Drive For Funds For Education Of Maoris

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29752, 20 February 1962, Page 22

Drive For Funds For Education Of Maoris

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Feb 19. A national campaign for funds for the Maori Education Foundation will be launched late in March. Mr D. G. Ball, chairman of the Foundation Board of Trustees, announced today. Mr Ball said that the foundation, which was established last year to lift Maori educational and vocational standards. needed a huge sum to do its job properly. The foundation has been launched with a grant of £125,000 by the Government, whieh would also subsidise donations £ for £. The foundation had already granted some financial assistance to selected Maori students. The foundation operated on interest while keeping its capital intact. At present a nation-wide network of district and local fund-raising committees was being set up to support the foundation.

The district committees would have co-chairmen, one Maori and one pakeha, except in the case of Greymouth, where a pakeha with Maori interests and connexions was acting as co-chair-man with the Mayor The district committees would arrange for local committees to be set up to cover towns and other areas in their districts. The pakeha chairman of each district conunittee was the Mayor or deputy-Mayor of a town in the area covered by the committee.

Mr Ball said he had been heartened to find that the Mayors had been most cooperative. The national fund-raising campaign, which would be launched on March 26 would be under the patronage of a group of prominent citizens, as well as the Maori Education Foundation Board ot Trustees.

The campaign patrons were: the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake), the Minister of Maori Affairs (Mr Hanan), the Minister of Education (Mr Tennent), the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash), the Bishop at Aotearoa (the

Rt. Rev. W. N. Panapa), the Mayor of Wellington (Mr F. J. kittt). Lady Pomare, Sir Charles Norwood. Sir John Bott, Sir David Smith, and Sir George Currie. The co-chairmen of the Christchurch fund - raising committee will be the Mayor (Mr G. Manning), and Mr J. Karetai. Greymouth’s cochairmen are Messrs F. W. Baillie and F. J. Neate; Westport’s. Messrs J. Watson and G. J. Mason; Nelson's, Mr S I. Russell and Dr. Rina Moore; and Blenheim’s. Messrs E T. Meachem and I. Te Puni.