MONEY FOR MAORI PURPOSES DISTRIBUTED

Te Ao Hou, March 1959, Page 19

MONEY FOR MAORI PURPOSES DISTRIBUTED The Maori Purposes Fund Board, at its annual meeting last August, resolved to grant £500 to go towards the cost of carvings in the new dining hall at Omarumutu, a further £250 towards the Opotiki Community Centre, a further £300 towards the Motueka Community Centre, £250 towards Maori art decorations in one of the classrooms at the Tokomaru Bay Maori District High School, £250 for a swimming pool at Hukarere Maori Girls' School, £50 for carved gates at Mahia Maori School and £800 towards the work of the Polynesian Society. The Board also continued its support to the Investment Societies movement. Help had previously been given to the community development work both at Panguru and Te Kaha, but fresh resolutions changed the conditions of this assistance, so that there will now be no further difficulty in taking up the money. The £4000 loan to the Te Kaha Community Development Investment scheme has now been granted without security. It is also free of interest. The newly formed Taitokerau Maori Investment Society has been given a straight donation of £1000 to help its initial operations. This takes the place of the earlier grant for community development in Panguru. Subsidies were granted for the publication of Te Ao Hou (£1000), Maori Life and Culture’ by W. J. Phillipps (£450), ‘How to do Maori Carving’ by S. M. Mead (£200) and ‘Maori Action Songs’ by Allan Armstrong and Reupena Ngata (£200). This last book is an interesting attempt to show through drawings and instructions all the actions used for Maori songs. Grants were made to the following persons: Mr J. B. Palmer (co-editor of the Journal of the Polynesian Society), for studying moko designs, £100; Mr J. E. Nelson, to encourage dramatic work among Maori groups in the Wanganui district, £100; Dr Maharaia Winiata, towards preparing the publication of his thesis on ‘Changing Leadership against the Background of Maori-Pakeha Relations, £100; Mr W. J. Phillipps, to assist him in making a detailed study of Maori artifacts, carvings, etc., in overseas collections, £250.