Peace and Plenty

Te Ao Hou, September 1963, Page 28

Peace and Plenty They were a people: they walked and spoke with the dignity and whole-heartedness befitting the possessors of a rich land and a rich culture. The white men were a disturbing presence, but there were still only a few of them. They had at least brought peace to the country, and many new things which the Maori liked: pigs and blankets, axes and wheat. In these early days the peach, cherry, plum and quince trees flourished greatly; there was a space of time before the pests and blight followed the trees to their new home. In 1844 there was a kind of stillness in the land. It was the stillness before the storm: but seen from this distance, and especially as seen in the drawings of George French Angas, it seems to have been a happy time; almost, in a way, a kind of Golden Age. —M.O.

Haka were often performed on peaceful occasions, but Angas also wrote a vivid description of the haka which was performed as a war-dance before and after a battle, when ‘the warriors dance naked, being daubed with red ochre, uttering the most fearful yells and imprecations over their enemies … until they gradually work themselves up to the highest pitch of excitement.’ • The Cook Islanders are to have a museum and library. A suitable site in Rarotonga has been donated by Makea Nui Ariki, C.B.E., and already a quarter of the target of £12,000 has been collected. In the past many people, including Princess Te Puea, have been interested in the idea of a library and museum in Rarotonga. Further information about the project can be obtained from Mr Gordon F. Russell, 40 Remewan Street, Linden, Wellington. • Mr J. K. Hunn has recently vacated the post of Secretary for Maori Affairs to take up the position of Secretary of Defence. Commenting on this, the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Hanan, said that the Maori people would be indebted to Mr Hunn forever. Mr Hunn had revolutionised Maori Affairs thinking, to the very great advantage of the Maori people and New Zealand, said Mr Hanan. He made particular reference to the inspiration for the Maori Education Foundation, which had first come from Mr Hunn, and said that in Mr Hunn's time the government had achieved a ‘break-through’ in Maori affairs in four crucial areas. These were education, housing, trade training and land title reform. The New Zealand Maori Council, which among other things was a valuable two-way channel of communication between the Minister of Maori Affairs and the Maori people, had also been set up in this period. • the Maori Community Centre which is being built by voluntary workers at Kawerau is now nearing completion. Under the supervision of Mr Paul Delamere, the President of the Ringatu Church and a retired builder, work has been going on at the site since January.