50 YEARS of Maori Self government

Te Ao Hou, Winter 1952, Page 21

50 YEARS of Maori Self government In 1900 the idea was first broached in Parliament that it would be desirable for the Maori people to have some form of local self-government, similar to that of borough or county councils. Sir James Carroll, then Native Minister, and the young Maori Party which also encouraged the measure, felt that such local self-government would be of especially great help in raising Maori morale and in conserving in some way the rights of the Maori people to rule themselves in their own organisation. Thus the Maori Councils were established by the Maori Councils Act, 1900. This legislation authorised the Maori people ‘to frame for themselves such rules and Regulations on matters of local concernment, or relating to their social economy as may appear best adapted to their own special ones’. Power was given to the Council to make by-laws for the following purposes: (1) Providing for the healthy and personal convenience of the inhabitants of any Maori village. (2) Enforcing the cleansing of houses and other buildings in dirty and unwholesome state. (3) The suppression of common nuisances. (4) The prevention of drunkenness and sly grog selling. The Act also regulated the proceedings of tohungas. Provision was also made for the proper registration of dogs, the branding of cattle, suppression of gambling, matters affecting oyster-beds, water-supply, schools, sanitation and general social matters. In 1911, representatives of Maori Councils throughout New Zealand were called to a conference at Wellington. At this conference it was decided to continue the Councils, as it appeared that they had many beneficial effects on the Maoris, especially in the improvement of housing and sanitation conditions and the restriction of various abuses. The influence of self-government on morale might have contributed to the spirit of hope evident in the Maori people at the time through rise in population, school attendance and industry generally. However, the grave problem facing the

conference was that of finance. The only income of the Maori Councils was derived from fines and dog taxes. This being hopelessly insufficient, the conference proposed the institution of various additional taxes. It seems, however, that in practice it was impossible to levy any of them satisfactorily. It is, indeed, remarkable that the Maori Councils were able to keep alive as long as they did with practically no money. In 1930, some new life was infused into them when they were empowered by a Health Act to carry out sanitary works and to enforce by-laws relating to health and sanitation. Control over the Councils was taken over by the Health Department and a Director of Maori Hygiene appointed. Sir Peter Buck was the first Director. Even so the difficulties of finance and the inability to enforce the by-laws prevented the Maori Councils from being healthy institutions. A new large Maori Councils conference was held at Ngaruawahia in 1929. Here a letter to the Native Minister was unanimously approved, expressing the opinion ‘that the Act did not supply that authority which was necessary to enable the several Councils to carry out the full intention of Parliament’. The conference recommended consolidating the Maori Councils Act and by-laws and supplying finance by means of subsidy. As a result of these recommendations the by-laws were in fact revived, but nothing further happened until 1940. According to the Health Department the position of the Maori Councils in 1945 (the date of their abolition) was as follows: Number of Councils 26 Inactive operation 6 Village Committees appointed (representing 12 Councils only) 149 Inactive operation (including Tribal Committees acting as Village Committees) 84