NEW MAORI SECT

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25175, 5 May 1947, Page 3

NEW MAORI SECT

SETTLEMENT IN NORTH AUCKLAND CO-OPERATIVE WORK PLANNED ** The Press ” Special Service AUCKLAND, May 3. a , Ab ? ut 200 adherents of the new Absolute Maori Church from as far south as Pukekohe are at present living happily and harmoniously in a lonely settlement at Te Tii, on the coast about 15 miles from Kerikeri. Even sceptics who doubt that the enthusiasm for the movement will be sustained admit that the Maoris are in • , mam strictly observing the lofty ideals of their recently-adopted faith. A visit to Te Tii showed that the Maoris are ploughing about 70 acres of virgin land for a co-operative market garden in which they plan to grow vegetables for sale in Auckland. I* l6 ° n ly Europeans in the settlement are the school teachers, Mr and Mrs J. W B. Price, who say the Maoris are the finest they have ever lived among. The founder of the movement is Mr Teaaka Rapana, a short, thick-set man, aged about 56. He and his wife and family live in one of the few wooden houses in the settlement. The majority of the people have crude whares made of raupo and sacks. Formerly a resident of Pukekohe and a prominent figure of the Ratana sect, Mr Rapana is claimed to have become aware of divine powers through a vision on July 12, 1941. Although he claims to be a faith healer, followers at Te Tii have not been debarred from calling medical aid in times of sickness. His movement did not meet with much support in Pukekohe and the Waikato, but his reputation grew considerably among the Maoris in the far north in 1945 when Mrs Allan Ngawati, then of Waimate North, visited him,at Pukekohe and was reported to have been cured of a serious illness. About 500 Converted Invited to Te Tii on December 24, 1945, Mr Rapana gave an address on the marae and about 500 Maoris were converted. It was decided to form a religious movement called the Absolute Maori Established Church of Aotearoa (North Island), Te Waipounamu (South Island) and Wharekauri (Chatham Islands). The disciples agreed to adhere strictly to the Ten Commandments; to abolish idolatry and tohungaism and to abstain from alcoholic liquor and gambling. Smoking and attendance at picture threatres appear to be left to the individual conscience, although for a time elders picketed the Kerikeri cinema. In conjunction with the Church, the Absolute Maori Co-operative Association was formed to carry out communal activities at Te Tii. A cooperative store has been established and is receiving stocks by scow from Auckland. The association has applied to the Marine Department for the erection of a wharf. It is also asking for its own post office and it plans to build a three-towered temple for religious worship. Control of social security family benefits is also sought, so that a proportion can be set aside for each child to prevent parents spending it all. Since Mr Rapana gave his first address the population at Te Tii has increased from 50 to 200, and adherents are still moving in from the movement’s sub-areas at Matauri Bay, Takou Pay, Waimate North Waitangi and Oromahoe. There are insufficient desks at the school, which has a roll of 63, compared with 35 at the beginning of the year. Speaking for Mr Rapana, one of the secretaries of the movement (Mr Hemirua Paora) said that members of the Absolute Maori Co-operative Association would be allowed to work for pakehas in cases of emergency if their services were not required at Te Tii. The followers retained their allegiance to the British Empire and the law of the country, but they would not bear arms in another war.