Seated on the porch of Mahinarangi, the Prime Minister and Mrs Kirk and the royal visitors listen to Henare Tuwhangai's speech of welcome. Interpreting for Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh is the Rev. Kingi Ihaka, and for Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips is Mr Bob Kerr your elders have gone to join their ancestors. It is fitting that we should pause for a moment and think of those who have gone before us. ‘They have paved the way for us. We are all products of our past and in the rush and turmoil of modern life we should never forget that the way we think and act today will affect profoundly the lives of our children and grandchildren. Our present will be their past. ‘The strong sense of tradition and continuity of life, which is such a marked feature of the Maori people, is well illustrated in this marae. Its origin derives from the words of an ancestor of Dame Te Atairangikaahu who foresaw it as a “resting place for the feet” of his descendants and their people. But this marae is not just a memorial to the past, it is a living symbol of all that is best in Maori society. It is a gathering place where the people can share their joys and sorrows, where they can remember, and where they can plan for the future in a spirit of warmth and friendship. Above all, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II replies to the welcome