DEATH OF BISHOP BENNETT

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26220, 18 September 1950, Page 6

DEATH OF BISHOP BENNETT

DISTINGUISHED WORK FOR MAORI RACE

FUNERAL TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. September 17. The death occurred last night of the first Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, at his home at Kohupatiki, near Hastings, in his seventy-ninth year. He had been in ill health for the last few months, nis last official appearance being at the Te Aute College centenary celebrations a few weeks ago. His body is at present on the marae at Kohupatiki, and it will be taken on Tuesday morning to Napier, where a service will be conducted at 10 a.m. m St. John’s Cathedral. It will then be taken to Ohinemutu, where the funeral will be conducted at.. 11 a.m. on Thursday. At the service the Maori hymn “Ati Rawa” will be sung. The singing oi this hymn by Bishop Bennett at the age of 14, in the Rotorua district, attracted the attention of the Rt. Rev. A. B. Suter, Bishop of Nelson, who thereafter took an interest in the boy s early education at Nelson College and his subsequent entry into the Church. This hymn was sung at Bishop Bennett’s consecration in 1928. Bishop Bennett was the first Maori to become a bishop of the .Anglican Communion. He was one of the original members of the Young Maori Party. He was one of the most popular preachers in New Zealand. His was a beautifully modulated voice, clear and strong, resonant, and always effortlessly effective. Like most Maoris he was intensely musical. Bishop Bennett, who had been Bishop of Aotearoa and Suffragan Bishop of Waiapu since 1928, celebrated in 1947 the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He was born at Ohinemutu in 1872, his mother being a chieitainess of hign rank among the Arawa tribes and his father a son of Dr. John Bennett, of Auckland, first Registrar-General of New Zealand. He was educated at St. Stephen’s Maori Boys’ z School, Parnell, and Nelson College. After reading his theological course at Bishopsdale he was ordained deacon in 1896 and priest in 1897. At the request of Archdeacan Samuel Williams of Te Aute he was sent to assist the Maori mission in the North Island, serving in Taranaki, Rotorua, and Hawkes Bay. Bishop Bennett was married twice. He is survived by his widow, 13 sons and four daughters. One of his sons, Lieutenant-Colonel C. M. Bennett, was commander of the Maori Battalion during the Second World War. “A BELOVED LEADER” TRIBUTE BY PRIMATE OF N.Z. WORK FOR MAORIS PRAISED “New Zealand mourns to-day the loss of one of its most honoured and honourable citizens,’’ said the Primate of New Zealand (Archbishop WestWatson) yesterday after he had learned of the death of Bishop Bonnett. “Nearly 22 years ago, Frederick Augustus Bennett was consecrated ifl the stately cathedral of Napier, the first bishop of the Maori race,” he said. His ministry as a bishop had been chiefly in the Waiapu diocese, where he was appointed suffragan to the diocesan bishop, but he had in his heart all the Maori people, and was warmly welcomed by them in other dioceses, said Archbishop West-Watson. * “He combined an unswerving loyalty to the best and highest interests of his own race with wonderful understanding of the pakeha. To both races he spoke in a language which they understood and appreciated. The gathering at Rotorua to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination is'an undying memory to all those privileged to take part in it. “His last public appearance was in the centre of great Maori gatherings at Te Aute and Hukarere Schools only a few days ago. He was one of the last of that splendid band of leaders of the Young Maori Party to whom the race owes much. He and Sir Apirana Ngata lived long enough to see many of their hopes and ideals coming to fruition, and to rejoice that members of their race were taking positions of dignity and influence in New Zealand life. Sons of his served in the famous Maori Battalion in the last war. “His deepest longing was that the spiritual gifts and possibilities of the Maori race should not be stifled by the discord of modern civilisation, but should find harmonious expression and be a real asset in the spiritual life of our country. “The Bishop had a rare gift of winning friendship and affection,” added Archbishop West-Watson. “I can speak of his visit to England, and of the way in which he drew people to him, and won the admiration not only for his faith but for his Maori people. He preached in St. Paul’s and in Westminster Abbey, and wherever he went he left golden memories. At the Royal reception of bishops at Buckingham Palace the King and Queen spoke specially to him. and the Bishop told them of his memory of their former visit and of his anticipation of the visit in 1949. “Bishop Bennett was a great ambassador for Christ, and a great ambassador for the Maori race. He was not only a beloved leader in the Church and in the councils of his people: he was one of the rare characters whose private life is as full and gracious as their public life. To have enjoyed his friendship will always be a treasured memory to those who loved him. He was one of God s best gifts to his country, to his race, and to his friends.” “INSPIRATION TO HIS PEOPLE ” MR HOLLAND’S TRIBUTE (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. Sept. 17. The Maori people and New Zealand as a whole had lost one of its great Church leaders in the death of Bishop Bennett, said the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) this evening. “His work in promoting Christianity was an inspiration to the Maori people, when at the turn of the century the Maori race was in a decline,” Mr Holland said. “As an associate of the Young Maori Party, Bishop Bennett had inspired his people to co-operate with the pakeha for the good of New Zealand,” Mr Holland said. ‘‘With his clear logic, Bishop Bennett saw that the root of the problem was not solely economic, but also spiritual. His unwavering purpose and the deep understanding of his people helped to transform a spirit of hopelessness to one of faith and belief in the future.”

Mr Holland said he met Bishop Bennett at the funeral of Sir Apirana Ngata and again at the centennial celebrations of Te Aute College just three weeks ago. “I realised then,” Mr Holland said, “that his health was failing rapidly, but everyone who saw him and heard him could not fail to be impressed by his fortitude, his courage, and his abiding faith in the- Christian religion.” Mr Holland said his sympathies, coupled with the sympathies of the whole nation, went out to Bishop Bennett’s family. New Zealanders as a whole would mourn .the loss of this most distinguished Maori churchman. Mr Fraser’s Tribute Extending the sincere sympathy of the Labour Party, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Fraser) said another great and distinguished New Zealander had passed on, another able and devoted leader of the Maori people had come to his rest, another true, outstanding Christian in spirit, thought, word and deed had gone home.

“Everybody in New Zealand, pakeha as well as Maori, will feel that a true and dear friend has departed, and New Zealand is the poorer that his place knows him no more,” Mr Fraser said.

“His death, following so closely on that of his old friend and colleague in many a good cause, Sir Apirana Ngata, is a doubly severe blow to the Maori people as a whole, not only to those of his own church. He was respected, revered, and loved by all who knew him. His kindliness was universal. His sympathy extended to all in distress.

“Part of his life’s work was to assuage sorrow and to wipe away tears. He did that with a Christian understanding and a gentle touch. To-day many thousands call him blessed. He was a realist in fighting against evil, while his eyes pierced the future with hope born of insight. He had to deal with the difficult problems of to-day. He worked all his life along with other great Maori leaders such as Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir Maui Pomare, Mr Tai Mitchell, and Sir Peter Buck, for the spiritual, intellectual, economic, and social advancement of his people, but he was saddened at the heart when he saw young persons of the Maori race indulge in the evils which, unfortunately, accompany the association of unworthy European standards. “No one gloried more in the progress of his race during the last three or four decades than Bishop Benneit. He was a supporter of every effort of real progress. He rejoiced over the settlement of the long-standing Maori claims and grievances. Abroad, as at home in his native land, he won respect, affection, and esteem naturally and inevitably, and was honoured by all who met him as a fine representative of New Zealand, which he has enriched so much.”