MAORI STUDENTS CONFERENCE

Te Ao Hou, December 1961, Page 12

MAORI STUDENTS CONFERENCE The seventh annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Maori students, held in Wellington last August, elected the following officers: Patron, Sir Eruera Tirikatene, M.P.; President, Mr F. Bennett; Vice-Presidents, Messrs P. W. Hohepa, A. G. Armstrong, W. Winiata; Secretary, Mr G. Morrell; Treasurer, Mr Te A. Paul; Records Officer, Mr E. Durie; Public Relations Officer, Mr T. Henara. The most important role of the Maori student today is to present himself as an example—as a student who is successful in his attempts to attain higher education. This was an opinion expressed during the conference of the Federation of Maori Students last week-end. In discussing the role of Maori students in Maori society the conference felt that students, particularly graduates, should try to become active liaison officers between their ex-colleges and schools and the committees from which they came. Conducted tours of universities and other institutions were strongly recommended. The Victoria University of Wellington Maori Club had done this with marked success with the Otaki branch of the Maori Women's Welfare League. Auckland University students and training college Maori Clubs had often travelled on concert tours and spent time discussing topics such as education with the members of communities visited. The clubs felt that as a method of liaison with many of the Maori people in the smaller centres this practice had met with a measure of success. It was hoped that increased efforts would be made by Maori Club members from the main centres to contact as many Maori students as possible attending secondary schools to encourage them to continue with their studies at university or to at least further their secondary education. In view of the increasing opportunities being made available for positions in trade and engineering schools, the conference feel that too many young people were becoming interested in the new trades only to find that their own educational qualifications were inadequate. The conference felt that the Maori student bodies could, with initiative, play some part in making young students aware of the need for, and advantages of, higher education. Conference endorsed the plan for the Maori Education Foundation, but believed the Federation should be represented on the Board of Trustees. The Federation nominated one of its graduate members as a representative, should the Government agree to have one. This was Mr H. Waititi.