Much Consultation Necessary

Te Ao Hou, September 1964, Page 51

Much Consultation Necessary I have not the space to point out all of the isolated inadequacies in the translations and explanations given in this collection. One hopes, however, that when the time comes for a new edition, the authors will go for advice to as wide a range of people as possible; it would be particularly useful to consult authorities from the various tribes. Only in this way could an adequate and comprehensive collection be made. Nevertheless this is a distinctly useful book, coming as it does at a time when there are many signs that interest in the Maori language is increasing. Proverbs contain much of the wisdom of our ancestors; they express universal truths and eternal values that we, their descendants, should be ever mindful of. These messages from the past and from our dead have a special significance in setting our sights on the hazardous pathways of the twentieth century.