a few distant views of holiday-makers, and one photo of some birds, almost the only sign of life they show is some of the Waihirere Maori Club, in Maori costume needless to say, performing in front of Poho o Rawiri in Gisborne. ‘New Zealand Scenery’ might have been a more accurate title; but certainly the photographs are very handsome.

Tales of Tamati
by Ian MacKay
Oswald Sealy Ltd., 18s.

These are home-spun, whimsical tales, of a rather old-fashioned kind; many readers will find them attractive, though other readers may get rather irritated at them.

They are ‘Maori’ stories, but Mr MacKay tells us that he has intermingled a considerable amount of fiction of his own invention. He also says that the tales are presented in a manner similar to that adopted by a Maori story-teller. This is a matter which readers will have to judge for themselves; of course, not all Maori story-tellers adopt the same manner.

The Dead Men of Eden
by V. Merle Grayland
Whitcombe & Tombs 12/6

The Eden in this detective novel is a new suburb being built on the outskirts of Auckland. There are quite a few dead men strewn around before the mysterious strangler is discovered, and the amateur sleuth who works it all out is a Maori, Hoani Mata.

Hoani isn't really keen on corpses, and likes an easy-going, enjoyable life better than an adventurous one. But no sooner does he come to Eden to help his brother Bob build a new house, than he finds sinister mysteries all around them. After a while he starts to put two and two together …

‘The Dead Men of Eden’ is unpretentiously written, but the background characters who live in this new suburb—young married couples trying to get a start, do-it-yourself experts, outdoor types, eccentrics and so on—are attractively presented and reasonably convincing; the same goes for Hoani and his brother. The book has humour as well as suspense, and it is interesting to read a detective story with a New Zealand setting. Altogether this is pleasant, easy reading.

—M.O.

From East Cape to Cape Egmont
by A. H. Reed
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 21s.

At 85 years of age A. H. Reed undertook a walk from New Zealand's extreme north to extreme south, writing a book about his travels called ‘From North Cape to Bluff’. Now he has made another expedition—from Te Araroa to Egmont, across the widest part of New Zealand. ‘From East Cape to Cape Egmont’ is an attractive account of some of the people, many of them Maori, whom he met on this long trek.

money and get the centre started. It was decided to hold a dance to try to raise £50 for equipment. Everybody helped; there were raffles and stalls; donations were given and the catering was done by the mothers. After all expenses were paid, we found we could bank more than our target figure. The problem of a building was solved, temporarily at least, by the Headmaster of the Tiki Tiki Maori District High School, Mr H. Lambert, B.A., who offered us the use of an empty school house.

Making a Start

The Tiki Tiki Play Centre was opened for the first time in June with a roll of seven. There wasn't much equipment to start with, mainly painting, drawing, cutouts, a few painted tins and blocks for the sandpit, but the Supervisor, Mrs Mana Rangi, managed to keep the small group of children happily occupied. Today the centre is much better equipped and the roll has grown to fifteen which includes the only Pakeha pre-school child in the township. Mr A. Grey, who visited us from Auckland, commented on the happy, relaxed atmosphere and the progress of both the mothers and the children. We are now applying for affiliation and, if this goes through, we receive a grant of £50 from the Government for upkeep and still more equipment.

We owe much to Miss McIntosh, the District Nurse, who as Secretary has contacted the necessary people, acquired films, books, recordings and given the mothers an idea of what a Play Centre is and how it is run.

Widespread Interest

Play Centres have become full, affiliated members of the Play Centre Association in Maori communities at Kokohuia and Te Ahu Ahu and another is nearly ready for affiliation at Tikitiki. Others are under consideration at Pukepoto, Te Hapua, Oruawharo, Omaio Bay, Ruatoria, Waiomatatini, to mention just a few names.

Impetus was given in Northland earlier and has continued in its development under the hands of Mrs G. Andrews, Onerahi, Liaison Officer for the Northland Sub-Association of the Auckland Play Centres Association.

On the East Coast and Bay of Plenty the first moves came from Alison McIntosh, Health Nurse, Tikitiki, and from school teachers on the Coast at Rangitukia, Tikitiki, Ruatoria and other areas, in discussion with Mrs O. E. Bickerton, County Liaison Officer, Auckland Play Centres Association.

Then in May 1962 the Ruatoria Maori Leaders' Conference gave time to discussions on Play Centre. This was reinforced by a talk to interested groups in Gisborne, Ruatoria and Tikitiki, and still further by a tour of the Bay of Plenty and East Coast by the Director of Supervisor Training, Auckland Play Centres Association, Mr A. Grey and his family.

On a five-day tour they demonstrated, lectured,

FORESTRY
and working plans

In any business correct planning is important, and never more than for a long term enterprise. But when it deals with assets of the magnitude of New Zealand's forests, a well-considered plan is a first essential. The New Zealand Forest Service, for each forest under its care, prepares a Working Plan. It prescribes every operation for the life of the forest. And while it provides for continuity of management, it can be revised to incorporate new methods and techniques. The Forest Service maintains constant research to secure maximum yields per acre, a maximum use of wood from thinnings, and a maximum financial return. As with any other business, the management of timber crops is expected to be prudent and profitable. And this is the task of the New Zealand Forest Service.

Forestry is forever

Issued in the interest of forest protection by The New Zealand Forest Service.

discussed and organized Play Centre interest at Omaio Bay, Tikitiki, Ruatoria, Tokomaru Bay, Patutahi, Mangapapa, Whatatutu, Matawai, Maungatapu, and Matapihi.

Enthusiastic Parents

Play Centre has only one magical quality about it—the enthusiasm of parents for the welfare of their children. All the rest is sound common sense. Parents of pre-school aged children find a suitable local hall, meeting-house or house. The mothers and fathers make most of the equipment they need, from working drawings supplied by the Play Centre Association. They raise the money, from as little as £15 to as much as they can acquire. They discuss the basic Play Centre information contained in four booklets, or on long-playing gramophone or tape recordings. They bring forward three, four, five or six parents to qualify as Helpers; either one, two or three of these Helpers go on to qualify and become the holders of an Assistant's Certificate, and one or two to continue to qualify and become the holders of a full Supervisor's Certificate. An affiliated Play Centre runs for 20 children, two or three half days a week, under a parent who is fully trained and certificated for this age-group of children.

For Any Parents, Anywhere

Play Centre can be for any group of parents anywhere. It is for Maoris and pakehas. It is designed for children as a place where they can learn by playing with other children. It is designed for parents as a place where they can become the kinds of parents they want to be with their children. It is designed for the community as a place where adults co-operate in building a service for youth that leads on to the welfare of the citizens of tomorrow.

Out of seven New Zealand cadets who graduated from the Officer Cadet School at Portsea in Australia recently, the two highest placings were gained by Maoris.

They were Second Lieutenant A. R. Kiwi of Raurimu, who was third in a class of 43, and Second Lieutenant T. K. Tapuke of New Plymouth, who was sixth.

The Adjutant-General, Brigadier W. S. McKinnon, said that when the new officers returned to New Zealand, they will be posted to Waiouru for post-graduate training, and they will be attached to the National Military Unit for further experience.

Later, those in the Infantry Corps can expect to see service in Malaya.

Home and Parents

Under the heading of home and parents the board seeks active co-operation with all organisations which have influence with the Maori people. It will issue a pamphlet to inform Maori parents of vocational opportunities for their children, and the educational requirements for such vocations, and it will ask the Minister of Education to have a Maori teacher made liaison officer between the Maori Education Foundation, Maori District Council, district educational advancement committees and Maori communities.

It will also seek the help of the New Zealand Libraries Association and the National Library Service in a campaign to encourage reading among the Maori people.

The Maori Women's Welfare League will be asked to arrange for each branch to appoint a member as a local education publicity officer.

Under the heading of pre-school education the board will ask the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union and the New Zealand Play Centre Federation to encourage the enrolment of Maori children, and it will help in setting up new play centres.

The Minister of Education will be asked for a suitable Maori teacher or kindergarten supervisor to work on strengthening the pre-school stage of the child's development, and to develop a type of play centre equipment that would be readily familiar to Maori children.

This is the first of a new series of articles on primary school children, which will describe some of the adventures children meet as they work their way up the school, and some of the ways in which you can help them to make these adventures successful. They are written by ‘Kaiwhakaako’, the young teacher whose article on education appeared in our June issue.

We invite you to send ‘Kaiwhakaako’ (c/o The Editor, Box 2390, Wellington), questions or problems concerning children at primary school. His answers will appear in each issue of Te Ao Hou.

‘Please Miss, Here's Sonny’

Let's think about this five-year-old for a moment, the one you took to school the other day, or sent along with his elder sister (she knocked on the Infant Mistress's door, said ‘Please Miss, this is my little brother Sonny—where's your hanky Sonny’—and took off at full speed to play with the other girls). You have taken care of him since he was born and he has learned to walk and talk, and has built up a list of things which, in a shadowy way, he knows something about; he knows he mustn't play with the fire, tease the baby; he has learnt quite a lot of things by listening, he may know both his names, his address, and how old he is, he may not have seen a fire-engine but he has heard of them.

Now here he is, handed over to a strange lady and thirty or forty other children all coming to look at him and ask him his name—it must be all very frightening. Sonny has come to school to learn to read. I hope you haven't been holding him up—some children still come to school scared out of their wits with stories about the teacher.

Before He Starts

Here are some ways you can help him to learn to read before he comes to school. It helps if he has had some picture book to look at, some simple toys to play with, and if he has had things explained to him. (Does your three or four-year-old ask ‘Why?’ all the time? If he doesn't he ought to.). Another useful thing is to take the new child along to school yourself two or three times before he actually starts; this helps him to get used to the idea that soon he will be going to stay there all day.

Read your children stories, or tell them about what things were like when you were small—or if you haven't got time for this, get one of the other children to get a book from the Infant Mistress to read the small ones (it helps to keep them quiet too). Use Kindergarten of the Air and the Children's Session on the radio, join the Infant Mother's Club or the P.T.A. If you possibly can, take Sonny to a Play Centre—you may find there's one near your home, perhaps one that's just being started, as many are these days.

In the ‘Standards’

After about two years in the Infant Department Sonny will go into Standard One. He has learned to read, is everything going to be plain sailing now?

In the Primer classes and the early Standards nearly all the child's time was spent in learning how to recognize words on a page, learning new words, and reading simple stories. Meanings were simple so that the stories could be read easily, and stories were told in a very few words, the words which any child who has learned English fairly well uses when he speaks—words such as come, little, see, dog, run, and so on.

Now Sonny learned his English (and, I hope, his Maori too) from you and the rest of the family; if your English is not very fluent then he has to learn his correct English somewhere else. Teachers help a little, but his main learning will come from reading and writing

You know, I can't think of any more important thing for a primary school child to do than read widely and well. Every day every one of us has to read something, whether it is for fun, to get information, or to keep ourselves alive! Put it this way—all the arithmetic we use we could learn

in about six months and we would probably never need to learn any more, not for every-day purposes, that is. But the kind of knowledge we get by reading, that goes on forever. History? Read a book. How people live in China? Read a book. How to grow pumpkins? Read a book. How to build a house, bake a cake, travel from Auckland to Wellington? Read a book. To understand more about ourselves and other people? Read books, books, and more books!

Do you see why I think reading is so important? Very well. But to do all these things the school has to have a very carefully worked out programme. Teachers are very conscious of this and all the time they are trying to keep up with new ideas about teaching children to read. At an evening course in Auckland recently, more than eight hundred teachers attended each night.

Every class has an important part to play in the reading programme but in general the upper Standards are trying to do two things. They are trying to keep children's interest in reading high (they have to compete against radio, T.V. and pictures to do this), and they are trying to help children to find out the meaning of what they read.

How to Help

Now, what can you do to help? If you live in town you can make sure that your child is a member of the children's section of the public library. This usually costs a small fee, but borrowing is free. Standard three or even earlier is about the right time for this. Make sure that the children borrow regularly and return their books on time. In the country, enquire from the school about library services.

The National Library Service (God bless them) supply all the schools with an issue of books each year. Some schools allow the children to take these home (please see that they are returned, the school has to pay for lost books), but a book from the school library once every couple of weeks is really not enough for a child in Standard Four or higher. Most children in my class read three or more books in a week! Have a look at the books your children bring home; you will probably find that you can get some fun out of them too.

Time Well Spent

Reading takes time. I know that it is a temptation to get Sonny to go out and chop some more wood, or his sister to go and give the baby its bottle. These jobs are important; children should help in the house. But reading is important too, and I don't think it will do any harm if, after tea, you turn off the radio for half an hour or so and say, ‘Sit down and read a book’. They will be getting something from it, and so will you.

Well, there's my case in favour of reading. As a school teacher I think that learning to read is important, but not half as important as what comes from reading. Reading is a little like eating. You have to vary things a bit—fish and chips is all right now and then, but not every day of the week. A comic may do to fill in half an hour, but comics shouldn't be the only things that your boy or girl reads; they don't let them learn nearly enough about the things they need to know, things reading can tell them.

The school's part was to start your children off in reading; your part is to see that they get the food their minds should have, and don't have to go hungry.

The Minister of Transport, Mr McAlpine, says that he is concerned at the number of Maoris killed on the roads each year.

‘Last year 64 were killed, nearly three times the rate of Europeans on a percentage basis.

‘That is the known number. With European names so common among Maoris, accidents involving Maoris are not necessarily reported to us as such. It's a pretty frightening picture.’

The Maori usually was a skilful driver, as he had proved during the war and as drivers of bulldozers. But let loose on the highway he was in many cases a menace to himself and others. He was too happy-go-lucky and seemed to drive a little more dangerously than other people.

Auckland has now a metropolitan Maori choir.

The Maori Community Centre Trust Board has formed a choral group, the members of which are people with any degree of Maori ancestry.

The move is intended to give Maoris in the city an opportunity to engage in choral activities and to make a contribution to the cultural life of Auckland.

‘Our young people have proved themselves in the light entertainment field, and we feel they can make just as valuable a contribution in the choral field,’ said Mr Kelly Harris, the choirmaster and conductor of the choir.

The trust board has insisted that the choir must not confine its singing to Maori music.

The Grass Grub

It is important to understand the life cycle of the grass grub. The adult beetle, commonly known as the brown beetle, is on the wing in November to early January. Eggs large and white are laid at least 3 inches in the soil and the young grubs hatch out in 7–16 days to start feeding on the roots of pasture plants. These grubs grow over the summer, autumn and spring, feeding all the time, and remain within 2–3 inches of the top of the ground until September or October, when they burrow to a depth of from 4–10 inches to pupate—a new generation of beetles appearing in November to start another cycle.

Most farmers are familiar with the type of damage done to pasture by large numbers of grass grubs. In such circumstances most of the grass is killed and the dead turf can be rolled up like a carpet. This type of damage is so obvious that no effort is required to persuade the farmer to use an insecticide to bring the grubs under control.

Recent investigations, however, carried out by the D.S.I.R., which involves the sampling of 70 paddocks in the North and South Islands, showed that whereas in grub-free pastures the leaf length could be as much as 6–8 inches in 4–6 weeks, areas of the same paddocks harbouring 1–9 grubs per square foot had leaf lengths of only 1–3 inches. The average reduction was over 3 inches in any 4–6 week period between the end of January and the end of August. The pastures at no stage showed what farmers usually consider to be typical grass grub damage. This rather startling discovery emphasises the necessity to treat pastures with D.D.T. where grubs are known to exist in the district even though no damage is visible on a farm.

If D.D.T. is properly used it will proof the pasture against grass grub damage.

One pound of 100 per cent D.D.T. per acre should be used where no evidence of grub can be seen but where there is a likelihood that they do exist. In other words this dressing will be an insurance and should be used particularly where new pastures are sown down. Where a pasture has been attacked and grubs are working actively the application rate should be doubled to two pound of 100 per cent D.D.T. per acre.

During March and April farmers are advised to go over the farm with a spade digging bits of soil to see if any grubs are present. It should be remembered that they will be working in the top 2 inches of soil and that they will be very small at that time of the year.

D.D.T. prills have proved an efficient insecticide and make it possible to apply accurately a comparatively small amount of D.D.T. required per acre without first having to mix the insecticide with fertiliser. The recommended rat of application in 16 lb of prills per acre, which contains 2 lbs of 100 per cent D.D.T. But good results have been recorded from the use of 12 lb prills, that is, 1 ½ lbs of 100 per cent D.D.T., and this lesser amount may be an economic proposition. The total cost including application should not exceed 25/- per acre.

Crickets

The main effect of the cricket is felt in the Auckland province particularly about Hauraki Plains and the North Auckland Peninsula where soils and climate are ideal for this pest. When seasons are favourable the cricket population can build up to immense hordes which cause widespread damage to pastures. It usually occurs around dry autumns when pastures plants have little power of recovery and it continues until the cooler weather when again the plants lack the vigour required to repair damage.

From February onward the light coloured cigar-shaped eggs about a tenth of an inch long are deposited by the female into the turf or just below the soil surface. Some eggs hatch in the following few weeks if conditions are satisfactory but generally it does not begin until October. A nymph emerges from the egg which is similar to an adult but is wingless and very small. It begins to feed immediately and as it feeds passes through a succession of moults until it becomes a winged adult. It is usually near the adult stage before damage is noticed.

The cricket is a surface feeder. It lives on rye grass as the most favoured pasture and although cocksfoot is readily eaten by the cricket, it has strong powers of recovery from damage. Clovers are much less attractive and are usually left until

other species are eliminated. As this damage is always associated with dry weather and as the crickets will also consume any seed which has fallen, there is little hope of recovery of the pasture.

Dieldrin applied as a dust in dieldrin superphosphate at 2 cwt to the acre kills crickets quickly and effectively. In this form 6 ozs. of dieldrin is used per acre. Dusting with D.D.T. is not effective.

Early February is the most effective time to treat affected pastures as if they are treated too early in December or January a second crop of crickets may infest the area. But on the other hand treatment should not be delayed until pasture damage is severe.

The Army Worm

The army caterpillar which is often referred to as army worm is the caterpillar stage of a common native night-flying moth. It has often devastated crops in summer or early autumn and in a number of districts has severely damaged pasture on river flats, and swamp areas usually after summer flood followed by warm muggy weather. An attack by army caterpillar cannot be predicted with complete precision but we can tell when conditions are suitable for the pest and keep a close watch for it. Hay after mast, especially paspallum, newly sown pastures or cereal crops or land subject to summer flooding are all vulnerable to army worm infestation and should be watched very carefully with a view to making remedial measures. Caterpillars usually confine their feeding to sunny faces on hill country and shady faces are generally not depleted. They prefer plants of the grass family and the way in which they avoid patches of dominant clover pasture is really remarkable. Thus areas of pasture showing high fertility with plenty of clovers are usually not affected. If unchecked they may continue to feed well into June.

Caterpillars can be controlled by spraying with either D.D.T. or Dieldrin and either killed off completely or prevented from moving on to fresh areas. Effective sprays applied by helicopter or aeroplane are 1 ½ pints of 15 per cent Dieldrin in 5–10 gallons of water (according to the lankness of the growth) where water is being used, or else 2 pints of 20 per cent D.D.T. in similar quantities of water per acre. Dieldrin is much quicker acting than D.D.T. but the latter is quite effective. A method of control is for a band of 50 to 60 feet in width to be sprayed with one pass of the aeroplane or helicopter and the perimeter of the advancing caterpillars. Half of the band is applied on the advancing caterpillars and half on the pastures ahead of them.

Canon P. M. Kohere

One of the best known and oldest of Maori Anglican clergymen, Canon Poihipi Mokena Kohere, O.B.E., died at his home at Rangitukia, East Coast, on September 27. He was aged 86.

Canon Kohere had served the Anglican church for 60 years. For 51 of those years he was vicar of the Waiapu parish based on Tikitiki, East Coast.

He was awarded the O.B.E. in 1957.

Canon Kohere was born at Horoera, East Cape in 1876.

He was a distinguished member of the Ngati Porou tribe and one of the last contemporaries of the late Sir Apirana Ngata.

Canon Koheres father fought with the army against Te Kooti and later sat in the Legislative Council.

Mr Paratene Ngata

Mr Paratene (Pat) Ngata, of Maraehana, Tikitiki, died suddenly at Te Araroa recently. He was aged 69.

Mr Ngata was educated at St Stephen's School for Maori Boys, Auckland, and later at Te Aute College, where he passed his public service examinations.

While awaiting his appointmentment for Government office service, Mr Ngata taught at Te Aute College for a short period. He left the Public Service after three years to return home to help his father on his farm. In later years, Mr Ngata farmed in the Matakaoa district, where he remained until his death.

He served for several years on the Waiapu County Council, Waiapu Hospital Board, Tokomaru Bay Harbour Board, and Poverty Bay Catchment Board, and was chairman of directors of the Te Araroa Trading Company, Limited, a director of the Waiapu Farmers' Co-operative Company and was a licensed interpreter of the first grade.

Mr Ngata is survived by his wife and four sons and five daughters, and grandchildren.

The Rev. A. B. Kena

The death has occurred of the Rev. A. B. Kena, Pastor of Otaki's historic Maori church, Rangiatea. He had been in indifferent health for the past year.

Ordained in Auckland in 1940, after attending St John's College there he was attached to the Maori mission field in that area until 1948, when he transferred to Putiki, Wanganui. He remained there for four years before accepting a call to Feilding.

He came to Otaki in 1958.

During the greater part of his term with the Ministry he has devoted his activities to the mission field and to furthering the work of youth club groups. He became a recognized, colourful exponent of Maori folk lore when performing at youth club festivals on many of the Dominion's maraes.

The Rev. Ratu Lewis

The death occurred recently of the Rev. Ratu Lewis, minister of the Presbyterian Maori congregation in Whakatane.

Born in Nuhaka, Hawkes Bay, 59 years ago, Mr Lewis was one of a large Mormon family. He went to school in his home district before taking up landscape gardening. Later he was farming and bus driving for several years.

Coming into touch with Sister Edith of the Presbyterian Maori Mission at Nuhaka, Mr Lewis became a member of the Presbyterian Church. Some years later he was ordained as an elder and after serving the church for some years was appointed Moderator of the Maori Synod.

In 1955 Mr Lewis was one of the first to enrol in a special course for senior elders at the Maori Theological College, Whakatane. After a two-year course he was ordained a minister and appointed to the full charge of the Taupo Maori Mission station.

Early in 1961, Mr Lewis was appointed minister of the Maori congregation in Whakatane. Although he had been in ill-health for some years,

and almost blind for the last few months, Mr Lewis was still at work until quite recently.

He is survived by his widow and 14 children. The funeral services at Ohope and the Whakatane Hill Cemetery were conducted by the Rt. Rev. J. G. Daughton, assisted by other ministers of the mission.

Mr. Matekino Punoke.

The death occurred recently of Mr Matekino Punoke, of Waotu Road, Putaruru. Mr Punoke, who was in his 98th year, was chief of the Ngati Punoke tribe.

He was a member of several tribal committees, including the Whakaarati-maiti committee, Mr Punoke, who was a fine orator and leader, farmed a property at the Waotu. Road.

A tangi was attended by many people from over a wide area.

Mr Tamahana Naere

Mr Tamahana ‘Tommy’ Naera, Whakarewarewa, an authority on Maori art and culture and an elder of the Tuhorangi and Ngati-Whakaue subtribes, died in Rotorua recently.

Aged 64, he had been in ill-health for some time. He was regarded as one of the best carvers in the Arawa district and his works are in many meeting houses. In his later years, Mr Naera was engaged mainly in work for the Maori pepole and the Te Ngae Anglican Parish. He was also interested in the welfare of Maori ex-servicemen.

Mr Naera is survived by his wife.

Mrs Hape Chase

The death has occurred at Taumarunui of Rangiwhio Katarina (Mrs Hape Chase) at the age of 89 years. She was the daughter of Mr Alexander Bell, the first white man to settle permanently in Taumarunui.

Mr Bell, a member of the Armed Constabulary, an Englishman who had formerly been a sailor, married Katarina Te Waihanea, daughter of Te Awhiut, a high-ranking Taumarunui Maori, at Wairoa. Their first child was Rangiwhio Katarina.

The couple and their daughter, aged two, in 1874 trekked all the way from Wairoa to Taumarunui.

The daughter later married Mr Hape Chase, one of the best-known ‘skippers with Hatrick and Company's fleet of Wanganui river-boats which plied between Taumarunui and Wanganui till the service cased in 1928.

Mrs Chase is surveived by two sons, William and Paerata.

Archdeacon Tipene

Archdeacon te Rata Pakihau Tipene, the first Maori archdeacon in New Zealand, has died aged 55.

He studied at St John's Anglican Theological College, Auckland, and wa ordained deacon in 1931 and priest the follwing year. he served as curate at Kamo (1931–32), Kaikohe (1932–34), Peria (1934–45), Whangarei (1945–51), and Northern Wairoa (1951–53), working specially among Maoris.

He was appointed vicar of Kawakawa in 1953, a position from which he resigned earlier this year because of his ill health. Also in1953 he was meade a canon of St Mary's Cathedral, Auckland.

He became Archdacon of Waimate in 1957, a position he retained until his death.

Mr Tane Clarke

The death has occurred of Mr Tane Clarke, of Ngawha.

In his 74th year, Mr Clarke was in his younger days a prominent footballer, being a star player in the Ohaeawai an dBay of Islands XVs. He also represented North Auckland.

He was bonr at Nagwha and spent most of his life on the family farm. He was a foundation member of the St Michael's Anglican Church Committee, was for many years chairman of the Ohaeawai Maori School Committee, and served for a number of years on the Ngawha Hall Committee.

He is survived by his wife, 12 children, and 37 grandchildren.