THE LATE WIKI KEMP.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14374, 6 June 1912, Page 2

THE LATE WIKI KEMP.

AN APPRECIATION. (By Purutai.) By tho death of Wiki Kemp, or, to give lier her full name., Wikitoria Taitoko Keepa To Itangihiwinui, paramount chieftaincss of tho Whangnnuis, New Zealand loses one of its greatest Maori chieftaincssos, and ono of its most notable figures. Sho was tho daughter of Major Kemp, tho great Maori chief who did such excellent work in commanding the friendly natives during the last Maori war. Wiki Kemp is known and respected in every Maori hapu in New Zealand, and no ono better deserves tho respect and lovo of every member of her race. No calls for assistance for the natives ever met with a refusal at her hands, and herself ono of tho highest caste, she was always ready te assist in tho uplifting of tho Maori. Sho was a most enthusiastic supporter of the Maori Councils, and Putiki was ono of tho best conducted pas in the North Island. Oil the occasion of tho visit of tho present King to New Zealand, she, at her own expense, took a largo number of the Wanganui natives to the great gathering at Rotorua, where she presented their Majesties with many valuable gifts, and was tho recipient of ono of tho very few gold medals presented by tho King to tho great chiefs, of which distinction sho was exceedingly proud. Wiki also received a personal invitation from their Majesties to visit England, but was unablo to do so, owing to tho attention sho had to givo to her largo native interests. On two occasions she made a tour of the South Island, and was greeted with great honours in every pa she visited. During tho International Exhibition in Christchurch in 1906, Wiki Kemp, at her own expense, brought a number of the young natives of Putiki to visit it, the native choir and trained poi troupe, led by tho Maori contralto, Mangu Tahana, attracting much attention. On the occasion of tho death of Mr Seddon, Wiki Kemp was ono of the principal natives who offered their tributes to tho dead statesman, and few of those who heard her will forget her oration. A wealthy woman, she hid beneath an austere exterior a kindly and benevolent heart, most of her large income being spent in benevolence to the poorer members of her race. Sho had all tho socialistic qualities of tho old Maori, and although sho ruled her tribo with a rod of iron, sho was a truo mother to them. For many years sho lived in tho centre of Putiki pa, about a mile from Wanganui, and here sho entertained many hundreds of pakehas. Among those who visited her in her old house were most of tho Governors of New Zealand and their wives during the last thirty years, and her little drawing-room contained autographed portraits of most of them. About six years ago she built a largo house overlooking tho pa, and, like her old one, it was always open to her pakeha friends. She had a largo collection of mats, old Maori weapons and carvings, as well as a lot of valuable Maori manuscripts, but her most valued possess'ons were her father's sword of honour, presented to him by Queen Victoria in recognition of his great ser-%-ices in tho Maori war, and tho gold christening mug sent her by Queen Victoria, whose goddaughter she was.