SETTLING THE MAORI.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 212, 8 September 1930, Page 8

SETTLING THE MAORI.

NEW SYSTEM EXPLAINED.

USING OLD TRIBAL "BEES."

SELECTED LEADERS OF TEAMS,

Experiments being made in the settlement of groups of Maoris on undeveloped land were described by Sir Apirana Ngata, Minister of Native Affairs, in an address to the Wellington Group of the Institute of Pacific Relations this week.

Schemes for dealing with native lands had often foundered, he said, through the difficulties connected with the communal title and the attempts at subdivision or partition. He mentioned four schemes which had been of great value during the last 2o years. These were, firstly, incorporation under a committee of management, which had brought a large area into cultivation from Gisborne to Hick's Bay; secondly, consolidation of interests of individuals or families, which had enabled holdings to conform to modern conditions, improved boundaries, enabled a complete stocktaking of native interests, and made the land available for any purpose desired by the natives; thirdly, hypothecation, or charo-ino. eyeirt of an inchoate title, enabling the Maori Land Board to lend money on land although the title had not been completed: and fourthly, native land development, bringing into cultivation by the. Maoris themselves Maori land that had been lying idle or was insufficiently developed. The Native Minister was authorised to deal with the land in such a way as to overcome the difficulties ot title and to use funds provided by the .treasury for the purpose.

Experienced Men Chosen. Under the present experiments, in th» case of each settlement a team of young Maoris with experience not only of agricultural work, but also of those pioneering eflorts, such as road-making, brid°ebuilding, carpentery, drainage, as would be demanded from a body of settlers left largely to their own devices, was selected, lo ensure team work it was essential that a leader should be selected who, if possible, was one of the recognised leaders by pedigree and also knew how to handle men. In one case mentioned the selector was fortunate enough to find not only a leader of proper raid-:, but one who had been an officer of the Maori Pioneer Battalion.

The system outlined was the application to modern conditions of the out ohu, or working bee, said Sir Apirana, Pakeha co-operation came in the appointment of supervisors, men of sound practical agricultural and business experience who were recommended to the Minister by members for the districts concerned, helped in the purchase of stock, manures, seeds, farming implements, fencing and other material, which by purchasing for all schemes in large quantities the Native Department was enabled to obtain of the best quality at low rates. "In this way the Maori tribal organisation and traditions are being utilised to inspire the different tribes to adapt themselves to modern conditions iu a spirit of healthy rivalry." Importance of "Ohu."

"Maori history always centres rouna some leader, the title being generally hereditary. The -ohu' or , apu,' the working bee which played so prominent a part in Maori community life, was practicable only by team, work under a capable leader. Contact with the white disintegrated the focus of the system. The missionaries began it, Then the sovereignity of the pakeha monarch reduced the status of every chief and unnerved the tribal organisation at the core of chieftainship. The democratic idea of equality helped to undermine the chief's 'mana,' So did the educational system, for after the wars many of the Maori leaders retired in sullen resentment to remote regions, where they were outside educational inlluences, while those of inferior birth took the opportunity of education. Thus an aristocracy of knowledge arose. There was also the effect of infusion of white blood; halfcastes, often with fine physical characteristics and mental qualities, asserted their claim to a share in the leadership of the tribes.

Spirit Still Persists. '•The Tribal organisation and esprit dc corps still persist as elements of the ancient regime. The main geographical distribution of the tribes remains much the same as when the white man arrived. .Legislation during the last three decades has been based largely on the tribal organisations, and tribal rivalry nowadays has been transformed from hostility into a competitive emulation of the achievements of their former adversaries.

"In dealing with the Maori, we must proceed tribally," said Sir Apirana. He thought, that the Maoris' disinclination to sustained effort and impatience of discipline were possibly due to the removal of the primitive objective of the tribes, whose anestors had shown in the old days persistence and perseverance, which their posterity must yet recover.