OBITUARY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 163, 30 June 1930, Page 4

OBITUARY

SIR MAUI POMARE The death, of Sir Maui Pomare, K.8.E.. C. M. G-, M.P. for Western Maori since 1911, is announced by private telegram received from California, where he was recruiting his health. He was born in 1876, and was a son of Wiremu Naera Pomare, chief of Ngatiawa. He married Miss Woodbine Johnston and had two sons and one daughter. When at Te Aute College he determined to be a doctor to his people and went to the United States, where he graduated with honours. He gave lectures on the Maori race to help earn his keep in expensive America, and many a time went without a meal to buy a book. On his return to New Zealand, Dr. Pomare, then about 25 years old, was gladly engaged by the Government as Government Health Officer to the Maoris, and with earnestness and enthusiasm he set about his big task He was the first doctor to penetrate the Urewera country and the lesser-known parts of the Upper Wanganui. His periodic reports to the Government in those days make peculiarly interesting reading to-day. His next scene of work for the betterment of native people was the South Pacific Islands, under the New Zealand flag. Here

he found the natives in the direst need of medical attention and of education in hygiene. Alter cruising from island to island, he inspected the lepers at Penrhyn Island and then instituted a health-for-the-Poly-nesians campaign, with far-reaching effects. To him lies the credit for the fact that to-day the islands are almost free from leprosy and that all sufferers have been concentrated at Makogai. He will long be remembered as the Maori-Polynesian pioneer.

The honour of C.M.G., conferred in 1920 and that of K.B.E. in 1922, are pointers to the value set on his war period work and to his efforts to raise the standard of life among the Maori and Polynesian people. He was surgeon-captain to the old Te Ore Ore Mounted Rifles. Sir Maui represented the Western Maori electorate in the House of Representatives from 1911 to the time of his death, and was a member of Cabinet in both t,he Massey and the Coates Governments.