MAORI MISSION

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3214, 9 August 1932, Page 4

MAORI MISSION

LANTERN LECTURE BY BISHOP OF AOTEAROA. SPIRITUAL AWAKENING OF MAORI PEOPLE. A very interesting address on mission work among the Maori people was given at the Parish Hall last evening by the Right Rev. Bishop F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Aotearoa. Proceedings opened with the hymn “The Church’s One Foundation,” and then the vicar of Te Awamutu, Rev. S. R. Wareing, briefly introduced his Lordship the Bishop, also mentioning that the work among the Maori people has a special interest to Te Awamutu for it was here that much of missionwork was done. 1n“34 the average congregation at the Mission Station not fifty yards from the hall in which the Bishop was to speak, was in the vicinity of 250. Bishop Bennett thanked the vicar for his kindly welcome and the reference to the mission work in the early days of Te Awamutu, for it was a splendid preface to his address. During his travels throughout the Dominion he had found a lively interest in spiritual things among the Maori people. For instance, at one tiny settlement in the far north recently, where he had conducted a service it was expected that very soon there would be over fifty candidates for confirmation. A few months previous to his visit not a single native in the district ever attended a church. At Ahipara he had seen 127 Maori communicants, all from one parish. He proceeded first, by lantern slides excellently screened, to give what he called “a bird’s eye view ” of the whole of the Maori mission work, tracing the progress from those hard times when the very few workers bore the heat and burden of the day. Actually the Maori Bible or the Old Testament, was translated first by the Maoris of the Te Awamutu district. This district was a very important one in Maori Mission work, but a few generations ago there weresharp differences between pakeha and Maori, resulting in the estrangement of the Maori, and it took a long time and a lot of patience to break down the isolation engendered then. Some of the young Waikato Maoris were working now with such zeal and application that before long he was confident that great leaders of the Maori people would come from their number. He had come from Hawke’s Bay especially to stimulate and direct the work in the Waikato Diocese, and everywhere he was given every encouragement. He spoke of the recent establishment of the new church at Paeroa, the funds for which were contributed by a Maori lady resident in that district. It was the first real Maori church in the diocese, and there was good reason to be proud of it. Next he screened a wonderful series of views, from Tasman’s ships off the coast of this country in 1642, when Tasman first sighted the West Coast of the South Island and proceeded north past Egmont and Kawhia to the North Cape and the Three Kings Islands, which latter isles he named in commemoration of the date of discovery, Christmas Day. About 150 years later Captain Cook arrived off the coast of Poverty Bay, and landed at six or eight points along the coast. Then were shown pictures of the tuatara, moa, canoes, images, and implements of handicrafts; photos of Marsden. Henry Williams, Selwyn, Carl Volknert Richard Taylor, and other stalwarts of missionary endeavour; Rewi Maniapoto, and other leadingchiefs, pictures of Easter Island, and Samoa; the Chatham Islands, and the people and conditions there; including a photo of the only living 'pureblooded Moriori on the Islands; and then a series of views of work among the Maoris in recent times, the Te Aute College, Hukarere Girls’ College, churches and congregations in various parts of the Dominion, especially in the far north, and he closed with an expression of confidence that the work among the Maoris would be fruitful of good for both Maori and pakeha. He also paid a tribute to the generous help and encouragement extended by the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata, a Maori Minister of the Cabinet whose heart and soul is dedicated to the welfare of the race of which he himself is such a worthy ornament and leader; the\ Maoris and the Anglican Church owe a great debt of gratitude to him. He is helping the Maoris materially, by fostering their arts and encouraging them to fend for themselves in the occupation of farming and tilling the soil. Continuing, the Bishop said at present the Waikato Diocese is passing through a very hopeful phase and there are more signs of a spiritual awakening among the Maoris than at anv time in the past half-century. During the evening hymns were sung bv the congregation, and a lady from Hamilton was heard to great effect as the soloist in rendering a a beautiful Maori hymn. Mr Puryer played the accompaniments. After the lecture the lad’es provided and disnensed a light supper, and op. portunitv was taken by several church people to converse with his Lordship on aspects of his work.