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Bay of Plenty Times, Volume I, Issue 72, 10 May 1873, Page 3

At a meeting of the local Board of Education, held last Wednesday evening, on the motion of Mr Edgonmbe, seconded by Mr Kirk, Mr Samuel Clarke, J. P , was elected chairman of the Board for the ensuing year ; and on the motion of Mr Kirk, seconded by Mr Conway, Captain Skeet was elected secretary.

great meeting of total natives at whreboa. Ok Monday last wo, with many other gentlemen received a kind invitation from the loyal chief liori Ngatai, to witness the opening of the new boose erected by himself and tribe at Whareroa. Ihe house, as we on a previous occasion have mentioned, is named " Rauru Kitahi,” after a celebrated ancestor whose fame has now passed into a proverb among the tribes far and wide, -the proverb is, “ Rauru Kitahi has promised • his word once given, is never broken." On our arrival we were conducted to the now whare, over w ich the British ensign was gracefully waving. .1 the 1 turnings tribes were present, and some -ew visitors from Taupo. There must have been a out 500 in front of the house, including women and children. Enoka Te Wharake welcomed us, in a very nice tittle speech, to witness the opening of the whare named after Ins grout ancestor, “ the man who never apose false.” He said that soon after the fignt at the -..ate Pa and Te Hanga, Sir George Grey who was then Governor, visited Taimvnga for the purpose of persuading them to submit to the Queen 1 hey were some days before they woiud yield ; at last, they gave their word, and, uke Ivaum ivitabi, have kept it also—and, like him would not depart from it. He (Enoka) was a pakeha now, with the exception of his dark skin and niokos. His feelings and thoughts wore pakeha s, and had been ever since he gave his promise to Sir George Grey. We have beard of too murder at Waikato; it was a cowardly, brutal action, perpetrated by the scum of the earth. Harken to what I say. All the Tauranga tribes are indignant at it, and hope the murderers will be given up to justice. No ouch crime has -e«n done in the Tauranga district, and he hoped never would be. r wT e u e Taka ’ tlus P rinci pal Hauhau chief from V: ““““rainft, also expressed their feelings (the Haubaus) m the following words ; The Europeans must not think because I and my hapu are called Hauaaus, we sympathise with the murderers ; not a fait of it. If 1 want to fight. I will tell you so openly. The only European blood shed by me and my tribe was spilt in open day, and fair fighting, at the Gate Pa and Te Ran era. You cannot point to ray tribe and call them murderers It I want to fight, I will tell you so openly. Again I say. we will have nothing to do with these murderers—it was a cowardly action. Why did they not choose a victim from the tribe to whom the land was awarded, if they wanted to show their resentment, S verai other chiefs spoke all in the same strain. At the conclusion of the korero, we were asked to partake of some food in the new house where nice clean mats were laid—white tablecloth, knives, forks, &c. On our entering the house, Ngatai laughingly apologised for there mg no table, but as we were at the opening of a Maori house we were to leave our European manners for European houses, and for once to adopt the good old Maori customs of our food from the ground, and using our fingers in the place of forks, of which he was short. We i° re “ lei P ber « v or hearing that in the good k mT*? times the guests were provided with bottled ale and boiled turkeys—both were provided for us. After lunch the dancing commenced, each hapu taking it up after the other. The most graceful dancers in our opinion were Hori ogatai s own hapu. No spirits were allowed at me meeting consequently everything was most orderly. All honor to Hori Ngatai and Enoka. V\ © wish there were many more like them, and that all tribes were Ngaiterangis, then we should not have any Maori difficulty or murderers to contend with.