ROTORUA CONFERENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19130, 26 September 1936, Page 4

ROTORUA CONFERENCE

MAORI AND PAKEHA FEDERATION PROPOSED Poverty Bay will he represented at a conference to he held in Itotorua next week to establish a federation in which Europeans and Maoris might co-operate to raise the status of the native people and to formulate means of interesting pakehas generally in Maori culture and tradition. Mr. W. T. Pitt will be one of the Poverty Bay representatives, and it is likely that several others will make the journey. The project is the outcome of a discussion which took place in Dannevirke recently while tribal delegations were homeward bound from the conference called by the Prime Minister on Maori health and education. It was agreed by leading members of the delegation that too little was being done by the Maoris to encourage pakeha interest in the cultural and economic goals of the natives.

Speakers reminded the gathering that co-operation between Europeans and pakehas, through the medium of an organisation especially promoted for the purpose, .could do much to wipe out lingering causes of friction between the two races. The project to be debated in Rotorua has been launched by Araw.n leaders, Mr. Tai Mitchell being named as convener in chief, and Mr. Roger Dansey having accepted the duties of secretary pro tern. It is proposed that the new organisation, if its formation is approved by the conference, should be non-sectarian and nonpolitical, and should work for a better understanding between the two races of each other's problems. One barrier to good understanding has been the lack of any organised body of Europeans closely in touch with native problems and so qualified to give a lead to public opinion on these problems; while on the Maori side suspicion and ill-feeling havo persisted in connection with the incidents of minor importance, simply bwause of inaccurate interpretations of European policy and outlook. Among those who will attend the conference from Poverty Bay is Mr. W. E. Bullivant, who is anxious to secure expressions of opinion from pakehas interested in the project as to the best means of promoting cooperation,