MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1939, Page 4

MAORI MEMORIES

PAKEHA MAMINGA (Humbug). (Recorded by J.H.S. for "Times-Age.”) To every Maori prompt action (Mahi tere) means power; delay (Whakaroa) means weakness. The months of delay prior to Sir George Grey’s arrival in New Zealand destroyed the last remnant of respect ‘for our Government in the minds of the Maoris. The previous Governor had announced that unless they complied with his terms the Queen commanded him to go to war. The Maoris absolutely rejected those terms. Then they were told , that Sir George Grey was to take Governor Browne’s position. The general belief was that we were afraid to declare war. Sir George arrived at Auckland on September 26, 1861, and found nothing but confusion, a typical Maori treaty, logical enough except in stating that the signatories were of those who had fought for their land and liberty for the past year “including the women and children who signed.” It was clearly stated that the Maori title was that of ancestral occupation for many generations, that not one tenth of its value had been paid, and what title was paid was received by persons and tribes who had no personal, tribal, or ancestral rights in Taranaki lands. Declarations made by the Government officers were met with the remark “He mea maminga hoki” (just another fraud). This attitude was fully accounted for by such extracts as this from official records of 1862 —“Since 1848 no less than 178 Crown grants had been promised to individual Maori land owners, but for some unexplain > ed reason not one of these promises had yet been fulfilled.” Can we wonder why they could not trust us?