Maoris Are Enthusiastic

Te Ao Hou, June 1962, Page 6

Maoris Are Enthusiastic It is most notable that Maoris themselves are contributing very enthusiastically to the appeal; in fact, more than half of the amount which has been collected since March 26 has been given by Maoris. This augurs very well for the successful functioning of the Foundation, showing that Maoris realize the great importance of the Foundation's aims, and also understand very well how to ‘talk with their pockets’ on the subject. In a recent radio talk Mr Hunn, the Secretary for Maori Affairs and the man responsible for the idea of the Foundation, discussed some of the reasons for the Foundation's existence. We print here an extract from this talk. ‘In my review of Maori affairs, it seemed to me that we, the people of New Zealand, were confronted with a choice—either to go all-out to lift up the present generation of Maoris while there was still time; or else, to put it off now and get hopelessly bogged down trying to cope eventually with the generations yet unborn. ‘With determination, we could do the job now, while the Maori population is 175,000; but when the population reaches 350,000 in 20 years’ time or 700,000 in 40 years' time, the task will be quite beyond us. Put another way; if we do the proper thing by the Maori children in the schools today, their own children in turn will be able to look after themselves … ‘The Maori people are not only increasing in number at a terrific rate—twice the rate of the European population—but they are also moving into the towns faster and faster each year. About 70,000 Maoris, or 40% of the total, are now town dwellers … ‘In these circumstances, it's imperative that the level of Maori housing and education be raised without a moment's delay. When the two races were living apart—as they were before the War—the disparity in their educational attainments didn't matter very much. But now that Maori and Pakeha are coming together so quickly, living side by side, it's of the utmost importance that they be brought up to the same educational plane. People who are unequal educationally tend to be unequal economically and socially, so they don't mix. And when neighbours don't mix, or won't mix, their mutual attitude and regard is anything but relaxed and friendly. If we have 70,000 neighbours of that kind, living physically nearby yet socially so far away, we have all the makings of unhealthy strain and tension that could lead to deterioration in race relations. Imagine what the situation could be in less than 40 years when there are half a million Maoris living in town, unless we're wise enough to take time by the forelock and act now. ‘So Maori education was seen to be a paramount need, a supreme objective…. The foundation is not just a foundation for Maori education, but a foundation for strengthening racial harmony in New Zealand in the years to come’.

Mr J. K. Hunn, Secretary for Maori Affairs, the architect of the Foundation. The Hon. J. R. Hanan, Minister of Maori Affairs, the builder of the Foundation. These are some of the people concerned with the administration of the Foundation. Left to right: seated, the Hon. J. R. Hanan, Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr D. G. Ball, Chairman of the Foundation, the Hon. Blair Tennent, Minister of Education. Standing, Mr J. K. Hunn, Secretary for Maori Affairs, the Hon. Eruera Tirikatene, M.P., Mrs Miraka Szaszy, nominee of the Maori Women's Welfare League, Mr A. E. Campbell, Director of Education, Mr J. S. Jolliff, Secretary of the Foundation, Mr A. E. Webb, Treasurer, Mr R. L. Bradly, Officer for Maori Education.