[301] TE TOA TAKITINI
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 51.
Hastings, 1st October, 1925.
[A photograph of Bishop Azariah of Dornakal, India.]
BISHOP AZARIAH OF DORNAKAL, INDIA.
He is the first Indian to have been consecrated as a Bishop, This photograph was taken while he was here in New Zealand.
Published by the Rev F A Bennett and printed by Cliff Press, Queen Street, Hastings, HB.
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Te Toa Takitini.
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
The price of the paper is 10/- a year.
Address letters to ‘Te Toa Takitini,’ Box 300, Hastings.
Te Toa Takitini, 1st October, 1925.
THE BISHOP FOR THE MAORI PEOPLE.
Two months ago we reported on the discussions that took place at the Rotorua Hui during the last week of June. It was agreed that it was right that there be a distinct administration of the Maori side of the Church of England (Missionary) under a separate Bishop.
During the first week of August the matter was brought before the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Missionary Church of New Zealand meeting in Wellington. That Committee approved the proposal and set up a small Commission to frame a bill to amend the laws of the Church to make it possible to appoint a Bishop for the Maori section. Those appointed to the Commission were the Archbishop (Auckland), the Bishops of Wellington and Waiapu, Archdeacon Herbert Williams of Gisborne, Archdeacon Hawkins of Auckland, Archdeacon Simkin of Napier, the Hon A T Ngata, and C J Tunks, an Auckland lawyer.
The Commission met in Auckland on 2nd September and completed the basis of the Bill. The main issues discussed at that meeting were as follows:
1. The name of the new Diocese shall be ‘Aotearoa,’ and the Bishop for the Maori People will be called the ‘Bishop of Aotearoa.’
2. His area of authority will be defined by the people, that is, he will relate to the Maori members of the Missionary Church, those who place themselves under that Church, wherever they live in New Zealand.
3. But, since it is the Church’s practice, and area of land had to be designated as the base for the name of the Diocese. The Commission discussed this at length. Many places in the country were considered and the choice fell on Te Aute in Hawkes Bay. The boundaries of the land of Te Aute College should be the boundaries of the Diocese. This would be the extent of his territorial authority, while his authority over people, over work, and over administration would be in relationship to those of Maori stock.
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4. The Bishop’s stipend. This was investigated because news had arrived that this was a matter of concern to the Maori People. It was said that the matter of the stipends of the Maori clergy had not yet been settled, and are we now stirring up the idea of appointing a Bishop? Where do we find the stipend for this Bishop? Presently it will become a burden for the Maori people. But when the amounts were looked into it was seen that this was not a serious issue and would not lay burdens on the Maori People. If the Maori branch of the Church is separated under its own Bishop, the money gifted by the Pakeha branch of the Church would be consolidated there, the stipends also would be divided among the three dioceses, and it will provide the basis of the stipend for the new Bishop.
5. The date for the implementation of this matter will be the first week of the coming December. A meeting of the general Synod of the Missionary Church is being called for 2nd December in Wellington and there the bill drawn up by the Commission will be approved.
6. The Maori spokesmen of the three Dioceses of this island will be summoned to Wellington for 2nd December. Those spokesmen are the ministers who attended the Hui held in Rotorua in June, and three laymen from the Diocese of Auckland, three from the Diocese of Waiapu, and two from the Diocese of Wellington.
When the bill has been passed in General Synod, then people may nominate who they want as Bishop and those lay spokesmen will decide who they like. The person they select will be presented to the Archbishop to be Bishop for Aotearoa.
The Commission arranged that the Hon A T Ngata write this report and send it to Te Toa Takitini so that its contents will become known throughout the districts.
CHAPEL FOR HUKARERE
Gifts received during the past month.
The children of Hukarere and the staff are grateful for these tokens of support we have received. Best wishes to you all.
£ s d £ s d
Mrs Annie Katene 1 0 0 Mrs Hudson 10 0
(Putiki) (Motueka)
Mrs Millie Lawson 1 0 0 Mrs Miriam Logan 1 0 0
(Waipawa) (Waipawa)
Miss Beulah Retter 1 0 0 Miss Kuini Enoka 1 0 0
(Foxton) (Greytown)
Mrs Harry Park 1 0 0 Mrs Kahu Jones 10 0
(Motueka) (Hawera)
Mrs Huta Park 1 0 0 Mrs Reremoana Nepe 1 0 0
(Motueka) (Waipawa)
Mrs Lionel McKay 2 0 0 Mrs Tiaria Kopae 1 0 0
(Motueka) (Ruatoki)
Mrs Harold Smith 1 0 0
(Porangahau)
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CONFISCATED LANDS.
For many years the tribes have been petitioning about confiscated lands. The first petition in past years was by Te Whakatohea, and a Commission of Enquiry looked into it in 1920. Subsequently there were petitions from Tuhoe, Ngatiawa, Ngati-Pukeko, Ngamaihi, Ngati-Kahungunu in Te Wairoa, Waitaha, Ngaiterangi, Waikato, Taranaki, and others from Nuhaka and Mahia.
All these petitions were sent by the Maori Affairs Committee to the Government, and the Maori Members asked for a Commission to be set up to enquire into all the matters in the petitions. On 1st August, 1923, at the invitation of the Maori Members, the chiefs of Matatua, the Tai-hauauru, and Waitaha laid the matter before the Prime Minister, Mr Massey, and the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Coates, who is now the Prime Minister, and the matter was designated for further consideration by the Government. Afterwards the consideration of the matter was delayed by the Government because Parliament was still receiving petitions from the tribes, and petitions from the Tai-hauauru have been still arriving this year. Another reason for the delay is that the Government has been seeking the right person as Commissioner and are seeing whether one of the Judges of the Supreme Court could be made available.
On the night of Monday, 28th September, 1925, before the passing of the Maori Lands Bill, the Prime Minister spoke of the Government’s thinking about confiscated lands. His speech follows.
The Honourable J G Coates, Prime Minister, Minister of Maori Affairs:
‘For many years the Maori tribes of Aotearoa have spoken of their pain and have complained about the plundering of a large area of their lands following the Maori wars of the past. Some of their pain has been made known to the Government of the King in England, but most of their distress has now been communicated by way of petitions to the New Zealand Parliament. Now, when these matters were communicated to the Government in England the responses were the same, namely, that the matters in the petitions from afar came under the jurisdiction of the Government and the Parliament of New Zealand.
Now since the Government of England recognised our independent authority to deal with these matters I have considered the matter for some years and have concluded that it falls to this administration to settle it by providing a way for these complaints by the Maori People to be heard by a body which will guide the Government and Parliament, guidance which will be given in sympathy with the just cause of our Maori friends. Since the time I was made Minister of Maori Affairs after Mr Herries I have given much thought to this matter.
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There are obviously difficulties involved in this matter; finding the right people to make the enquiries, and setting down the scope of the enquiry, but I will not agree to delay this project. Therefore, I have made it known that the Government has decided to set up a Royal Commission and has instructed that Commission to enquire into Maori concerns and to give the Government and Parliament advice as to what needs to be done.
There is a major reason why this matter was not looked at before. It is that the guides of the Maori tribes were mistaken in depending on the Treaty of Waitangi as the basis of their cause. The answer to that is that it is not right for people who reject the principles of the Treaty to take up that Treaty to justify themselves. It is that Treaty that gave to the Crown the authority that they are contesting. But one cannot bring in the Treaty to help with the decisions on the matters that are causing distress, namely, is it right that so much land should be confiscated on the basis of what was done by Maori or by Pakeha? This issue will now be decided with a certain detachment [kua mataotaotia – it has cooled down] given that many years have passed since the confiscations.
There is another part to this issue. It is agreed that it is a cause of pain and over past years some laws have been passed to ameliorate the pain. That part is the inclusion in the confiscated lands of the shares of people who had remained faithful to the laws. Now these should not be mixed up, whereas the shares of individual people are mixed up with those of the hapu under their Maori customs. This part, too, will be dealt with by the Commission; it will be examined and thoroughly looked into so that there can be suitable compensation.
The Government’s thinking is that all aspects of this matter should be carefully investigated, to determine whether or not there was wrongdoing in the past, and to arrange appropriate medication to allay the distress of the Maori People.’
At the end of the Prime Minister’s speech, Sir Maui Pomare and Apirana Ngata stood to support him and to praise the Government initiative spoken of by the Prime Minister.
‘STUPIFIED ANGELS.’
In Ratana’s paper, called ‘Te Whetu Marama,’ [The Bright Star] for July 18th, Number 69, on the last page (p.11) are these words: “TWR – From this day, Apostles, you have authority to offer ‘Repentance’ and ‘Praise’ every Sunday … In this fashion – Offer the sins and the weaknesses in the presence of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Faithful Angels in agreement with me, the Spokesman [Mangai]. If you don’t mention the Spokesman the Angels will be stupefied.”
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THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
Canon Pahewa, Te Kaha.
Chapter 1.
The Church of England is a branch of the universal (catholic) Church. It did not emerge from the Church of Rome. The foundations on which the Church of England stands can be traced back from the time of the Apostles to the year 350 AD.
What, for us, is the significance of these words, the ‘Church of England.’ The English word for ‘Hahi’ is ‘Church,’ a word which comes from Greek and therefore ‘comes from the Lord.’
In Scotland they call the Church ‘the Kirk.’ They continue to use this word right up to the present day. This word does not derive from the Greek language or that of Rome but from English.
In Latin, the language of Rome, the word for Church is ‘Ecclesia,’ from which the French get their word for the Church, ‘Eglise.’
So we see that we are not indebted to Italy for this important word, ‘Church.’
We use the word Church in three ways:
First. Of the building which has been consecrated and set apart for the worship of God.
Second. Of the spiritual body of our Lord, of Christ, those who have been baptised and so have become part of that body. It did not [?ahu ake i tetahi manga tuturu], death cannot put an end to it, and in the end it will come, through the grace of God, to eternal joy in heaven.
Third. The holy company of all believers, his Church, is visible. It was established by Christ in this world. The Nicene Creed says: ‘I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.’ It is one. Its head is Christ.
‘It is holy,’ through the shared faith of the universal [catholic] Church.
‘It stems from the Apostles.’ Because the twelve Apostles are the foundation stones of the Church; those who stand in their roles are the bishops from past times to the present. The line of succession of the bishops has not been cut or broken. They alone are the ones set apart to direct this crowd of believers and it is they who set apart others under them to be shepherds – priests and deacons – to convey the gracious love of God to people.
Now the third statement in my explanation of the Church in my article about the Church of Christ militant here on earth is about the Church in New Zealand known as the Church of England.
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The Church we see is like a huge tree with its branches.
When Christ was preparing his Apostles for his great work, he looked steadily at his Apostles and said, ‘I am the vine and you are the branches.’ [John 15.5]
In the beginning they went about setting up the Churches in Jerusalem, in Antioch and in Corinth, and we read in Revelation about the seven Churches in Asia. All of these were branches of the universal Church, groups of Christians with a bishop as their head, scattered in various places.
If people had fulfilled Christ’s idea, I believe we would see at this time the Church of Greece, the Church of Italy, the Church of Germany, the Church of France, etc, and the Church of England, each with its own Archbishop, and each having their distinctive ways of doing things, but all the Churches would be at one, bound together in peace and fulfilling the word of the Apostle: ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism.’ [Ephesians 4.5]
Were this the case, the Church in this world in each nation would hold to the teachings of the Apostles, they would be united physically and spiritually, bound together in peace. Were this the case then all the Church of England churches on the mainland of Europe would have our ministers taking the services in English. The ministers would be licensed by and work under the direction of the bishop of that land.
Given this situation, we see that the universal Church of Christ has three major branches, three branches of the ‘True Vine,’ Christ. It is people who divided it, not God. One branch does not have authority over another. These three branches are:
I. The Church of the East – the Greek Church.
II. The Italian Church – the Church of Rome,
III. The Church of England and the branch that emerged from it, the Church of America.
Most of my article is concerned with the third of these branches.
The first question and the answer: How did the Church of England come into existence? When was the Church of England born?
The Church of England came into being at the same time claimed by the Greek Church and the Roman Church.
Let us keep in our thoughts this fact: if it is to be a true branch of the Church of Christ it must descend from the Apostles and the line of descent of the office and work of ministry will not have been disrupted since the beginning, and the line of bishops will go back directly right to the Apostles and to Christ.
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Some say that the Church of England was brought into being by an Act of Parliament in the time of Henry VIII. If that is the case, it is not the Church I belong to. The statement is wrong as I will show.
Some say, no, Rather it was planted in England by Augustine at the end of the sixth century. Our friends in the ‘Pikopo’ [Roman Catholic] Church are fond of saying that.
Yet others say, no. Rather it happened at the time of the Reformation when the Church of England ceased to be part of the Roman Church; that was when the Church of England began.
Others say that there is no such thing as the Church of England, only the Roman Church in England. That part of the Church of England belongs to Rome.
Again I would say that the statement is wrong. If the Church of England is a separate Church, a true part of the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, it is because we descend from other true branches which have their origin and their birth on that day spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit came down on the Day of Pentecost ‘on the people who were all together for one purpose.’
This is when we see the true fulfilment and fruit of the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ; his Holy Spirit is sent to his Apostles so that they can build his universal Church.
Other Churches did not start at a different time; while it is clear that the Church of England began with the Apostles, some are smaller branches of that great branch and are somewhat in awe of that great branch since it is their parent.
Those small branches are true descendants of the Church of Christ.
Although those small Churches are branches of the main branch and are large Churches in some other countries, with their own administrations and different forms of service, they retain their love and respect and listen to the parent Church, the Church of England.
Let us look to see if there are other branches prior to ours that we can trace. We have a very clear understanding of our own origins.
First: Let us read what our Bible says about the birth and growth of the Church.
It was born in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost 33 years after the birth of Christ.
If we look at the map of Europe we will see Jerusalem, the town where the Church was born’ Christ spoke plainly to his disciples of ‘beginning at Jerusalem.’ Luke 24.47.
There, 3000 people responded to the Gospel and were baptised.
(Chapter I will be continued.)
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HOROUTA.
[Editor, I think it would be good if you printed, for everyone to see, the stories of each tribe, of each canoe, of each council, and of each district. We Maori are one people, a small people in the world, hemmed in by the Pakeha, and therefore we must cherish one another. It is good that we cherish and know each other – what we are doing, the good things and what we suffer, and we will know if they are published in our paper and in our own language.]
Although this is a very bad winter with rain and wind, Ngati Porou thrives. Because of the bad roads, the mud, and my dangerous flooded rivers, the old men and the old women stay gloomily in their houses. The young men are absent, away at work, cutting down the bush, while the girls play hockey. These are the pastimes of my children during winter – the women play hockey and the men, rugby. These are good games for exercising the body and for strengthening adults for the years to come. The Pakeha have a saying: ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’
The main occupation of Ngati Porou is sheep farming. They are strongly committed to it and it is still progressing. It has been facilitated by the Pakeha banks and by the generosity of the Maori Trustee. Nearly £32,000 of Government money has been invested in the Ngati Porou sheep stations, that is, in new stations. Money has been invested because of the incorporation of the lands. If there are no sheep for the new stations, young sheep are brought from Gisborne. This winter, because of the cold and the poor condition of those sheep, many have died.
One new thing that has happened here is that Maori are purchasing Pakeha sheep stations. This year two Pakeha stations have been bought by Maori and one dairy farm. Apirana Ngata arranged the acquisition of all these lands.
Ngati Porou wants to engage more intensively in dairy farming. A company has been set up, a factory is being built at Ruatorea, and milk processing will start in the Summer. Six hundred Jersey cows have been brought from Taranaki. Pakeha say that Maori can’t do this job. But let them have a go, say the Pakeha.
The other wing of Horouta, at the Te Whanau-a-Apanui end, are building their own butter factory. They also have set up their own company. But what they like doing most is growing corn, so this end calls them the ‘Corn Crunchers.’
Apirana Ngata is still in Parliament in Wellington. Efforts are being made to bring
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together the Government and the Opposition to stand against the Labour Party. Well, were that to happen, then Apirana could certainly not be overlooked for the post of Minister of Maori Affairs. Then he would also be more available to guide his canoe, Horouta.
The Annual Meeting of the Waiapu Farm Company concluded on 11th July. This is an independent Maori company belonging to Ngati Porou. A Maori, Taare Korimete, a former pupil of Te Aute, is both manager and secretary. Most of the workers are Maori; three are Pakeha. The Office and the large store are in Tikitiki, as are the boarding-house, three houses and the stockyards. There are branches at Wai-o-Matatini, Te Araroa, and Ruatorea. There are almost 30 sheep stations under the company. The profit this year was £1764 which, together with the surplus of £1760 from last year makes a total of £3525. Of this 7½% was distributed to shareholders with a bonus of 5%, and £500 was retained. The company has £25,000 in funds. The management committee is Apirana Ngata (Chairman), Turei Maki, Peia Koria, Rauhuika Tawhiwhi, Watene Waititi, Hirini Keeki, and Hamana Mohuika.
The County Councils covering the Ngati Porou area are Waiapu and Matakaoa. Some of the members of these Councils are Maori. Most of the people in these Council districts are Maori. The Matakaoa Council is very sympathetic to Maori, perhaps because of the Maori membership. No Maori have as yet been summonsed for failure to pay rates, but in these days when the banks and the Government are wanting money the Maori are paying rates. This year the Whetu-mata-rau Block has paid £1000 in rates.
Last year a large ship, the Port Elliot, arrived at Horoera. That ship has four masts. When the cargo was off-loaded at the Wellington office, the ship was abandoned by the Pakeha, and it was bought by the Maori of Horoera. The Maori spent from Summer to Winter demolishing the ship’s interior; the deck houses, the cabins, the cupboards, the beds, the floors, and the iron-work. Now houses have been built on land, some raised up, some single storey, with timbers from the ship. The English have a saying: ‘’Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good.’
I’ve written a lot of bits and pieces about the Tai Rawhiti; other areas will have their own stories. I’m signing off.
The ‘Naati.’
FOOD FOR THIS CHILD.
Rewi Tamihana (Wairoa) £1, Pohiri Paora Hira (Waipawa) £2, A Paul (Opapa) 10/-, F Smith (Puha) £1, Rukuai Paneta (Hiruharama) 10/-. Our thanks to these noblemen.
Many people are in debt to Te Toa Takitini. When are you going to give some thought to our treasure? Do you want our paper to die?
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SOME OF THE BENEFITS THIS GOVERNMENT HAS BROUGHT TO THE MAORI PEOPLE.
The Department of Health.
The work of this Department has a wide impact on the Maori People. Its nature and the practices it carries out affect a man from the time he emerges from the womb of his mother to the time he goes to the womb of the earth. So you can appreciate that the work done by this Department is demanding, It is a work that requires the total attention of the Minister of the Crown who is running it. In recent years, Sir Maui Pomare has been the Government’s choice as Minister of Health. He has devoted his abilities to bring to us, the Maori People, together with the Pakeha People, all the good things preached by the gospel of learning. This Department, the Department of Health, is a many-pointed star. Its kindness shone out when the country was overcome by the darkness that sprang from foolishness and ignorance about the care of individual’s bodies.
These are some of the benefits the Department of Health has brought to the Maori People:
1. A Maori Nurse has been provided in the Otaki District, and another for Kahukura, to care for the sick,
2. A Maori Health Inspector has been appointed for Te Kuiti and Kahukura.
3. It has been agreed that money be given to help the Wanganui Mission Board pay the Nurse working along the Wanganui River.
4. It has agreed to pay money help those studying to become doctors at the Otago Medical School to help them become aware of illnesses and issues relating to the Maori People.
5. The Government has helped some Maori villages to access water.
6. The Government has set aside funds to help two former pupils of Te Aute College to study dentistry.
7. Three Maori girls are training to be Dental Nurses [lit. Nurses who pull out teeth].
8. The English language booklet by Sir Maui Pomare, called ‘The Care and Feeding £of Babies,’ has been translated and will be printed in the Maori language.
9. Ways of preventing Typhoid Fever are being put in place. Because of this there will be less impact of this illness on people in many districts.
10. When people get Typhoid Fever they will quickly be given appropriate medicine and sent to places which deal with the illness. As a result of this action the spread and infection of this illness will be inhibited.
11. In this session of Parliament the amount set aside for dealing with Maori health
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issues has been left at £5,550. Of this amount, £1,000 is designated for medicines.
12. The Department of Health is responsible for providing Doctors and Nurses for the Maori People. The amount for this work is £3,000 a year.
13. The Maori population is increasing. This shows that the work and the activities of the Department of Health are bearing fruit.
14. The work of the Department of Health is seeking to benefit both Maori and Pakeha.
15. The expenditure by the Department of Health on the Maori side for the year ending 31st March, 1924, was £13,001, with an additional £3,000 for sick Maori taken to Pakeha hospitals for care. The total amount expended was £16,001.
16. The expenditure by the Department of Health on the Maori side for the ten months from 1st April, 1924, to 31st January, 1925, was £11,336.
The Laws Concerning Reserves on the Tai-Hauauru.
There has been an increase in venting of blustering statements about the Reserves in the Tai-Hauaruru [West Coast of the North Island]. When the Elders were alive Parliament passed the ‘Law concerning Reserves being put in place in the Tai-Hauauru, 1881.’ [?Native Land Acts Amendment Act, 1881]
There were many amendments made to that Act in subsequent years up to the ‘Law declaring reserves on the Tai Hauauru, 1892.’ [?Rohe Potae Investigation of Title Act 1892] In the memory and the thinking of the tribe, such benefits resulted from this Act that it was called ‘The Storehouse of Rehua [the god of kindness].’ From that time to the time when Sir Maui Pomare became Member, those impacted by the Act spoke badly of the Government of that time. They jeered and were vexed in that they were not permitted to sell or to work their lands. From the time he became Member the application of the above laws has been simplified. The ‘ten year’ lands were returned to their owners. It was for them alone to decide whether they should ‘set fire to it’ or retain it for their own well-being.
A question has been asked. This is the question. ‘What is the purpose of Section 4 of the Act to Amend the Maori Trustee Act, 1924’? [4. In special cases Native Trustee may dispose of Native reserve for benefit of beneficial owners.]
The significance of this section is as follows. The Maori Trustee cares for some very small reserves. These cannot be leased. Because they are of only a few acres they are not disputed. These lands are overgrown and are unproductive. Those whose lands border on these reserves have no desire to lease them but rather would have them sold. Because this is the only way in which such a reserve will bring any benefit, the Maori Trustee may ask permission to sell it or to return it to those who have a right to it.
You will have to wait for more on this subject.
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Pensions Paid to Maori.
The direction of the work of this Government has been to care for and help the tribes, the hapu, and groups under their authority. We have pointed out the things that are being done for the well-being of our children and the generations to come. The blessings are not confined to the children alone but extend to all. In this category are the benefits for the old men and women, the widows, the orphans and the poor. The basis for this blessing is the Pensions Act. The Pensions money paid to Maori only is £64,682 a year.
Look at this matter. If you say that the Government is wrong to do this, then do away with the poor. If what they are doing is right then be grateful to our Government.
The Money Given by the Maori Trustee to Maori.
Under the provisions of the Maori Trustee Act, 1920 [Native Trustee Act, 1920], the Maori Trustee is able to give money to people of the Maori race. In 1924 the House of Parliament passed the Maori Trustee Amendment Act. One of the powers given to the Maori Trustee by this Act is that he can give money with livestock as collateral. So, since 1921, the year in which the Maori Trustee started operating, up to this year the money given to help farming and other purposes is close to £350,000.
A closing word. There will be more articles in due time. People, be watchful, be vigilant, lest you be carried away by the beguilement of strangers. Hold on to your status as Maori.
THE TE ARAWA COUNCIL.
During the last days of Parliament the Maori Lands Act Amendment Act was passed. Section 16 makes the arrangements for handing over the authority of the Te Arawa Council to the Te Arawa Trust Board. The Council has been abolished. Its place has been taken by the members of the Trust Board.
Best wishes to the ‘many warriors’ of the Te Arawa Trust Board. We appreciate what you are doing.
THE NEW BIBLE.
The new Bibles are available from Miss Williams, Hukarere, Napier. The price is: Hard Cover, 8/-; Soft Cover, 5/-.
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TE HAUKE HUI.
Hori Tupaea and his family called the Hui of the Te Waipatu Parish which was held at Te Hauke on 27th September. The Bishop attended, These are the motions passed:
1. We have seen the outcomes of the meetings held at Rotorua on 23rd & 24th June and of the Commission held at Auckland on 2nd September, concerning a separate Bishop for the Maori People, therefore, the faithful members of the Church in the Heretaunga area express their gratitude to the leaders of the Church for this great blessing to us, the whole Maori People.
2. Ngati Kahungunu is grateful that that Bishopric of Aotearoa is to be established on the lands of Te Aute College, the marae for all the young people of the country.
3. We ask that, if possible, the name of Te Aute be included in that of the Bishopric, i.e. the Bishop of Te Aute and Aotearoa. This name, Te Aute, belongs to the whole country, and Te Aute is also the best ladder by which the Maori People can ascend to the learning and enlightenment of these days.
4. Although we have few ideas about the funding for this Bishopric and its Archdeacons, our heart’s desire is that almighty God will bless and help this work, and that he will send his enlightenment upon those setting up the arrangements for this post and his spirit of love upon the Maori People.
5. This Hui salutes the remnant of the Heretaunga district who adhere faithfully to the Church, the gift of their parents and ancestors, and pray God to continue to bless them.
6. This Hui is delighted at, and thanks God, for the number of people returning to the Church in each Parish. And we are very grateful that the Bishop has told us that he has re-admitted more than forty people from Mohaka into the Church.
THE WAIAPU SYNOD.
The Synod of Waiapu will be held in Napier on Friday, 9th October.
At 10.30 a.m. Service. The Lord’s Supper. Preacher: Archdeacon Herbert Williams.
At 2.30 p.m. The Bishop delivers his Charge to Synod.
Sunday – 8 a.m. Service of Holy Communion.
11 a.m. Holy Communion. Preacher: Rev W W Lambert.
7 p.m Preacher: Rev F A Bennett.
Monday, 12th – 10 a.m. Meeting of clergy only.
2.30 p.m. Synod.
Tuesday, 13th, - 10 a.m. Meeting of lay-representatives only.
2.30 p.m. Synod.
Wednesday, 14th, - 10 a.m. Meeting of Maori Ministers and Lay-representatives.
2.30 p.m. Synod.
It is envisaged that the separate Bishop for the Maori Church will be consecrated at the beginning of next year. Should this happen, it is thought that this will be the last Synod at which Maori will sit together with their Pakeha friends in the Synod of the Diocese of Waiapu. Come then, friends, to greet our Bishop and our friends from the Pakeha section.
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CHAMPION WRESTLER.
On 30th September, Ihakara Rapana arrived home in Kohupatiki, Hawkes Bay. He returned from Australia after wrestling with the champion wrestlers of those territories. He now holds the title of Champion of New Zealand and Australia.
Congratulations, Ihakara, on the honour you have brought to the Maori People. Te Toa Takitini salutes this man who is still one of the leading lay-readers in the Parish of Te Waipatu.
ARE MAORI LAZY?
T Wi Repa MB.
Our friends who live with us on our land here in New Zealand, the Pakeha, accuse us Maori of being lazy. They get very vexed with Maori over this. Maori ways are always being misjudged by other people in this fashion. The Pakeha thinks that the be all and end all of life is work. He can’t imagine life without work. According to the Pakeha it is work that sustains the world. If he had no work he would be on the road with his swag on his back. It provides food, house, clothing and status. Were they working, the Pakeha would not see Maori leaning on the verandah post of the shop in the town, or sitting on the doorstep of the store, or smoking in the town squares – things which upset the Pakeha, so that they grumble and say that Maori People are indeed lazy.
Before we address the Pakeha accusation, let us look carefully into this matter.
What is the purpose of a person’s life in this world? What is it that a person seeks to achieve before they die? What is it that a Maori wants? What is it that a Pakeha seeks? Just one thing, the fulfilling of his desire. If his dreams and aspirations are limited then the fulfilment of his desires will be limited also. If his ambitions and desires are obsessive
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then he must work very hard to fulfil those wishes. If a man thinks only of working to get food to provide for his family then a little easy work will achieve what he wants. If he doesn’t have to pay rent for his house life is very easy. If he does not have to pay taxes or rates then life is very agreeable to him. There is nothing to darken his heart or trouble his mind. He has achieved an easy life in the world. This man is able to relax during the day, to go to town on Saturday to look at the Pakeha and his goods, to smoke his pipe, because his thoughts do not wander far, his desires are easily fulfilled. This is how it is with Maori.
How it is with Pakeha?
From England to New Zealand is nearly 8000 miles [sic]. More than the breadth of the oceans he sailed, perhaps, is the breadth of his gaze and the greed of his thoughts. Extensive is his thinking and extensive are his desires. Therefore wide and deep must be his efforts to find what will satisfy such ambition. The great desire of the Pakeha, while he is living in this world of men, is to get power. The ladder he has to climb to get that power is money. And work money means much power. Maori have learned this. To get money a man must devote his strength and his heart to work. His time on this earth is used up in seeking money. His concern for food and clothing is secondary. The Pakeha pays taxes, he pays rates on the store he owns, and he pays rates to the town he lives in. He must work for all his shillings. He must always be wary. He must look rapaciously to left and to right. He does not sleep at night. For what he desires is to get money which is his pathway to power. He is always eager to work, to farm, to make money, because his world is that of the Pakeha, a world [whanaunga-kore – without family and personal relationships]. Although the world is against him, in his mind he is grasping for something weighty. So he works hard at farming to get more and to fulfil his desires. But if the fulfilment of our wishes is the important thing in our lives then we are like our Pakeha friends. Our limited desires are fulfilled by a little work. Their extensive ambitions require a huge amount of work for their fulfilment.
Maori are strangers with a different approach to work.
This is how I see things. We have looked at Maori and work, or rather the work he does that Pakeha do not see. He is not a stranger to his own work. Nor is he lazy when it comes to his own work.
(To be continued.)
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