MAORI SOLDIERS' FUND

Te Ao Hou, Winter 1954, Page 55

The late Sir Apirana's dream of a fund to help Maori veterans and their descendants has come true at last. MAORI SOLDIERS' FUND —brings relief to the old, opportunity to the young— PUTEA MONI MA NGA HOIA MAORI Kua maha nga marama inaianei e utua ana ki nga hoia Maori o te Pakanga Tuatahi he moni takoha no roto i te Putea Moni Ma Nga Hoia Maori kei raro i te whakahaere a te Kai-Tiaki Maori. E ono tekau ma toru nga tono i tae mai ki te Tari i mua atu o te 15 o Tihema, 1953, a e wha tekau ma whitu i utua hei awhina i nga hoia koroheke i kitea e ahua mate ana, e ahua he ana te noho. Ko te nuinga o aua takoha e £50, ehara i te mea aua takoha hei awhina whare mahi paamu, mo etahi atu whakahaere mahi ranei, engari, hei awhina ke, hei whakamama i te ahua tonu o te noho o aua hoia kua koroheketia. I raro i tenei ritenga, kotahi anake te utunga i neke atu i tenei, ara, ko te £100 i utua ki te putea moni mo te tohu whakamaharatanga ki a Ta Te Rangihiroa Buck, ko ia nei i tua atu i te mea ko ia nei tetahi a nga tino tangata matau, ko ia tonu te kaihautu tuatahi o te Ropu Hoia Maori o te Pakanga Tuatahi, a ko ia tonu hoki te takuta tuatahi o taua ropu. I waho atu i te awhina ki nga hoia Maori e ahua he ana te noho, he maha atu nga whakamahinga totika o nga moni i roto i taua Putea. I te tau 1952, i te whai i nga tohutohu Grants to needy maori veterans of the First World War have been made for some months now out of the Maori Soldiers' Fund, administered by the Maori Trustee. Sixty-three applications were received up to December 15, 1953, and forty-seven were granted, affording help to veterans in needy circumstances and facing financial difficulties. As a general rule, these grants are confined to a maximum of £50, and made not to help with housing, farming and the establishment of businesses, but purely to alleviate distress. To this rule, so far only one exception has been made, namely a grant of £100 towards the memorial to the late Sir Peter Buck, who was, apart from being a famous scientist and leader, the first Maori commander of the Maori (Pioneer) Battalion in the First World War, and its first medical officer. Quite apart from assistance to needy veterans, the fund has many beneficial uses. In 1952 following the recommendations of many veterans, a grant of £5000 was made to the Ngarimu, V.C. and 28th Maori Battalion Scholarship Fund. Last year, again with much popular support, legislation was passed authorizing the Maori Trustee to use a portion of moneys

a nga hoia o te Pakanga Tuatahi, i utua te £5,000 ki te Ngarimu V.C. and 28th Maori Battalion Scholarship Fund. I tenei tau i mahue ake nei, i raro ano i te tautoko a nga hoia ka paahitia e te Paremata te ture whakamana i te Kai-Tiaki Maori kia whakamahia tetahi waahi o taua moni hei whakatu i tetahi atu putea karahipi. Ko tenei putea moni no te paamu o Here-Neretau e 3,700 eka te rahi, he paamu hipi, 17 maero te mamao atu i Te Wairoa. Ko te korero a te kaiwhakahaere o taua paamu a Mr L. F. Greaves ki a Te Ao Hou ka mutu te whenua ngawari ki te mahi. E 3,000 eka o taua whenua kua oti te whakapai, te hiko kei roto i te whare a kua oti te pohatu te huarahi. Ko te wariu o Hereheretau £47,000, e 2300 nga hipi uha, e 700 nga weta, 1,600 nga reme a e 600 nga kau kei runga o taua whenua. Kei te ata haere nga mahi o te whenua ina hoki e 50 ki te 100 eka e oti ana te rui ki te maniua mai i te rererangi i ia tau. Ko te whakaaro nui o te kai whakahaere he mahi kia pai te tipu a te kai kia taea ai te whakapiki ake te nui o nga hipi katua a ka whakaheke iho i te nui o nga weta. Kaore i mate rawa taua whenua i te tauraki ka taha ake nei. He whenua nui te wai he awa kei nga wahi katoa. Ka mutu te taonga i tenei e ako ano ka totopu Te Tahua Moni a nga Hoia. Ko te wariu o nga taonga o te Putea moni nei kua neke atu i te £72,000, a ko te piki haere atu ia tau £6,700. He tino Wikitoria te pueatanga ake i nga tau tino uaua mai i te timatanga i te tau 1917, no taua tau i timatatia ai e Ta Apirana Ngata i te hui i whakawahia ai te whare-hui i Waiomatatini. No muri mai i tenei ka timata te kohi moni. E £58,600 nga moni i kohia e te iwi Maori ki te paunga o te tau 1919 hei awhina i nga hoia Maori e ahua he ana te noho. I whakamahia nga moni o taua Putea hei hoko mai i te Hoata Station (Tikitiki) i te Hoia Station (Hicks Bay) me te Hereheretau Station (e tata ana ki Wairoa). I tino pangia kinotia aua teihana i nga tau i muri tata mai o te Pakanga Tuatahi i te hokinga o te utu o nga mahi paamu, a i te tau 1925 i te tino nui o nga ruihi, ka whakarerea te Hoata Station. No taua wa ka paahitia he ture kia riro ma te Kai-Tiaki Maori hei whakahaere nga taonga i toe o taua Putea ko te wariu i taua wa kua heke ki te £12,000. I nga tau i muri mai i heke ano ai nga moni utu paamu, ka kore rawa atu te wariu o aua taonga engari i runga i te whakaaro nui o te Kai-Tiaki Maori ki te ahua i kohia ai nga moni mo taua Putea, kaore rawa i whakarerea engari i whakamahia tonutia ki nga moni ake a te Tari a te Kai-Tiaki Maori, a tae noa mai ki te tau 1941 e noho nama ana held in the Maori Soldiers' Fund to establish a scholarship fund. Income from the fund is mainly derived from Hereheretau Station, a 3,700 acre sheep property 17 miles from Wairoa now owned by the fund. Te Ao Hou had an opportunity to interview Mr L. F. Greaves, present manager of the station who considered it very easy country to farm. Reached by a good metal road to the house, and with power just installed, the larger part of the latter (3,000 acres) has now been fully developed. Hereheretau is valued at £47,000, and carries 2,300 ewes, 700 wethers, 1,600 lambs and 600 Hereford cattle. Although topdressing has proceeded steadily, at between 50 to 100 acres a year, Mr Greaves said, “We don't want to rush the development”. His first aims were to improve pasture, reduce wethers and increase the breeding flock. The property was not badly affected by last season's drought. It is one of the best watered places in the district, with a natural water supply in every paddock and no need for troughs. For the Maori Soldiers' Fund it is an admirable asset. With total assets valued at over £72,000, and an anual income of £6,700, the fund has come victoriously out of a long and difficult struggle which started in 1917, when Sir Apirana Ngata

te Putea moni a nga hoia ki te Kai-Tiaki Maori e £4,000. I te pikinga o te utu wuuru i muri tata mai i te mutunga o te pakanga tuarua tere tonu te piki o te wariu o nga taonga o te Putea nei ea tonu atu te nama ki te Kai-Tiaki Maori, a kua noho mai inaianei he taonga tino nui te wariu, Ko te iwi Maori ahakoa enei tau maha o nga uauatanga i mau tonu te tumanako tera te wa e puea ake ai taua Putea ki te ao marama, no reira ka timata te whakariterite i nga huarahi whakamahi i nga moni whiwhi mai o taua Putea. No reira tika tonu te tunga o te hui tuatahi i te hui whakamaharatanga mo Ta Apirana Ngata i te Hurae o te tau 1952. E rima tekau nga hoia o te pakanga tuatahi i taua hui, ko te Tiamana ko Reverend Dan Kaa, ko te Hekeretari ko M. Rotohiko Jones. Kaore i tino tatu i taua hui nga huarahi whakamahi i taua Putea kia rite ai mo nga ahuatanga o naianei. Tera hoki i raro i nga whakahaere a te Kawanatanga kei te puta nga utu penihana ki nga mea e ahua he ana te noho, a tera kei te puta ki te nuinga o nga hoia kua koroheketia, a kei te ahua he te noho, he awhina i raro i nga utu penihana a te Kawanatanga, a no reira ka tirohia kaore i pera rawa te whakamahi o nga moni o te Putea nei i te ahua i whiriwhiria ai i te tau 1917 i te tau i timataria ai te Putea moni nei. No reira ka puta te patai me pewhea te whakamahi o tenei moni nui Tino matau tino hohonu hoki, te whakautu a te hui i Waiomatatini. Tuatahi i motinitia me utu te £5,000 ki te Ngarimu Scholarship Fund, i utua i muri tata mai, tuarua i motinitia me whakaara ano tetahi atu Scholarship Fund. A kia haere tonu mai ai nga moni whiwhi mo taua Putea Karahipi mo nga whakatupuranga kei te haere mai ka motinitia kia hokona mai te tuturutanga motuhake o te Hereheretau Station i taua wa e noho riihi noa iho ki te Kai-Tiaki Maori. Kua oti te hoko mai o te tuturutanga motuhake o te Hereheretau Station, a no tenei tau i mahue ake nei ka paahitia e te Paremata te whakatu o te Putea Karihipi. Kei te whakamana e taua Ture te Minita ki te wehe mai i tetahi waahi o nga moni whiwhi hei whakatu i taua Putea, a tera e taea ia tau te whakatakoto i tetahi waahi o te toenga o nga moni i whiwhi mai o ia tau kaore i taea te whakapau mo etahi atu ahuatanga. Kaore tetahi o enei whakatau i te takahi i nga mana ake o nga hoia Maori o te pakanga tuatahi. Ko nga moni takoha i eke ki te £5,000 e utua ana hei awhina i nga hoia e ahua he ana te noho me nga takoha e rima tekau pauna mo nga uhunga mo nga hoia o te pakanga tuatahi, koia nei ano e utua tuatahitia. I te nui o nga moni whiwhi kei te puta mai ki te proposed its establishment at the great hui where the meeting-house at Waimotatini was dedicated. After a magnificent collecting effort £58,600 had been subscribed by the Maori people by the end of 1919, for the relief of needy Maori soldiers. Eventful History: The funds were invested in Hoata Station (Tikitiki), Hoia Station (Hicks Bay) and Hereheretau Station (near Wairoa). The stations suffered badly in a small depression immediately following the war years, and Hoata had to be abandoned in 1925 with huge losses. At this time an Act was passed entrusting the Maori Trustee with the administration of the remaining assets, then estimated at some £12,000. These assets disappeared altogether during the great depression, but the Maori Trustee, having regard to the social and sentimental value of the fund, did not liquidate it. Instead, he made loans to the fund, with the resul that, as late as 1941, the Maori Soldiers' Fund had a deficiency of about £4000 as a debt to the Maori Trustee. When wool prices rose sharply after the war the fund rapidly transformed itself from a liability into a handsome asset. The Maori people who through all those years had remained fully alive to the great potential importance of the Maori Soldiers' Fund, began to plan its possible uses. Appropriately enough the Sir Apirana Ngata memorial hui of July, 1952, was made an occasion for the first big meeting on the future of the fund. It was attended by 50 veterans, under the chairmanship of the Rev. Dan Kaa, Mr M. R. Jones acting as secretary. Future of the Fund: It was not easy for this meeting to define the purposes the Maori Soldiers' Fund was to serve under present conditions. With the introduction of Social Security and various benefits and pensions, the most painful wants of the veterans would mostly be met, and the fund would not have as many calls upon it for the relief of distress as in 1917, when the fund was originated. What use could now be made of the very considerable sum at the veterans' disposal? The Waiomatatini meeting gave an answer which was remarkable in its intelligence and far-sightedness. First, it resolved to pay £5000 to the Ngarimu Scholarship Fund, which was subsequently done, and secondly, the creation of a new national scholarship fund was proposed. In order to see that this scholarship fund would be maintained for future generations, the purchase of the free-hold Hereheretau Station, then leased by the Maori Trustee, was advocated. Hereheretau was purchased, and legislation passed last year has established the scholarship fund. Legislation empowers the Minister of Maori Affairs to ‘set aside such sum as he

Putea ia tau kei te tirohia iho tera e toe tonu tetahi waahi nui tonu hei utu ia tau ki roto i te Putea mo nga Karahipi. I te Oketopa o te tau i mahue ake nei, tekau ma iwa nga hui i korerotia ai e Rangi Royal, Kai whakahaere o te Ture Toko I Te Ora, nga ahuatanga kua whakaaetia mai. A i aua hui ano, ka puta te whakaae a nga hoia mo te tu rangitira me te tika o te whakarite ki nga ariki o nga poraka o Te Hoia e tata nei ki Tikitiki, o te whakahokinga atu ki a ratou o o ratou whenua muri mai i te paunga o nga tau o te riihi ki te Kai-Tiaki Maori, ko ia nei te kai whakahaere o te Putea moni a nga hoia Maori. Ko te moni kapeneheihana e tiki ana kia utua ki nga ariki o aua whenua na te apitireihana i whakatau e £16,000, engari i runga i nga putake me nga ahuatanga i kitea iho e tika ana ka tonoa kia patua iho. I runga i te whiriwhiri a nga hoia i aua hui ka whakaaetia kia whakaitia iho ki te £8,000. Tera he tino nui nga painga e puta mai i nga tau kei te heke mai ki nga mea e awhinatia i te he o te ahua o te noho tae atu ki te awhina mo nga tamariki Maori matua, kakama ki te whai i nga taumata o te matauranga. Ma enei ahuatanga e ea ai nga pohane me nga moemoea a Ta Apirana Ngata i te wa i timataria ai te kohi o te moni mo te Putea nei.

shall approve’ to create this fund, and it may be supplemented each year with ‘any balance of the net income of the principal fund received during and remaining unexpended at the end of the previous year. None of these decisions prejudice the rights of the veterans themselves. The grants of up to £50 for relief assistance and support of veterans, and the grants of £50 on the death of any Maori soldier of the First World War retain first priority. With the present high annual profits made by the fund, it is very likely, however, that a considerable sum will remain each year for the scholarships. In October of last year, Mr Rangi Royal, Controller for Maori Social and Economic Advancement, addressed nineteen meetings at which these proposals were discussed and approved. At the same time the veterans attending the meetings agreed to a generous but just gesture to the owners of Te Hoia blocks near Tikitiki, who took over their property after the expiry of the lease to the Maori Trustee as administrator of the Maori Soldiers' Fund. The compensation payable by these owners was assessed at £16,000 by arbitration, but for many reasons it seemed equitable to ask much less. All veterans consulted at the meetings agreed to a reduction to £8,000. The Maori Soldiers' Fund will do a great service in the future, both through its relief work and by encouraging talented and promising young Maoris to take up further studies. In this way the dream of Sir Apirana Ngata in starting the Fund has been fulfilled. * * * The Maori Women's Welfare League nominated Miss Mira Petricevich, Dominion Secretary of the League, as a delegate to the Pan Pacific Women's Association conference to be held in Manila next year. * * * These were the questions set in a school examination in the Cook Islands (part of Polynesia): “What do you mean by pollination? What is self-pollination? What is cross-pollination? This was one answer received by the teacher: “Pollinations are all the Maori people with brown skins. Most of them lived in warm countries. The Maoris here in the Cook Islands are pollinations, too. The cross-pollinations are the people of Spain. The self pollination is the Maoris of the Cook Islands.” —Pacific Monthly.