NEW ROADS for Welfare— Training Course at Paraparaumu

Te Ao Hou, November 1957, Page 49

Last May all Maori welfare officers met at Paraparaumu for a week's up-to-date lectures and discussions which helped their thinking about Welfare. Here are the impressions of one man who attended the course. NEW ROADS for Welfare— Training Course at Paraparaumu by Te Matauoterangi Rotoiti Tomoana, Hastings SINCE the passing of the Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act in 1945, two or three different Conferences have been held and all at Parliament Buildings. In my own experience I have only attended one other and that was at a General Conference of Welfare Officers held in 1954. There the setting proved unsatisfactory in that the Administration sat at the one end of the Hall and the District Welfare Officers at the other so that an atmosphere of awe, first in regard to Administration Officers and secondly in the placing of the Senior District Welfare Officers in a position, that accentuated their seniority. Partly because of the kind of topic discussed at these earlier meetings any individual Welfare Officer standing to express an opinion would not enjoy freedom and self-confidence. In other words a class consciousness was created, not deliberately but there nevertheless. Placing everyone at the same level means that the Seniors have to come down from the clouds so to speak and the reserve of the individual Welfare Officers broken down. This was accomplished quite noticeably at our Residential Course from the first day on, first because of the attitude of our Seniors and secondly because of the very nature of the term Residential Course, in which all participants, lecturers and students alike shared not only working hours but leisure hours as well; if one could term such off-duty hours as leisure hours. In fact all the time was spent in discussing the various aspects of the Course from the opening session to each successive subject and afterwards. Before the course much speculation was evident but the plan of the course became clear when the Secretary Mr T. T. Ropiha and the Controller Mr C. M. Bennett made their opening addresses saying that the time would be utilised in improving the technique in the execution of our work as Welfare Officers. I sincerely consider that this has been achieved and although the outward appearance of any individual Welfare Officer may not have altered I reiterate by saying that inwardly an emotion has been stirred with intent to act and work harder for the purpose of achieving good and not only good but a general spirit of goodwill firstly among our own people and also with the pakeha. The pakeha knows his own position and his capacity and therefore acts accordingly; for ourselves our situation is known but our full capacity has not been completely extended and therein lies the challenge to all Maoris who hold responsible positions be they the leaders of the community, the school teachers, the farmers, the man in the professions, the employer of labour, the contractors, those in business, those in executive positions and last but not least, the Clergy. And what of the parent? Theirs would be the greatest task of all; and upon them falls the privilege of accepting the challenge, bearing in mind that if the capacity is there all the resources possible should be applied to aid those who possess the ability. Nothing in the week of instruction, discussion and debate can be really considered new to the Maori Race. Nothing that emerged from those to whom we were privileged to listen was difficult to comprehend and this I record as a tribute to all of the lecturers who obviously knew their subject

and furthermore enjoyed giving their respective addresses. Add to that, personality, and ability to understand the Maori situation, plus a sincere desire to help and it will be understood why we the Welfare Officers rate this Course the best ever held. Dealing with the first sentence in this paragraph, almost in every subject parallels with past history could be made whether it was with Child Care, Education or Budgeting. The very nature of the Course suggested the Whare-wananga of old with each day beginning and ending with a short Karakia. Certainly, only a short prayer but delivered with equal fervour and sincerity with those incantations of old. And the Tohunga, was he present too? The Tohunga, the paramount being, the navigator, the astronomer, the psychiatrist, the doctor, the tutor…I would say yes and again I pay tribute to our lecturers who in part re-portrayed the duty of that once prominent gentleman. The venue of the Course, how does that compare with the past? Situated in the low rolling hills of Paraparaumu the Conference Room encased completely with large windows overlooking the sea, and a stone's throw from Kapiti Island and the shadow of Te Rauparaha dancing across the rolling waters really made the atmosphere tense and exciting and it was this very scene that inspired and provoked a remark at the conclusion of the discussion on Budgeting, when we all subscribed to the opinion that it was something new to the Maori. Yes, new to the Maori of today.