MAORIS DISGRUNTLED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 43, 31 July 1939, Page 5

MAORIS DISGRUNTLED

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS NEED FOR TACT STRESSED Hopes that the Maori people would co.operate in thg centennial celebrations were expressed at Thursday's meeting of the Bay of Plenty Centennial Celebrations Committee at Whakatane toy the Rev Father s'ton (Tauranga) who said that ha was afraid the Maoris were approaching the anniversary with a sense of grievance. He was emphatic that it was necessary to avoid any suggestion of making a "side_sho\v' ? out ol the Maori race and he urged that they be given their full and equal place with the pakeha. The meeting agreed and passed a, motion, on these lines. "The Maori is entering the centennial year in a disquieting fashion with a sense of grievance, as was shown by Maori speakers in the House'' said Father Eccleston. "For this reason, I was very pleased to .see that celebrations will be held at Maketu, and also to hear that Whakatane is arranging a Maori day. NOT SIDE-SHOWS. ''I suggest that committees should bring in the Maoris with the great, est generosity knowing that 'they already have a prejudice against the celebrations, and for this reason we should be extra careful not to bring them in as a show, but on 'the same level as the pakeha. "They are now disgruntled" 1 he added. "This is shown by Sir 1 Apirana Ngata's speech the other night, and the addresses of other leaders. We must recognise that 'the feeling is that they are a conquered race. We have one of the biggest Maori populations along the Bay of Plenty and I suggest that we bring 'them into the celebrations without any prejudice.'' Mr S. M. Jephson (Opotiki) said that the concluding passage of Sir Apirana's speech showed that the Maoris would co-operate in the celebrations because they were happy to be under British rule. Mr Button (Opotiki) said that Opotiki realised the importance of co-operating with the Maori people. They planned to make the opening day a Maori affair and to lead up through tke pioneers to modern times with an aviation pageant. WHAKATANE MAORIS. Mr B. S. Barry said that the Maoris would be linked up with the Whakatane scheme. Th~> park at The Heads would very probably be given an honoured tribal name, and the Maoris had gone a step further—they had proposed that 'the name of tho main street be changed to a Maori one. On Father Eccleston's motion it was resolved to recommend to the Bay of Plenty committers that the Maoris be given their proper and important place»in the centennial celebrations.