Department of Maori Affairs, Taumarunui.

Te Ao Hou, October 1958, Page 36

Department of Maori Affairs, Taumarunui. The opening of the Kuratau Maori School marks a very considerable change in the landscape between Tokaanu and Taumarunui. Not so long ago, the land surrounding Kuratau was worthless scrub, flanked by inaccessible forest. Now there is a highway right through from Tokaanu to Taumarunui; vast land development schemes are in progress at Kuratau, at Hauhungaroa, at Pukawa and all along the road to Waihi. The children of settlers and workers on all these schemes now have an excellent new school to go to. It was open for lessons last October, with a roll of 70, which has already risen to 93, On 23rd April it was officially declared open by Mr D. C. Seath M.P., in a touching ceremony in which the Maori leaders in the district took an enthusiastic part. Most of the children now going to Kuratau school come from nearby milling centres and from the unit farms already established on the newly developed land. The school can accomodate a maximum of 115 pupils; this figure will be reached very soon. In fact, within a few years it may well be exceeded; the Department of Maori Affairs has land development schemes in the area totalling almost 24,000 acres. Over half this acreage has been developed and the rest is expected to follow soon. Ultimately 45 settlers will be occupying this land, mainly on sheep farms; of these only 9 are

Mr Kahu Te Kura addresses the children at the school during the opening ceremonies. Left of him is Mr J. Asher, master of ceremonies, seated are the other prominent visitors. (Twentieth Century Photography. Taumarunui.) settled so far, so that there is still plenty of room for the population to expand. In addition to departmental development there are some 9,000 acres being broken in by the Lands Department and by two Maori incorporations (Hauhungaroa and Puketapu).