Kapene Rahiri

Mr Kapene Rahiri, aged 75, died in October 1966. Mr Kapene was the chief of the Ngatikahu people, of Wairoa Pa Tauranga, and he was also a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, being a convert since 1921.

Kapene Rahiri was a man of many talents, dearly loved by his people and friends. He was devoted to Maoriland, its traditions and culture.

He set for the Maori people a fine example, of high ideals and hard work. He was a happy leader.

A fine craftsman, he was employed by the Ministry of Works, on the hydro power project.

In 1927 he went on a mission for the church. He was a great sportsman and loved his fellowmen. He is survived by his wife Henetu Ormsby, daughter of Sir Robert Ormsby, two daughters, and many grandchildren.

Tarere McMillan

The death occurred on 21 January, 1967, at Matakana Island, of Mrs Tarere McMillan, at the age of seventy-six. Born at Matapihi, she was the youngest daughter of Heeni and Tamati Tu. Her maternal grandfather was the paramount chief of the Ngaiterangi Tribe, Hori Ngatai, who fought against the British forces at that epic Battle of Gate Pa in 1864.

Mrs McMillan received her early education at the Otumoetai School, and later attended Hukarere College, Napier. In 1911 she married Tukunui (Joe) McMillan who served overseas in the 1914–18 war, being seriously wounded on the western front in France. After the declaration of peace the couple engaged in dairy farming in the Levin district for some years, and eventually returned to settle on Matakana Island.

Mrs McMillan is survived by two sons and three daughters, Her husband died in 1946 and another son predeceased her by two months. There are forty grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren.

Panapa Haira

Last October, one of the leading elders of the Tuhourangi Tribe, Mr Panapa Haira, collapsed and died in the Wahiao meetinghouse, Whakarewarewa, shortly before he was to unfold plans for a major development scheme for the village.

Mr Haira was chairman of the Whakarewarewa Reserve Incorporation and he had called the meeting partly to explain his scheme, which involved the erection of a new dining room and the conversion of the existing dining-room. Te Tau Aroha.

Born in Te Puke 58 years ago, Mr Haira was in his younger days a keen and skilled rugby and tennis player.

Later he became a leading administrator for both sports and was president of the Whaka Rugby Club.

Mr Haira was twice married. His first wife was Mihitina Rehu who bore him nine children.

Following her death, Mr Haira married Miss Mere Paea of Taumarunui.

John Atirau Asher

Mr John Atirau Asher, one of the Taupo district's best known Maori leaders, died last December at his home at Korohe, near Turangi.

Mr Asher, who was 74, had a long association with the Tuwharetoa Trust Board. He was one of the original committee which negotiated the sale of the bed of Lake Taupo to the Crown back in the 1920's and subsequently took a major part in the administration of Maori land and timber rights.

He was an authority on the Tuwharetoa Tribe and his personal knowledge and background was backed by an extensive library on Maori Iore, history and genealogy.

Mr Asher went to the Taupo district from Tauranga and was a member of the Ngai Terangi Tribe. He was the first chairman of the Taupo County Council after serving from 1955 to 1962 on the original Taupo County Advisory Committee.

Reremoana Taylor

Mrs Mel. J. Taylor, wife of the Prime Minister's Press secretary, and a prominent member of the Whanau-Opanui and Ngati Porou tribes died in Wellington on 30 January.

Mrs Taylor had done a great deal over the years to cultivate the traditional arts and culture among her people. A member of the Wellington Anglican Maori Club and the Ngati Poneke Young Maori Club, she toured Canada and United States and Britain with the Rev. Kingi Ihaka's concert party in 1965.

It was Mrs Taylor who led the massed clubs of Maori women who welcomed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Waitangi in 1953.

Mrs Taylor is survived by her husband, two sons Garry and Apirana, and two daughters Riwia and Haina.

The tangi was held at Petone Maori Meeting House.

Lawrence Inia Rikihana

The death occurred recently at Wanganui Hospital of Lawrence Inia Rikihana, aged 43. He was the oldest son of the late Hare. and Te Kahuwaero Rikihana of Ngapuna Rotorua.

He was educated at Whakarewarewa Primary School, St Stephens College, and Wesley College.

Mr Rikihana was noted for his artistic ability, was a keen footballer and also a well known singer amongst his many Maori and Pakeha friends.

As a civil servant with the Ministry of Works Department, he was transferred variously from Wellington to Hamilton, Whakatane, Rotorua and Nelson.

At the time of his death he was attached to the civilian branch of the Ministry of Defence at Waiouru Military Camp, where he took an active part in the social and cultural activities of the camp.

I tuhia ai enei korero e au na te mea kua puta te korero, na, kua whakamutua te kura o Te Wainui. Hore he tamariki mo tenei kura iaianei.

I nga ra o mua, tera tetahi kainga; ona iwi he iwi nui, he iwi kaha ki te mahi, nui te aroha—he iwi.

Iaianei, he kainga hiamoe, hore he ahua apopo, he aha? He maharatanga, he mamaetanga no te ngakau, he aha? No wai te he? No nga taone nunui me o ratou huarahi makariri? Ko tenei te take i whakarerea ai tenei kainga? Kao. Ehara i nga taone, i te hiahia moni, i nga aha ranei. No tatou anake te he.

Ko tenei kainga, ko Te Wainui, tekau ma ono maero te tawhiti mai i Kaeo. E toru nga kainga nei; i tetahi taha ko Mahinepua, i tera taha ko Te Ngaere, i waenganui ko Te Wainui. Ko tenei taku kainga i whanau ai au, i tipu ake ai au. Ko enei aku korero.

I te wai i a au e nohinohi ana, he kainga nui tenei, ko nga tangata o roto he iwi ahuwhenua, he kaha ki te whakato kai, ki te hauhake hoki i nga kai nei. Kotahi te reo o tenei kainga, kotahi te whare, ko Ngatiruamahoe. I taua whare nei, tera nga hui nunui, nga

 

Once upon a time there was a village with a name, a fiercely proud people, with a core, a will to survive. Today, it is a sleepy, barely alive ghost of a village.

Tomorrow, unless a miracle happens, it will only be a memory. As memories go, it will fade into a blur, then into nothing. Does it matter, I ask you? I think it does. I suppose I could blame the cities for calling the people out of their villages to the cold, concrete streets. But, why waste time blaming the city, money, progress? I could have contributed my little bit to keeping her alive.

The village is a place called Wainui, sixteen miles from the nearest town, Kaeo. There are two other villages, one on each side of it, Mahinepua and Ngaere, with Wainui in the middle. I was born and raised in Wainui. I lived there for 13 years; I have seen the changes and I know what I am talking about. When I was young, this was a well-known place. Its people were hard working, planting and cultivating crops, harvesting and storing. Then, there was always one final voice and one house—or rather meeting house. This was and is Ngatiruamahoe. Here I have seen many a large gathering almost monthly, the deaths

 

 

tangi, nga marena; i te wharekai o taua whare nei nga kanikani, nga mahi hei mahi moni, nga kainga o tena mea te kai.

Ko to matou whare kura he tino whare i era ra. I reira noki nga mahi mo te rapu i te matauranga. I te wa i a au e kura ana i konei, e ono tekau nui atu ranei nga tamariki o te kura nei. E rua o matou tima pahiketepaoro, whutupaoro, nga ahua mea whakataetae katoa. Mo te himene, mo te waiata, aue te mamae i te tini o nga whakaaro mau aroha mai!

Ka kaumatua haere au, ka huri nga mahi ahuwhenua a nga tangata ki te moana, ki te hi ika hei hoko ki nga Pakeha mai i Akarana, ki te ngahere ki te mahi hokeke hei hoko ki nga tangata Hainamana, na, tenei te ahua o taku iwi o taku kainga.

Ka haere au ki te Kareti i Kaikohe, na, i nga wa e hoki ai au ki te kainga, kua timata ke te nuku, ara te heke, ki nga taone—ki Whangarei, ki Akarana, a, tu ana nga whare me nga whenua he kotakota, bore kau he aha o roto. A, tae noa e whitu ano whare e toe ana i Te Wainui; i mua, tekau ma whitu nga whare. E toru kei Mahinepua; i mua, tekau ma tahi. I Te Ngaere e wha e toe ana; i mua, tekau ma wha. Hoi ano nga whare e ora ana.

I taku moenga tane, ka hoki atu ano ahau ki taku kainga. Puta mai au i waho o Ngatiruamahoe he wahine. Ka haere mai au me taku tane, mahue atu ki muri aku matua, oku hoa me aku whakaaro. Iaianei, titiro atu ahau i taku kainga nei i Poneke, kua whakamutungia te mahi a te whare kura, kua haere nga mahita, mahue ana he aha?

Iaianei kua tae atu ki enei kainga e toru te hiko. Ki aku whakaaro, tureiti te haere mai o tenei mea. Ae, e ka ana nga raiti a te Pakeha, engari kua kitea nga kokona pouri a toku iwi. Kei hea ra nga reo waiata o mua, nga reo tawai, kakata ranei o nga kotiro, nga mare o nga taitane, nga tangi ranei? Kua pau mutu ake ki nga taone.

Apopo, ngaro atu nga kaumatua o te kainga, aku karani e noho mai nei i Mahinepua, ka pehea tatou nga taitamariki o Te Wainui, o Mahinepua, o Te Ngaere? Ahau me aku tamariki? Me aha—me whakamutu enei whakaaro ki te himene nei, ‘Tera ano he kainga pai ake nei i tenei.’

 

and sad gatherings, the many marriages and in the adjacent dining-house the many dances that echoed throughout its walls, and the feasts that were eaten there.

Our school house—now there was a place, a place where we first started to learn. When I went to school here, there were sixty or more pupils. We had two basketball teams, a football team and all sorts of competitive sports including competitive choir-singing. Oh. how my heart aches at the wealth of my memories!

As I grew older, the people turned to harvesting the sea, fishing and selling their catch to Pakehas from Auckland. From the forests, collecting of Jew's Ear fungus was started, to sell to the Chinese buyers. This was how it was.

I left home to go to college and during the school holidays I returned to find that the drift to the towns had begun. The houses and land were left there standing like empty shells with nothing inside and the drift continued until the number of inhabited houses dropped from seventeen to seven in Wainui, from eleven to three in Mahinepua and in Ngaere from twenty to two.

When I married, I went home to my village and Ngatiruamahoe, and I emerged from there a woman, leaving behind my friends, my parents and memories. Today, looking back from my home here in Wellington, I see that the school house is being closed after all these years, leaving an empty place. The electricity is in my village now, but I think it came too late.

Yes, the electric light shines brightly, but it shows up the dark corners in the houses of my people. Where are the singing voices of long ago, the teasing voices, the giggles of the young girls and the sly coughs of the young men, or the cries of pain? It is finished.

Tomorrow, when all the old folks including my own grand-parents have gone, what will become of us, my generation? Who will teach and show us the way? I can only end these thoughts with the words of the hymn: ‘There is a home, far more beautiful than this!’

Cultural change

With the upheaval of cultural change from the stoneage tupunas to the present day Maori, the emphasis has long shifted from the tribe to the family unit; from the pataka to the bank; from communal labour to individual employment; from self-sufficient servicing to special skills.

The thing which emerged from this head-on shattering crash of Maori Culture with Western might, is the dominant use of money. On it, be it called the ‘gold standard’ or the ‘almighty dollar’, nations have risen or fallen. It would be extraordinary if no guileless Maori floundered on it, when its own protagonists have fallen countless victims to this medium of exchange — this powerful taniwha of progress and advancement — money!

In history all taniwhas or rampaging dragons with fiery tails have been slain or tamed by brave knights or astute men. Maui lassoed the fiery sun dragon and forced it to travel at a speed which met his needs.

With purposeful planning, the ‘money taniwha’, like the errant sun god, can also be harnessed to serve our needs. It can be told where to go and what to do. It can be stopped from slipping through our fingers!

You may well ask how — with the cost of living soaring, and the multiple problems arising from it that perplex and worry. You are not alone in this. Up and down the country, all over the world, other families are wrestling with it too. The tried and successful home managers know the answer is simply — to budget! Budgeting like dieting is much disliked by many because of the ‘hoha’ of the extra thought and effort needed to make it work, or for the plain reason, false pride!

Budgeting means planning

Budgeting is essentially a matter of planning. A husband and wife concentrating their combined thought-power on obtaining things they need and want most, can find budgeting a saviour and a most agreeable, absorbing exercise in happy home management, to their mutual advantage. A budget does not stifle joy. It builds a man up ten feet tall knowing he owes no one nothing he cannot pay. His ‘put-it-away’ days take care of the future.

The tupunas said ‘Eat your treasures care-

fully’. The modern elder exhorts ‘Eat your money carefully’, meaning spend wisely, and look after what is left. Bank it!

You may be tempted to say if you have read this far, ‘What did our tupunas know about money budgeting … they never had any!

How very true. However, they had the prime factor necessary to make any budget, stone age or modern, work successfully. They had the will to look reality in the face and cope with it. This triumphant quality they left on the winds of change for the seeing eye to snatch, and use! Many, but not enough, have already snatched it and are using it to their great content.

This ability in present day terms simply means the courage to look our bills in the face and ask ourselves, ‘are we keeping them in check?’ … ‘or falling foul of them with our creditors?’ This is all any budget plan requires to kick it off to a good start.

Budgeting, then, is knowing where your money is going, not wondering where it went. It is planned use of the weekly pay packet to get the most for your money. It is a diligent endeavour to stay debt free, to get the best

returns from money spent as family needs arise, thus ensuring the utmost satisfaction to the whole family unit.

It takes everything into account, safe-guarding the family from the loss of security, prestige, and joy caused by a financial crisis. In short, a budget plan operates to provide for the family's needs and relaxation. It eliminates wasteful spending by improved purchasing power, curbs impulsive buying and ensures happy security and advancement.

Today more and more Maoris are turning to the Household Budgeting Advisory Service or the Budget Counselling Scheme. They are glad of its free and dedicated ‘know-how’ to fit their expenditure to their income, and thus ultimately become independent, self-reliant and happy members of the community.

Budgeting is voluntary

This scheme was ushered in at Kaikohe in 1960 by Dr Paewai and his group who were deeply interested in the well-being of their fellow-citizens, trapped in the mesh of the ‘money-goround’. It serves all sections of the community who seek its help.

Because of its value to the community it is encouraged by the Government but it is in no way, controlled or directed by it. It is a purely voluntary service, advertised only by those satisfied people who have benefited by following its expert advice to become debt-free happy citizens. Because of this, it has spread through-out the island on demand. Wherever it is working, it is operated by groups of local people who want to help. They know from experience how hard it can be to make income cover needs, and how greatly a budget plan can stretch or save the money. They help you only if you seek them out, and you can cease to use their services at any time. However, very few people, once they join up, drop out before they are clear of debt and able to run their affairs in a business-like manner.

Many people seek the help and assistance of the Household Budgeting Advisory Service not because of debt, but because they wish to learn how to use their money more effectively for various reasons. Some have other problems, like health, education, discipline, the temptations of drink or gambling, and hire-purchase, which can all be involved in household budgeting or home management. The advisers or sponsors can either help in these matters or get the expert advice and assistance of people who can.

How Budgeting works

The Household Budgeting Advisory Service in dealing with its member clients in money matters, favours a cheque account system. Their advisers or sponsors do not handle your money. They only help you to plan your spending and to make your payments.

They confer with their clients every week and compare bills with budget. They discuss and advise on spending, saving and pocket-money for everyday pleasure. They help you till it is quite clear you are used to working on a budgeting-plan system and dealing with cheques, and can take over your own affairs entirely yourselves. Bills are paid by the husband or wife with their joint account cheques.

Many Maoris today look back with gratitude and well-being to the Service. Cleared of heavy commitments (as some have been) they face the future ten feet tall, able to look after themselves and their families because, under the expert and dedicated guidance of the Budgeting scheme, they have mastered the ‘most value’ ritual of the pay packet.

So, if you dread the loss of a few days work through sickness … if your creditors are pressing for payment … if you are anxious about taking on new housing or other responsibilities … if you don't know where the money goes … if your children are going short of necessary things, seek the help of the Household Budgeting Advisory Service.

Little Mary Anne asked, ‘Are we Maoris or Pakehas Mum?’

‘We're Maoris of course!’ her mother replied.

‘I thought so,’ Mary Anne said, ‘Only Pakehas have play lunch!’

That very day mother went out and bought a case of apples—so Mary Anne can have one for play lunch every day,' she confided to her husband.

‘To prove your daughter's a pakeha,’ her husband said slyly.

‘To prove,’ she emphasised, ‘that I can get her the play lunch she needs. We have to go on a budget-plan!’

She hit the nail on the head that time! The next day she got Household Budgeting advice. Mary Anne has never lacked play lunch since!

A. Maori View

Just as machines designed by Richard Arkwright and others ushered in the age of industrialisation and spelt death to the old agricultural society, new machines are going to completely change our way of life. Already there is instantaneous communication with almost any part of the world via ‘Compac’. Satellites are relaying instant live television programmes across oceans and continents; supersonic passenger aircrafts are carrying hundreds of passengers travelling between countries, in a fraction of the time that it took five years ago; space craft are landing on the moon. Man has already walked in outer space. The atom and hydrogen bombs are things of the past. Artificial organs are replacing worn out human ones. Wonders never cease.

We are indeed living in an exciting era. With all this technical know-how it is important that new inventions are used for the benefit of mankind. It is evident that those in authority have a responsibility to ensure that the new discoveries are used intelligently.

Today in New Zealand we are feeling the impact of one of these discoveries. It is changing our habits and our lives. It is bringing us face to face with other people, their way of life and their aspirations, and some of their ways are rubbing off on us.

Whether we like it or not, television is here to stay. Its potential to do good for the people is dependent upon those who are responsible for its policies and future development. It is evident that television has a vital role to play, and will influence this country's future.

We in New Zealand are fortunate that our race relations are such as they are—the best in the world. However, we can ill afford to sit back on our laurels with a ‘not to worry’ philosophy. We are becoming more aware of each other—some Pakehas thinking in terms of a ‘Maori problem’ and on the other hand some Maoris thinking in terms of a ‘Pakeha problem’; each group blaming the other for its frustrations; making false generalisations and more often imagining the other to be a person governed by altogether different instincts, almost as if the other were a different species of animal.

Recently, TV viewers were hosts to a representative group of people who were not from outer space nor from a far off land, but fellow New Zealanders. I imagine that the programme was like Topsy—it ‘just grew’. I even doubt whether the producer or those responsible knew where they were heading. However, the product that was finally presented was one on Integration through Maori eyes. Geographically it covered a lot of ground. It was refreshingly different. Viewers were able to meet people from all walks of life and each one had a point of view. They were at ease, frank and honest, and captivated their hosts. They communicated with their eyes, their faces and their hands. I hadn't realized the effectiveness of using the hands until one of the visitors described his feelings in this way.

The message came through loud and clear. These people demonstrated clearly that they wanted to be themselves, they wanted to be understood, and to be accepted for what they are. We were able, in the short time available, to peep into their past experiences, to see what they are facing today and to look into the future with them.

The accepted theory is that with the move to town, the Maori will give up his old ways and interests and will inevitably live like the Pakeha. What the programme demonstrated to us was that the Maori migrant is becoming more Maori than the rural Maori, like the Scots of Dunedin out-Scotting the Scots in Edinburgh. People are still returning to their maraes, others are creating maraes in their new environment. Their problems are not peculiar to them but are universal. We must not forget that when we talk to a Maori or to a Pakeha, we are simply talking to another man.

My family and I enjoyed the programme. So did all the other Maori people I spoke to, and I think this was because it said things that need to be said, that a lot of us are not prepared to say for fear of hurting our friends and neighbours. This of course is how it appeared to me through my Maori eyes.

As a member of the Department of Maori Affairs I was annoyed, perturbed and to put it mildly, a little incensed at the manner in which the Department was portrayed. I will concede the point that the Department is not perfect, but on the other hand there are thous-

ands of people today, including myself, my family and many hundreds of relatives, who are indebted to the Department and its officers. So brief were the glimpses, and this applies to the programme as a whole, that it made the Department appear to be a Pakeha organisation, pushing the Maori people around. It is indeed a pity that Maori officers of the Department were not included. This would have put things into perspective.

On donning my Pakeha glasses, I saw very few Pakehas being asked to express a point of view. The few that were asked did well—especially Mr Geddes, who is apparently giving unstinting service to a group of Maori people by running a homework scheme. I thought his analogy one of the best I have heard—that if he were living in a French community and the means of communicating was in the French language, he would not hesitate to approach French families to give his children assistance, and if he were a Maori he would ask Pakeha families to help him and his children with their school work.

Norman Perry's statement on integration was excellent. His brief appearance and final comment that integration did not mean sameness but harmony was brilliant, and to my mind was the redeeming feature of the programme.

The N.Z.B.C. can rightly claim that this was a ‘pipe opener’. It can say that it was presenting a Maori point of view. It can argue that it has limited resources, but it cannot claim that it presented a balanced picture. I think that Reggie Harrison did a grand job. I imagine from his accent that he is an Englishman, possibly from the southern region. I suspect that he is a member of a minority group, hence his apparent enjoyment in his presentation. Last but not least he had that air of a political scientist about him.

To the rangatiras of the N.Z.B.C., thank you—for a one-eyed programme. Allow me to remind you that you have an almost sacred duty to perform, and that you have a vital role in ensuring that your productions do not present bits and pieces of the truth, but present

the whole truth. As I see it, the N.Z.B.C.'s core function should be to instigate, stimulate, convey ideas, and to influence the translation of those ideas into action.

To those in authority at N.Z.B.C. may I offer this advice, ¹ ‘Whaia te iti kahurangi ina tuohu koe hei maungateitei’. To the ponongas like Ian Johnston, Reggie Harrison — those who have to do the work—producers, script writers, and commentators—this should be your attitude, ² ‘Kaua e mate a tarakihi engari mate a ururoa’.

—N. P. K. Puriri

—He oi ano

Rehua Hostel Block

Boys from Rehua Hostel and members of the Avonside Girls' High School Maori Club joined to welcome the Minister of Maori Affairs, the Hon. J. R. Hanan, Mrs Hanan, the late Sir Eruera Tirikatene, Lady Tirikatene and Mr and Mrs J. Lewin when the Minister opened the new hostel block last October.

After challenging the Minister. Don Onekawa led the official party round to the new block where speeches were made by the Deputy Mayor of Christchurch, the President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, Rev. A. R. Witheford, and Sir Eruera, acting as tangata whenua of the Maori people. Mr Hanan then presented the lease on behalf of the Government to the Superintendent of the Christchurch Central Mission, Rev. W. E. Falkingham. who acknowledged the presentation.

Rev. Witheford dedicated the building and named it Te Koti Te Rato in honour of Rev. Te Koti Te Rato, who in 1866 was Te Waipounamu's first ordained Maori Minister when the Methodist Church appointed him to serve the Maori people of the South Island. The people present then joined in the dedicatory prayers.

During the ceremony, speeches were followed by action songs performed by several Maori clubs: Te Whetu Ariki O Kahukura. Awataha. Te Waipounamu Maori Girls' College. Te Ropu Maori O Hoani, Kahurangi, and the Rehua Concert Party.

Miss Alimentation Internationale Contest

A talented young Maori, Miss Marie Wehipeihana. from Wellington, represented New Zealand in the Miss Alimentation Internationale contest on 15 November last at the second Salon International de l'Alimentation, in Paris and took second place. Miss Wehipeihana was sponsored by the New Zealand

Government, which, in conjunction with the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, has a stand to promote New Zealand foods at this international food fair.

She is the daughter of the late Mr Tupakaheke Wehipeihana, a former chief of the Ngati Tukorehe, a sub-tribe of the Ngati Toa tribe of the southern part of the North Island.

Her grandfather, Mr Tumake Wehipeihana, aged 89, lives in retirement at Ohau, near Levin. Miss Wehipeihana's mother, Mrs Vera Wehipeihana, is an authority on Maori folklore, and is the author of several books on the subject, including one in verse. Miss Wehipeihana has some of her mother's talents in this field and for nearly three years was a reporter and feature writer on the ‘Evening Post’, Wellington.

She was educated in three towns—Taihape and Masterton and finally at Kapiti College at Raumati. In the past few years she has trained and performed as a dancer and singer and has specialised not only in the traditional action songs and dances of her people, but in national dances from several other countries, these including a Thai ceremonial dance, an Indian flame dance and an Indonesian candle dance.

Miss Wehipeihana has also been successful at modelling and in several beauty queen contests at holiday resorts. She is keen on tennis, swimming, basketball, badminton and golf, and has represented Wellington Province at tennis and basketball.

Miss Wehipeihana has travelled on liners of the Chandris Line as a publicity agent on cruises from New Zealand to the Pacific Island groups and Australia. She arrived in Britain last September as an entertainments officer on the liner Ellinis. During this voyage, she conducted a well patronised ‘charm school’ for passengers, this being sponsored by the New Zealand Wool Board and by the cosmetics firm of Cyclax (N.Z.) Ltd. After representing New Zealand at the stand at the S.I.A.L. fair in Paris she continued her work with the Chandris Line and recently visited New Zealand.

Maori Graduates' Association

With University examination successes achieved by Maori students last year, the number of Maori University graduates has risen to over 170. Pictured below are several members of the Association of Maori University Graduates, officially formed at a meeting in Hamilton last October. From top left: H. Tauroa, H. I. Ranga, L. Rangi, A. M. Kewene (treasurer), T. Hemara, R. Ihaka, H. Kawharu, J. D. Sinclair (secretary), W. Kingi, H. R. Bennett, P. J. Gordon, Miss Pare Newton, M. Sydney, T. Royal, Rev, M. Bennett (chairman), P. Reeves and Mrs Jacqueline Tonkin.

Hui Te Rangiora Marae

A new Catholic Maori centre was opened on behalf of Kuini Te Atairangikaahu by Mr Hepi Te Heuheu at Hamilton on 19 November, 1966. Its name, Hui Te Rangiora Marae was suggested by the Queen in memory of a very sacred pre-pakeha marae in the Waikato area. The building was blessed by His Lordship Bishop R. Delargey after visitors were welcomed with speeches and waiata.

A dinner was served in the hall and guests were entertained with action songs by local groups and by visitors from Auckland, Murupara and Opotiki.

The picture above shows the stage, which is the sanctuary, with altar, tabernacle and tukutuku panels. The tabernacle, in the form of a sacred pataka, was carved by Mr Kima Hakaraia of Rotorua, and the tukutuku panels have both traditional and religious designs.

Maori Volcanics Showband

Nuki Waaka is leader of the Maori Volcanics Showband, formed in February 1966 in Melbourne, Australia. The band left Sydney last August for a Far Eastern tour. They played in Japan for several months, covering the country from North to South and were entertained at the New Zealand Embassy when in Tokyo.

They found Japan very beautiful and the Japanese people very kind and friendly. Their Maori hakas, poi-dances and action songs were greatly appreciated.

After leaving Japan in November the group expected to fulfil engagements in Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Manila and Bangkok and its members were looking forward to entertaining New Zealand troops in Saigon.

Graduate in Medicine

Eru Pomare, who last year completed his medical studies and graduated M.B., Ch.B. from the University of Otago, is now a house surgeon at Wellington Hospital.

Dr Pomare is a member of Te Atiawa tribe and his parents are Te Rakaheria and Madge Pomare. He is married and has one child, a daughter.

He received his secondary education at Wanganui Collegiate and studied at Victoria University of Wellington before continuing his medical course at Dunedin. While at University Dr Pomare held a Ngarimu Scholarship.

Paraparaumu Seminar

District Welfare Officers attended a seminar at Paraparaumu last October, to discuss future welfare policy. As Mr J. M. McEwen said, there has been a shift in emphasis from purely land matters to social work as well as lands and titles work, and with the establishment of the Maori Education Foundation and trade training schemes, the field of social work has recently expanded.

The seminar was officially opened by the Hon. J. R. Hanan. Senior departmental officers joined in the discussions, and a South African, Mr D. Boardman, of the School of Social Science, attended as a guest. Pictured below are, standing: Messrs H. Pou, M. Raureti, H. Rogers, A. Baker, W. Herewini, K. Puohotaua, Miss A. Delamere, Messrs R. Giles

(employment), J. Rangihau, N. Sutton (housing), D. Boardman and A. Awatere. Seated are: Miss R. McBride (education), Mr C. Bennett, Hon. J. R. Hanan, Mr J. McEwen and Miss K. Riwai.

Wellington Maori Arts Festival

Arrangements are almost complete for the Wellington Maori Arts Festival to be held from 8 to 15 April. A great variety of activities has been planned, including a procession, concerts, an international night, an ‘all-nations’ ball, a hangi, and several church services. Demonstrations and musical items are to be given daily in Civic Square between 12.30 and 1.30 p.m. Traditional art and educational displays are to be held at the Display Centre, there is to be an exhibition at the Alexander Turnbull Library, items at Broadcasting House and many other supplementary events.

President of the festival committee is Mr A. S. Cornish of the New Zealand Display Centre, and a strong body of vice-presidents has been elected.

The Questions

What kind of person do we want a child to be, and what are the ways of the people that we want to preserve?

I think every family and every community must set about answering these questions for themselves.

To help answer them, regular family meetings in the community with young children present can be organised, so that when the parents meet, not only do they meet for their own purposes but they also attend to the needs of their children. Just as each adult is busy, so is each child. The concentration of a busy pair of hands, eyes, and ears, is the beginning of real enjoyment for a young child. More than this, young children get on so well together that they can, if they are watched carefully, set an example to adults in matters of co-operation, discussion, talking things over, and working together.

Talk and discussion, which are natural to children, have also fortunately been retained as a natural quality in so many Maori people, and out of this naturalness, as more and more families enter the organisation of a play centre programme for their children, I think the way of life of New Zealand as a whole will be immeasurably strengthened. Already in a few short years we have seen the so-called “shyness” of Maori children diminish. We realise clearly that ‘Play Centre’ matters, because even by five years of age a child may be well set in the pattern that he will follow for the rest of his life. A young child quickly learns that a play centre is a safe place in which to explore, to experiment, and to examine what there is around him.

Organisation

Probably more than any other quality, the ability of Maori men and women to organise their own groups in their own communities is one of their all too little recognised strengths.

Some organisation is essential. Children are very young when they start to listen, talk and ask questions. It is noticeable that when parents take time to listen back, talk with, and encourage questions, their children not only talk more and better in whatever language they are using, but also they make more constructive use of the equipment, tools and materials organised for them. Instead of tending to walk over equipment and leave a litter, a new awareness of how to lead from one constructive idea to the next begins to emerge. We can fairly ask, are these qualities of concentration, construction and development of ideas the kinds of qualities we want to see growing in Maori children? It is interesting that if the world he lives in is not brought to a child's attention, he pays little attention to it. Sand is just sand, water is just water, trees are just trees; but in the presence of adults who give a child the time that he needs—perhaps something like six or so hours a week of this organised play—the child uses these natural materials to further his own learning.

Equipment

Here too lies a great strength of the Maori people, because their traditional powers of observation and their awareness of the resources of nature are still retained. In equipping any play group for children—one that can be recommended for the growth of the child—inexpensive natural materials should be used. In addition to the sand, water and trees already mentioned, we can include the seashore, the mud, the clay, flax, the reeds, the flowers, the insects, the animals and the birds that are around them. Greater attention to all of these aspects of nature costs nothing but brings the greatest riches in terms of human development.

Also, children are interested in the community that man has made for himself—in his trucks, his cars, his aeroplanes, his motorways, his tunnels, his bridges and his dams. Children respond whenever materials are available for them to play with. Their various activities are suggested by the kind of world in

which they live. Furnishings of a home—a bedroom, a kitchen—can also enrich their play.

All these things, it seems to me, any family—Maori or Pakeha—can manage well for itself, if it is prepared to work flexibly, informally and in a friendly manner with the other families of the community. The emphasis is best placed upon the family, with the children reaching out to join up with children of other families; and upon the parents getting together to organise this play world for a minimum period of one half day per week.

Discussion and Decision

The Maori family, with support from other families, and with the agencies available to every New Zealand community, is, I consider, the best starting place for making a decision on such matters as how much Maori people require to change in order to cope with the world of today and tomorrow, at what rate to make this change, and what directions any changes must take. By making the decisions for themselves, they can the more naturally and comfortably merge their contribution into the total programme of community living. Without this contribution I consider that our New Zealand society will be the poorer; but I feel it necessary to stress that the Maori family must make this decision about change for itself, and that all families will benefit from frequent discussion on this topic with other members of the community. If to carry out this change Maori must meet with Maori, then I feel that such meetings should take place, despite any likely accusations of segregation. In fact to avoid such meetings may actually perpetuate the tendency towards segregation we already have in our society.

Personnel

Although it is important for any organised play group to have at the helm a knowledgeable person, equally important is it that this knowledgeable person shall be in every respect her natural self—a guide rather than a controller. To manage this effectively, a welcome must be extended to the parents of the children. It is for them to carry the responsibility, and feel their self-respect grow as they carry the responsibility for the group. This welcome must be further extended to all members of the community, especially the grandparents, so that they may contribute their wisdom.

Young children can be extremely curious, active people, and to give each child the care and attention he deserves, both physically and mentally, many understanding adults are required. Sometimes one adult for one child is required, which means that the size of the group is best kept down to about 20 children, of mixed ages below five. So we can describe the best kind of group this way: 20 children and between 12 to 20 adults all busy in a community group once or twice a week. The families in the community organise this group and equip it to reflect them and the community in when they live.

Busyness

One final word as a guide to the successful working of such a group: parents and grandparents must be as busy as their children, not only with their tongues but also with their hands; and three kinds of adult busyness can go on in this play centre world.

First, adult busyness of four or five women who have the responsibility for the care of the children for perhaps an hour at a time before they hand over to a fresh group.

Second, the busyness of three or four other women who are not caring for the children but who are learning to observe each child more carefully, and who are learning to discuss, as a group, what they observe.

Third, adult busyness at those handcrafts that are traditional to Maori people, at modern versions of traditional crafts, or at newfound crafts, with parents and grandparents weaving mats, kits, taniko, kono, tukutuku, and carving. Not only are the traditional crafts then being kept alive by the people, but as well they are being practised by children, who by the very nature of their activities are becoming more observant. Beyond the traditional crafts, Maori women are discovering their ability to compose action songs, write stories for their own children, and develop their skill at pottery.

This is one way, as I see it, that a community can grow and develop. And what better heritage can we give our children, than families working together for the good of the children in their community?

Mr Lex Grey, the writer of this article, is the Maori Education Foundation's Officer for pre-school education, and is well known throughout the country for his work in helping parents establish play centres and arrange their training programmes.

Putiki Maori Club Visits Fiji

During a visit to Whanganui in 1963 to see his sons, Drew and Tuki, at his Alma Mater, the Wanganui Technical College, Ratu Edward Cakobau (pronounced Thakombau) was ceremonially welcomed by the Putiki Maori Club and Ngati Hau elders on Te Pakuoterangi marae at Putikiwharanui. There the Ariki of Viti (Fiji) invited the Putiki Maori Club to visit his people.

In 1965 the Club postponed its planned tour of the islands because of the hurricane in February of that year. It was felt that undue hardship would be brought upon the hosts, so with Mr Robert (Bob) Parks of Suva (liaison officer of Ratu Edward Cakobau) in attendance, the decision was made to visit Fiji in 1966.

On Saturday, 20 August, 1966, at 5.30 p.m., the Ngati Hau elders, with ceremony and prayers, farewelled the Club on Te Pakuoterangi forecourt. By 6.30 p.m. we were airborne, 28 of us, for Auckland, where we were grounded for the night. At 7 a.m. Sunday morning, by Air New Zealand, we found ourselves flying northward, 35,000 feet above the waters that our ancestors, by wooden bark, had travelled so many centuries before in a southerly direction.

In just under two and a half hours we touched Fiji soil at the International Airport, Nandi. We transferred from DC8 Air New Zealand to DC3 Air Fiji plane, and soon we were airborne again, this time for only thirtysix minutes, so to land at Nausori airport on the south east coast of Viti Levu. There we were met by a tall, handsome, regal-like figure of a man, smiling and quietly spoken, yet proudly bearing every bit of his six feet plus height.

This was our host, Ratu Edward Cakobau, the grandson of the Cakobau who ceded the Islands of Fiji (over 300) to Queen Victoria in 1874.

From that moment on, for the next ten days, we were under his chiefly and paternal care; now advising to our advantage in the peculiarities of the shopping and marketing life of Suva; now conducting us on tours per bus, taxi or launch; now teaching and informing us in the ways of his people; and now introducing us to military, civic and governmental leaders at the several receptions held in our honour.

From Nausori we embussed for a 12-mile journey to Suva, the Capital of the Fiji Islands. In the city we experienced a fast tempo similar to any in our cities, but with a difference in average temperature—76 deg. F in the Fiji winter. Here we spent five fully organised days and nights.

On our first night in Suva, with Ratu Edward Cakobau. we attended a Fijian service in the Centenary Church, which had a seating capacity of nine to ten hundred. The church was full and we learnt that this was their usual congregation, called to worship by the ancient means of striking a huge hollowed tree. From a choir of some forty to fifty voices came the richness of the involuntaries, hymns, anthems and canticles, lifting us up in this inspirational service, as it were, to Tikitikiorangi itself. It was a moving service, and we learned again and saw, that the Fijians are a profoundly religious people, that every village has its own Church, that the worshippers always carried their own Bibles and Prayer Books, and that no Fijian worked on Sunday.

We saw the biggest part of Suva in all the fascinating colours of its palms and other flora, including an exciting cruise of the Coral Reefs where we saw through a thick glass bottomed launch the myriads of coloured fish and coral, the frightening and sudden changing depths of the reefs, and the thrilling sight of a turtle swimming swiftly away into the deep caverns way below.

Each evening we were the guests of many hosts who showered on us many kindnesses,

bewildering us all. Some of our hosts were Ratu Jonai and his wonderful wife Andi Saiki, Ratu Penai and his wife Andi Laisa who presented the Club with gifts of beautiful tapa cloth and valuable prized woven wharikis. Even the Commanding Officer, an old friend of the Club, Colonel Morrison, his officers and men of the Queen Elizabeth Barracks, received and entertained us. There we saw the Military Band, resplendent in red tunics and white sulus (skirt-like attire) beating out the Tattoo with immaculate precision after which followed the Retreat. In the Club's honour Colonel Morrison had requested the Band to play our favourite hymn, Te Ariki, to the lowering of the Union Jack.

At the several receptions in Suva and others on the islands of Ovalau and Moturiki, the Club responded with the appropriate kinakis for the addresses in reply made on our behalf.

On the sixth day, Saturday, 27 August, we made a two-hour bus trip to Natovi wharf so that we saw to good measure another part of Viti Levu. By launch, for another two and a half hours, we journeyed to Ovalau, an island off the east coast of Viti Levu. There at Levuka, former capital of Fiji, and where the Deed of Cession was signed, Mr Reg Eastgate and Father Hatherly, Anglican vicar of Levuka, received our party. In no time Ratu Edward had us accommodated, some at the Royal Hotel, others at the Ovalau Club, and Mrs Paeroa Hawea and Mrs Maude Reweti guests of Mr Reg and Mrs Dot Eastgate.

In the evening the Royal Hotel was packed with people to honour and receive the Putiki Maori Club. It was a terrific night. Next day we attended early morning services so that the rest of the day was in part spent with Ratu Edward, who gave us an insight into the history and traditions of the Fiji people, the acts of Captain Bligh and his master seamanship, the exploits of his grandfather Cakobau, the geography of his island, and the fate of the Joyita, whose wreck we could see. From where we stood, the site where the Deed of Cession of Fiji was signed, the Ceremonial Mbure (Meeting House) was pointed out to us, standing immediately opposite this historic site.

Our opportunity to meet the people in their villages and homes came when Ratu Edward took us to Mbureta and Lovoni. At the former village we were formally welcomed with all the solemnity of the ceremonies and ritual associated with the rites of the Yanggona (species of the N.Z. kawakawa) root drink, and the presentation

by the tangata-whenua of the Tabua (sperm whale's ‘tohora’ tooth). Here were ceremonies somewhat more than just polite welcomes, sacred, just as the tangi or the reception of a ‘waewae-tapu’ is on our marae. Indeed, the ceremonies of the Yanggona and Tabua as they were in days past, are still, today, the very backbone of Fijian life and society. The word ‘Tabua’ finds derivation in ‘Tabu’, meaning sacred, the same as the word ‘Tapu’ is, in meaning, spelling and sound.

The Tabua is to the Fijian as the Mauri is to the Maori. It is the material symbol of the hidden principle protecting vitality, the very life principle of the man himself, of his lands, of his forests and rivers and seas from whence he derives sustenance, his life and being. We found that the taste of the Yanggona is one to be acquired, something like the water of boiled dock root, not bitter like the flax water.

At Lovoni the reception was less formal for the people had sustained a death in their village. After the welcome we retired to an Mbure where a Magiti (hakari) was ready for us. There we ate fresh-water koura, taro, kumara, tapioca, lobster, pikopiko (fern fronds), karengo, pork and several other foods which were all wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a hangi. Then we returned to prepare for the important function that was to take place in the Council House of Ovalau, the Ceremonial Mbure.

This evening was important because it was our opportunity to make our presentations to the people of Fiji and to Ratu Edward. Mr

Reg Eastgate, the President of the Ovalau Men's Club, and members, received and entertained us, and then we moved to the Ceremonial Mbure after having first changed into our full ceremonial habit. At the gateway to the Mbure, the man skilled in the use of the Taiaha, Tamahina Tinirau, of Hiruharama, Whanganui River, after his display, led our party to the Mbure threshold. Our kuia Hera Paranetana, signalled to the host people, with the chanting maioha, that we were about to enter their House of Sacred Ceremony. Our people, now inside, seated themselves on the beautiful wharikis. Guided by Aotea ‘kawa’, our elder Ngene Takarangi addressed the tangata-whenua, and Mrs Paeroa Hawea led our party in a kinaki for the address delivered. Two further addresses were given from our side each followed by a ‘wai’. Mrs Paeroa Hawea, flanked on either side by Mr Wiremu Taiaroa, President of the Putiki Maori Club, and Canon Taepa, each carrying a Koha, set them at the feet of the Honourable Ratu Edward Cakobau. The Ratu replied in a moving, deliberate and eloquent measure accepting the tauira takapau provided by Mrs Hawea and the gifts placed upon it. The formal programme concluded, the visitors partook of the Magiti (hakari) set in generous and buffet style. Later, the men and women of the tangata-whenua further entertained us on their Rara (marae), performing standing mekes.

During the week we were shown over the three-year-old freezing factory founded by the Japanese firm called the Pacific Fishing Company.

Wednesday morning our Rangitira, Ratu Edward Cakobau bade leave of us, this Ratu who had cancelled all his official commitments, that we be his personal responsibility. As Molly Widdowson, daughter of Dr H. L. and Mrs Widdowson, said, ‘I was amazed that a man of his dignified rank should do all this for us and his people.’

Standing astride the prow of his twentieth century Waka, he waved to us for nearly forty minutes, until he disappeared behind the island on his way back to Viti Levu.

Next day found us at Nathelendamu boarding two outboard punts to take us to another island called Moturiki (small island). There on the beautiful marae of Nasesara we were received formally, again with the ceremonies of the Yanggona and Tabua, the Magiti, the mekes standing and sitting. The standing meke was performed by 36 of their younger men, of magnificent physique, all six feet tall plus, performing their club (weapon) haka with precision, dignity and vigour, ‘tau ana te wehi’ (inspiring). They were all ceremonially attired down to the anklets and wrist bands of Fijian handcraft, their waist-bands of eighteen-inch wide tapa cloth, and bodies covered all over with coconut oil, this being part of their uniform. Their faces too were peculiarly painted in an ash-black colour.

It was there where we saw the authority of the chief and elders. It was there also, in their church, when their Pastor, a Fijian, made his sad, parting appeal of us, ‘When you return to your homes, please do not talk bad of us.’ We wondered, and we are still asking, what had those visitors before us said about these people. We could find no reason at all for any adverse reports about the people of Fiji, a people loyal to God, Queen and Country.

We met in Suva twenty Maori women, all I suppose in their late sixties, of Tuhourangi, Te Rorooterangi, Uenukukopako, Whakaue, Pikiao and Tapuika tribes, who had visited the several islands of the Pacific in a three-week tour. All remarked that their visit to Fiji was the climax of their trip, that the people were absolutely wonderful.

What was there for us to complain about? We had learnt so much from these people; that they had the answer to delinquency in the authority of their chiefs and elders; that they are a deeply religious people; and as we say. ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’, so we found the people to be—their villages, their homes and manners, their preparation of food, and

their washing—not persil white, but Fiji whiter. One of our party commented, ‘It wasn't until I got to Moturiki, that I collided with a fly.’

It was said of these people before we left New Zealand, that they are ‘a poor people’. This is true from our New Zealand standard of life, in perhaps the luxuries we enjoy, but from their own standards, we who made that visit would say unanimously, they are the richer by far. They still retain 90 per cent of their land (toitu te whenua), they have their fishing rights, they have fresh food in abundance from papatuanuku, tangaroa, and tane mahuta. They are a happy people, of beautiful physique, tall and muscular, with a culture yet unspoiled.

We returned, very sad to leave Moturiki and Ovalau islands, to Suva en route to Nandi. At Beachcomber Hotel we rested the night. Next day we embussed for Skylodge Hotel, Nandi. All along that 100-mile journey we were still impressed by the neat, clean villages we saw. At Skylodge Hotel we entertained the manager, Tuki, the son of Ratu Edward Cakobau.

Next day we were home in Whanganui, royally welcomed by our people at Putikiwharanui. So closed a memorable experience of a marvellous trip.

The club members pay tribute to Mrs Rei, their secretary, for the wonderful work she did in organising the trip from this end. It entailed a tremendous amount of work.

Ngaruawahia Kindergarten Maori Mothers' Club

At a committee meeting of the Ngaruawahia Free Kindergarten Mothers' Club last year, the conversation went this way:—

‘What kind of entertainment shall we have for our birthday night?’

‘Perhaps some of us Maori mothers could entertain.’

From this small beginning, and an initial meeting of six mothers, the group snowballed, until now there are 15 performers (one a pakeha), a guitarist, a manager and director. Since July 1966, the group has raised over £200 for their kindergarten, by performing at birthdays, Church and public socials etc. There is no set fee. Instead, those entertained give a donation to the kindergarten.

The group practises for two hours each week and training has been given by Revd Napi Waaka, and the Club's director, Mrs Mata Clark. Most of the women take to the practices their families of three or four children, and already many have learned as much as their parents.

Members have made their own costumes, and are now learning to weave their own tanikos.

These Ngaruawahia mothers hope that their experience will inspire others to support their local educational activities and at the same time help to keep alive Maori songs and dances.

Dances of the Pacific Organisation

It was most interesting to meet Mrs Marjorie Bronson of Walnut Creek, California, U.S.A., and hear of the active ‘Polynesian Dance’ group which had recently staged its sixth annual production in Polynesian dance and music.

When her husband was stationed in Hawaii for several years from 1939, Mrs Bronson became interested in ancient hula chants and dances. On her return to California, she found her neighbours were keen to learn. Eight years ago she began at Walnut Creek Recreation Center with one class for women and children in Hawaiian Dance. There are now five hula classes for women and six for children, classes for women and children in Tahitian dance and a boys' and a ‘couples’ class' in Polynesian Dance. The ‘couples’ class' (12 couples) has performed Maori action songs and poi dances so well, that interest has spread to a ladies' class.

One of the teachers, Marguerite Hunkin, learned several dances and the long poi from Guide Rangi during a trip to New Zealand in 1959, and in 1961 Mrs Bronson learned some hakas in Laie. The biggest problem for the Americans is the correct pronunciation of the Maori language, but Hawaiians, Tahitians and Filipinos in the group learn to pronounce the words more easily than the others. Recordings and scripts are used when new songs are learnt.

The women have woven bodices and headpieces following traditional Maori patterns, but because of the high cost of piupius have found a substitue. Pieces of black and white bamboo from bamboo curtains or room dividers can be strung to make Maori patterns, and the swishing of the skirt is similar to the piupiu. Mrs Bronson always borrows a genuine piupiu from the New Zealand Consulate for the group's annual production.

Dances of the Pacific Organisation is nonprofit, and is co-sponsored by the Walnut Creek Park and Recreation Center, whose director Ruth Wallis has encouraged the group's development. The Walnut Creek City Council has also been a staunch supporter of the organisation.

My Future as a Maori
New Zealander

I am very proud that I am growing up in this world as a young Maori New Zealander. My ancestors of the Ngapuhi tribe came to this land in the canoe Mamari. I am very proud of my race and have been taught to love my people. Yes, I have learned to love them. I have warmth and affection for family relationships among my people. I have shared hospitality among them and generosity too.

They have respect for and take care of older Maori people. I love the customs we have. When a member of the family dies a tangi is

held so that people can show their respect.

I love the culture that we have. I am able to participate in the action songs and hakas and help at school with Maori singing. Maori music and culture is admired in many countries and concert parties going abroad are warmly welcomed by other nations. Some of the waiatas are very old Maori songs but they have a meaning in the life led by my people. Our ancient costumes are used on special occasions. The meeting house is usually a splendid example of Maori design with rich carving and lovely tukutuku panels.

To go with all the historic facts about my people, I must learn with interest, understanding and love for my European neighbours, all that I need to know of their culture and ways of living. First, I must master the English language in speech, writing, listening, and reading. I must get all the education I can and train myself for skilled work or for a profession. The culture and patterns of thinking used by Europeans must be fully understood by me. Because my speech, dress, and manners will be as good as any European I will be able to participate fully in all activities. My Maori ancestry and all that goes with it should make me a more interesting person because I will have two cultures and they usually have only one.

I do not fear the wider life in the city, either for myself or later, when I am married, for my children. I sincerely believe that among both races in New Zealand there is a growing respect each for the other and that in years to come a definite New Zealand culture will develop, a blending of the best of Maori and European traditions. Perhaps in my old age I shall see this. In the meantime let every young New Zealander set out to learn all he can about our common heritage.

When we look around us today, what do we see? A land rich in beauty, fertile, busy and growing. My Maori people have increased from the small number of 44,000 sixty years ago to almost 200,000 today. Of these about half are children who, in the next few years, will reach adulthood and themselves raise families. So the Maori race might well be half a million by the turn of the century. Now we can see the importance of both Maori and Pakeha getting to know each others culture and blending it into something new and vital for New Zealand. Probably the Maori has the harder part but with his splendid traditions he will meet the challenge.

By the year 2,000, it may happen that a Maori will have been Prime Minister or Governor General of New Zealand, and that we shall see Maori names much more frequently in our directories of professional people. In the country some of our best farmers will be Maoris and they will also be found among our most able and respected citizens.

More Maoris will go to University, and Maori pupils will stay longer at school.

By then communication between the two races should be so good that understanding will be perfect and no barriers will be left. At this stage New Zealand could well be the envy of the world with its two races welded into one great people and with a new and exciting culture enriched by both.

This is what I want for my children and my grandchildren—a land where perfect love has cast out fear and where all its citizens enjoy equal opportunities to live a life full of goodness in a land of peace, filled with happy memories of the past and packed with vigorous plans for the future.

Aotearoa—Land of our Fathers, together we will make you great.

Olive Neho, 5A

Respect for Law and Order and for
Private Property

As soon as a number of people come together to form a small community, a town, a city, or a nation, they will make laws which are really rules for the protection and fair treatment of each and every person who lives there.

Although laws differ in different countries there are some very important things that should be the foundation stones upon which good law is built. Some of these things are:

1.	Freedom to move about from one place to another.
2.	Freedom of speech, which means you can express your opinion without fear.
3.	Freedom of the press so that news can come to everyone without censorship.
4.	Freedom from arrest without proper reason, or being kept in prison without a fair trial.
5.	Freedom to work and earn a decent living.
6.	Freedom to vote at the age of twentyone years.
7.	Freedom to worship as you please.
8.	Freedom to secure a suitable education.
9.	Freedom from hunger.
10.	Freedom from fear.

The purpose of the law needs to be understood by everyone. Schools and homes should teach these things so that growing children will begin to understand and value laws which give them more, not less freedom.

In most civilised countries the law protects private property. A man's house and all his belongings are his alone and must not be taken or used without his permission. A person who breaks into a house or steals a car is committing a crime against his own country and himself. So is a business man or other person who cheats. Every country has its laws and these laws are enforced because the people want them to be. To make sure the laws are enforced we have policemen, who are our friends and guardians, and our courts where anyone charged with breaking a law can get a fair trial.

No one likes to be arrested and charged with a crime but while there are lawbreakers it is necessary to have arrests, trials and punishments, either by fines or imprisonments. No person who keeps the law need fear, because no charges will be laid against him. If any citizen has his property stolen or damaged or suffers any injury from the violence of others he should ring for the police who will come at once to his help.

In New Zealand today too many young people break the law. They drive their cars too fast causing death to themselves or others on the roads. They sometimes drink too much. They sometimes use threats or violence instead of calmly thinking out their problems. They have not listened to the good advice of parents, teachers, clergymen and elders. The lawbreaker never feels secure and is therefore never happy. He must live out his days with the fear of being caught always in his heart.

Because of lack of respect for the law many people are in prison in New Zealand today. Far too many of these are young people from eighteen to twenty-five who are wasting the best years of their lives in this way. Unfortunately

too many of these young prisoners are Maoris. A Young Maori, because of habits of sharing among his own people may not have a clear enough idea about private property and in fact many go to prison for stealing of one kind or another, or for taking motor cars belonging to other people. Sometimes because their understanding of the law is not good enough, people resist arrest. This is a very serious matter and always leads to longer terms of imprisonment.

When young Maoris go to gaol their parents, relatives and friends should write to them and visit them. Then they will not feel too much loneliness and despair while they are serving their sentences and will be more easily encouraged to make a fresh start when they are released.

The following part of a poem by P. A. Webster has good advice for the young Maori.

But, my son, listen. Still, be a Maori;
Not a warrior for now it is peace time.
Of the skills that we had, use them wisely.
Know where you go as you sail your canoe;
Hold firmly the paddles, dip strongly.
Be proud of the fleet that you sail with.
Make your eye keen in your hunting.
Use the best flax in your weaving.
Cast your nets wide in your fishing.
Kia toa, my son,
Kia toa, kia kaha. Be a Maori.

Julie Neho, 5A

Ngahuia Gordon, who was in the Upper Sixth Form at Western Heights High School, Rotorua, in 1966, is the author of the next two poems. She plans to study law this year.

Pukeroa

So wild blows the wind—cold
And here I sit against
A tree, emblem of Life
Green, growing
Silent upon this hill
That was the realm, the fortress of Te Makawe
Feared and avoided
That road before me stretches
Far into the cool twilight—
Black tar which melts beneath the hot sun.

Cars—modern, streamlined, vintage how they move
Upon a road that once knew
Only the tread of tough brown feet
And heard the power of the haka
The plaintive wail of the tangi
A call, a challenge, echo
Across our warm marae.

Still, he has come, the white man
—Has come, and has conquered
Wiped from beneath us
That base we knew so wel
So that it should exist no more
But be replaced, our glorious heritage
With muskets, fire and bricks
With industry, with progress With 1966.

(Pukeroa—‘The Long Hill’—a rhyolitic mound was in the past a well-fortified pa of Ngati Whakaue, Rotorua. ‘Te Makawa’ was one of Ngati Whakaue's atuas, or protecting spirits and celestial custodians. His presence was symbolized by a great tree of intense tapu, still carefully fenced off on Pukeroa hill, and treated with wary reverence, although the Rotorua Public Hospital sprawls across his demesne.)

On St Faiths, Ohinemutu

One feels
the closeness
Of the poupou
glaring, garish, grotesque
Eyes blazing
from the walls.

One tastes
an intimacy
secret, intense, sacred
Stir within
the depths
Of one's soul.

One marvels
At the beauty
In red wood
and toe toe
And one
rejoices.
One wonders
O Christ
‘Tis a marvel, a miracle
in pagan art
A heathen shrine
To see Thy glory praised.

One cries
‘Tis indeed
Perfect integration
Peace
tranquility preserved
Beneath these rafters.

And one pleads
O God—
When will
this harmony
be forever
universal?

Life at Sea

With the death of Captain Albert Mokomoko last March the only Maori master-mariner is Te Waari Kahukura Whaitiri, now in command of M.V. Totara. He writes of his career:—

I went to sea as a young boy after leaving the Chatham Islands, and after passing into the second standard at school. I had some difficulty in sitting for my certificates through not having enough education, there being only

primary schools on the islands, but got by after a struggle. Higher education is not necessary, but is an advantage. A boy's eyesight must be good, as he has to pass an eye-test set by the Marine Department.

After working for several shipping companies. I served with the Merchant Navy in the Pacific and the Atlantic during World War II In 1947, I joined the Anchor Shipping Company and since then have been in command of all their ships plus some they have chartered.

My present command is M.V. Totara, length 218 feet, tonnage 855.49 gross, 800 brake horsepower and a speed of 11.5 knots.

I have taken some Maori boys to sea with me in hopes that they may like the life, but most seem to prefer the land. Perhaps reading The Coming of the Maori may have been enough for them! There must, however, be many boys who would enjoy life at sea. I can

recommend it as a satisfying and worthwhile career, especially for a boy who is qualified as an engineer. Such boys are in great demand today. To qualify, a boy would have to serve five years as a motor mechanic, or in an engineering firm, or a foundry.

Maori Music

Sweet Maori music—
Swaying rhythm of the sea,
Mellow voices blending
In natural harmony.

Deep Forest music—
Hidden birds among the leaves,
Calm and strength imparting
Spirit of the Trees.

Music of the Lakes—
Deeply blue, serene;
Flashing paddles lifting,
Canoes among the reeds.

Music for the Battle—
Rousing hakas, ages old
Fierce voices shouting
Defiance to their foes.

Haunting Maori music—
Of my life a part;
To me—forever Home,
This music of the Heart.

—Renée Ottaway

Jenny

Can she be a princess, from some far off foreign land?
Maybe her father's an emperor, and she has kings ask for her hand;
Do you think the mysterious East, is the home of such as she?
Was it a fabulous castle, that housed her family?
She surely is most gracious to give us such a smile.
Do you think that if we begged her, she would stay with us awhile?
Do you perceive that delicate skin, of a strangely dusky hue?
To touch those soft dark curls would thrill the sense of you.
Such beautiful big grey eyes, a Queen indeed, no less!
I take much pride to tell you, in case you cannot guess—
That pretty little child is my half-caste
Maori niece!

—Raewyn Juhàsz

THE BOY AND THE TANIWHA

Text by R. L. Bacon
Illustrations by P. Matchitt
Collins Bros and Co., 13s 6d
reviewed by D. M. Forsell

This book tells a story of the relationship of a young Maori boy with his grandmother and of his search for a Taniwha. The tale is set in a time prior to the coming of Europeans to New Zealand and refers to several customs, beliefs and myths of the ancient Maoris.

The story is informative, amusing and well written and the copious illustrations in colour are fresh, gay and, with considerable originality, most skilfully drawn. The illustrator, although he has based his drawings on Maori artistic concepts and forms has, nonetheless, succeeded in imparting a most pleasing liveliness to his work. The print is large and clear.

A minor criticism: it is unfortunate that the brief instructions on the manner in which Maori names and words should be properly pronounced are printed on the dust cover to the book and not in the book itself.

The book is very good value for its price, and it is suitable for reading in primary schools, as well as in the home, by children aged between six and eleven years.

KIRI, Music and a Maori Girl

by Norman Harris in association with Kiri Te Kanawa
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 29s 6d
reviewed by Alan Armstrong

The Kiri phenomenon. What is it about this young Maori girl which has so captured the public's imagination? It is a mere three years since she first came to general notice by scoring a second in the Mobil Song Quest of 1963 at Hamilton. Since then she has featured on six gramophone records, appeared in two local films and now rates a biography. To be sure she is young, talented and good looking but many other local song contest winners have been similarly endowed without making an appreciable public impact before leaving their own country for training abroad.

Part of Kiri's appeal of course is due to her Maori ancestry. She is unique as the first Maori female singer of serious music to stand at the threshold of fame and fortune overseas. (Am I perhaps being uncharitable to add that leaping on Kiri's bandwagon also gives some of the leaders in our artistic community the opportunity to salve their consciences by paying a sort of lip service to the sadly underrated Maori contribution to music and arts in New Zealand?)

Another factor in Kiri's success is shrewd promotion. In this respect, A. H. & A. W. Reed have been co-pilots of, rather than passengers on, Kiri's bandwagon. Although never overstepping the bounds of good taste and a legitimate regard for Kiri's own interest, they have assiduously fostered and catered for public enthusiasm for Kiri te Kanawa with the periodic issue of records of her singing. Now they have commissioned and published this book.

If some will say that a biography at this stage of Kiri's young career is pushing things just a little too far then her publishers could undoubtedly retort that they are only giving the public what it wants—which is undoubtedly true. Furthermore, in fairness to author and publisher, the book is not claimed to be a biography (although many will regard it as such). It is obviously intended rather as a study—as the success story of a young singer in the initial stage of her career. For this reason the book for the most part concentrates on events rather than character study. This results in rather a one-sided view of Kiri. Inferentially she emerges from the book as a paragon of all the virtues. We are not shown her losing her temper or disobeying Mum or falling prey to any of those little human frailties which beset lesser mortals. There is no attempt to analyse the secret of her success or of the influence which her biracialism makes to her musical development or personal temperament.

The book begins mawkishly. Chapter one is irrelevant and contrived and the second chapter will lead the reader to fear that this is to be a blow-by-blow description of our heroine's life story. In fact the reader's reaction to this chapter (which deals with Kiri's early childhood) is probably best summed up by the final

sentence on page 14—‘Talk about sickly smiles.’ Fortunately author Norman Harris gets into his stride in subsequent chapters which deal with the highlights of Kiri's career interlaced with a wealth of anecdote.

Norman Harris met Kiri in London and wrote the book there in close collaboration with her. Harris is best known for his sports writing including Silver Fern at Tokyo and the autobiographical Champion of Nothing in which he describes his own attempts to become a champion athlete. In fact this is his first non-sporting book.

Whilst it may seem that a sports writer is ill-equipped to write of the trials and triumphs of a budding singer, Harris in fact brings a rare perception to his task. Having experienced at first hand the self-discipline and the constant striving towards a goal which is necessary for athletic success, he is able to write with insight on the similar development of one seeking artistic success. He skilfully depicts the tension and anxiety which lead up to the all-too-brief moments of climax and success and leads the reader into a feeling of emotional involvement in the hopes and aspirations of Kiri Te Kanawa as she climbs the first steps towards her goal of becoming a professional singer.

For 29s 6d the reader gets a mere fifty-nine pages of text. However the book is filled out to a respectable size with a further sixty-four pages of photographs which paradoxically begin with Kiri in Trafalgar Square in March 1966 and finish eighty illustrations later with her first stage appearance as a seven year old tap dancer. Apart from a little clumsy retouching in illustrations 33 and 35 (third finger left hand!) the photographs are excellent. They illustrate the tremendous mobility of her face and expression. In hardly any one photograph does she look exactly the same as in any other. (Compare for example illustrations 24, 52, 58, 60, 70, 71, 74–I swear they must be seven different people, yet of course they are not.)

I really feel for this beautiful girl from whom so much is expected. Perhaps it would be a kindness now to take the fierce glare of the spotlight off her for just a little while whilst she struggles to gain perfection in her craft. Within such a short time she has attained the recognition and acclaim for which many artists struggle a lifetime. We must not allow the rest of her career to become anticlimatic through heaping too much on her too early.

MAORI & PAKEHA

by John Harré
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 30s
reviewed by D. M. Forsell

This study of mixed marriages in New Zealand is an interesting work of some considerable value, but it is nevertheless, to some degree, of limited scope.

The author examines and discusses various marriages where one spouse is a Maori, or predominantly Maori, and the other spouse is European, or predominantly European. The author cites some representative cases and then goes on to deal with types of mixed marriages and the characteristics of the spouses; the meeting, courting and engagement of the parties and, thereafter, the relationships between the husband and wife, with their kindred and friends, and within the community, and finally, the position of the children of such marriages.

The author's observations refer, however, only to persons living in Auckland—as he

freely admits—and, therefore, his conclusions may not be valid with regard to persons living in other centres of population in New Zealand. But, since Maoris are migrating in increasing considerable numbers from rural areas to the cities and, in particular, to the City of Auckland, the author's observations in this book will be of increasing worth.

There is nothing very startling in the author's main conclusions, namely that intelligent, responsible and hardworking people of any race tend to marry similar people of their own or any other race and, contrarywise and quite apart from any matter of race, people who are dull, irresponsible and feckless tend to wed persons of like characteristics—i.e. persons of high economic or social status usually marry persons of that status and persons of low economic or social status incline to marry persons in that category.

The distinction made by the author between ‘fully mixed’ marriages and ‘racially mixed’ marriages is of great importance, and that distinction must be clearly understood before the book, as a whole, can be properly appreciated.

The chief interest in this work lies, not so much in its analysis of the relationship, one to another, of the spouses to a racially mixed marriage, but in the effect of such a marriage upon the relatives, children, friends and acquaintances of the respective spouses.

Mr Harré is an anthropologist, but this book is not over encumbered with the terms of art of his profession. It is, in the main, easy to read. It should be read by anyone who is, in the slightest degree, interested in Maori-European relationships. More and more people in New Zealand are going to find themselves in situations arising, directly or indirectly, out of the marriage of some relation or friend with a person of a different race, and this work provides a good insight into the natures of such situations.

New Year Honour

Dr H. N. Paewai of Kaikohe received the O.B.E. in the New Year Honours list. He has worked hard for the Maori people, encouraging them to help themselves by such means as the Budget Counselling Scheme, which he began in Kaikohe in 1960.

GREAT SONGS OF THE MAORI

Salem X.P. 5006 12 in. 33 ½ L. P.

This enjoyable record features the Church College Maori Culture Group (Latter Day Saints) of Hamilton. Since it was founded in 1958 the Church College of New Zealand has devoted a great deal of effort to teaching and fostering interest in Maori language and culture. Te Arohanui Concert Party which toured so successfully throughout the United States several years ago consisted of members of the Mormon faith, many of whom were products of the Church College. Approximately one hundred students at the College, Maori and Pakeha, attend daily classes in chant, action song, haka, Maori games and handicraft. The average age of the students is fourteen years. This recording shows the quality and versatility of these young performers under their Maori instructor James Elkington.

The hakas are somewhat tame, as is natural when performed by youngsters, but the musical items are very competently done. It is not surprising of course that some of the best Maori choral music has been recorded by groups from boarding schools where there is time to give the students the necessary grounding and discipline in the vocal arts.

On this disc the sacred music is the best. The music is sung without any striving for effect and the balance between the various sections of the choir is good throughout. There is a particularly fine version of Evan Steven's ‘Song of the Redeemed’, better known in Maori as ‘Kia Kotahi Katoa’, and the young singers tackle the complex part-singing with vigour and confidence. Instructor in music at the College is Peter Henderson.

It is pleasant also to hear a Maori group performing unaccompanied without an obtrusive guitar thumping out a constant rhythm. Too many Maori groups use the guitar accompaniment as a psychological prop without which they feel they cannot perform.

The cover is a spectacular one, featuring, by courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery, one of H. Lindsay Richardson's paintings of a Maori woman's head. The notes describing each item are adequate but are marred by some grammatical errors in the English and spelling mistakes in the Maori.

FAMOUS MAORI SONGS

Salem X.P. 5001 12 in. 33 ½ L.P.

This is a collection of Maori songs by a group calling themselves the ‘Rangatira Maori Opera Group’. The group consists of seven former members of the Maori Porgy and Bess cast who were chosen to sing in the New Zealand Opera Company's recent season of Don Giovanni and II Trovatore. I am sorry to say, however, that this is a thoroughly disappointing record. The performers obviously have fine voices and considerable musical ability.

What a pity they did not give some thought to the mood and meaning of the songs they sing. Most of the items are belted out in a quick-step time which is unvarying for items as diverse as He Puru Taitama, Karu and Pokarekare Ana. The overall effect is one of monotony, of a record which is devoid of any feeling for the material which is featured on it.

There are some stupid spelling mistakes on the cover and the performers themselves sing incorrect words in some of the songs which make a nonsense of the meaning. In some of the tracks the singing is full-throated and unforced and in others, notably Hoki Mai e Tama ma the group sings in a jerky strangulated manner which is as un-Maori as it is unattractive.

The record cover gives little except the titles and some fulsome but quite undeserved praise from Donald Munro, founder of the New Zealand Opera Company. Mr Munro talks about the exciting vocal quality of the group and their innate sense of perfect tonal balance and blend—a quality which he implies is typical of all Maori singing. Equally important,

however, in good Maori singing is a sense of rhythm and feeling, both of which are qualities lacking in this recording.

The arranger and conductor is Paul Katane (sic). I do not know whether Mr Katene chose the items but I scarcely think that Oma Rapeti (spelled on the cover as O Ma Rapiti) or more familiarly Run Rabbit Run could be called a ‘famous’ Maori song.

The guitar playing is as uninspiring as the cover, the musical arrangements and the singing. Singers of the individual calibre of Mark Metekingi, Peter Keiha, Don Selwyn, Bob Hirini, George Henare, Joshua Gardiner and Tutu Kainamu are capable of very much better than this. Let us hope that their next record gives it to us.

E hoa ma! Kia ata whakawiri i te ngehingehi!

KIRI IN CONCERT
Kiri Te Kanawa

Kiwi L.C. 34 12 in. L.P. Mono 33 ½

This is a recording which Kiri Te Kanawa's fans will welcome. As the cover says, it ‘has been designed to record some of the highlights in the triumphal progress of a young New Zealand singer in the space of a few months from the time she won a national song contest until her departure … overseas. But it will also serve to recall the atmosphere, the happiness and the excitement of those occasions shared by many thousands of people in the Town Halls at Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin and also at Melbourne.’

Of course, such a disc, recorded away from the clinical conditions of the recording studio, has inevitable variations in the sound quality. Variations in sound level also tend to irritate the listener. For much of the record the level of the applause is too high. This means bolting over to the ‘gram to turn the volume down after each song unless you want your eardrums assaulted. Background coughing and shuffling is also inescapable in such a situation. To compensate, however, for these minor difficulties, there is a tremendous feeling of atmosphere from such a live performance—of vibrancy, aliveness, of sharing an occasion …

The selection of items is quite varied ranging from a sparkling Show Me (from My Fair Lady) and accompanied in splendid fashion by the Henry Rudolph Singers) through Puccini and Weber to Schubert and Sibelius. Maoris will of course take particular pleasure from

the three Maori songs, although these unfortunately are the least satisfying of all the items on the record. Pokarekare is marred by background noise. It sounds at the beginning as if half the audience is leaving. In Hokihoki Kiri's pronunciation has a definitely Pakeha quality whilst Po Atarau is ragged.

Kiri can count herself fortunate that Kiwi have, in this record, provided her with such a tangible memento of highlights of the very early years of what all well-wishers hope will be a long and eventful singing career. The record buyer is also fortunate in having the opportunity to share these occasions with her over and over again.

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
Kiri Te Kanawa

Kiwi E.A. 124 7in. E.P. 45

On this disc Kiri sings a selection of popular songs which give rather more than normal scope for dramatic feeling. As such they suit her voice admirably. She sings to a piano accompaniment by a young Aucklander, Brooke Monks. The record cover might be guilty of a little hyperbole when it describes the result as like ‘a concerto for voice and piano’, but certainly Monks has arranged the songs with care and style. His robust yet sensitive accompaniments are more than just a background for the singer. They enhance renditions which already have Kiri's distinctive mark of quality. Any listener of course who has also read Kiri's recently published life story will doubtless recall that in several places there is mentioned of The Boyfriend—Christian name, Brooke. Could it be that…? Oh well, your guess is as good as mine. Anyway on this record, as perhaps in private life, Kiri and Brooke seem definitely to be in harmony!