MAORI LAND COURT JUDGE VISITS AOTEA

Te Ao Hou, September 1960, Page 34

Judge Porter heads shorewards at Kawa Bay with J. Waetford. Administration Officer, Whangarei and the Court Records. Posy Waetford is the pilot. MAORI LAND COURT JUDGE VISITS AOTEA by NOEL MERRICK FOR THE FIRST TIME since 1931 a judge of the Maori Land Court visited Aotea (Great Barrier Island) on the third and fourth of December, 1959. The visiting party included: Judge Porter of the Maori Court, J. Pou, District Maori Welfare Officer, Whangarei, J. Waetford, Administration Officer, Maori Affairs Department, Whangarei, M. Te Hau, Adult Education Officer, University of Auckland, and N. Roe, Vocational Guidance Officer. Transport was by Mr Ted Guy's launch Rehutai, which proved very efficient both in transport and fishing. Departure was from Whangarei at 4 a.m., on the third December, and landfall at Kawa Bay at midday. Lunch was provided at the homestead of local elder Mahou Davis and was typical of the lavish hospitality that was to follow. Many of the party felt like the fat pet eel, thirty years old, that lazes in a pool nearby, surrounded by egg shells. The first meeting of the tribal committee that afternoon took full advantage of the visiting experts while the launch crew sampled the famous fishing grounds of Aotea. After a meal of crayfish the Rehutai took Judge Porter to the guest house at Fitzroy. The rest of the party slept aboard. An overland trip in the Davis landrover on Friday morning provided an experience in the flesh of the Barrier roads, but the views of mountain, bush and sea were ample reward. A further sitting of the tribal committee on Friday afternoon completed the agenda items. Additional topics such as the use of money from sale of surplus lands were also covered.

Guest House, Fitzroy. Meetings were held in the Catherine Bay schoolroom. The Headmaster, Mr O'Brien, is also secretary of the tribal committee and an enthusiastic worker for the island. His roll is now six pupils. Mahou Davis, however, can remember when thirty-four attended the school. This decline reflects the exodus of Maori families to the mainland in recent years. Although a small mill and the whaling station now provide employment for about forty men, Aotea's employment opportunities are still limited. Many families depend on crayfishing. which provides a hazardous though sometimes profitable existence. Wind and sea have sunk some twenty-three craft around Aotea. At Kawa Bay, in two small burial sites, lie some of the 121 victims of the Wairarapa, which struck at Mines Head in 1894. Local Maoris were the first to discover the wreck, and brought many survivors back to Kawa Bay for shelter. Aotea has a rich history, both before the arrival of the Pakeha and after. Its present economic decline from a Maori point of view presents a challenging problem for administrators. On the jetty at Fitzroy. In the foreground are Ted Goy, owner of the “Rehutai”. Mahou Davis, Syd Davis, and Leo Bennett, “Rehutai's” Engineer.

(continued from page 31) We were on the main deck. The big white ship heaved her motionless body and edged her way into the blue Pacific. We looked at our cabin. It was small, but what else can you expect? As a traveller you pay for limited space but you do see the unlimited.