MAORI WELCOME

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 100, 18 December 1931, Page 5

MAORI WELCOME

HIS EXCELLENCY STRESSES VALUE OF LAND DEVELOPMENT NEW SCHOOL OPENED Maori enthusiasm and Maori loyalty triumphed over the most unpleasant of weather conditions yesterday, when their Excellencies Lord and Lady Bledisloe, accompanied by the Hon. the Minister for Native Affairs, * ; Sir Apirana Ngata, visited the Horo- ■ horo native land development block * on His Exceilency' first visit of in- l spection to Maori land development worlcs. Drizzling rain made conditions the • reverse of ple'asant, but in spite of the necessity for cars fortified with chains, and a plentitude of umbrellas, Their Excellencies entered wholeheartedly into the spirit of the wel- . - come which was extended them by many differeht sections of the Arawa tribe which gathered at Horohoro. His Excellency's first duty on en-

' ering the estate was to open the new Horohoro native school and after meeting and addressing the scholars, --- ihe Vice-regal party was the guest of honour at a typical Maori feast and welcome at the home of chief Ruha Ituhi Pururu, who together with his people, made available to the Goyernrnent a large area of land which is being used in connection with " the Horohoro scheme. On behalf of the assembled Arawas, with whom were associated the Ngati Kahungunu of Wairoa, Sir Apirana Ngata presented to his Excellency a handsome carved Maori casket and walking stick and to Lady Bledisloe, l;wo splendid examples of Maori mat work. Their Excellencies were greeted at Ruha Ruhi Pururu' s residence, with traditional Maori ceremony. A succession of vigorous hakas and graceful poi dances were in no sense damp.ned by the persistent rain and tuneful Maori community singing enter':ained the visitors while the feast was being served in a large marquee which had been erected adjacent to the house. Their Excellenqies were accompanied by Sir John Hanham, A.D.C., and Mrs. Veal. The Rarotongan chief . Malcea Tinirau was also a member of Ihe party and a large number of pro- " minent members of the Arawa tribe and pakeha visitors were also present at the function. Their Excellencies were welcomed in the large elass room of the new • school by Chief Mita TaUpopoki and a gathering of Arawa notables who saluted the visitors with a traditional Maori rallying cry which the interpreter explained had first been Used in the Maori's historic home of Hawaiki. 3 Sense of Honour In an eloquent address, the chief then welcomed Their Excellencies and expressed the deep sense of honour which was felt by the Arawa people and the sub-tribes of Horohoro in particular, at their visit. A true sign of greatness among the Maori waS for the great to move among the humble, and in visiting them in theif humble heritage, Their Excellencies had conferred a signal honour upon them. It was a great day for the Arawa people when Their Excellencies came among thehi to see what they were trying to achieve on the heritage of their forefathers. He felt that the better education which was being offered the Maori people would inevitably result in an improvement in their conditions. Sound Education "I thank you for your royal welcome. It is characteristic of the. whole of the Maori people in this fair country," said His Excellency in reply. Both Her Excellency and himself had already made the acquaintanceship of many of the leading people of the Arawa tribe and they were now very glad to have the opportunity of making the aequaintanceship of the Kea arid Tuara sub-tribes. It was a very special pleasure to him to ope-xi formally this school which would be

devoted to the mstruction of the children of Maori people not only in the English language but in all those' elements of knowledge which fitted them for citizenship of this great country. He had been particularly pleased to hear Chief Mita Taupopoki express his confidence that the education of the younger Maoris was a move in the right direction. His Excellency stressed the value of sound education to those ■ who devoted themselves to the land. Education would give them the confidencq ! to fight their way to the improved position which' the Maori should hold in the country.

Like Mita, said His Excellency, he himself came from a very ancient family in his own country and he was conscious of the immense influehce which those who belonged to old fam-r " ilies whether Maori or pakeha, couid exert upon their fellow subjects oi the King, if they would but set themselves to exert that influence. "To-day we have come to open this ' new school," said His Excellency. "A school most admirably constructpd along modern lines with a view to the eomfort and health of the pupils, but we recognise that if the. land is to be (Continued on Page 6) ■ ' y

GOVERNOR'S VISIT

(Continued) successfully cultivated, there is a human plant which must be properly cultivated in school if it is to do its part in the cultivation of the produce of the land." In conclusion, His Excel'lency expressed appreciation of the action of Ruha Ruhi Pururu in making available the site for the school and also a large area ; of land in conneetion with the scheme. He hoped that instruction .within the school would nierge the theoretical and the practical in their proper proportions and that the Maori people of the district would support the school and encourage the development of the proper type of education within its walls.

Traditional Welcome Leaving the school, the cars then proceeded to Ruhi's residence wliere the visitors were welcomed inv traditional fashion by the warriors retreating before them waving bundles of green grass. The feast was laid under a marquee and under the shelter of this the visitors watched an excellent Maori entertainment of hakas and' poi dances. Despite the rain, the performers were thoroughly worked up to the occasion, and gave their Excelleneies a really vigorous exhibition. " Welcoming Their Excelleneies Ruha Ruhi Pururu, expressed the deep sense of honour which his people felt at the presence of the Governor-Gen-eral and his lady in their midst. Horohoro, the land of their forefathers, was almost in the eentre of the domain of the Arawas which extended from Maketu to Tongariro in the. eentre of the North Island. Sinee the days of old, wnen their ancestors had held all the land, much water had passed by, and to-day, his ! people were so commingled with the pakeha that they. were ap to forget this fact. Happily, however, this commingling had induced them to hand over their _heritage to be used by the native Minister for a developmental scheme.

"Some" Tribes "We who are carrying out this scheme are simply woi'kers," said the. chief, "but now that we have been honoured by the presence in the wilderness of His Excellency and his fair lady, we may now throw out our chests and say that we are 'some' tribes of the Arawa confederation." To a Maori of his day, continued the chie.f, the development of the land was really sinning against what nature had given, but this old idea was passing away and they were trying to advance with the times. The Horohoro scheme would, he hoped, be the realisation of a dream. stated Sir Apirana Ngata. No people could retain its self respect without the possession of land. The self respect of the Maori people, had beon sadly battered by contact with the pakeha in the past but in developmen schemes such as that which they would inspect that day, they saw an eifort to restore that self respect.

Communal Spirit The communal system under wh'ch the scheme was being carried out was not always we.ll understood by the pakeha, but it was a spirit which had always strongly permeated the Maori race. In their chief Ruhi, they had an excellent example of the effect of leadership upon the Maori. Ruhi had had a life-long experience as the managei of a large farm so that he. was v/ell " fitted to supervise the Horohoro " scheme. He hoped that the inspec rtion of the various schemes wouh v give His Excellency an inkling oi what lay behind the minds of the people who were responsible for the development of Maori lands. Sir Apirana said that he fully - agreed with His Excellency as to the - value of practical tflalning but educational experts should not endeavoui ' to impose upon the Maori exactly the same type of education as that whicl was given the pake.ha. "We don't * want to make our people pakeha — it can't be done," said Sir Apirana, who concluded by emphasising the fact that the Maori must be educated tc the extent of his capacity but with due regard to his own characteristics. Emphasising the welcome which had already been extended to Thei1 Excelleneies, Sir Apirana then presented to Lord Bledisloe a handsomelj carved Maori casket and walking stick and to Lady Bledisloe two large Maori • ' mats.

His Excellency's Tribute His Excellency, in reply, stated . .that both Lady Bledisloe and himself . had been deeply touched by the .handsome presents which would serve as very happy me.mentos of the gathering. The splendid example of modern Maori carving served as a reminder that the old handicrafts were being worthily preserved. His Excellency paid a tribute toSir Apirana Ngata whom he described as the most eloquent member of thc • N.ew Zealand Parliament and a man who was universally respected not only among his own people bufc in England where his abilities had been equally recognised. Sir Apirana, he felt, was doing as fine work for tho Maori people as any to which a states- . man could put his hand. Sir Apirana "had described the work as a dream, but his Excellency expressed ' the hope that it was not a dream which. would remove from the counsels of the nation a man who was one of it.. . chief ornaments.

Prophet of Development The Maori people must be allowed •to retain' their customs, continued His Excellency. Any attempt mado by educationalists or anyone else to ■ pass over those customs worfld be £ failure. It must be recognised that the temperament of the Maori was different from that of the pakeha and ' if that fact was taken into consideration, he felt that the time would come when the Maori would stand a^ the equals of the pakeha in the indus- - trial development of the country. The late Sir Maui Pomare might be de- ■ scribed as a prophet of health, but ' Sir Apirana Ngata mig'EI be. described as a prophet of industrial development and economic progress. The • land must be recognised as the only true source of real wealth and if the , Maori people were to make progress they must remain one and indissol- *

uble with the land. There was far more virtue in developing and cultivating land than in merely owning it, proceed His Excellency. The only justification for owning it, was to produce from it the greatest possible wealth in the. way of food. His Excellency proceed to refer to the lesson which had been caught other nations by De.nmark. A Danish pastor had once told him that in the Danish schools they taught their pupils to love their God, their lountry and their fellowmen. They could not do any of these things unless the.y played their part in developing the land to its utmost. That Danish slogan he thought, would also be /ery applicable to the Maori people.

Discipline Chief Ruhi had suggested that land levelopment had once been viewed by fiie Maoris as deseeration but ideas had now progressed far beyond that rtage. It was only by disciplining the land and disciplining ourselves that wo could do the work with which God had entrusted us and maintain our economic well-being. Nothing had given His Majesty the King, or the speaker as his representative, greater pleasure than the fact that the Maori people were not only increasing in numbers but in general physique. Their destiny in life was not merely to be hewers of wood and drawers of water although some must do that work. There were, however, opportunities for them all and their young men could take advantage of these opportunities to hnprove themselves.

Right Lines He had been partieularly pleased to note that the scheme was being carried out at the lowest possible. cost, a fact which meant that the settlers would not be faced with over heavy financial obligations when they took over the land. He felt that they were working along the right lines and that they had only to continue to make them as great a people in the future as they had been in the past. "No work has more of my admiration than that to which Sir Apirana Ngata has set his hand and if, during my term as His Majesty's representative I can help him in any way, I shall be only to delighted to do so," said His Excelle.ncy .

The Maori race had many fine characteristics which he hoped it would never lose. It had a very fine spiritual outlook, a natural refinement, a wonderful capacity for eloquence, a fondness for music, a natural grace partieularly in dancing, and a wonderful family life. There were perhaps one or two qualities in which they were not so highly developed as the. pekeha — perseverance and business capacity for instance — but he felt sure that as the Maori progressed, he would develop these also. The day would come, he was sure, when Maori and pakeha would stand together equal in status in every respect. In conclusion, His Excellency appealed to his hearers to study co-op-eration, on the lines practised in the most successful agricultural countries n tbe world to-day.

The feast was then served and during the eourse of the meal Maori community singers gathered around the open doorway of the marquee and entertained the visitors. Before the departure of the Vice-regal party, a haka of farewell was given by the. assambled Maoiis and on the call of Sir Apirana Ngata, three very vigorous cheers for Their Excelleneies. 1 Under the guidance of officials .in charge of the scheme, the party then proceeded on a tour of inspection of the settlement blocks.