GREAT MAORI HUI

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24541, 25 March 1943, Page 4

GREAT MAORI HUI

NEW MEETING HOUSES CEREMONY AT ROTORUA CENTTJEY OF ALLEGIANCE ; (S.R.) ROTORUA, Wednesday The official opening by the GovernorGeneral, -Sir Cyril Newall, to-day, of the two Arawa meeting houses, the wliare wananga Tawakeheiinoa, at Te Awahou, and Tamatekapha, the wliare ruiianga at Ohineniutu, brought about the greatest Maori liui that has been held for some years and gave expression to the Maori gift for ceremonial and traditional entertainment. The dances, songs and haka items, which at Ohinemutu occupied the greater part of the afternoon, were of a high artistic order. The Governor-General, who was accompanied by Lady Newall, was escorted by a mounted detachment of the Home Guard from the lake front to the open area outside the entrance to the pa. A magnificently drilled guard of honour was provided by the Second Maori Battalion. After the inspection the Vice-Regal party walked slowly toward the marae, at the entrance to which they were challenged by properly attired party of warriors from the Maori Battalion, whose fiercelyperformed drill was most realistic and thrilled even those familiar with it. To others, including American servicemen, the display gave exceptional interest. Homage to the Fallen The first ceremony was a religious service of homage to the fallen in both wars. The church bell tolled for a period and then the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Aotcaroa, conducted a service and delivered an eloquent oration. In addition to the haka party from the Maori Battalion, several parties from various tribes, including the Ngati Poneke, a recently created group in Wellington, devoted to dancing and folk lore singing, were seen and heard in friendly tribal rivalry in the entertainment field. The formal speeches were short. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, spoke on behalf of the Government, other members of which who were present being the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, the Hon. R. Semple and the Hon. P. K. Paikea. In his address the Governor-General said that the opening of the meeting house was a great and solemn occasion. Their thoughts were with those who had gone before with the great ones of the Maori people, from Tamntekapua the navigator down through the generations to their own fathers, sons and brothers who had sailed across the seas to fight and die for King George and for the Empire. Tt was no mere formal honour which they paid. A Noble Inheritance "Wo pledge ourselves here and now to do our utmost to bo worthy of them," Sir Cyril Newall said. "That is no easy task, for they have set us an example which is hard indeed to follow. But their spirits watch over us and their deeds inspire us to meet our difficulties and to overcome them. They have handed down to us a great and noble inheritance which it is our bounden duty to preserve and hand on to our children. "The Maori people of New Zealand have earned an honoured place among the people of the world. Their courage and their loyalty are known to both friend and foe. These qualities have been fostered down the ages. Your traditions stretch back into the dim distance of history and are a most priceless heritage, for tradition is the firmest foundation on which to build progress. "Your language, folk lore, songs and dances, handed down as they have been from generation to generation, are the soul of your people. The arts and teachings of your forefathers are in your hands. If you should fail to pass them on to your children, the loss to your people and to the world would be incalculable. But 1 know you will not fail The care and skill with which you have fashioned this house are a testimony that you are mindful of your tradition and reverence the past Privilege of Citizenship "We are celebrating the first 100 years of Maori allegiance to the British Throne. Your chiefs signed at Waitangi a treaty in which they pledged allegiance to the Great White Queen, and to-day you have reaffirmed your loyalty to Queen Victoria's great-grandson, King George VI. It is my honour to represent our gracious Sovereign in this, his most distant Dominion, and I know that his Maori people are ever in his heart. Citizenship of the British Empire is a great privilege, and like all privileges it carries with it great responsibilities. "The prowess ol the Maori Battalion, the war effort of the Maori people in the defence of this country and in essential industries, and the land which you have cultivated over and above your requirements—these are all clear proofs of your determination to carry your full share of our common burdens. The King's enemies threaten us and conspire to overthrow our Empire and with it all that we hold most sacred. Untarnished Heritage "They would enslave us and our children, but we are free and none shall wrest our freedom from us, whatever the cost to ourselves, and our children shall receive from us untarnished the heritage we hold in trust for them. Long may this building stand as a reminder to us and to those who follow us of the glories of the past. Long may it inspire the Maori people to guard their heritage at all times. Let us vow that we shall not flinch from any sacrifice that may be necessary to enable those who follow us to fear God, honour the King, and love the brotherhood