Tribal Committees are a big movement in Maori life today. Since they were started in 1945, 467 have been formed and seeing that they have, on the average, 10 members, this means there are 4,670 Maoris who serve on tribal committees—one out of every fourteen adults is a member.

TRIBAL COMMITTEES AT WORK Hauwhenua Kirkwood, prominent elder and ex-chairman of the Onehunga-Mangere tribal committee, looks on as the younger people are enjoying themselves at the Onehunga community centre Christmas party. (Hill-Thomas Photograph.) IN ORDER to look at tribal committees from the inside. Te Ao Hou interviewed Mr Earle Opai, chairman of the Onehunga-Mangere committee. We could have selected any of a large number of committees and got a very similar picture. Mr Earle Opai works as head barman at one of the hotels in Onehunga. We found him at his job; we asked the manager for permission to interview, but the manager seemed to be quite accustomed to Mr Opai doing tribal committee business at work—and more than that, he seemed to be pleased about it. The Onehunga-Mangere tribal committee was formed in November 1949, and it was officially gazetted under the Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act in March 1950. Mr Opai was then secretary and the chairman was Mr Hauwhenua Kirkwood. The committee area covers two Maori settlements, near Auckland City, one at Onehunga and the other at Mangere. These settlements have changed considerably in the last few years; whereas only five years ago, the Onehunga people lived and worked mainly on the market gardens, they are now spread over every type of occupation in Auckland and a good number of the market garden shacks have made place for modern standard State rental and Maori Affairs houses. In Mangere, State housing for Maoris has made similar progress so that one may say the Onehunga-Mangere people are living in an atmosphere of hope and steady improvements. What contribution has the tribal committee made to these people's lives? Has it helped to ease the transition from one way of life to another? The Maori Social and Economiec Advancement Act gives a definition of tribal committee functions well worth quoting here, because nothing could tell more clearly the true nature of Maori self-government; its general function is to promote, encourage, guide and assist members of the Maori race. (i) to conserve, improve, advance and maintain their physical, economic, educational, social, moral and spiritual wellbeing; (ii) to assume and maintain self-dependence, thrift, pride of race, and such conduct as will be conducive to their general health and economic wellbeing; (iii) to accept and maintain the full rights, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship; (iv) to apply and maintain the maximum possible efficiency and responsibility in their local self-government and undertakings; and (v) to preserve, revive and maintain the teaching of Maori arts, crafts, language, genealogy and history in order to perpetuate Maori culture.