Oneness of Purpose

Te Ao Hou, June 1964, Page 46

Oneness of Purpose In the second place, I felt the oneness of resolve and purpose amongst these men as they spoke both in formal and informal situations. There is no doubt that within them there beats a heart truly Maori, and they are prepared to fight for all those things which they consider vital for the preservation of the Maori race as a whole. National Maori feeling still lies deeply rooted within the breasts of these leaders of the Maori people, and woe betide any who dare to say that the Maori race will soon die. In the main matters affecting the race, there was evident at the Reunion a feeling that it is better to sink one's personal opinion in the face of the demands of the welfare of our people. This, I thought, was a good sign, indicating that national needs are such that it were better to close the ranks and present a united front than to allow personal differences to disrupt unity. Finally a word for the tangata whenua. Nothing but praise for their efforts came from the manuhiri, and deservedly so. I think that if ever, in the years to come, the Maori race were to be merged in the tremendously powerful, enveloping, surging mass of humanity, the last characteristic to disappear would be the Maori love of his fellow man, and the extent to which all who belong to that race go in order to express that love. At Poho-o-Rawiri it was proved that time has not dimmed the strength of this fact. ? A Maori Salvation Army Officer, Cadet-Lieutenant Ashely Te Tau, has been appointed to the Te Araroa area. He is the first Maori Salvationist to be appointed as a Cadet Lieutenant for several years.