Hostels review wanted

Press, 1 November 1978, Page 5

Hostels review wanted

The Minister of Maori Affairs (Mr Maclntyre) will be asked by the National mem-; bei of Parliament for Rangiora (Mr D. F. Quiglev) • this week to review the clos- 1 ing of two Maori tradetraining hostels in Christchurch. He was one of several • speakers tn a discussion on the hostels at Tuahiwi Hall, near Kaiapoi. The Government had previously announced that the Te Kaihanga and Te Aranga; hostels which had been maintamed by the Anglican Social Services would close on De- I cember 8. Costs had forced the Anglican Council to end its agreements with the Department of Maori Affairs. The possibility of Maori . youths from rural areas be- > ing trained in provincial towns rather than the city I. was being considered, said , Mr Quigley. The meeting of about 80; people. W'as held in conjunc-l; tion with the opening cam-; paign of the Labour mem-;' ber of Parliament fori Southern Maori (Mrs Whetu!' Tirikatene-Sullivan). Mr Quiglev said that the < issue was not just a Christ- 1 ' church matter as 99 per cent of the trainees now in the J hostels were from the North 11 Island. i He said a suggestion made < at the meeting was that the <

hostels could remain open for South Island Maoris only, to I train on short-term courses. "Perhaps the need for the hostels could be looked at as a centre for Maori youths to meet and adapt culture and customs in a communityatmosphere in the citv.” said Mr Quigley. He hoped the accommodation expiry date would be reviewed, too, said Mr Quigley. The matron at one of the hostels would give her ; services free of charge if the boys there could stay on another two w'eeks in December. Mr Quiglev said that the Methodist Central Mission had also pledged to do ail it could to help. The Values candidate for; Papanui (Mr G. Clover) said last evening that there needed to be better public ; relations on the hostels because the Methodist Central; Mission did not know the; full circumstances of the clos-j ing of the hostels and people ■ were starting to get worried that Te Rehua hostel would! ! close. He said that it was not! closing because the land was | owned by the mission. He said there was a great; need to keep the hostels open because many of the skills! needed by the trainees could! only be obtained in the big! cities.