ARAWA MAORIS

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1933, Page 3

ARAWA MAORIS

TRUST BOARD UNPOPULAR. NEW AUTHORITY SOUGHT. Rotorua, Jan. 12. During the week-end the Minister of Native Affairs, Sir Apirana Ngata, visited Tiaheke, near Rotorua, when oyer 450 members of the Arawa tribe, including landowners of Tiaheke and Rotoiti No. 3 and 4 blocks and others interested, laid their views before Sir Apirana in connection with a proposed scheme of working the land for native owners. Mr. Tai Mitchell and Mr. R. Levine were present and Mr. Taku Kingi represented the owners. Sir Apirana expressed himself as being in agreement with the scheme and suggested that the native owners should draw up a proposal regarding the working of the land, which should be submitted to him for consideration.

The proposal to abolish the existing Arawa Trust Board, representations concerning which have recently been made by way of petition to Parliament, was also brought to the notice of Sir Apirana. The petitioners . were . represented by Mr. Taku Kingi and Mr. Joe Tekiri, who explained the objects of the petition. Mr. Kingi suggested that the money administered by the Trust Board should be set aside for assisting members of the Arawa tribe to develop their lands and also that £lOOO te set aside annually for helping returned Maori soldiers, as was originally agreed upon. Sir Apirana suggested that' the meeting should arrange for the election of new members for a Trust Board, but in view of the petition having been sent forward, the meeting was not agreeable to the proposal. The main clauses of the petition are as follows:—That the' Arawa Trust Board was granted the sum of £6OOO annually by the Government for the use and benefit of the Arawa tribes. That the annual payment of £6OOO has not, up to the present, been expended by the Arawa Trust Board for the use and benefit of the Arawa tribes, as was intended by the Act of Parliament. That the present Arawa Trust Board has spent, and is spending, large sums of money out of the grants made to it by the Government on the purchase of land for farming purposes which are not returning any immediate income. That many members of the Arawa tribe have been suffering from the want of food, clothing and-proper arid sanitary accommodation ever since the board has been established.

That the present Trust Board te .abolished and that a new Trust Board be established by the Arawa tribes by vote of the tribes.

It was eventually decided that another meeting be held at a later date to go further into matters brought forward.