The Maori Survey

Te Ao Hou, April 1955, Page 8

The Maori Survey A Social Survey of Hawera carried out recently by the School of Social Science, Victoria University College (see the Book Review section, page 49), makes a study of Maoris in the urban area of Hawera and also in three pas nearby—Te Aotearoa and Kanihi (both belonging to the Taranaki tribe), and Taiporohenui (Ngati Ruanui). If the facts shown by the survey were true only for the area studied, they would perhaps have little interest; but we can be reasonably sure that many of these facts apply to other places just as much: Maori husbands help more in the home than Pakeha husbands. Maori and Pakeha have almost the same tastes in spending leisure time, namely: listening to the radio, visiting friends, doing the garden and entertaining. 83% of Maori adults would like more education as against 48% of Pakehas. The kind of further education they want is almost the same for both groups: dressmaking, needlework, engineering, carpentry, woodwork, general nursing, home science, farming, accountancy and office work. In addition some of the Maoris asked for Maori arts, crafts and history. The number of people who have no children's books in the home is appalling. It is bad for the Pakeha group (57%) but far worse for the Maori (87%). Comics, of course, are not counted. Most Maoris, unlike most Pakehas, believe that young parents should be taught how to bring up children. Most Maoris, but only a few Pakehas, think the teaching should be done by relations. Of great interest, but too complex for discussion here, is the survey of Maori opinions on the aims of education.