the mair family

Te Ao Hou, December 1956, Page 54

the mair family by J. C. Anderson and G. C. Petersen. A. H. and A. W. Reed, Wellington. 1956. 25s. The two principal figures of this book are Major William Gilbert Mair and Captain Gilbert Mair, and a large part of the book is taken up with their experiences in the unhappy days of Maori-Pakeha conflict. But the book tells as much of the bravery and determination of the one side as of the other—and what exciting stories it relates. As the authors point out, the accounts supplied by Gilbert of the service of William and himself are often the only material available to a historian of the Maori wars, and James Cowan's book the New Zealand Wars is, in parts, founded almost entirely on these accounts. William was the bearer of the truce offer at Orakau when the famous reply of rejection was given, and his detailed account of the occasion is given in this book. But the lives of the brothers were by no means confined to military exploits. Born in the Bay of Islands at the trading station established in 1830 by their father (also, to our confusion, Gilbert) they had grown up among Maoris and spoke Maori as a matter of course. With their knowledge of Maori ways and attitudes it was inevitable that they should be sought by Government for the public service. Major William was a resident Magistrate and Judge of the Maori Land Court. He also had a semi-diplomatic interlude in Samoa. To these occupations can be added his brief experience in the gold-diggings of Australia, and his latter days as a farmer. Captain Gilbert was also employed in the Government service, but he will probably be remembered longer for his connection with Bay of Plenty affairs, and by Te Arawa in particular for his part, just before his death, in the great Lakes case. His relationship with Te Arawa can best be judged by the manner in which the tribal leaders escorted his body from Tauranga to his burial place at Ohinemutu with frequent stops on the route to allow the traditional mourning ceremonies at outlying maraes. Although both the Mairs were Government officers for long periods they were men of independent views and on more than one occasion, to their detriment, they made clear their opinions of Government policies and actions. It is surprising to realise that Gilbert, born in the 1830's, died as recently as 1922. Some at least of the people who knew him well, in his latter days, are still alive. A book with such lives as these to relate could hardly fail to be readable and interesting and the authors have certainly not failed in this direction. The scheme of the book is a little confusing at times but this is probably difficult to avoid in a work comprising substantially the biographies of two brothers—with a much smaller space given to the other members of the family. The shifts in chronology can confuse and there is some little difficulty in keeping a clear distinction between the brothers due to the similarity in names. —E. W. Williams.