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Tu Tangata, Issue 34, 1 February 1987, Page 12

Tena ra koe Piripi, Ka nui tenei mihi ki a koe me nga ahuatanga e pa ana ki a koe, ki to ropu Maori hoki ano. Ko maua Te Ropu Tumuaki Maori o te Ropu Akonga o Nga Whare Wananga o Aotearoa. Ko Mate Paihana Puriri raua ko Te Aniwa Tutara oku ingoa. Ka panui maua i runga i te kaupapa o te urunga mai o te iwi Maori i roto i nga kura wananga tuatoru o te motu. Tena koutou! We are writing in our capacity as Tumuaki Maori for the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA) to inform you of the changes that are taking place within NZUSA and its effect upon Maori students. At the end of last year, Maori university students pulled out of NZUSA in order to form our own autonomous Maori student association. We had several hui in which we have discussed this move in great depth. This move is being made with the support of

NZUSA. Such ideas for the formation of our separate body were first raised in 1984 with the formation of our first Maori Vice-President and Nga Toki, our Maori students Action Committee. We realised then that our activities were immensely restricted within the confines of NZUSA. At the big August hui 1986, motions were passed for Maori students to become independant. We believe that this move signifies a start of a far more motivated and effective Maori student group than that which came under the umbrella of NZUSA. We believe that we can now work efficiently on areas that we deem to be important - not just for Maori students, but for all our Maori people. Our new body will be called ‘Nga Toki O Aotearoa’ and will still be based at the present offices until more suitable offices can be found. We hope to reestablish ourselves within or nearby

other Maori organisations’ offices. We are asking for your tautoko and your awhina in the setting up of our association. We hope that once the initial establishment process is complete, we can maintain regular contact with you so that we can share information and ideas. One of our general aims is to work closely with the Maori community on issues affecting Te Ao Maori. We hope to dispell the image that Maori university students are too ‘elitist’, keep to themselves or do not take an interest in community affairs. Heoi ano, kei te haeremai maua kite mutunga o tenei reta. Ka noho Te Arikinui i roto i to kainga i tenei wa, no reira, kia ora! Naku