WAIKATO MAORIS NO LONGER “REBELS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 287, 24 February 1928, Page 9

WAIKATO MAORIS NO LONGER “REBELS”

PROTEST TO MINISTER OUTCOME OF MANOEUVRES Auckland Maoris, and the Waikato natives, in particular, are annoyed with the Defence Department for carrying out manoeuvres in their district, and making the announcement, apropos of a recent sham fight, “Three hundred Maori rebels are marching from Huntly”! Considerable indignation was expressed when this matter was raised at last night’s meeting of Te Akarana Maori Association, and a stronglyworded protest has been forwarded to the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. J. Rolleston.

The action of the department in naming the Maoris as “rebels” in the sham fight, in this particular area (the Taiipiri-Ngaruawahia- Huntly d istrict > was considered at least “provocative/* Here it was that the Kingite Maoris assembled in the Waikato War. Ngaruawahia, in fact, was the capital of King Tawhiao. Since peace was declared, however, the Waikato Maoris have honourably observed its conditions. To even refer to “a Maori rebel force marching from Huntly” in connection with the recent manoeuvres at the Ngaruawahia camp is considered likely to open old wounds, and in any case will not help to create a better feeling among the Maoris and Europeans in the Waikato. It was also pointed out it was quite likely that a number of the trainees who took part in the manoeuvres were possibly of Maori descent.