Survey Pegs

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 18

Survey Pegs

A recent item in the news concerns a Maori woman, Maraea Heke, who has to serve a two months’ sentence for pulling out and destroying survey pegs. In the early days there was often great trouble with the Maori when surveys were being made for roads. The Maori was more often than not in the right, for they were seldom consulted properly before the work was started. On one occasion in the ’eighties a survey was being made in the outer parts of the Urewera. The mountain tribes were opposed to the laying out of a Government road from the Rangitaiki Plains to Ahikereru. As fast as pegs were driven in the Maori would pull them up. They spread blankets in front of the theodolites, the women clasped the trees which had to be cut. It was very pathetic. The men had their orders, however, and had to go on with the work. They hit upon the plan of burying the real pegs and setting up others a short distance away. Tho Maori pulled up these pegs and never discovered the trick that was played, until too late. — “M.W.” (Wanganui).