‘Land loss trapped tribe’
Loss of land drove Poutini Ngai Tahu people out of Greymouth and forced them to become economically trapped in the labouring class, the Waitangi Tribunal was told.
Mr Andrew Mason said his people had been deprived of the land base which had been their cultural, economic and spiritual heritage. They had then fallen behind in everything from business acumen to Maori language and culture, he said.
“In the past our people in Arahura were proud and independent. That pride and independence
have been badly eroded by the processes which I have described. “In some ways the worst enemies • of our people have been the well-intentioned activities of the Maori Affairs and Social Welfare departments. They have made too many Maoris dependent on their aid.” If control of pounamu (greenstone) was returned to Maori people and control over the restoration of culture, language, education, and freedom from the Maori Reserved Land Act with a revision of leases granted as remedies, the tribe could again be proud and independent, he said.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19871208.2.119
Bibliographic details
Press, 8 December 1987, Page 22
Word Count
173‘Land loss trapped tribe’ Press, 8 December 1987, Page 22
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in