MINISTER’S VISIT TO MEET MAORIS: TENTATIVE DATE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23154, 17 January 1950, Page 6

MINISTER’S VISIT TO MEET MAORIS: TENTATIVE DATE

Maori residents of the Gisborne district are looking forward with interest to a projected visit from the new Minister for Maori Affairs. Mr. E. B. Corbett.

The visit had been fixed tentatively for February 4. and a meeting of district Maoris was called for that date at Poho-o-Rawiri to discuss leading issues with Mr. Corbett.

The Minister has now indicated that pressure of business will not permit him to reach Gisborne by February 4. and he has provisionally fixed February il as the date of his visit.

The Maori gathering at which the Minister will appear is connected with ceremonies commemorating the landing of the Horouta canoe about the • ear 1350. as one of the Great Fleet of five canoes which arrived from the Soeietv Islands and the Cook Group, included in the celebrations will be a iawn tennis tournament conducted by

the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association on an inter-tribal basis. The trophy at stake in this tournament has not been competed for since 1930, when at the opening of Poho-o-Rawiri a tennis tournament was a prominent feature of the celebrations. It is the Morehu Turoa Cup. and joint winners in 1930 were Messrs. P. Kaua and Wattie McKay. The latter died as i orisor.er of war after having been wounded in the Battle of Crete in 1941. Rules for the competition have been amended to permit of the entry by any •yibal association of women as well as aen players, and the competition is to ■e conducted on Davis Cup lines. Most ::f the prominent Maori players of the North Island are expected to attend the ''.ornament, and the general celebra- ■ ions will undoubtedly attract large numberds of Maoris to Poho-o-Rawiri.