REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER

Te Ao Hou, December 1958, Page 8

REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER I woke up at eight in the morning. It was hard to imagine that we really had to be back at the University by nine. But the Prime Minister was coming and honour demanded that we should all put in an appearance. Furthermore, if the Old Man could get up in Wanganui (with a bad cold), fly to Auckland and still be at the University by nine, we should be able to make our little journey too. So the gothic hall was very respectably although not entirely full at the stipulated hour. The Prime Minister, just back from his Asian tour, was in top form. After cautioning the Press, he gave a remarkably frank and obviously heartfelt picture of race relations in the world, dwelling on the Negro problem in the United States, South Africa, Dutch colonialism and generally on the changing relationship between white and coloured people in the twentieth century. He also discussed the responsibilities and the value of the Maori student group. The visit made a great impression and invested the Maori student movement with an importance it had not had before; it certainly stimulated its sense of responsibility. After the welcome, the students put forward some requests to the Minister—greater facilities in training colleges for ‘teaching people to teach Maori’; introduction of the study of Maori into primary and secondary schools with substantial Maori rolls; an increase in the number and value of university scholarships for Maoris; an inquiry into possible anomalies in the administration of Maori trust moneys. Mr Nash promised to look into all these matters and showed himself very sympathetic to the students' aims. After the Prime Minister came the remits which by and large covered the same kind of ground. The formation of a federation of Maori students was ‘approved in principle’ and machinery was set up to bring it about. Proposals in the draft constitutions which would give European members of the Maori Students' Federation limited voting powers found no favour with Conference; there was a minority of very useful European members in the various clubs and the general wish was to regard them just the same as other members. It was explained that the present value of Maori University Scholarships (£90) was exactly equal to the bursary for country students, and the two could not be held simultaneously. Therefore there was no advantage in Maori country students applying for the scholarship at all, seeing they would be eligible for the same financial assistance anyhow. Therefore, it was argued, the Maori Scholarship should be somewhat higher than the bursary. Some government officials present seemed sympathetic to this argument. Yet this proposal, more than any other, had a stormy passage. Was this money from the State? the students asked. Well, in that case they did not not want to ask for it. They did not want special treatment from the State. If it had been Maori money, it would have been worth asking for. This remit passed with a very small majority. The students' reluctance to vote themselves higher allowances certainly showed their devotion to higher causes. One further remit we should not omit to mention complained of ‘the great number of misprints in Maori texts in Te Ao Hou’. Everything will be done to minimise this in future. Wellington's proposal to ask for special tutors for Maori students was not accepted by this self-reliant group; it was thought the guidance should come from the senior students themselves, and Rev. Marsden, from his own experience, said this approach had been very effective in Auckland. After this the farewells. These were very warm indeed; we had made many real friends. There were violent hakas and showers of kisses on the station platform.