WESLEYAN MISSIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16662, 16 February 1925, Page 3

WESLEYAN MISSIONS.

; WORK AMONG THE' MAORIS'. An interesting and touching address on the early days of Methodism among the Maoris was delivered at the annua/1 harvest festival at the Bright street Wesleyan Church last evening by the Key. Tahufopiki Haddon, veteran Maori missionary of Hawera. Mr Haddon, in hi. s opening remarks, reminded the congregation that although lie had been a Methodist minister for over 30 years in New Zealand, he had never before visited Gisborne, owing to the fact that Wesleyan missions were established on the West Coast and Anglican on the East Coast, and this pact of the father missionaries had never been broken,

As illustrating the great hunger of the, Maoris for a minister of their own, the speaker told how his grandfather, a lending Taranaki chief, when lie heard of the Wesleyan Conference which was held in Auckland in 1837, had walker 1 all the way from Waitara to Auckland. Tie secured l the appointment of the Rev. Mr Sceviiudon, the first superintendent of Maori missions for Taranaki. So anxious was he to have a missionary that he and his party made a stretcher in which they carried Mr Seevingtorr over the hills from pa. to pa until they reached home. During the year in which Mr Scevington was stationed at Taranaki, great progress was made, and all the country from New Plymouth to Rangitaiki was thoroughly evangalised. Many thrilling incidents which occurred duriiiir the early days of Methodism among the Maoris were related by Mr Haddon, who also told how his uncle was the first martyr to Christianity in New Zealand. In "those days of tribal!: disputes his uncle had gone to preach in the Taupo district, where the Maoris were all under the Hauhau regime. They had resented his coming to preach to them, and while he was praying they killed him. The speaker also gave reasons why tlie Europeans should be grateful to' the Maoris for what they had done, for after .nil they had handed over land to the pakeha that was rightly their own. A special collection was made on behalf of the church debt, and a sum of about. £4O was received.