A Foundation For The Future? by Kenneth C. Gartner it is encouraging to know that there is now a greater recognition of the many problems involved in the education of the Maori people. For the majority of New Zealanders, this recognition is formulated in terms of the Maori Education Foundation.

A Moral Obligation The strong have a moral obligation to help those who are weaker; and so, if the members of a dominant group have discovered shortcomings in the ways in which they are influencing the members of a minority group, or if they see ways in which they could help to overcome weaknesses in the position of such a minority—then the members of that dominant group have a moral obligation to try to help, sincerely and to the limits of their resources. Because of this, the Foundation must be viewed as an absolute necessity. It recognises the urgent need to improve the Maori's lot, representing as it does the desire of the majority to do something concrete to assist a minority who are, in many ways, unfortunate; and at the same time it is a movement which, if it is reasonably successful, should vastly improve relations in this bi-racial society.

Essential to Discriminate It seems ludicrous that critics should refer to this movement as an expression of inverted discrimination. To arrive at the crux of the whole problem it is absolutely essential that one must discriminate between Maori students and Pakeha students. It is this very fault, this decades-old failure to discriminate between Maori and Pakeha needs, particularly in the field of education—this lack of sympathy and ignorance of their very real problems, which has partly led to the stagnation of the Maori race, not only academically, but also economically, socially and culturally. And this situation has improved only insignificantly in the last few decades. It is discouraging to read the statistics which show a comparatively mediocre level of achievement in most fields by the Maori race. Far too few of us are seeking the education which we should be seeking. In spite of the fact that the actual number of Maoris attending post-primary schools has increased fourfold since 1948, proportionately speaking the number is still much too small; and in one recent year (1960), six times as many Maori children as Pakeha children did not complete their primary education. The largest proportion of Maori students leave at the end of form four, whereas the largest proportion of Pakehas leave at the end of form five. Only about 6 per cent of Maoris left with school certificate or higher in 1961, compared with about 32 per cent of non-Maoris. Proportionately speaking, almost six times as many Pakehas as Maoris are seeking education above a form five level.

Two Possible Reasons There are two possible reasons for these figures: either Maoris are being indirectly denied education, or else they do not appreciate its value. Probably, both these reasons apply to some extent. There are many problems which make it difficult for us to reach an adequate level of education, and which help to justify the existence of the Foundation. The European has had centuries of experience in which to evolve principles of living appropriate to modern civilisation. We have not had such long experience, and we cannot therefore help ourselves to the same extent.

Cannot Change Suddenly It is not to be expected that we should suddenly emerge from our traditional society and adopt all the characteristics of a civilized race. Our traditional ways of life permitted us an effective existence, and it is only natural that any transitional stage would be very gradual, and even subject to opposition from ubiquitous ‘reactionaries’. Consequently we have been, and to a certain extent still are, slow to appreciate the necessity of adapting ourselves. As well as this, the Maori people lack administrative experience, finance, and the experience