Progress in the North by. I. L. G. SUTHERLAND Progress in the North by I.L.G. SUTHERLAND The article by Prof. I. L. G. Sutherland facing this page was specially written by him for Te Ao Hou. It was prepared shortly after Professor Sutherland had visited Tokerau on one of his searching tours to study the welfare of the Maori people. Professor of psychology at Canterbury college, Professor Sutherland, who died last February, had made a profound study of the relations between Pakeha and Maori. When he died, he had a large work on this subject in preparation, so that the article printed here is one of his last complete contributions to the history of Maori progress. The Maori tribes in the north took the first and most intensive shock of contact with the white man and his civilization and early in the nineteenth century Maori culture was rapidly and extensively lost among them. Inter-tribal wars and war with the white man took place and later there were extensive alienations of land and the northern Maori people remained for many years in a depressed and more or less static condition, with the kauri gum industry supplying a rather uncertain means of livelihood. To take one item, the loss of culture may be illustrated by the disappearance of the characteristic design and decoration of the Maori meeting house and the adoption throughout the north of a europeanized style of hall. Or it may be illustrated by Sir Apirana Ngata's remark, when preparations were being made for the 1934 Waitangi gathering and when the northerners had to be coached in the entertainment they were to offer, that the rhythm of the haka had died out in the ears of the northern tribesmen. Recent years have seen an interesting revival of some features of Maori culture in the north, as will be mentioned. Maori land development and farming had commenced in the north before the schemes authorized by the 1929–30 legislation were initiated. The introduction of the latter was made difficult by the scattered nature of land interests due to alienations, but early reports state that the commencement of the schemes was characterized to a notable extent by co-operation and selfhelp. The northerners, it was said, worked for one meal a day and provided that themselves. The present state of Maori farming in the north, the number of settlers involved and the butter-fat yields represent a really big forward move in economic and social progress, even if complicated to some extent in recent years by social security benefits and the temptation to take well paid jobs on public works. The feature that most immediately impressed the writer was the much needed improvement in housing which has taken place. Maori housing in the north was particularly bad and while there are still some very poor homes, they are now the exceptions. (The twenty families living in Army huts at Moerewa*Land has recently been obtained for this purpose and housing is being provided. certainly deserve something being done for them.) The new houses in the north are modest and more attention might have been given to their planning and appearance.