MANA LETTERS

Mana (Auckland), 14 July 1977, Page 2

MANA LETTERS

Support for Mana has been overwhelming since the first issue reached the community in June. The need for a multicultural newspaper in New Zealand has clearly been expressed! With continued support Mana will expand and help fill the need. Special thanks must go to the New Zealand Catholic Overseas Aid Committee which gave $l7OO to cover Mana staff wages. Also thanks to the New Zealand Food Processing Union’s 20 subscriptions worth $2OO, and the gentleman who sent a donation after being introduced to Mana when his wife found an issue on a Grafton street. That’s saturation distribution for you! Letters of support and subscriptions from individuals, churches, unions, schools and libraries have been received from all over the country. A selection of letters are printed below.

Friends. 1 would like to join with the Mana Committee members and give some assistance, it is good to group together all Polynesians and Marois working together, as one society. Eruera K. Stirling, M.B.E. Herne Bay. Friends, Kia ora ano ra koe. 1 would like to compliment the Mana Interim Committee on your excellent effort in the production of Mana. As a Maori, and as tangata whenua - initial occupant of Aotearoa - 1 welcome my Pacific Island brothers and sisters in this exciting venture, working together. No reira, e hoa ma, kia kaha, kia Manawanui. Ma te Wairua a o tatou tipuna e atawhai e manaki lenei take. Hilda Halleyard, President, Maori Club, Auckland University.

Friends, Congratulations on the first issue of Mana. I hope the enterprise will thrive, and make a great contribution to the harmonious development and expression of the cultures that help to make up our community. Greetings and good wishes. Neil Smith, Mt Eden. Friends, Your Our newspaper. Mana, will do much to uplift all Polynesians, to provide us with, information on each other which is so lacking in the major media - to create a new positive image of Polynesia in' New Zealand and help mould this multicultural nation. My warmest support, aroha, and congratulations. My “supporting subscription” enclosed, plus a donation towards the next issue. Dr Pat Hohepa, University of Auckland.

Friends, May 1 express the satisfaction of the Executive Committee of the Auckland Council for Civil Liberties with our advertisement in the “dummy” issue of Mana. W<s found the layout, typesetting and mechanics generally perfect. More importantly, however, it brought results - we are now receiving phone calls from the Polynesian people of Auckland. For the first time we feel that we are reaching out effectively to the Polynesian community. There is obviously a need for such communication, judging by the phone calls we have received. Bill Hodge, Secretary, Auckland Council for Civil Liberties. Friends, 1 am extremely pleased to see that a Polynesian newspaper has finally got off the ground in Auckland,’ ground in Auckland. I wish you every success in continuing the venture. M.A. James, Howick.

Friends, - Amnesty Aroha members are strongly in support of your venture and wish you well; hopefully we’ll be able to be of practical assistance too. Dara McNaught, Secretary, Amnesty Aroha, Wellington Friends. I wish you well in this venture as it is certainly a significant step in providing for our multicultural society. G. Jellyman, Secretary, Youth Involvement Programme, Ministry of Recreation and Sport, Wellington. Friends, - Good luck for this venture. We have run a community newspaper for the last couple of years - called Downtown. So we know the saga of lurching from crisis to crisis. It’s not easy, but it’s worthwhile. Mana will be a tremendous new dimension in newspapers in this country. Bob Scott, Inner City Ministry, Wellington.