Cultural change

Te Ao Hou, March 1967, Page 13

Cultural change With the upheaval of cultural change from the stoneage tupunas to the present day Maori, the emphasis has long shifted from the tribe to the family unit; from the pataka to the bank; from communal labour to individual employment; from self-sufficient servicing to special skills. The thing which emerged from this head-on shattering crash of Maori Culture with Western might, is the dominant use of money. On it, be it called the ‘gold standard’ or the ‘almighty dollar’, nations have risen or fallen. It would be extraordinary if no guileless Maori floundered on it, when its own protagonists have fallen countless victims to this medium of exchange — this powerful taniwha of progress and advancement — money! In history all taniwhas or rampaging dragons with fiery tails have been slain or tamed by brave knights or astute men. Maui lassoed the fiery sun dragon and forced it to travel at a speed which met his needs. With purposeful planning, the ‘money taniwha’, like the errant sun god, can also be harnessed to serve our needs. It can be told where to go and what to do. It can be stopped from slipping through our fingers! You may well ask how — with the cost of living soaring, and the multiple problems arising from it that perplex and worry. You are not alone in this. Up and down the country, all over the world, other families are wrestling with it too. The tried and successful home managers know the answer is simply — to budget! Budgeting like dieting is much disliked by many because of the ‘hoha’ of the extra thought and effort needed to make it work, or for the plain reason, false pride!