A MAORI BISHOP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19927, 21 April 1928, Page 12

A MAORI BISHOP.

VIEWPOINT OF NATIVES. "ONE OF OUR OWN RACE." APPEAL MADE TO SYNOD. [BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Friday. The question of appointing a Maori bishop was discussed by Sir Apirana Ngata at General Synod to-day. The difficulties surrounding the appointment of a Maori bishop, ho said, had been referred to by the archbishop in his opening address, but much could be said on the Maori side. When it was proposed there should be a Maori diocese with a bishop at the head of that diocese, the names of many men who had spent their lives in the service of the Maori people flew to their lips, but they (the Maoris) put these aside and stood firm for tho appointment of a Maori a3 the head of the organisation. They admitted the doubt in the mind of the pakeha whether they were equal to the occasion, but he asked if any pakeha could touch chords which a Maori bishop would touch, because of that magic force called race. The mysterious influence of race was being used by God throughout tho world to-day. If there was a will that a Maori should head this movement all tho difficulties could be easily brushed aside by Synod. The need of tho Church to-day was for a man who would go past the 10 per cent, of educated Maoris and get right under tho skins of tho 90 per cent, of tho race, who, in spite of 100 years of civilisation, were almost as primitive as the Maoris of 100 years ago. "It may be said," he added, "that we lack the power to organise, but organisation .was not the need of tho Maoris to-day, but what was needed was a man who could go round and quicken a cold church." Sir Apirana Ngata said they tendered their heartfelt thanks to the white man who had done so much for tho Maoris in the past, but what they wanted was a man round whose banner they could rally. They could not go back to their people emptyhanded. There were already people who had prophesied that tho Maoris would never get a bishop of their own race. There was no tacit agreement three years ago that the first bishop of the Maoris should be a pakeha. He was certain the Synod had an open mind on tho subject. "We plead," ho concluded, "for a man who will keep bright tho torch lighted by Marsden and Selwyn, and we plead that this torch bearer shall bo one of our own race." The Primate of New Zealand, Archbishop Averill. thanked Sir Apirana Ngata for putting the Maori views before Synod.