ON THE WANE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 16, 9 April 1927, Page 15

ON THE WANE

Ratanaism Passing ANTI-PAKEHA IDEAS PRIMATE’S NORTHERN VISIT The Primate of New Zealand, Archbishop Averill, has returned to Auckland from his annual visitation to the people of the Far North, quite convinced that Ratanaism is on the wane. “The Maoris are beginning to realise that it leads them nowhere,” declared the Archbishop yesterday. “They are now* finding that Ratanaism is in effect a ‘blind alley.’ “His mana is waning, and former adherents are either returning to the church—if they have enough moral courage to do that —or else are merely drifting.” The Archbishop declared that the Anglican Church authorities were receiving as many applications for training for holy orders from Maoris as they were able to handle. Many of these young natives receive their training at historic St. John’s College at Tamaki. If the Maori “prophet” had kept to his anti-Tohunga,ism campaign, the Archbishop believes that he would have had the sympathy of many Christian people. “Undoubtedly there were many abuses existing among certain of the Maori people,” he says, “and Ratana did much good work in eradicating them.” It was not so much Ratana himself nowadays who was to blame, said Dr. Averill, as the men surrounding him. It was perfectly true that his followers had done a certain amount of mischief among the Maoris by advocating a fondness for the Japanese, and by preaching anti-Pakeha doctrines generally. “Fortunately, however, this is all passing away, and I am firmly convinced that Ratanaism is on the wane,” he observed.