Tiireni. E tika ana kia noho piri taatau, kia mahi tahi taatau, kia haere tahi i ngaa huarahi o te ao!” Naa ka aahua whakatakariri ahau i teenei koorero. Kua hiahia ahau ki te kohete i taku manuhiri. Ka kite mai taku hoa-wahine i taku riri, ka ruuruu mai toona maahunga. E kii mai ana kia kauaa ahau e pukuriri ki too maaua manuhiri. Ka koorero ahau, “Aae, e tika ana pea taau.” Me taku whakaaro ano. Tika ki hea? Kei te moohio tonu taatau, e hara taatau kaaore e pai ana ki te iwi Paakehaa, aa, he tikanga aana kaaore e pai ana ki a taatau. Ko te puutake o aana koorero mo te kotahitanga he whakarere, he maka, he whiu i ngaa tikanga Maaori. Naa, ko te hanga mema paaremata nei te hunga koorero i teenei koorero he iwi kotahi taatau. Ko raatau kei te paanui ki te ao i ta taatau noho kotahi i runga i te aroha, i te rangimaarie. He moemoea naa te matakite teenei koorero, ki tooku nei whakaaro. He wawata naa te hunga haere ki te karakia. Ka whakaaro ahau, aue, me mutu eenei whakaaro kino i au. He rerekee mehemea he rongoa mo eenei aahuatanga. Naa te mea kaaore, pai ake te nohupuku. Ka kii atu au ki taku manuhiri, “He inu anoo, e Pire!” Ka inu anoo maaua Ka puta taku hoawahine ki te mahi kapu-ti maa maatau. Kua rongo atu au i ngaa tamariki e whawhai ana. Kua aue te waha o teetahi. Ko te tangata nei ko Pire he hoa mahi nooku, he hoa koorerorero. Kua moe wahine ia, aa e rua a raaua tamariki. He whare hou toona, he motokaaa. Te nuinga o ngaa taputapu miiharo mo te hiko kua riro mai i a ia, araa, mehemea e tika ana aana koorero. Kaaore anoo hoki ahau kia tae noa ki toona kaainga. Kaaore ahau e moohio ana he aha maaua i piri tata ai, ki taku moohio hoki kaaore oona hoa Maaori i tua atu i a au. E moohio ana ahau kaaore anoo ia kia kite noa i ngaa mahi a te Maaori. Engari kua rongo ia i ngaa koorero moo te Maaori e koorerotia ana e eetahi Paakehaa, araa, te maangere oo te Maaori, te paruparu, te poro haurangi, te aha, te aha. Kua tae mai ia inaianei ki too maaua kaainga. Ka moohio ia peehea te noho a teenei huunuku Maaori. Teeraa pea ka kii mai ia me haere atu maaua ko taku hoa ki toona kaainga, kia kite atu maaua peehea te noho a te Paakehaa i roto i oo raatau kaainga. Ka inu tii maatau, ka kai keke. Ka mutu ka huri anoo ngaa koorero ki te Maa Maaori ki te Paakehaa. Ka koorero ano a Pire, “Ki taaku nei titiro ko te huarahi hei whai maa taaatau ko teenei. Me whakakotahi te Maaori me te Paakehaa. Me kotahi ngaa ture, ngaa tikanga, ngaa whakaaro. Me whkakore atu ngaa mema Maaori o te Paaremata, me patu te Tari Maaori kia rite rite ai taatau. Kotahi tonu ngaa ture moo te iwi katoa. Ki te kore e peeneitia ka noho wehewehe tonu taatau peculiarities which don't find favour with the Pakeha people, and he has some we don't like. The essence of his argument for unity is that we should leave behind, throw out and abandon our Maori customs. The politicians are the culprits who give voice to the idea that we are one people. They are the ones who publish to the world that we live together in brotherhood and goodwill. To my way of thinking this is the dream of a seer. The idealistic longings of people who go to church. Then I caught up with myself and thought that I must cease such bad thoughts. It would be different if there was a remedy for this situation. Since there isn't, I must keep my thoughts to myself. I said to my visitor, “Have another drink, Bill!” We drank again. My wife went out to make a cup of tea. Then I heard our children fighting. One started to cry. Bill was a workmate of mine, a friend to converse with. He was married and had two children. He has a new house, a motorcar. He had bought most of the marvellous electrical gadgets one can buy, that is, if I can believe what he has told me. As yet, I have not visited his home. I don't know why we should become friends for to my knowledge I am his only Maori friend. I know he hasn't seen much of Maori life and customs. But he has heard the usual opinions held by some Pakehas, I refer to such statements as—the Maori is lazy, he is dirty, he is a drunkard, and so on. Now he has come to our home. He will see how this Maori family lives. Perhaps at some future date he will invite my wife and me to his home, so we will see how a Pakeha family behaves in its home. We had some tea and cakes. As soon as this was finished back went our conversation to the Maori-Pakeha issue. Bill was saying, “In my opinion this is the path we should follow. Let us regard the Maori and Pakeha people as one. Let us have the same laws, the same customs and similar thoughts. Let us do away with the special Maori members of parliament, let us put an end to the Maori Affairs Department so we will be all the same. Let there be one set of rules to be observed by everyone. If this is not done we will continue to be separated as we are now. Our differences will divide us and cause friction. “Abolish the Maori schools so all our children will be taught exactly the same way. Why bother with special scholarships and with Maori colleges! Their only function is to pull the Maori people along a tangent so that they finish up on a different plane. Now Rapa, what do you think about my thoughts on the matter?” The thoughts came pouring like an avalanche. Very quickly I denied all these statements. But, the longer I considered the less sure I was of what was right. Should I subscribe to my own views, or shouldn't I? Should all these things be killed!