THE TRIBE THAT MADE A MILLION

Te Ao Hou, December 1961, Page 32

Houses in this logging settlement on Puketapu 3A Block are built by the State Advances Corporation, provide a high standard of housing. THE TRIBE THAT MADE A MILLION by E. G. SCHWIMMER Many Maoris have dreamt of making money out of timber. Even today many have interests in timber blocks and seeing that timber fetches high prices, the temptation to set up as millers seems almost irresisitible. Over a century, Maoris have tried to exploit their timber resources, in all parts of the country, either as individuals, or families, or in tribal cooperative ventures. Some have succeeded but many have failed. The pitfalls of the milling trade are many: some chose a cut-over bush with little good timber left; others underestimated the cost of road access; others again had trouble with the mill machinery. Finally there were marketing problems—perhaps the trickiest of all. The Puketapu 3A Incorporation owe their extraordinary success less to the wealth of their bush than to unusually good management. Those in charge of the enterprise were prudent men of business and experts in their trade; the owners for their part were far-sighted enough to give them the financial support they needed. They became famous overnight when they sold their assets for over £1 million, but this does not perhaps give the best picture of their achievement. After all, anyone can sell out their assets. The real story is rather how over the last fifteen years the owners of Puketapu developed their assets, increasing them from year to year and continuing always to build for the future.