Te Toa Takitini 12
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Te Toa Takitini
(Which grew out of Te Kopara)
Te Kopara followed Te Pipiwharauroa.
Te Pipiwharauroa followed He Kupu Whakamarama
which began in 1898.
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
(Maori Version at PapersPast.)
Number 12, Hastings, July 1, 1922.
THE PERMANENT NAME FOR THE PAPER.
The June edition of the paper carried the following suggested names for the paper along with short explanations: 1. Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga. 2, Te Aorere. 3. Tane-nui-a rangi. 4. Whitiwhiti Ora. 5. Treaty of Waitangi. 6. Toa Takitini. The names below were sent in during June.
‘The name I found which also relates to the Maori of these islands is ‘Te Kiwi’. It is known in these two islands and indeed to the great nations in other parts of the world that this is the bird that represents the Maori People.’ Pene Ngamanu Motiti.
‘I think that the appropriate name is that of a bird with wings, that is strong in flight, that can carry on its back these introductory words and other articles straight to the marae where it alights. It will not serve well as a name for this pet, Te Toa Takitini, if these introductory words are the name of a person, or an ancestor, or are a proverb. My friends, the job of our paper is to carry enlightenment to each marae on our two islands, to inform one end how those on the other end are faring, the South and the North. Therefore my name for the paper is ‘Te Kukupa’, The Dove, which brought the olive branch to Noah that told Noah that the flood had receded from the earth.’ Waewae Ratapahi, Motiti, Tauranga.
‘Name this child. My answer is, ‘Ko Nga Waka Maori’, The Maori Canoes which had on board chiefs, the wise and warriors. Explanation: 1. Rangatira, (Chief). This canoe was known as a war canoe. The person at the stern was the chief. He was the one in command of the canoe. 2. Toa Mohio, (Wise Men). There were no maps or
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compasses to guide the canoes formerly. It was wisdom and bravery that brought them through the deep waters of the ocean. The man in the middle was called the hautu, the fugleman. His weapon was a taiaha. He would give the command: ‘Those in the prow take a rest; those in the stern drive us on!’ My explanation also encompasses our young men who charged into battle on 25th April, 1915, at Gallipoli, making this day an important day of commemoration throughout the world.’ Mika Te Tawhao, Ruatoki North.
‘Greetings to you who bring understanding to the marae of Aotearoa. You bring joy to the heart with your guidance and explanations about all matters. I wait hopefully for the mail that will bring you. Enough! My name for the paper is ‘Aotearoa’. All of you know this name.’ J Heperi, Okaihau, Bay of Islands.
‘Hinemoa heard Tutanekai’s flute in the night. His beloved was touched by love. Then she swam across the lake to Mokoia. Therefore the child of the brave was named ‘Te Rehu a Aotearoa’, ‘The Flute of Aotearoa.’ So let Te Rehu a Aotearoa sing to the whole country from 1st August.’ Hau H Te Wake, Omapere, Hokianga.
‘My choice of name is ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’. This speaks to the world of our reconciliation, of the unity we have in New Zealand, and also of the arrival of the Faith which brought to an end the fighting amongst our ancestors.’ Ira Anihana, Kopu, Thames.
‘My name is ‘Te Hokowhitu Toa a nga Tai e Wha’, ‘The Band of Warriors of the Four Seas’. Both islands are included in this name. That is why I think this is a name for our child.’ Pita Te Hau, Muriwai, Gisborne.
‘The name I have come up with is ‘Te Rongo Pai’, ‘The Good News’. He is the one who enables us to live well and in peace. For you know that in the time of our ancestors we ate one another.’ Ropitini Tio, Mohaka.
‘The name I have chosen at this time when many things are having an impact on the Maori People as a whole is one which encompasses the whole Maori People – ‘Te Putea Iti a Reti’, in English, ‘The Southern Cross’. This is our Maori emblem. In 1834 we formed the Confederation. That was the years in which
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two flags flew over us, that of the French and that of the English, and we chose that of the English. The Pakeha there asked what Maori emblem should be on that flag. The Maori said, ‘Te Putea Iti a Reti’. There and then the Maori flag of New Zealand was added so that there were two parts – that of England and that of New Zealand, designated by those stars. I said that those stars were an emblem. It was also the compass that guided our ancestors when they crossed from Hawaiki, the guide to their canoes. In the English flag three major nations express their unity with their crosses, 1. Ireland 2. Scotland 3. England and in 1834 4. the Maori of New Zealand added the stars. And so that sign flies over our marae. Enough.’ H Taurau, Otiria.
‘I am very apprehensive about the new name for our treasure. My name would be ‘Te Ao Katoa’, ‘The Whole World’.’ Nutana Te Kawe, Putahi, Wairoa.
‘The name for the paper should be, ‘Ko Rupe’. Rupe was a man, but when he went to look for his sister, Hinauri, he changed himself into a pigeon. It is in the waiata by Turaukawa: “Rupe went on an expedition to look for Hina, etc.” That was from the past century. If you want a name from this new century then my choice would be ‘Te Ao Hou’, ‘The New World’. Huta Paaka, Motueka.
‘Concerning your request for a name for the paper, my choice would be ‘Aotearoa’. This was the old settlement of the ancestors of ancient time handed down to this generation.’ Wharepapa Perepe, Waipiro Bay.
‘I am not bored with Te Toa Takitini. If we are to have a new name for our paper I would support Paratene Ngata who offers ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’ as a name. I will support the paper with £1 a year.’ Wiri Edwards, Patangata.
A telegram was sent to the Editor: ‘The new name for the paper is ‘Te Ao Hou’.’ Mutu Kapa, Te Kao.
‘The Scripture says, “There is one baptism.” At the time when the birds who carried the articles were Pipiwharauroa and Te Kopara, people were not eager to feed them. When this child,
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Te Toa Takitini, was born they ceased travelling and that was a relief to them.
‘Ka tere Rauwa: ka tere Pipiwhakao.’
Rauwa and Pipiwhakao are afloat. [cf Nga Pepeha 1146}
i.e There are crowds of people.
‘Haere a uta, haere a rahaki.’
They come from inland and from the other side.
Each month we see the list of names of those who are providing food for this child. Therefore I think that Toa Takitini is a very beautiful name, very acceptable to all parts of the country, so that those from “a great distance, a long way away, a remote place” are keen to send food for it.’ H Tiopira, Omahu.
‘As I see it, all the Maori of these islands would be covered by the name, ‘Te Waka Maori’, ‘The Maori Canoe’. It is only the effort of paddling that a person has to contribute to the chief of the canoe and it sails to each person’s marae.’ W R Pestell, Kawana, Wanganui.
‘My name for the paper is ‘Maui’, after the man who fished up this island so that it emerged into the light of day.’ Matenga Taihuka, Waerenga-a-hika.
‘As for the name for this last-born, mine is ‘Te Hokowhitu-a-Tu’, ‘Tu’s Band of Warriors’. We all know that this was the name given to our young men when they went to fight on the battlefields of the world. This birds gave accounts of them when he was called ‘Te Kopara’.
He iti te kopara, kai takirikiri ana i runga i te kahikatea.
Although the Bellbird is small, he plucks at the Kahikatea. [cf Nga Pepeha 908]
We were a small nation among those engaged in the fighting we’ve mentioned. But the bravery of our young men meant that their fame reached the four corners of the earth, and we became known, we the Maori People. Therefore elderly ladies and gentlemen, let us call our youngest child ‘Te Hokowhitu a Tu’ in memory of our young men, our grandchildren, lying one the battlefields, as well as of those who returned alive. This paper can be like one bereaved who brings memories to your marae, ladies and gentlemen.’ Tuira Tareha, Te Waiohiki, HB.
‘My name is ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’ , a name which covers the two islands. I support this name because the laws in the Treaty provide protection for us Maori. We will have problems if we trifle with the laws of the Treaty. Possessing land, selling land, the Faith – all are encompassed in the Treaty. I approve of Apirana Ngata’s explanations of the clauses of the Treaty.’ Pene Ngatote, Whatuwhiwhi, Mangonui.
[Continued on Page 13]
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THE TREATY OF WAITANGI
A T Ngata MA, LLB.
Article the Third.
[This translation by M R Jones is reproduced, with minor alterations, from The Treaty of Waitangi, An Explanation, by the Hon Sir Apirana Ngata MA, LlB, LitD, first published in 1922 for The Maori Purposes Fund Board. – Barry Olsen]
This is the third article of the Treaty:
‘Article the Third’.
‘Hei whakaritenga mai hoki tenei mo the whakaaetanga ki te Kawanatanga o te Kuini. Ka tiakina e te Kuini o Ingarangi nga tangata katoa o Nui Tireni. Ka tukua ki a ratou nga tikanga katoa rite tahi ana ki ana mea ki nga tangata o Ingarangi.’
The English version of that heading says:
‘Article the Third’
‘In consideration thereof, Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand Her Royal Protection, and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.’
This article explains what Her Majesty the Queen gives in return for what the Maori Chiefs have ceded to Her Majesty’s Government. Here is the explanation.
(1) The Queen of England extends to the Maori people of New Zealand Her Royal protection.
(2) She imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects.
These are very important and formidable words. The first part is that all the Maori people would receive protection. Looking beyond the shores of New Zealand we find that it was through the Queen and her descendants, through their prestige and might that we have been protected against invasion by foreign powers, namely the French in its time when it attempted to take the South Island and had actually settled at Akaroa; and after that came the Russians and its attempts to conquer us were staved off; and only yesterday we faced up to the Germans and only after a bitter struggle were they defeated; who knows we may have to face up to the Japanese.* The might of England has protected us, the King has given us his protection.
When we look at ourselves we realise the full significance of this protection. The Treaty found us in the throes of cannibalism, that was murder, a crime punishable by death, be the murderer rich or poor. That was the British law
*Prophetic, considering 1941-45
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which became law for the Maori under the provisions of the second part of the above article ‘and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects’. The Treaty found the strong committing outrageous acts against the weak, the chiefs against the commoner, the Pakeha against the Maori, and such acts were breaches of the law punishable by imprisonment with hard labour, according to the British code of law adopted as the law for both the Pakeha and the Maori under the provisions of, ‘and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects’. British law as provided by the Queen did not prevent crimes. Crimes were committed; there were murders, there were thefts, there were libels and defamations and other crimes conceived by the human mind, however, very few escaped the strong arm of the law.
The second part of the Article ‘and imparts to them (that is, to all the Maori people of New Zealand) all the rights and privileges of British subjects’, is the most important part of the Treaty of Waitangi. This is the part that impresses the Maori people most and a part overlooked by the advocates of the Maori people in their efforts to interpret the Treaty in years gone by.
This article represents the greatest benefit bestowed upon the Maori people by Her Majesty the Queen. It is in a great measure to balance up what the Maori people had given her under the provisions of article One of the Treaty. Here is a brief explanation. The Maori states that the Maori and Pakeha are equal before the Law, that is, they are to share the rights and privileges of British subjects. When the Supreme Court was established in New Zealand it was declared it was the Treaty of Waitangi under the provisions of Article Three, under discussion, which provided the basis for the administration of British Justice as affecting New Zealand conditions of these times. Now, it is not only the laws made by Parliament that are effective. There are some laws that issue from decisions of Courts of Law. There are which have originated from British Law and from the Treaty of Waitangi and have become law here in New Zealand. Yes, British Law has been the greatest benefit bestowed by the Queen on the Maori people.
My dear old lady, perhaps, you are not aware that every hour of the day while you are awake and during every hour of the night while you are asleep there are one hundred laws looking afrer you. They refer to your way of life, your travels, your hours pf sleep, your hours awake, your occupation and what you say; of these one hundred laws, perhaps, ninety-five of them apply,
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equally to your Pakeha friends and perhaps five differentiate. The law pertaining to crimes, the law pertaining to debts, law pertaining to property (except land) and law pertaining to slander are the same, there is one law for Maori and for Pakeha, the Treaty of Waitangi ordained it so.
The laws that differentiate the Maori from the Pakeha are the laws pertaining to:
1. Maori representation in Parliament.
2. Maori Lands.
3. Liquor.*
[* Since Apirana wrote this, legal amendments, especially in the Licensing Amendment Act of 1948, have almost entirely removed the differentiation between Maori and Pakeha in this matter.]
The Maori people have their own special representatives in Parliament elected only by the Maori people. The reasons for this special provision were twofold; Maori problems had their own peculiarities and the Maori people were ignorant of most things pertaining to the Pakeha way of life in those days. My own opinion, however, is that the reason for the four Maori members was the fear on the part of the Pakeha that as Maori and Pakeha populations in these islands were very much on a parity and that if the Maori people were given the right to vote with the Europeans, there was a possibility many more Maori Members would be elected to Parliament. However, Maori representation in Parliament is one of the few remaining special provisions for the Maori people.
The laws pertaining to Maori lands are entirely different to the laws pertaining to European lands. Matters for decision are ownership of lands, and who should succeed to deceased owners. There were no wills, the nearest equivalent being a dying request. There were many restrictions pertaining to the sale, to the leasing and mortgaging of Maori land which do not pertain to European lands. The differences in regard to Crown purchases have already been explained.
In times past, rates were not levied on Maori lands. This was not because of the Treaty of Waitangi. Likewise in days gone by Maori lands were not affected by taxation and again it was not because of any provisions in the Treaty. The Treaty had provided for ‘all the rights and privileges of British subjects’. If the law had adhered to the spirit of the Treaty, Maori land would have borne the burden of rates and taxation long ago. It was in the year 1894 that Maori lands were subjected to rates and then it was half of the rate and it was not until 1910 that full rates as for European lands, were levied.
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1. It was only in 1893 that Maori lands were taxed, it was alight tax, half of the tax payable by the Pakeha. However, only leasehold Maori lands were taxable. It was in the year 1917 that a heavier tax was levied on leased Maori land equivalent to half the rate of taxation on European lands.
2. At present, if the levies on our land were in accordance with all that the law provides these would not be anywhere near as heavy as what are levied on Pakeha lands. Maori lands not clothed with title cannot be charged with rates – County Councils have very devious procedures to follow to put a charge on Maori land for non payment of rates. Only Maori lands under lease, were subject to taxes and these at half the amount charged against European lands. All other Maori lands that were not under lease, being farmed and occupied by the Maori owners, and Pa areas were not affected by taxation.
3. Various laws made it possible to sidestep many of the levies which should have affected our lands in accordance with the words of the Treaty ‘all the rights and privileges of British subjects’. Could it be the laws were wrong and were contravening the Treaty? To all those who are advocating under the Treaty for remedies for our grievances, I say be careful lest you awaken the legal experts of the Pakeha people, who will say:
‘Let them have what they are asking for; let the purport of the Treaty be exercised to the very end: Put the same levies on the Maori as a levied on the Pakeha’.
Why the vacillation of Parliament, the Maker of laws? Why have not rates and taxes been levied on Maori land over the fifty years since the Treaty, namely up to the year 1893? And why after that only half the burden carried by the Pakeha was levied on Maori land? The Pakeha authorities could see the Maori back could not carry the burden because of inexperience and general confusion in his own affairs and for this reason the impact of Pakeha law was to be made gradual. ‘A bird cannot fly without feathers.’ This is a saying of the Maori. The Pakeha could similarly say to us, ‘Rating is the lifeline of the roads which you and your descendants use; it is the lifeline of our country – there are railways, schools, hospitals and post offices.’
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We cannot grasp the Treaty as a shield to use against rating and taxation. It is the leniency of the law which has spared us.
We are conversant with the law pertaining to liquor. Liquor and the Bible came to the country together, if anything, liquor arrived here slightly ahead of the Bible. There would have been no special liquor laws for the Maori if only the Maori had consumed liquor wisely. However, because of the abuse, its use as a lubricant to facilitate land sales, its use to mentally incapacitate the Chiefs so that they wasted their substance and its use for bragging on the maraes, the wise law makers were able to decide for themselves and to say:
‘Dear Sirs, our beverage is not elevating these people, they are strangers to it, they are still in their infancy, let us put a barrier against the consumption of liquor, let us prohibit some Maori areas, let us prohibit the consumption by the womenfolk, let us prohibit everywhere except on licensed premises and prohibit the consumption on the maraes.’
The day may come when these restrictions can be lifted, when the Maori has become accustomed to liquor, when his blood stream can counter the fiery effect of liquor. The Pakeha may on he other hand say, let us prohibit altogether the consumption of liquor in New Zealand.
Let me end here my general explanations of this article of the Treaty. Let me issue a word of warning to those who are in the habit of bandying the name of the Treaty around, to be careful of this portion of the Treaty lest it be made the means of incurring certain liabilities under the law which we do not know now and which today are being borne only by the Pakeha. If we suffer from being Europeanised too quickly and if we can gain some respite by a gradual acceptance of Pakeha ideas, then let those parts of the Treaty sleep on peacefully.
[To be continued.]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Consumption.
Te Rangi Hiroa MD
I think that consumption is an old Maori illness. When I pointed out to a tattooed elder that his grandchild had tuberculosis, he said to me, ‘Yes, our breed is subject to that illness!’ If one thinks about the old Maori words, kohi-a-kiko [wasting sickness] and kaiuaua [muscle eating], one sees in those names one of the main symptoms of the illness, the rapid weight-loss and the physical diminishment of the afflicted person. One aspect of consumption is the eating away of the bones of the sufferer, there is decay, and in the decaying material are found fragments of bone. To the people of Northland these are the symptoms of Toketoke. I have seen some people who in Maori thought were afflicted by Toketoke [a Tai Tokerau ancestor who personified the disease], and know from my Pakeha education that they had been struck down with tubercular bone disease. The genealogy of Toketoke pre-dates the arrival of the Pakeha. Swelling in the neck is a symptom of tuberculosis.
The cause of this disease is a bacillus. That bacillus can grow in all parts of the body but is located mostly in the lungs. When the bacillus enters a person’s body the illness begins. If there is seed then the potato will grow; if there is the bacillus then you will get the disease. Therefore both Maori and Pakeha are wrong in saying that tuberculosis is an inherited disease. Even if a mother has consumption her child will not be born with it. However, because descendants get the disease, both Maori and Pakeha say that it is an inherited disease passed down in the blood. This is wrong. The reason why a person gets it is that they have got the bacillus, the seed, from others and after a time, when the body of the well person is weak, the bacillus enters it and the tubercles grow. If the blood of a person is good and the body healthy, even if the tubercle bacillus gets inside him it has difficulty growing. Therefore debility and sickness are helpers of tuberculosis.
The bacillus is found in the phlegm and in the fluids that flow from the mouth and nose of the person with consumption.
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The bacillus is also found in the milk of cows with tuberculosis. The paths by which the bacillus enters the human body are the mouth and the nose. The phlegm also in dry and dusty conditions can float in a house and be breathed in by people. We know also that it can be spat out under the mats of the meeting house. It dries there and when the house is swept the seeds of tuberculosis fly about in the dust. Also it can be caught when family members or carers are close to the sick person and they breathe in the spray or the exhalations that fly from the nose of the person with consumption when they cough or sneeze. The bacillus enters by the mouth if one drinks milk from a cow with tuberculosis, and if one does not wash one’s hands after settling the sick person or touching their things. Also if a fly lands on the sick person and then flies onto food, that can become a way in which the bacillus enters the mouth.
However, tuberculosis is not the most infectious of diseases, unlike influenza. A person does not get it simply by being close to the one with consumption. If the coughing of the sick person is confined and the spray is not left to become dry and dusty, then the main cause of consumption is done away with.
Therefore you should make every effort to take care around people who have tuberculosis and see that they do not go around spitting; they should spit into a bowl or a bottle. Their phlegm should be burned in the fire and the basins boiled in a tin specially set apart for that use only. In former times the person who went about spitting was cursed, nowadays it is phlegm which curses innocent people. The sick person should be given his own room and the windows should be open to let in the good air and the health-giving freshness of Tane. Family should not sleep with the sick person, and the children should certainly not be allowed contact with the sick even though they are the mother or father. It is not an expression of love on the part of parents to plant the seeds of the illness in their descendants but rather a betrayal. Do not dry-sweep the sick- room but sprinkle it with water so that the dust does not fly about. Do not swallow the phlegm lest the sickness begins to attack the internal organs and the sick person becomes seriously ill.
A longer version of these guidelines has been printed in Maori by the Department of Health. Do let us know if you want that booklet.
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As for the role of the Maori Councils, these are matters that the Marae Committee must see to. The Department of Health are to be informed of those who have contracted the disease so that they can be visited by the Inspector or by a nurse who will inform them of procedures so that the illness is not spread to others. If the sick person dies in a house it should be reported also, and no-one should be allowed to stay in the deceased’s room until the Inspector has completed sterilising the room to make it available. Those with consumption should not be permitted to sleep in buildings where people gather. The family must be instructed to provide a separate room for the one who is sick. Instructions are to be given that meeting houses are not to be dry-swept but are first to be sprinkled with water containing Jeyes Fluid or carbolic and then swept. If you have no disinfectant, then use fresh water. This should be done every morning in the room occupied by the sick person. The windows of that building are to be kept open day and night when people are gathered. Dirt, dust and weeds are not to be swept under the house.
Consumption is one of the major diseases that is laying waste the Maori people, therefore make every effort to follow these instructions so that the nose of the people may emerge into the World-0f-Light.
SIR MAUI POMARE
Amongst the people of the empire honoured by George, our King, in his Birthday Honours was one Maori, Dr Maui Pomare. Only our father, Timi, bore this title of honour in past years. Today this honour has been conferred on Dr Pomare. Although the honour is specifically for Pomare, it falls on the Maori people as a whole. Te Toa Takitini congratulates Sir Maui Pomare and Lady Pomare on this honour that the King has conferred on them, and expresses the hope that they will know God’s blessing for many years and that they will continue to be a blessing to their tribes of the Maori people.
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‘Concerning the name for this child, I see nothing wrong with Te Toa Takitini. Do not criticize it on the basis that the proverb relates only to Hawkes Bay. This name is not restricted to this place but speaks of its bravery in going to all places and also of the huge number of people who support it.’ Waaka Toroaiwhiti, Nuhaka.
My name for the paper is ‘Te Rerenga Wairua’, ‘The Place from which Spirits Depart’. It is concerned with love – love for the people of the old world who have disappeared to the after-life, and also love for us who are alive. Here are some words in support of this name. [When the person’s spirit arrives it leaves its token at Te Arai, a headland jutting out into the sea to the west. It goes on and climbs the hill at Haumu, where the final token is left. When these are seen here, if the token is a shell or a piece of pingao, this person is from a coastal place. If its token is tree leaves, then this person is from the forest. - Te Aka] Neither the pile of the chief nor that of the insignificant is lost; neither the excellence or the inferiority of the shells. It is the same with the tree leaves. From here they go to the vine of Te Reinga and climb down to the bottom. This is the door of the Underworld. The waves wash us as does the seaweed of Motau. It is now that the spirit submerges and seeks solace at the hill at Ohau. There it turns its face back and weeps for this world. Let this story inspire you to choose this name – the way our chiefs complete their deaths. The whole island and other islands under the authority of the Treaty of Waitangi can relate to this name. If you have love then cast your votes for this name which will speak to us year by year. If you do not embrace it then you should stop publishing items about deaths and unveilings. Greetings to you all. Give glory to God for all good works. I am your affectionate friend,
Hapi Takimoana,
Te Aupouri,
Te Kao.
MINISTERS’ STIPEND FUNDS.
Apirana Ngata has informed the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Waiapu that the Parish of Hikurangi is setting up a Trust for their parish. That Trust is in the form of one thousand three hundred acres of land. The Parishes of Waiapu and Te Kawakawa intend to do the same. Congratulations to the tribes of Ngati Porou for supporting these proposals relating to spiritual matters.
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A NOTICE ABOUT THE NAME OF THE PAPER.
We have received so many letters about the name of our paper that we have not been able to print them all in this edition. Therefore we have put off the vote on the new name until the month of August. When the paper appears on 1st September it will bear the new name if the present name, Toa Takitini, is defeated by another.
In the July edition all the names that have been proposed will be listed on a separate sheet. Cross out all the names you don’t want, leaving only the name the voter wants for the paper. Only those on the roll of the paper are permitted to vote. Those who do not subscribe to the paper are not allowed to vote. Each person has only one vote. Those who subscribe to the paper, those who have sent in their shillings during July and August, may vote. Those who have been indebted to the paper for two years are not permitted to vote. So much for that. We ask those who are sending in names to help our paper by encouraging many people to subscribe and at the same time you will increase the number who will vote for your chosen name. If only one person has put forward the name that tops the voting list then they will receive the paper free of charge for five years. If two people have put it forward the prize will be shared with each person receiving the paper free for 2½ years. If there are five then each will receive the paper free for a year. We are very grateful to those who have sent their suggested names. Best wishes to you all. – The Editor.
THE GENERAL SYNOD.
The General Synod of New Zealand and Melanesia met in Auckland last month. This Synod meets every three years. Only one of the Maori ministers attended that Synod, Parata from Otago. However, because he was elected by the Pakeha section he voted as a spokesman in that Synod on behalf of the Diocese of Dunedin. The clergy and laity are elected. There was no major matter relating to Maori only. A motion was passed that the Church vote for the prohibition of
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alcohol throughout New Zealand. The Bishop of Christchurch was elected to be head of the Church in New Zealand, that is, to be Primate and Archbishop. At last the title of Archbishop has been conferred on one of the New Zealand Bishops.
A CHURCH.
The people of the Parish of Waipatu have set about building themselves a stone church at Waipatu. The stones for the church are being brought from Ahuriri. The sand for the cement is from Ngaruroro. Part of the work is being done by the Maori. Taranaki Te Ua’s carts have begun hauling the sand. The people of the Parish of Waipatu hope to have finished their church by next March. Te Toa Takitini would remind the leaders on each marae to look carefully into the bag of your old lady, Whakaotirangi [see Nga Pepeha 706, 1115, et al], and although there may be little food in it, knot it up carefully so that you may have something to contribute on the day of the Te Waipatu opening.
A MEETING IN CHINA
During April a meeting of students from universities from all parts of the world was held in Peking, China. The total number of young people, men and women, who attended that gathering was 1,300. Most of these are young people who have graduated and have titles to their names. What was the object which brought together these young people from the world’s universities? There was a single object – to discuss ways of growing the Christian faith throughout the world. Thirty-three of the leading nations were represented there so that the voices of each of the thirty-three nations were heard there. But the important input to the meeting was from the English. Dr Mott, an American, was the Chairman. Another learned gentleman there was black, Professor Willis J King BA, PhD. Other learned contributors were A A Paul BA from India, and Timothy Tingtang Lew MA, BD, PhD, from China. The faith is alive and active.
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THE TREATY OF WAITANGI.
Because many people have praised A T Ngata’s explanations of the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Toa Takitini has decided to print those articles on the Treaty as a separate booklet. The booklet is being prepared now. We have also added the names of those who signed that Treaty. You, their descendants, will see the names of your ancestors from each tribe throughout Aotearoa including Te Waipojnamu. We are hoping to add pictures of some of the elders, of Governor Hobson, of Busby’s home, and of ‘Four-eyes’ Williams [Archdeacon Henry Williams], the interpreter that day. The booklets will cost 2/- each. When we receive the 2/- we will send the booklet. They will be available at the beginning of August. There will not be many copies so send your order soon. Send your letters to The Editor, Toa Takitini, Box 300, Hastings.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING TE TOA TAKITINI.
W Renata, Dannevirke, 6/6; Mrs D Ellison, Opapa, £1; W H Wills, Otaki, 14.6; Rihi Tamati, Bell Block, 6/6; Waikura Tautuhi, Te Kaha, 10 /-; Hataraka Karaka, Kennedy’s Bay, 5/-; Peta Nepia, Nuhaka, 11/4; Hapi Takimoana, Te Kao, 10/-; Waaka Toroaiwhiti, Nuhaka, £1.
There is one edition of the paper each month. It is sent out on the first day of each month. If it is not picked up by the fourteenth day it is returned to the office in Hastings.
These are some whose papers have been returned this month: Eruera Paora, Waimarama, Whati Mihaere, Dannevirke, Matene Pokanoa, Frasertown, Rev Teri Paerata, Greytown, N J Takerei, 334 Victoria Street, Auckland, Teira Miha, Greytown, James Jones, Wairoa, Te Whatu-i-a-Pita, Dannevirke.
Address letters to: The Editor, Te Toa Takitini, Box 300, Hastings.
