the lives of all those who lived and hunted in this area throughout the ages, over a period of time stretching back far beyond the arrival of the ‘Great Fleet’ 600 years ago. Among the other remaining tokens of this long history are the rock paintings and other relics which have been discovered in many places.

Driven from Ancestral Lands It was in the Waitaki area also that the last remnants of this ancient race were hunted and driven from their homes by mounted constabulary and runholders armed with guns. There had long been disputes about the ownership of the upper Waitaki valley, the Maori owners claiming that they had sold to the Pakeha only the land in sight of the coast. In 1877 a group of about 150 Maoris went to live on the bleak, swampy flats at Omarama (four miles south of the new dam) in order to demonstrate their rights to the surrounding country. But two years later they were driven out by the armed constabulary and it was only through the timely intervention of Ihaia Tainui, Member of Parliament for Southern Maori, that bloodshed was avoided. It was the middle of winter. Snow was falling, and it was bitterly cold. With their carts and drays, the small group of Waitaha began the long, painful trek to the mouth of the river, where they still owned a few acres. One can well imagine the feelings of their old chief and tohunga Maiharoa as he passed through the tribal camping ground of Maukatipua and climbed to the top of the Otematakou Saddle. The last of the ancient lineage of the chiefs of Waitaha, he looked back, deprived of his birthright, at the lands where for remote ages his people had hunted, fought and died. Slowly he turned his back on those great mountains and valleys, and with a sad heart began the long journey to the coast. The dispute over this area, along with other South Island disputes, was settled only in 1944, when the Government offered to settle what were known as the Ngaitahu Claims for £300,000, payment to be spread over 30 years. This offer was accepted, and so the Ngaitahu Trust Board came into being.

Power and Warmth from Benmore And now much of this historic district has been obliterated by this new lake made by men. When W. B. Mantell, the Pakeha explorer, first entered the Waitaki region in 1848, he said to the Maori chief Huruhuru, ‘some day a bridge and a city will be here’. Today there stands in that high region the great dam and powerhouse which will bring power to our cities and warmth and light to our homes. Though we have lost a part of our cultural heritage, we shall in the end be well repaid through the efforts of the Pakeha and Maori builders of this great project.

The Te Puea Trophy, awarded annually to the branch of the Maori Women's Welfare League with the best report of its activities, went this year to Nga Iwi District Council (Auckland). Runners-up were Rotorua District Council and Maketu Isolated Branch. Eight of the Maoris who made their opera debut in the New Zealand Opera Company's production of ‘Porgy and Bess’ earlier this year were retained for the chorus of ‘II Trovatore’, the present production. They are Josh Gardiner. George Henare, Bob Hirini, Tuta Kainamu, Peter Keiha, Mark Metekingi, Don Selwyn and Ross Waters.

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