TE AO HOU THE NEW WORLD published quarterly for the maori purposes fund board by the maori affairs department No. 19 (Vol. 5, No. 3) Although women in ancient Maori society had a somewhat inferior role to men, emotionally there was it seems more equality than in European society. We suggest there is one clear sign of this: at least half of the songs in Nga Moteatea—and many of the best—are by women. Would this be true of any European collection of poems? The first large Maori movement to assert the equality of women was Ratana. The Maori Women's Welfare League has made the emancipation of Maori women part of its platform. Women began to take a leading role in community activities on many maraes. It has become common for women to speak on maraes, although as late as 1950 it was said that in Waikato this had never once been allowed. In a period of rapid improvement in housing and economic conditions, and intense social change, the Maori Women's Welfare League has acted as an intermediary between the new and the old way of life. It was disheartening to hear that the membership of this organization had dropped from 3916 to 2915 in two years prior to the well-attended conference in Christchurch last April. The meeting agreed that the need for the leagues is still as great as ever and that they have not been replaced by other local organizations. The executive was candid and humble: they appealed seriously to delegates to look for remedies. Out of the discussion came some guidance as to the road Maori women (and not only league women) could choose. Briefly, the feeling was, first of all, that there was a need for carrying out progressive new ideas: children's libraries, play centres, care of the aged, the encouragement of thrift and other much helpful things. The Dominion Secretary, in her report, also stressed that groups would be livelier if there was something to be learnt: Maori arts and crafts, or modern subjects such as ‘the proper use of make-up, correct dress, personal hygiene’. Let us not forget that the younger Maori woman is very modern in her outlook. She wants something new and contemporary. A very remote and (some would say) conservative Maori community asked recently for the services of a woman tutor of the Department of Agriculture. When asked to choose a subject the women's group replied: New nylon fabrics, shortcuts in the home. What is needed are fresh ideas from outside. The other point about women's groups is that they should involve and benefit the whole community, not just themselves. They should provide for real community needs. These will vary from place to place. Some ideas will be suggested by articles in this magazine. In addition, discussions on wide and general subjects would be worth while, especially with an outside speaker, and especially with some larger conference impending. Such talks would give a group a chance to discover a new approach to their problems; they could have quite an influence on the position of the Maori woman. Are not ideas almost as valuable as embroidered table napkins?