MAORI HUSBANDRY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 393, 30 November 1932, Page 5

MAORI HUSBANDRY

("Bost" Special Commissioner.)

CUP DONATED H AND SOME TROPHY GIVEN BY GOVERNORGENERAL FOR WAIARIKI DISTRICT •

Wellington, Tuesday. To commemorate his visit to the lands in the course "of development by the Maori settlers under the various native development sehem.es organised in Rotorua and the Bay pf Plenty districts, the Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) has donated a silver cup to be known as the Ahuwhenua, or Son of the Soil Trophy, and has provided -an endowment fund for annual prizes to he competed for hy the Maori farmers and settlers on. the Native land development schemes. ' "The sympathetic interest shown by His Excellency in the efforts of the Maoris to develop their land arid so assist the whole of the Dominion ... is widely appreciated by the Native race," said • the Minister of Native Affairs, Sir Apirana Ngata, to-day. "I feel sure this further token of His Excellency's interest will stimulate and encourage native landholders " to become efficient farmers." Conditions governing the trophy, have been drawn up by Sir Apirana and approved by His Excellehey." - The trophy is a national oue, al~ though -it was first intended that it should be, confined to land in the Waiariki district. However, in th'e first year, the contest is limited to Maoris from that district. Maori farmers occupying land under the native land development scheme are entitled to compete and the competition will be judged on the basis of good husbandry, economy of management with a view to commercial profit, cleanliness and neatness of the holding, and the progress made by the farmer in the development of the holding having regard to its condi- _ tion when he first occupied it and : the advantages he has enjoyed in the matter of finance, supply of neqpssary implements, seed and fertiliser or other assistance hoth pripr to and during the oceupancy of the holding'. - The trophy is to he held 'hy the winner for one year only and the winner will not he entitled tq eolUr pete again for three years. His Excellency has given £100 as an endqyrment to provide a large silver qiedal for the first prize, a large bronze medal as second prize and certificates of merit to the winner of the first second, third and (in the discretion of the Native Minister), fourth prizes.