THE MAORI VIEWPOINT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 42, 26 January 1943, Page 5

THE MAORI VIEWPOINT

AN ELOQUENT CRITICISM SIR APIRANA NGATA'S REMARKS Something of the Maori viewpoint with reference to the secution of the war effort, was learnt by the large and mixed 1 audience a:t Ruatoki' on Sunday when Sir Apirana Ngata the well known champion; of Maori rights and privileges voiced the feelings of his countrymen in no uncertain terms in, the presence of the Hon. H. G. R. Mason,, Major General P. H. Bell, D.5.0., officer in charge of the Northern Military District and the assembled officers of the Whakatiane, Opotiki and Rotorua Home Guard Command. In thanking the Minister for making the gathering possible, he said he could; not say the same to the Army Authorities, who had refused it a sanction on the grounds thst it would waste petrol and rubber at a time when it could not be spared. Such wastage he claimed, was but a flea-bite; in the face of the vast appropriations of the army. The Adjutant General hoped to make known the Government's policy by radio that however was utterly impossible in dealing with

people jmst 'come out of the bush.' A mefeting of all the tribes such as were there that day Avas the only way to actually get down to bed-, rock. Of Warrior Descent He reminded the General that the tribes asembled there were the descendants of proud warriors who until recently had been down trodden by the Pakehas, had their land confiscated and had had endured many indignities at the hands of the Pakehas.. Were they likely unless given a fair interest in their own affairs to link up with the Pakeha and call him a good chap? No d—fear! Nevertheless they were prepared to do their utmost in their respective war efforts and when asked to grow vegetables had applied; them' selves industriously. Vegetables were wanted, very well then the Maoris had grown more than the Pakehas could buy. Potatoes—there were now so many that. they, rotted in the ground. This would trate the Maoris good faith.. What was wanted was the right for thel Maoris' to run their own affairs in connection with their own Home Guard. They wanted their own officers, they wanted, better equipment and the disappearance of favouritism. Unless these things were forthcoming and. the Maori Home Guard placed on a more satisfactory footing they preferred to have all units disbanded and: the men sent back to produce 1 in conjunction with the war effort.

Absolute Equalitty Thinking Nqw Zealanders declared . that there, should be absolute equality between Maori and Pakeha, but the general trend Avas for the Pakeha to be on top all thej time. To-day they were dealing with a race of proven prowess, whose ancestors had fought the Pakehas to a standstill—not with the aid; of military text-books or schools of strategy but by the natural leadership of their own chiefs. Such men were still with the Maori race of to-day, but it appeared, that everything in connection with the Maori war effort must have a Pakeha to control it. Maori ideas weu-ft frustrated each time when trying to do their utmost for the common good. The worth of the Maori Battalion overseas had been recognised all over the</world. Why would; not New Zealand give the Maori talents at home a chance to display tlionise Ives. Man-Made Barrier The barrier to Maori officcrship was. a man-madei one and as such could; be just as easily taken down. The reply would lie 1 , of course, that the establishment of officers was already full. He knew some of the fauljs of the army. Give a man a few pips on his shoulder and whether they were warranted or not it required almost, an act of God to remove them. There were plenty of experienced Maori veterans from the last war with good 'education who could more than fulfil the office.r;ships required of them. All they asked was that these men be not ignorefd. He was thankful to see the establishment. of the camp at Matata and announced that the responsibility of supplying that camp with vegetables would rest on the tribes of the Eastern Bay. They would bo equipped and trained at the ex-, pense of the Pakeha —in fact get what tliey had' always got—the j crumbs from the Pakeha table. j

He did not desire! to segregate the Maori into, his own tribal groups apart from the Pakehas altogether. AM would still of course be under the same command. What they wanted was fairness only and he earnestly trusted that that would result from the meeting that day, so that every available Maori would eventually join the Guard and be proud of it. He concluded by reciting the well known haka, "Ka-mate Ka-inati," which the Maoris had shouted in their charge at Suda Bay, Crete.