THE RELIGIOUS LESSON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21717, 5 February 1934, Page 11

THE RELIGIOUS LESSON

ADDRESS BY ARCHBISHOP UNITY THROUGH GOD'S LOVE CHURCH HISTORY RECALLED [BY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL REPORTER] WAITANGI, Sunday The religious lesson of the great Waitangi gathering was drawn by Archbishop Averill in an address at a large open-air service conducted in'the camp by Bishop Bennett and 20 Maori clergy. The Bishop had previously preached in Maori, and he acted as the Archbishop's interpreter. The Archbishop said he welcomed the opportunity of addressing so many representatives of all sections of the Maori people. " As I watched many of you arrive by launch, oftan, unfortunately, in the rain,'.' he continued, " I was reminded of the words of scripture, ' Thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of Israel, to testify unto Israel and give thanks to the name of the Lord.'

" As the head of the church of missionaries who first came to this country, and as Bishop of the diocese in which this place is situated, I offer you a very hearty welcome to this very historic spot in the Bay of Islands. It is a very wonderful thing, when we come to think of it, that this gathering is being held within sight of Paihia., of Oihi and of Russell, where Captain Hobson first landed, and within not many miles of the mission stations of Waimate and Kerikeri, all of them spots associated with the early history of New Zealand, and the beginning of mission work in this country.

"I am aware that the gathering here is not for a religious, but for another purpose, but X am sure hundreds and thousands on this historic spot realise that the best of blessings that this country enjoys is the love of God for His people. . " It was the love of God m the soul of Samuel Marsden that brought him to Oihi, and I well remember the gathering there on Christmas Day, 1914, to commemorate bis centenary. I shall never forget the' service at the foot of Marsden cross, when pakeha and Maori partook together of the bread of life. The Archbishop pointed out that the work of the missionaries made the Treaty of Waitangi possible. They were most grateful to the Governor-General for the gift of the magnificent Waitangi site, which had become a national asset now that Maori and pakeha were one people under one .King. Just as the new bridge joined Ti Point to waitangi, so it joined Maori and pakeha. He trusted that so long an the bridge remained their union would endure a 'x°he one link which bound together and made the people great was the love which that day he brought from the church of the missionaries, the message of the love of the pakeha people for their Maori cousins. CEREMONIAL WEAPONS MANUFACTURE IN AUCKLAND MASS PRODUCTION METHODS By the manufacture of Maori weapons on a wholesale scale in less than- two days the Kauri Timber Company has probably accomplished what would have taken the primitive native almost as many years. "Where 300 years ago the rough wood had to be cut out with stone chisels and scraped to the desired shape with flakes of obsidian, on Thursday of last week the machines of modern man commenced what would have been the huge task of turning out 800 weapons of different kinds. This large order was occasioned by the need for imitation arms for the ceremonies at Waitangi. In the days before the white man came to New Zealand every Maori fighting man owned and prized at least one weapon of which he was a master. On his skill with this depended his life when he came to the fierce hand-to-hand fighting that was a characteristic of Maori warfare. Then came the musket of the pakeha and fighting became a matter of traversed trenches and dug-outs. The need for arms for close fighting disappeared and the weapons became tribal treasures by which to remember the famous fighting men. Many of these heirlooms wero sacrificed cheaply and went into private, collections, while others were deposited in museums. With the ceremonies celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi came the need for a large number of weapons and as the' Maoris themselves had few it became necessary to produce them at short notice. _ . . The order was given to the Kauri Timber Company by the Native Land Department at 4.-30 p.m. on Wednesday of last week. Men were immediately put on to commence the task of filling an order comprising 300 taiaha, 100 tewliatewha, 300 koikoi and 100 paddles. Models were loaned by the Auckland Museum and by 4 p.m. on Friday the whole consignment was duly put on the train to Opua for TVaitangi.

AMBULANCE SERVICE

FIRST-AID STATION

An ambulance from the Auckland headquarters of the St. John Ambulance Association travelled to Waitangi yesterday to be available in cases of emergency during the celebrations. A first-aid station will tie established in a tent, where accident victims will be treated.