MAORI CEREMONY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25289, 15 September 1947, Page 6

MAORI CEREMONY

MEMORIAL HALL OPENED AT RUATORIA GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S PRAISE FOR BATTALION (PA.) GISBORNE, September 14. The highlight of a day of impressive Maori ceremonial at a hui on the Whakarua Park marae at Ruatoria on Saturday in the presence of between 4000 and 5000 persons was the official opening by the Governor-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, of the Uhepohatu Hall, commemorating the war sacrifices of men of the Tairawhiti district. Maori orators greeted the Vice-regal party with speeches emphasising the close attachment of the race to the Crown and King. In recognition of the part which Sir Bernard Freyberg and Lady Freyberg had played in the recent war they were designated as “Father and Mother of the Maori Battalion come to mourn with the people of Ngatiporou the memory of their sons who had died on foreign fields.” Their Excellencies received handsome gifts of Maori craftsmanship, including a flax cloak for the GovernorGeneral, woven kits and mats, and an ancient taiaha.

The Governor-General paid a tribute to the skill and courage of the Maoris in the New Zealand Division and said he counted many members of the battalion as his close friends. “Ngatiporou made a great contribution to the war. It sent a large number of men to fight for the Maori Battalion, and many of these, happily, survived to carry on the spirit of their famous unit,” added his Excellency. “From among Ngatiporou there came such men as Arapeta, A water e, the Ngata brothers, and Te Moananui a Kiwa Ngarimu, V.C. These were great rangatiras on the field of battle. These were great soldiers and great leaders of the Maori Battalion. - ’ Earlier, the Prime Minister, Mr P. Frsser, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland), and other members of Parliament were given tribal welcomes. Mr- Fraser paid a tribute to Sir Apirana Ngata’s work in the preservation of Maori arts and crafts. Mr Holland congratulated Sir Apirana Ngata and the 'Ngatiporou people on the consummation of the project. Religious ceremonies associated with the opening of the hall were conducted by the Bishop of Aotearoa, Bishop Bennett, and the Very Rev. J. G. Laughton, principal of Presbyterian Maori Missions. Adherents of the Ringatu sect also conducted their own observance. In declaring the hall open, the Gov-ernor-General named it “Uhepohatu,” commemorating the name of the famous ancestress of the family of Tawhiarsngi, who gave the ground for the park in which the hall stands. Sir Bernard Freyberg also referred to the spiritual significance of the memorial. Inside the hall, he unveiled a series of tablets commemorating the war dead of the district in the 1914-18 and 1939-45 wars, another in memory of Lieutenant Ngariinu. V.C., and a fourth of the Tawhiarangi. The Vice-regal party and other dis.tinguished guests were later entertained at lunch in the hall, with an overflow gathering of 1000 accommodated in marquees.