NATIVE AFFAIRS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 30 April 1934, Page 4

NATIVE AFFAIRS

COMMISSION’S INQUIRY MAORI PRINCESS’S VIEWS (By Telegraph—Press Association) AUCKLAND, 27th April. Tiie Native Affairs Commission concluded its Auckland sitting to day, and will resume at Whangarei next Friday. Afterwards it goes to Rotorua. One of the principal witnesses toway was Princess To Puea Herangi, 1 chieftaiiiess of the Waikato Tribe. Site said that some years ago she had found that, her people were becoming poor, and one of the things she. decided to do was to reconstruct Ngaruawaliia and to make it the home and centre of _ culture of the Waikato people. Witness described in detail the establishment of other schemes and the difficulties she had encountered in overcoming the dislike for Government work and the feeling created by the confiscation of Maori land. She went to work herself, and did everything with the exception of bushi felling, gorse and scrub-cutting, drainage work and road-making. She said she worked to encourage others to work. She liked to put owners on their own ianu, as it kept their minds occupied. After Christmas she went !to the Rotorua district, where she bad iust completed breaking in 600 acres of land for the Waikato people. 1 rincess Te Ruea considered that schemes were badly needed by the Natives. She wanted land so that she could keep them from going into the employment of Chinese gardeners. She had had some “stolen” from her at JNgaruawahia. Witness said that over 400 Maoris ".ere employed in such a way round about Auckland. At Pukekoh'e alone mere were about 3CO Natives. She vook a serious view of the situation, and did not know why the Government did not also. She considered that the scheme called the Ngata, scheme was a very excellent thing. Taking it all over the scheme was a very good one and she felt it would work out for the good of her people.