Rapana Church Appeals To Prime Minister

Northern Advocate, 3 April 1947, Page 4

Rapana Church Appeals To Prime Minister

A DIRECT appeal has been made by letter from the leaders of the Absolute Maori Established Church of Aotearoa, Waipounamu and Wharekauri, to the Prime Minister for advice and assistance in the new organisation’s proclaimed objective of uplifting the Maori race both physically and spiritually. Eight points were listed in the letter to the Prime Minister. It was pointed out that none of them involved financial assistance.

The appeal was signed by the Rev. Hemirua Paora. registered officiati ig minister of the Absolute Maori Church. Mr Paora was well-known at Matauri Bay as Mr Jimmy Paul until his recent accession into the new movement, which was founded by To Aaka Rapana and established at Te Tii-Man-gonui, at the northern extremity of the Bay of Islands. BELIEFS AND PLANS The letter to Mr Fraser, taking three pages of single spaced typescript, began with a summary of the tenet of the Rapana teachings. Briefly they consist of “the worship of Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity in the Glory of the One Father”; strict adherence to the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s command; abolition of idolatry and tohungaism; total alcoholic abstinence; abolition of horse racing, card-playing or any other form of gambling; uplifting the Maori race. The letter then outlined the establishment of the Absolute Maori Cooperative Association, set up recently at Te Tii-Mangonui and to be governed and controlled by a board of directois periodically elected by its members. This cooperative association consists of SO families, who are tef band together to earn their livelihood by market gardening at six places within 25 miles of Te each family on a two-acre section. It is hoped this system will be operating by the end of the year. The letter informed the Prime Minister that the association’s board of directors would handle disposal of all produce, allocation of work, payments, purchases pf stores, equipment and manures, also control of all benefits. The board hoped to receive the benefit of bulk purchase of all necessary commodities, including rationed and restricted goods. Arrangements iiad already , been made with a large Auckland wholesale firm for supply of all requirements to the board on a cash basis. REQUESTS FOR PERMITS First of the eight points put to the Prime Minister was for permission to house incoming families temporarily in raupo and nilcau huts so that they might complete preparation of their gardens by May. Economy and sanitation would be observed in building these huts. The second point was “to be permitted later to build our permanent houses to our own plans and by ourselves.” Third was for a permit for progressive supplies of restricted building materials, such as cement, etc. Fourth, “to be permitted to build cur Temple of Worship out of cobble stones (cut by ourselves) and cement, to our own plans and specifications.” It was added that asbestos-cement roofing had been bought and was on hand. Fifth, registration of the cooperative association as growers for market or sale of such produce as onions, potatoes. kumara, wheat, maize, carrots and cabbages, instead of registration of individual growers or even of subgroups. TELEPHONES WANTED Sixth, an arrangement with the Government to purchase all seed onions produced to standard. Seventh, granting of a permit through the association’s merchant or some other source for purchase of fencing wire, manure or any restricted implements that might be required. Eighth, installation of a telephone service connected directly to the Government lines instead of to any of the existing private party lines in the different operative areas. Three telephones were sought for the headquarters offices at Te TiiMangonui and one each at the sub-

group areas of Matauri Bay. Waimate North, Waitangi, Wharengaerc and Oromahoe.

appreciate ratana The Prime Minister was thanked In advance for any advice or assistance he might give which eventually would lead the new movement towards attaining its objective of “leading our race to live a cleaner life, to make use of our idle lands, to assist in the food production of the Dominion.”

Thanks and appreciation were conveyed to Mr Fraser and his Government for what had been done and still was being done for the Maori people to better their home-life. “But I have watched with regret how in many of the northern centres some of my people abuse your generosity,” Mr Paora added in his letter. “We admired and appreciated the attempt, too, that Mr T. W. Ratana senior made to improve the life’ of the Maori, but unfortunately the people, not being bound to renounce all evils, utterly failed to achieve the good object that Mr Ratana intended. Still Mr Ratana succeeded in the abolishment of tohungaism by his followers.” To date, a reply has' not been received from Wellington, but the immediate work of erecting temporary nikau huts and cultivating ground that has been long unused is going on apace. The desire to work and to be selfsufficient is Strong at Te Tii-Mango-nui in these early stages of the scheme.