Obituary MR TE ARI PITAMA

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28536, 15 March 1958, Page 4

Obituary MR TE ARI PITAMA

Mr Te Aritaua Pitama, one of the most prominent of the Canterbury Maoris, died in Christchurch yesterday. He was 52. The son of Mr W. T. Pitama, of Kaiapoi, he was of rangatira descent. Early in his childhood Mr Pitama attracted the interest of the Rev. C» A. Fraer, founder of Te Wai Pounamu Maori Girls’ College, who exercised a formative influence on his life. He was educated at Christ’s College from 1918 to 1924, and later became headmaster of the Ratana School at Ratana. For a time he was on the staff of a Palmerston North newspaper. In the 1930’s Mr Pitama was closely associated with the organisation of the Labour Party in the Southern Maori electorate. In 1932 he was invited by the Labour Party to contest that seat at a by-election, and in subsequent elections he organised for the present member (Mr Tirikatene). In 1936 Mr Pitama was appointed a member of the Maori Advisory Council to the Savage Government. At that time he was the president of the Ashlev branch of the New Zealand Workers’ Union. Mr Pitama joined the National Commercial Broadcasting Service when station 3ZB was established in Christchurch, and made a feature of a Maori programme. Later he visited Australia and lectured on Maori customs to school children in New South Wales. He promoted the Pipiwharauroa. a party of young Maori entertainers of his own family, which for 10 years travelled the South Island and raised considerable sums for charity. He was in charge of the Maori reception arrangements when the Duke of Gloucester visited Christchurch. and in 1940 he was liaison officer between the Department of Internal Affairs and the Canterbury Maori groups for the Akaroa centenary.

Mr Pitama was a member of the Canterbury regional committee of the National Historic Places Trust, of the Christchurch Maori Tribal Committee, and of the Ngai Tahu Trust Board. Although bom and. reared in the South Island, where the use of the Maori language is dying out among the younger members of the race, Mr Pitama took particular pains to acquire a fluent speaking knowledge of Maori, and was recognised even by the great tribes of the North Island as a great Maori orator. Mr Pitama is survived by his wife, three brothers, and two sisters.