FLAGSTAFF AT RUSSELL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17239, 21 April 1930, Page 2

FLAGSTAFF AT RUSSELL

KEYS FOR MAORI & PAKEHA t CEREMONY OF HANDING OVER & . An interesting ceremony took plaee at Mr. Win. Ngawati’s residence, Russell, recently, when the members of the Russell Town Board met some of the leading chiefs of the Ngapuhi tribe to hand over a memorial key. The chairman of the To\vu Board, Mr. E. G. Hewiu, said that pn the previous day they had taken part in an important event at the flagstaff on Maiki Hill and they saw three historical flags flown there. New halyards had been made, as the old ones had been destroyed, so this time wire ones had been placed, and to prevent these wire halyards from being destroyed the ends had been padlocked. It was the intention of the Town Board to retain one key and to present to the Maoris the other as a token of goodwill and friendship. • Mr. A. E. Bisset said he would like to congratulate the Maoris on the way everything was carried .out. They believed the effect, of the memorial ifyould bo far-reaching, and that, it would go a long way towards binding the Maori and pakcha together. Mr. Clow said that on the previous day, standing by the flagstaff, a picture had come to his mind of. two countries each stretching an arm across the sea and grasping the other 's, hand. \

Mr. E. G. Hew in presented the key to fieri Kailii Kawiti, chief of Kfiwaknwa, to hold on behalf of the Maori people. Rpri Mai hi Ivawiti said he could jnoi find words to express his Tappm-iaiioU' of the ]>ro*eatat.ion of the valuable gift to the Maori people. He thanked the speakers for what they had said. It would bring them in closer touch rind hannonv. After the re-erecting of the staff the Maoris had asked the p:fl;eha to come close and live together. The request had been granted and the gathering together at the function had shown that the union was becoming closer and closer as the year# passed.