Responsibility Seen Towards Maoris

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31760, 17 August 1968, Page 12

Responsibility Seen Towards Maoris

A great change in the socio-economic position of the Maori was needed, said Mrs W. Tirikatene-Sullivan, M.P., addressing the annual conference of the National Council of Churches, yesterday.

“Education is the key to the reform. It is not for racial reasons that the Maori people have found themselves in an inferior position, but because they ha’-e not the qualifications to compete on an even basis with the pakeha,” she said. “I know that the Maori is capable of attaining a higher standard of education and income. I know, because I have done it ” Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan said

that 7.4 per cent of New Zealand’s population was registered as at least half-blooded Maori, but by 2000, if present trends continued, one in 10 persons in the country would be Macri.

“The Maori has a lower level of income and a higher rate of unemployment than the pakeha and it is the responsibility of the people of New Zealand to see that this situation is corrected.” In the 1850 s, Mrs Tirika-tane-Sullivan said, the Maori was supreme. He owned most of the coastal fishing vessels, most of the land was his and he was paying more than half the taxes which were financing tne country. Since then, he had been dispossessed of his land in most cases through unfair legislation and been placed in an inferior position. “Now in this position, he is not able to compete with the pakeha. It is not the pakeha with whom the Maori is dissatisfied; it is unfair legislation,” Mrs Tirikatene-Sulli-van said.