Chairman of Maori Bible Committee

Te Ao Hou, November 1964, Page 4

Chairman of Maori Bible Committee In 1946 Mr Laughton was appointed Chairman of the Maori Bible Revision Committee. His expert knowledge of the Maori language, his organising ability and hard, devoted work were of inestimable value in this tremendous task. Acknowledgement of his great work for the Maori people was made when in 1948, King George VI conferred on him the honour of Companion of St Michael and St George. In 1950 the task of revising the Maori Bible was finally completed, and Mr Laughton, with his wife, went to England to see the Revised

Maori Bible through the press. Mr Laughton has been a member of the Maori Purposes Fund Board for many years, and of the Ngarimu Scholarship Fund Board since its inception. In 1956, on the constitution of the Presbyterian Maori Synod, Mr Laughton became its first Moderator, a position he occupied until his retirement six years later. Since then he has undertaken part-time work in the Rotorua district, where he has greatly endeared himself to the members of the Tuhoe tribe now living there. The following tribute to Hoani Rotene was written for Te Ao Hou by one of his mokai tauira, the Rev. Tame Hawea, of Wellington. ‘E kōrero ana ētahi kupu, “I tonoa mai he tangata e te Atua, ko Hoani tōna ingoa. I harere mai ia hei kaiwhakaatu, hei whakaatu mō te mārama, kia meinga ai nga tāngata kia whakapono.” Tūhoe nui tonu, otirā te iwi Maori nui tonu, ehara māku te whakamārama, te whakapuaki rānei i ngā mihi ki tēnei kaumātua; arā atu a nui mā. Engari he wāhi i tukuna mai ki a au. Me pēwhea ake hoki he kōrero i ngā kupu tonu o roto i te Rongopai. Ko Hoani Rōtene te tūturutanga o te Maoritanga. He tangata hūmārie i tuku i a ia tata tonu anō ki te mate mō tōna iwi, kia riro ai i a rātou ngā taonga e kōrerotia nei e tātou te whakapono, te tūmanako, te aroha. Rima tekau ngā tau i takatū ai ia mō tāua. Kei roto i ngā rekoata kua mutu tana mahi, kua ritaea. Ko ngā mea kei te mōhio ki tēnei kaumātua kei te mātau kore rawa e mutu tana mahi mō tōna iwi. Ko te wawata a tōna iwi kia tohungia ia kia tino aru te pai me te atawhai i a ia.’