Maoris to inarch again

Press, 21 February 1980, Page 1

Maoris to inarch again

Wellington reporter For the first time since the Maori land march of 1975, organised Maoris plan a march in numbers on New Zealand roads, «

For some years,, Wellington Maoris have been calling for the return of Mana Island, a farm off the west coast of Wellington. The Ngati Poneke of Wellington plan to march from Wellington to Ngaruawahia, starting on March 8 and arriving on April 4, with stops for public debate on the way. Discussions are being held between the Ngati Poneke and the Ministry of Transport about the route and how marchers will be controlled. Mana Island is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. It received much attention two, years ago when exotic sheep being bred there were suspected to have the devastating scrapie disease, and had to be slaughtered. The Prime Minister. (Mr Muldoon) said yesterday that Maoris must try

harder not to become the J labourers of New Zealand 4 or successors to the old-;,, time navvies of pioneering , days, the Press Associ-' ation reports. i Opening the new Raglan a area school, he urged Maori parents to keep their children at school as long as possible. -i “The world is hard on , the uneducated child, ; Maori or European,” he said. “On the other hand/] nothing stands in the way ! of the advancement of young Maoris who fit ■ themselves for the profes-'i sions, technical callings, or trades or other skilled ; work.”

He also urged Maori pa- > rents to take an active interest in school and to.' encourage those who were not doing so. , . “Maoris long had a rep-h utation for kindness and/ caring for their children, ( but that reputation «eems 1 to have been dimmed 1 somewhat in recent years,” Mr Muldoon said<; “If it is not revived I among those who lack it, j it may well become‘ a myth.” I