MAORI EXAMPLE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 138, 6 March 1940, Page 5

MAORI EXAMPLE

Village Organization In Early Days AN ORDERED SOCIETY The tribal and village organization of the Maoris, which existed at the time of the coming of the Europeans, was referred to by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, in bis address at the opening of the Municipal Conference in Wellington last night. That there had been material progress under the civilizing European influences which had been in'operation in the past .100 years could not be contraverted, but it also remained true that the Maori was in no sense uncivilized. His tribal and village organization must call forth the admiration of all who bad studied it. Here there was no imphazard grouping of individuals: no mere inob following the whim of the moment, but a definitely ordered society where life, if not very advanced materially, was al least free from many of the worries ami complaints of modern local government.

It was well, as they celebrated this year the centenary of British sovereignty in New Zealand, to remember that they had much to learn from the progress which the Maori had made before the arrival of the pakeha. While they had in the past gone a long way toward creating, from the two races, a new nation, yet in the future they would do well to pay even greater attention to the contribution—spiritual contribution maybe—which tlie -Maori was able to render to their ideas about government. Tn several places in New Zealand Maori councillors formed a valuable part of the councils and it was to be .sincerely hoped that as time went, on Maoris would realize more fully their privilegesand responsibilities in regard to the government of areas where Maori populations lived, and would endeavour to give of their time and talents in lite service of the local authorities.