MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1940, Page 8

MAORI MEMORIES

MAORI EDUCATION. (Recorded by of Palmerston North, for the “Times-Age.”) Under the sole control of Governor Grey the native affairs policy gave every hope of a splendid result. The fact that our traditional worship of academic learning was replaced by “learning to do useful things” was the sole secret of the Maori appreciation. Why do we not revert to Sir George Grey’s commonsense system of education today, not only for the Maori.but for our own people? In proof of Sir George Grey’s popularity in those days, Mr Fox's ministry was turned out of office for interfering with the Governor’s plans for the education of the Maori of which all the Waikato Maoris heartily approved.

Sir George proposed and the Government approved of a plan to enlarge and improve the .Maori school at le Awamutu, and to erect a hospital there under the charge of a house surI geon. A Medical Commission was to travel the district, heal the sick, take serious cases to hospital, and generally improve sanitary conditions in the Pa. No sooner had the House of Representatives agreed to make the Governor a virtual Dictator in this matter, than a dispatch was received from the Duke of Newcastle accepting the policy which the ex-Ministry of Mr Fox lu.d evolved and which the colonists had just repudiated. , This led to a deadlock, followed oj the Colonists sending an indignant protest to Queen Victoria pointing out; that this triple control at intervals between the British Government, the New Zealand Government, and the Governor in turns, could only result m a Maori war. Their prediction was shortly to be realised. . The Maori zeal for nationality was universal. An educated native who was offered a Crown grant fol his land said: “Thank you for nothing. I may accept a certificate of title; but nevei a Crown ’grant for what is already mine.”