VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICE Na K. T. Harawira Maori Vocational Guidance Officer Auckland Ki te iwi Maori nui tonu o Aotearoa, Te Waipounamu me Wharekauri. Ki nga matua me nga whaea o te Rangatahi e hoa ma, kia koutou ano hoki e tama ma e hine ma e rapu nei i te matauranga me nga maramatanga o enei ra, tena koutou. I te mea e hangai ana enei korero kia koutou, ka mahara ahau, he mea pai pea kia tukua atu ki te ‘Ao Hou’ kia marama ai te katoa ki te mahi a tenei Tari e kiia nei ko te ‘Tari Arataki Ki Nga Mahi’. Tenei ake nga whakamarama. Tamariki ma, ko koutou te iwi Maori mo nga ra kei te haere mai, ma koutou e arahi te iwi. Na reira, Maranga, Whitiki, Whakatangata kia kaha. He ao whakataetae tenei. Ma te matauranga, ma te manawanui, ma te whakapono me te mahi, ka pumau ai te ora mo te tangata, mo te iwi ano hoki, ora tinana ora Wairua. Ma te ora o nga taha e rua ka kore ai e titaha te haere, ka paoho ai ano hoki te reo koa te reo hari ki o tatou marae. Tiakina te tinana kawea te matauranga, kia u ki te mahi, ahakoa he aha taua mahi, mahi matauranga, mahi a-ringaringa ranei. E penei ana tetahi korero:—‘Ka kitea e te Rewera he mahi ma nga ringaringa mangere.’ E penei ana ano tetahi:—‘He mea mate te whakapono ki te kahore he mahi.’ He nui tonu nga Maori na te u ki a ratou mahi, kua tu rangatira i naianei. E toru pea nga patai e puta ake i enei mata korero, Tuatahi. He aha enei mahi? Tuarua, Kei hea enei mahi? Tuatoru, Me pehea e taea atu ai? Ehara i te mea e kuare ana tatou ki nga mahi huhua e watea mai ana ma a tatou tamariki, engari pea te huarahi e taea atu ai aua mahi, kahore e tino marama ana ki etahi, ina hoki ra, e kuare tonu ana etahi pakeha ki nga huarahi mahi ma a ratou na tamariki. Na runga i tenei ahua, ka whakaturia e te Kawanatanga i te tau 1943 tetahi Tari Apiti i raro te Tari o nga Kura (Education Department) a huaina ana ko te Tari Arataki Ki Nga Mahi (Vocational Guidance), Kei nga taone nunui anake enei Tari i nainaei, kei Akarana, Poneke, Christchurch me Dunedin. Ko te Minita o tenei Tari ko te Hon. Mrs Hilda To the Maori people of both Islands and of the Chatham Islands, to the fathers and mothers of the younger generation and to the young men and women in pursuit of present-day education and understanding, greetings. I thought it most valuable that all, but particularly the younger generation, should know of the work done by the Vocational Guidance Service. For they are the Maori people of the future and will be their leaders. Therefore they will need education, strong resolve, by faith and endurance, both in body and spirit. With the help of these their path will not deviate and happy and glad tidings will reach our maraes. What type of work is there for them to do? Where is it available? How does one go about getting it? I do not think people are ignorant of the vocations available to our children but some do not quite know the ways of entering them. Even many pakehas are not sure what their children should do for a living. This was the reason why the Government, in 1943, established an office under the Education Department called the Vocational Guidance Service. This Division has offices only at the larger cities, that is at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The Minister in Charge is the Hon. Mrs Hilda Ross. The object of this Division is to assist and guide young boys and girls leaving high schools and colleges,