People and Places

Te Ao Hou, December 1965, Page 26

photo by Evening Post, Wellington photo by Daily Post, Rototua People and Places Two of the mayors elected in the recent local body elections are Maoris. Petone's new mayor and mayoress are Mr and Mrs Ralph Love (see photo above). Both Mr Love and his wife Flora belong to the section of Te Ati Awa which migrated from Waitara to the Wellington district in about 1810; among Mr Love's ancestors are Wi Tako, Wharepouri and Te Puni, all famous figures in their day. Earlier this year Ralph Love retired from an administrative career which began in 1925, when he became one of the few Maori cadets in the Native Trust Office. Later he was in charge of the rents section in Wanganui, and spent some years as a development officer. Graded out of overseas service, he spent most of the war years as a liaison officer with the Maori War Effort Organisation. Subsequently he spent two periods as private secretary to Sir Eruera Tirikatene, M.P., was Deputy Registrar of the Maori Land Court, and in 1960 was secretary of a delegation to an F.A.O. conference in New Delhi. Later he was engaged in land title and industrial integration work in the Maori Affairs Department. Known throughout the country for his services to Maori rugby, Ralph Love has since 1947 been a member of the New Zealand Rugby Union, representing Maoris in rugby. He and his wife have a daughter, Marienui, who before her marriage was a secondary school teacher of home science, and a son, Ralph, who is an accountant with a Petone firm, and has been elected a Petone Borough Councillor. Mr Percy Murphy (see photo above), a company director aged 41, is the new mayor of Murupara. Married with six children, Mr

Murphy has lived all his life in Murupara and has a long record of service to the community. He has played a part in the administration of the town from its first development, and was previously a borough councillor. Among the posts he has held are those of secretary of the Murupara R.S.A., president of the Tawhiuau School P.T.A., vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Fire Authority and the Businessmen's Association. He is chairman of the council's library committee, a member of the Bay of Plenty Hospital Board, a trustee of the Ngati Hui Marae Committee, and a member of the Rangitahi College Board of Governors. As well as all this, Percy Murphy still finds time to attend the night classes at Rangitahi College at which Maori adults are studying for the school certificate examination. Members of the college staff describe Mr Murphy as ‘our top supporter, and a really hard photo by The Times, Hamilton worker. He's an inspiration to the others.' In Kawerau the Board of Commissioners has unanimously elected a Maori woman, Mrs Monica Lanham, to the position of deputy mayor. Mrs Lanham, a member of the well-known Savage family, has lived for most of her life in the district. For several years a member of the Kawerau Board of Commissioners, she has done much for the welfare of the community. In the last few years a steadily increasing number of Maoris have been elected to positions as borough and city councillors. This year more than ever were elected, several of them in districts which previously had never had a Maori councillor. In the photograph below, the chancellor of Waikato University, Dr Denis Rogers, receives the gift of £1000, a donation presented to the

Waikato University halls of residence campaign by King Koroki and members of his family. The presentation took place during this year's celebration at Turangawaewae marking the anniversary of the coronation of King Koroki. At the invitation of King Koroki and his people, members of the staff of Waikato University paid a formal visit to Turangawaewae, accompanied by 20 Maori university graduates, all wearing full academic dress. Their visit demonstrated the regard of the University for the Maori people, and the Maori recognition of the value and the role of the university. Dr Rogers was also presented with a carved pouwhenua which will be the official mace at university ceremonies. Miss Marama Koea (see photo, right), is the second Maori to become a television announcer, and the first to be seen in Wellington (Miss Tui Uru, of Christchurch was the first in New Zealand). Miss Koea is a daughter of Mr and Mrs George Koea of New Plymouth, members of Te Ati Awa. She first trained as a teacher, and taught in many parts of the North Island and in England. About seven years ago, Miss Koea started part-time announcing with the N.Z.B.C. in New Plymouth, and a couple of years later she decided to become a full-time announcer. She says that she very much enjoys television announcing—‘It was terrifying the first night, but I'm used to it now, and I love it.’ Marama Koea has a sister, Moana, who is a physiotherapist, and a brother, George, who is assistant to the editor of the ‘Taranaki Daily News’, and who a few years ago studied journalism and broadcasting in England on an Imperial Relations Trust Bursary. A nineteen-year-old apprentice electrician, Eric Beazley (right), of Rawene, Bay of Islands, gained top marks (96 per cent) in the practical section of the Electricians' Registration Board examinations in May. This outstanding achievement won him a gold medal award by the British Cable Manufacturers' Association. Eric is the son of Mr Hirini (Syd) Beazley and Mrs Parani Beazley, of the Nga Puhi tribe. He attended the Rawene District High School for four years, then in 1963 became an electrical trainee at the Auckland Technical photo by Evening Post, Wellington photo by the Auckland Star

Institute, under the trade training scheme conducted by the Department of Maori Affairs. Now an apprentice at James Hardy Pty Ltd, he has so far passed all his examinations in the minimum time, and at his present rate of progress, is likely to reduce his apprenticeship period by up to six months. Lieut-Colonel Brian M. Poananga (see photo below) last November took up an appointment as commander of the First Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, at present on active service in Malaysia. Lieut.-Colonel Poananga comes from Palmerston North and was educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School and at Victoria University. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Duntroon in 1946, and for the next two years served in Japan. In 1952 and 1953 he was in Korea, where he was mentioned in dispatches while serving with the 1st Commonwealth Division. He has had considerable experience of jungle operations in Malaysia. From 1959 to 1961 he served as a company commander in 2nd Battalion, the New Zealand Regiment, and took part in anti-terrorist operations in North Malaya. He was awarded the M.B.E. for his outstanding service during this period. Lieut.-Colonel Poananga has a fine sporting record, including the heavyweight boxing championship, 2nd N.Z.E.F. (Japan) in 1946. He also captained the 2nd N.Z.E.F. (Japan) cricket team during the same period. A rugby player of some note, he has represented the New Zealand Army at home and overseas, and Manawatu, Wanganui, and Rangitikei. Lieut.-Colonel Poanganga will be accompanied to Malaya by his wife Doreen. Their three children will remain in New Zealand to complete their education. His brother, Major Bruce Poananga, is at present a United Nations truce observer in Israel. In the photograph below, Mr J. E. Marsh of Ngapuna, Rotorua, presents his son John, aged 22, with a carved officer's baton at a celebration to mark his graduation from Portsea Military Academy, Australia. John, who is a sub-lieutenant, is one of the few Maoris who have passed through the military academy. photo by Daily Post, Rotorua