The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 1946 THE FUTURE OF THE MAORI

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 49, 13 November 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 1946 THE FUTURE OF THE MAORI

THE future of the Maori people, and the part they will play in the economic and social life of the Dominion in the years to come, are matters which very rightly occupy a prominent place in the thoughts of thinking Maoris and pakehas. It is obvious, when the fecundity of the two races is surveyed in the light of present-day birthrate figures, that unless a drastically different view of the question of parenthood is taken by the pakehas, the day will come when the Maori population of the Dominion will tip the scales in its own favour. That being the case, it surely behoves everybody to take an intelligent interest in ail proposals and plans designed to promote the welfare of the Maori people and to fit them to take their place in an ever-increasing degree with the pakeha in the development of New Zealand. On the battlefield, in the realm of education and science, on the land, and in the workshop individual Maoris have acquitted themselves with high credit. It is true that many have nol; capitalised opportunities and advantages conferred upon them. But cannot the same thing be said with equal force of pakehas? How many parents have learned to their sorrow that sons upon whom they had lavished love , and money have proved unworthy recipients?- In some cases sons have not had the necessary gifts to enable thern to measure up to the estimates of fond parents, but they have proved themselves capable and successful men in other branches of activity for which they were destined by nature. The same thing may be said of young Maoris who, though proving unfitted for occupations calling particularly for brain or for muscle, have made good when they have taken up the class of work for which they possessed the aptitude which made training an easy thing. If it would be accepted that all men are not equally equipped with strength of brain or body, and that all have weaknesses which call for most careful and subtle counteraction, the task of fitting the Maori to co-operate with the pakeha in the development of his country and the improvement of its inhabitants, irrespective of race, would be simplified. There is an old saying that what is one man’s meat is another man’s poison,, and this saying may be applied not inappropriately to the contention that every young Maori (or every young pakeha, for that matter), should be forced to become a.farmer or a tradesman or a member of a profession. Young Maoris need this guidance to the class of occupation for which they are adapted by nature. This is a matter of difficulty for any parent, especially a Maori father, who has reason to know, from the experience of other fathers, how city associations react to the detriment of young Maoris. This is a truth which has not been realised as it should have been. The lure of the city has taken large numbers of young Maoris or both sexes to the cities, but little provision has been made for the accommodation which pakeha parents would be able to ensure for those of their families obliged to leave home in search of education or training in trade or other occupation. It is urgently necessary that the younger generation of the Maori people should be encouraged to prepare themselves for occupations for which they have natural aptitude, and so make themselves independent of financial aid which comes to unemployed. This constitutes strong reason why appeal to the higher instincts of the young Maori should be made, while hand in hand should go efforts to ascertain the natural equipment of the individual,. Obviously, it would be as foolish to attempt to force a young Maori to take up farm work when he wished to become a craftsman as it would be to apprentice a pakeha youth to a trade when all his inclinations were in favour of farming. At the same time, it is essential, when young Maoris evince interest in agriculture, that the state and local bodies should do, all that is practicable to provide work which would enable the youths to earn money while at the same time assisting their parents to carry on farming operations. This is a matter which is causing Maori parents of adolescents considerable anxiety. In many cases youths who have had no contact with cities and are quite content to carry on farm work and road 'and other development work give promise of becoming useful farmers. If, however, opportunity to supplement earnings is non-existent at this critical period of their lives, the lure of the city, hitherto ignored, will prove too strong, and potential farmers will be lost, to. the detriment of the individuals and the Dominion’s economy. This matter though it may seem comparatively unimportant, nevertheless sheds strong light upon the fact that the future of the Maori people presents problems which must be solved if Maoris and pakehas are to co-operate to the maximum extent in making New Zealand a great country. The finding of a solution of the problem calls for true statesmanship.