Thinking About Our Problems Council Seminar Studies Maori Progress by John Booth Secretary, N.Z. Maori Council The most obvious fact about the Maori situation at present is the speed at which changes are taking place. The differences between the way our older people live and think and the way young people are growing up is tremendous. Because of the extent of the changes we are experiencing it is difficult for anyone to keep abreast of all the problems and the opportunities that are facing us. Feeling that they needed a chance to think fairly deeply about the social progress of the Maori people and about the obstacles that they are having to overcome, the members of the New Zealand Maori Council decided to hold a seminar at which these questions could be thoroughly discussed and at which important points of the Council's policy could be worked out. This seminar was held at Massey College early in December last year.

Other Organisations join the Council The Council knew that it could not work in isolation when it discussed the everyday social problems of our people, so it invited the Dominion Executive of the Maori Women's Welfare League, representatives of the Maori Women's Health League and a group of Welfare Officers from the Department of Maori Affairs to join in its deliberations. Experts from several different fields also attended. The whole seminar was financed by grants from various Trust Boards, both Maori and Pakeha, the main contributions coming from the McKenzie Trust and the Maori Purposes Fund Board. So that everyone could add their contribution to the discussion the seminar spent much of its time in groups of eight or nine members. The views of each group were then considered in full session, and the decisions sent on to the Council were the result of much careful thought and strenuous argument. The seminar had been planned to allow as much time as possible for discussion and the members made full use of every minute. They were also free to follow up any points that they themselves thought important and, from remarks made at the final meeting, the Council's aims seem to have been successfully achieved. It turned out that the subject that received the most attention was education. Many of the recommendations that were passed related to one or other aspects of this subject.

Educating Parents It was decided that much greater effort was needed to make parents aware of the part that they play in the education of their children. This is recognised as one of the great needs throughout New Zealand and not only amongst Maoris. A special scheme for parent education is to be prepared jointly by the Council, the Women's Leagues, Adult Education authorities and the Maori Education Foundation. It was also decided that Maori Committees and Leagues should be as active as possible in encouraging Maori mothers and fathers to take an interest in their children's education by joining in Parent-Teacher Associations or accepting positions on School Committees. Members of the seminar thought that this would be of benefit to the schools as much as to the parents and the children. Following on from educational needs the seminar thought that more should be done in the way of vocational guidance for our young people. They need to be better prepared for the difficulties that they will face when they start work in factories or offices and when they have to live away from home. While the work of the Vocational Guidance Officers is greatly appreciated, there seems to be a need for a more varied approach on the part of the authorities providing this useful service if it is to have the result of getting our youngsters into the jobs that are best suited to them.

Moving to the Towns Rather like the problem of leaving school and finding a job is the problem of the family that shifts from the country into the town. The Council members and others attending the seminar felt that those of you already living in the towns could do a great deal to help newcomers to settle down happily to city life. This is work that Maori Committees in the cities could do, as, indeed, some of them are already doing. We are sure that the Department of Maori Affairs would be glad to work along with any Committee that undertakes to help new arrivals who often find city life strange and difficult for a start.