Younger Children Are Best Hope

Te Ao Hou, November 1964, Page 53

Younger Children Are Best Hope The Foundation's purpose is to give financial assistance, where necessary, to any Maori who would benefit by the furtherance of his or her education; this means helping the pre-school child, those at school, and those at present attending university. The present generation of primary and secondary school Maoris, as well as Maori university students, will be less prone to ‘indoctrination’ with the Foundation's ideals than the generation now beginning their pre-school years. The former generally have their parents' attitudes and habits too firmly embedbed in their minds; and the ultimate product is more often than not, an ‘off-the-assembly-line’ Maori—generous, easy-going, friendly, but in the eyes of a progressive society, a ‘no-gooder’. The Utopian presumption is that this here-to-fore-mentioned generation will be the last to be influenced by this ‘traditional’ school of thought. If there are some Maoris who do reveal ability and determination, then the Foundation should give them financial support, but it would be wrong to spend an excessive amount on them. Speaking from experience, I have seen several of my own friends waste Government money by falling by the wayside. Basically, the remedy lies with pre-school children, who can be influenced and moulded more easily, ultimately to their own and their future children's benefit. If these children are not given adequate access to education in their earliest years, if the Foundation does not effectively remove obstacles in the Maori child's transition from home life to normal school life, then the cause of the Foundation is lost, and the Maori people will continue to ‘enjoy’ their present status of ‘second rung’. Whatever the outcome, we cannot say that the Pakeha has not shown his willingness to help us. We have been given the incentive, and now we must strive to better ourselves. A spirit of humanity and urgency was needed to help the Maori race. The Foundation admirably represents that spirit. Mr Gartner, who belongs to Ngati Tuwharetoa, spent his childhood near Ohakune. He attended Auckland University and worked for three years in the State Advances Department, then entered Wellington Teachers' College. He is at present teaching at Haumoana, Hastings.