WHY VAULT DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 135, 27 August 1954, Page 1

WHY VAULT DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN

MAORI CHIEF'S COMMAND During the ceremony attending the placing of the ashes of Sir Peter Buck in the special vault constructed for them, the door could not be opened at the appropriate moment, and hurried attempts having failed the service proceeded with the ashes placed upon a table outside the vault door. Mr P. Moke, a Waikato chief, has since stated that the reason for the door refusing to open was because a Waikato chief, angered by the lack of consideration shown to the chiefs at the ceremony,, commanded it to remain closed. Chiefs of Waikato, Wanganui, Arawa and East Coast tribes, said Mr Moke, had expected to be invited to the area where the ViceRegal party were stationed, but were left where they could hardly hear the speeches and ceremony. As the men carrying the keys approached the vault, a Waikato chief stepped forward and turning to the door addressed it, saying in Maori, "Remain closed !" After the ceremony, Mr Moke himself approached the door and suggested that the upper key be placed in the lower lock and vice versa. The door then opened. "The keys symbolised the injustice done to the chiefs," Mr Moke said. "Those who should have been above were placed below.',