NZ History

[ys]

were the maori battalion involved in combat or were they utilised in roles away from the front?
is there a web page on this battalion?

[Dave]

Post Gallipoli they were reorgasnised into a Pioneer Battalion and utilised in all manner of roles, including front line troops.

For a better explination, there is a book on the Maori Bn in WW1 by Chris Pugsley,

http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/AbtCit/iw/mresources.asp

Certainly he gives a better explination than I.

[Dave]

And here is a better web page.

The book is still good reading though.

http://folksong.org.nz/tipirere/

[Mike Subritzky]

Kia ora YS,

I had three "Subritzky" uncles serve in the (MAORI) Pioneer Battalion during WWI. They were Private Rapata Subritzky, Private Robert Subritzky and Private Herepete Subritzky. Rapata and Herepete's service was fairly brief (Herepete came down with the Influenza of 1918), however Robert Subritzky's military service will give you a fairly good idea of what the men in this Battalion faced, and remember they were also at Gallipoli, although Bob Subritzky missed that Operation...
Private Robert Subritzky Reg No: 16/1494 was born on the 13 August 1894, at Awanui in Northland. He was the son of Captain Arthur Subritzky and his wife Tiini (nee: Paratene).
He enlisted into the New Zealand Army on 15 December 1915 at Trentham Camp, having previously served as a Territorial in the 15th (North Auckland) Infantry Regiment.
Upon completion of his recruit training he was posted to E Company, 11th Reinforcements, but shortly afterwards he transferred to the 4th Maori Contingent. He sailed from Wellington for the Middle East aboard the "Mokoia" on the 3rd May 1916. He disembarked at Suez on 22nd June. On 27th June at Tel El Kebin he contracted Malaria and was admitted to No 17 General Hospital in Alexandria. On being discharged from hospital he embarked aboard the "Invernia" at Alexandria and sailed for England on the 26th July 1916. He disembarked at Southampton on 7th August and marched into Sling Camp.
He "Left for France" on the 28th August 1916 and marched into Etaples the next day.
On the 11th September 1916, he was posted to the New Zealand Maori Pioneer Battalion and joined the unit "in the field". (On the 17th December whilst under fire he lost his mess tin, was charged for this offence and was fined one shilling).
On 18th February 1917 while in the trenches he reported sick, suffering from chilblains and trenchfoot, and was treated at No 1 (NZ) Field Ambulance and returned to his unit. His condition worsened and on 28 February 1917 he was admitted to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station and from there withdrawn to the rear to convalesce at Boulogne.
He rejoined the Battalion on the 3rd of June 1917, and on the 17th June whilst he was in the forward trenches and under heavy fire a high-explosive shell burst behind him and he was severely wounded in the back, and had a lung punctured. Fragments of metal were to remain in his body for the rest of his life.
He was treated at No 3 (NZ) Field Ambulance that day and then transferred to No 14 General Hospital based at Wimirenia. On the 13th July 1917, he embarked on the Hospital Ship "Saint Patrick" for England and was admitted to No 2 (NZ) General Hospital based at Walton where he received further treatment.
On the 30th July 1917, he was examined by the Medical Board and was found to be unfit for active service and was placed on the New Zealand roll.
He embarked on the "Maheno" at Avonmouth on the 8th August 1917, for the return home, arriving in New Zealand on the 16th September 1917.
He was discharged from the New Zealand Army on the 30th November 1917, being "no longer physically fit for war service on account of wounds received in action." (Ref: The Subritzky Legend, Heritage Press, 1990).

Believe it or not, Bob was for many years single, and the taxi driver at Awanui. He often was required to escort the young school teacher Jeanie Davidson to various local functions. At the time he was in his mid-50's...anyway, they fell in love, got married and had two sons.

Jeanie is still alive at the time of writing and just this year celebrated her 80th Birthday. Jeanie Subritzky as one of the 2 remaining widows of "Te Hokowhitu a Tu" was an official guest at the interment in Wellington of the "Unknown Warrior."

Hope this is of some use to you.

Regards,

Mike Subritzky

[Lisa Truttman]

Since recently coming across the fact that the first training camp for the Maori contingent during World War 1 was at Avondale, Auckland in 1914-15, I've started researching the story of this camp. I've found the book by James Cowan from the 1920s, The Maoris in the Great War, and Te Hokowhitu a Tu - The Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War. Currently, when I can, I'm trawling the newspaper reports of the day, and gathering up bits and pieces from there as well.

If anyone has further source suggestions, I'd appreciate it. The first contingent were at Gallipoli.

[Noble]

Tena koe Mike
I have read many of your posts to this forum and was particularly interested in this one. I am a direct descent of Mere Paratene and her husband. She was a sister of Te Tiini Subritzky (nee Paratene) - wife of Albert Subritzky - (sorry wrote Robert before - slip of the fingers) . Do you have any further information on these sisters - there are four I believe.

Your reply much appreciated.

[Mike Subritzky]

Kia ora Noble,

Sorry to take so long to reply, but I have been in Aussie.

With regards to your question, this much I know. Te Tiini (nee: Paratene) was the second wife of Captain Arthur William Thomas Subritzky and she bore him four children, two sons and two daughters; they were William, Robert, Mary-Jane (named after Arthur's mother Mary-Jane nee: Smith), and Martha.
The person who is the foremost authority on this side of the whanau is Maria Benniston who lives in Whau Valley, Whangarei. Unfortunately I am unable to locate her address in the white pages so you might have to do a bit of detective work.
I can tell you that Saint Joshephs Church in Awanui is said to hold information on that side of the family.

Sorry I couldn't assist more.

Arohanui whanau,

Mike

[Noble]

Kia Ora Mike,
Just wanted to say thanks for the reply. Your assistance is much appreciated.

[raku]

Maori were recruited for WW1 on the insistence of Maori Parliamantarians like Ngata and Carol. They thought it would be great for Maori to die by the thousands so they could become really assimilated into Pakeha society. To gain respect by spilling blood as if they hadn't spilt enough during the battles in the 1860s to keep their lands from being forcibly taken off them. Where the Pakeha 'Land Theft Wars' of the 1860s happened was around Taranaki through to Waikato and across to Tauranga. Iwi who had their ancestors slaughtered by the great big British clobbering, theft machine and their kupapa (Maori traitor) allies resisted this type of indoctrination. The Waikato tribes especially, led by Te Puea, basically said 'up you Ngata', get your Pakeha mates to give us back our lands and we'll join your crusade for glory. So towards the end of the WW1 Ngata supported laws to actually conscipt Waikato Maori even though the laws were passd as being aimed at all Maori.

[Mike Subritzky]

Kia ora Raku,

Thank you for the history lesson, however please note that the question at the top of the page asked by "ys" was...were the maori battalion involved in combat or were they utilised in roles away from the front?

The question was about who "was" in The Maori Pioneer Battalion; not who was not.

The stance taken by Tainui and Princess Te Puea, is well documented, and from memory has been covered in previous posts.

Ka kite,

Mike

[raku]

[Mike Subritzky]

Kia ora Raku,

With due respect..you are judging 19th Century Maori judgement calls...with the benefit of 21st Century pakeha hindsight.

Look my angry friend, at that particular moment in history when both Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata and Sir James Carroll...were not interested in "impressing" the pakeha government, but rather were hell bent on saving the entire Maori race from extinction.

Look, as regards the New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion...both Ngata and Carroll had seen the Glory, Mana and Respect that was heaped upon all of those brave young men who had returned from the South African War (1899-1902). Absolutely every man who returned from South Africa was regarded as a Hero for the rest of his life.

Ngata was no 'Uncle Tom' but rather a very astuite Rangatira of his people, and all of Maoridom..At that particular moment in time and space, Maori were widely regarded as "a dying race." This view was widely held throughout New Zealand.

Ngata (especially), Carroll, and other Rangitira badgered the NZ Government of the day with a very good argument for the creation of an individual Maori entity which would work as "Engineers"...not Frontline "Cannon Fodder" but rather as Front Line 'diggers and wire layers.'

Ngata was no fool, and he knew that by enlisting these young Men men into the Army, then Maori were standing tall, pulling their weight and no pakeha could ever in the future could take Maori to task for not pulling their weight "During The GREAT War."

'Te Hoko Whiti A Tu' (The NZ Pioneer Maori Battalion) was just so very professional that they were requested on a number of occassions to act in their "primary" role as Infantrymen (Please be aware that all Kiwi Soldiers are regarded first as "Infantrymen," first and foremost and Artillery, Engineers, and Cavalry second)...They aquitted themselves to a man "Brilliantly."

Raku, it was a different time and space in New Zealand history. Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata and Sir James Carroll did the "Hard Yards" so as to try and save "MAORI" and Maoridom. Look these gentlemen recorded all sorts of history of pre-European Maori. They wrote and published papers, books, and collated photographs over a wide range of things most important recording the history of Aotearoa.

Ehore (My Friend Raku), do please research the life and times of both of these two Distinguished Rangatira. Believe me, they were thinking of all of Maoridom, and were "Light Years" ahead of their time.

My thoughts.

Ka kite,

Mike Subritzky

[raku]

In no way am I applying your Pakeha hindsight 21st century philosophies mumbo jumbo on the reflections of Maori WW1 recruitment of Maori, mine is from a non-kupapa Maori point of view. One that you may or may not be so aware of. It is a view that hasn't been tainted with a Eurocentricised Pakeha agenda - the one that appears to appeal to you. Just because I oppose your nicely "fit-in-with-Pakeha-historians' viewpoint I am angry - now that sounds familiar, everytime a Maori opposes a Pakeha viewpoint they are tagged as angry agitating radicals.

So you believe Ngata was out to save a dying race (?) geez how Pakeharized can a Maori (?) get.........

NGATA DISMISSED AS SENTIMENTAL THE EXEMPTION OF ABLE-BODIED MAORI FROM MILITARY SERVICE ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY WERE A DYING RACE - p.188 'He Tipua - The Life and Times of Sir Apirana Ngata' - Ranginui Walker.

I would encourage you to read more and look at a viewpoint that reflects those of Maori who have a history of fighting for their lands in NZ, and have a history of being "radicals" who oppose the historical mumbo-jumbo that you particularly like to waffle on about.

Tribes in the vanguard who offered assistance to the Empire were those tribes which fought with the Crown in the Land Wars - Te Arawa, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Porou and the Wanganui tribes. The European war was a war of white men and for the Brits to allow a black, or even brown man to kill white men was reprehensible, and was seen as a tthreat to the notion of white superiority. The Imperial govt. ruled that no native race should be used in hostilities between European races - that was until their NZEF losses mounted.

Pomare & Ngata pushed through the Military Services Act for conscription which was targeted specifically and ONLY at Waikato tribes. On 16 June 1917 this was enacted.

Ngata even compiled waiata, recruitment songs, (propoganda as stated in previous post), for example, ' Te Ope Tuatahi' and in the song he made it clear that the Maori recruits came from kupapa areas and was an unstated recrimination against those tribes who were not mentioned in his song.

Glad to discuss any other misapprehensions you may about that period have e hoa.

[Mike Subritzky]

Kia ora Raku,

Here's mine mate...where's yours, and please do not quote me the modernist Dr Walker, I prefer genuine history. Cheers.

The "brief" bio of both men is lifted from the 1966 Encyclopedia of NZ.

Mike Subritzky

- - - -

NGATA, Sir Apirana Turupa
(1874�1950).

Maori leader, politician, statesman, and scholar.

Apirana Turupa Ngata was born on 3 July 1874 at Kawaka, commonly known as Te Araroa, near East Cape. He was the eldest son of the 15 children born to Paratene Ngata, of the Ngati Porou, and of Katerina Naki, a half-caste Ngati Porou from Waipiro Bay. His parents had been married in 1867 and, as the union appeared to be barren, they believed that conception would be possible only if certain rituals were performed by a Maori high priest or Tohunga. Katerina therefore subjected herself to a special ritual, which was later claimed as the reason for Ngata's birth. Young Ngata was brought up by his mother's sister, the wife of Major Ropata, and named Apirana, after Ropata's eldest son. Ngata received his early education at the Waiomatatini Maori School and, at the age of 10, went to Te Aute College, where the headmaster was John Thornton, a devout Anglican Churchman and an outstanding classics scholar. Under Thornton's guidance Ngata matriculated and gained the Senior Makarini Scholarship and an additional bursary which enabled him to further his studies at Canterbury University College. He graduated B.A. with second-class honours in political science in 1893. In 1894 he articled himself to Sir Theophilus Cooper in Auckland and studied for his M.A. (graduated 1921) and also for his law degree. In 1897 he gained his LL.B. and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor. He therefore became the first Maori to graduate in a New Zealand University and was one of the very earliest New Zealanders to hold the degrees of B.A., LL.B. The honorary degree of Doctor of Literature was conferred upon him by the University of New Zealand in 1948.

At the outset of his career Ngata might easily have made a name for himself in law, but after a brief period he experienced an urge to work more directly with the Maori people, a service he regarded as the highest sphere of all. During the last decade of the nineteenth century the Maori population had fallen to approximately 40,000, or about 60,000 less than in 1840. Little wonder that the Maori was called a �dying race�. In keeping with this idea of service Ngata became travelling secretary for the Young Maori Party, a movement that grew from the Te Aute College Old Boys' Association. Ngata realised that worth-while results would be achieved only through existing tribal organisations, and generally this was the method under which the Young Maori Party functioned. As its programme was aimed at influencing Parliament to obtain legislation directly beneficial to the Maori, it became essential for a member of the party to enter the House of Representatives. In 1905, Ngata was elected a member of Parliament, where he remained until 1943. He represented the native race in Sir Joseph Ward's Ministry (1909�12) and was Minister of Native Affairs and Cook Islands in Ward's second Ministry (1928�30) and under Forbes (1930�34).

As a parliamentarian Ngata was never a strict party man; for him Maori problems came first. His Maori Land Development Scheme, inaugurated in 1931 when he was Minister of Maori Affairs, was one of the greatest achievements of his Parliamentary career. Throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand, undeveloped Maori lands were brought into production through Ngata's schemes. Ngata was also tireless in his efforts to raise the living standards of the Maori people and fervently believed it could be achieved only by raising their educational level. He worked for equal opportunity in education for the Maori youth, for the defining of Maori land tenures, for the participation by Maoris in European sports, and for organising a scheme for consolidating communally owned lands. He inaugurated the Maori Purposes Fund, which has accomplished much in the construction of Maori secondary schools, and he assisted with the formation of the Board of Ethnological Research.

Ngata stimulated a revival of interest in the language, history, and traditions both of the Maoris and of their Polynesian relations. He was president of the Polynesian Society for nine years, was chairman of the Geographic Board � the body to which all New Zealand place names are referred before adoption � and he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dominion Museum. In arts and crafts he maintained that the ideal was to train Maori youth in taste and judgment, so that they could develop their indigenous art forms and thereby appreciate the achievements of their own race. He, himself, set an example by encouraging the building of carved memorials or meeting houses. These, such as the reconstructed Rangiatea Church, were intended to meet all the requirements of the community, and some of the finest Maori art and skill have gone into these carvings.

As president of the Polynesian Society, Ngata was able to encourage ethnological research, both financially and through his own stimulating articles. His chief personal contribution in this field was his two-volume work Nga Moteatea, published in 1929. Over a period of 40 years he collected and recorded hundreds of the songs and chants of the various tribes, and these form the basis of the book. When he retired from Parliament he interested himself in the tribal history of the Ngati Porou and in the revised translation of the Maori Bible, as well as in the revision of William's Maori Dictionary. Ngata also published an essay on Anthropology and Government of Native Races in the Pacific, which Professor I. L. G. Sutherland has described as an able analysis of the contact of British civilisation on Polynesian peoples. Finally, he produced a well known work on civics, The Price of Citizenship.

When it was a question of raising funds for community purposes Ngata had no peer. He knew every avenue from which Government grants could be obtained; he knew the financial resources of every tribe and hapu and could assess almost to a penny the amount that could be raised at the various huis he organised. It was he who planned the campaign to raise the �50,000 required to endow the Ngarimu and Maori Battalion Scholarship and, from his deathbed, he conducted a campaign to obtain funds to extend and renovate the buildings at Te Aute College and at Hukarere Girls' School, Napier, on the occasion of the Te Aute centennial. During the First and Second World Wars Ngata's efforts were outstanding. He acted as chief recruiting officer for all tribes, and it was largely due to his efforts in Parliament that the Maoris remained volunteers. In recognition of these and other services to the Maori people, Ngata was knighted in 1927.

Ngata's courage and vision sometimes led him into situations which became embarrassing both to himself and to those associated with him. The most outstanding of these dealt with the misuse of public moneys � not for personal gain but for the benefit of the Maori people. In 1934 a Native Affairs Commission was set up to inquire into and report upon the Departments of Government concerned with administration of native affairs. This Commission presented an unfavourable report about Ngata's work as an administrator, especially where the accounting for public moneys set aside for Maori land development was concerned.

Administration must be sympathetic, patient, and friendly, and Ngata possessed these qualities. Unfortunately, however, his careless methods and personal status created great difficulty in the fulfilment of his administrative duties. As a Minister of the Crown, Ngata was bound to refrain from using State funds in the interests of his own tribe without lawful authority. Moreover, he was bound to restrain himself, as well as the leaders of other tribes, from adopting methods which relaxed the official control over State funds and stores. The Commission stated that Ngata failed repeatedly in these matters and produced some evidence to support this conclusion.

Throughout his life Sir Apirana Ngata had one goal � to uplift the Maori race spiritually, culturally, and economically. First and foremost he was the leader of his people � well equipped by temperament and education to wrestle with the many problems that confronted him. His was a magnetic personality, strengthened by rich gifts of oratory both in English and in Maori. In Parliament he proved a gifted and eloquent speaker and was reputed to be second to none as a political tactician. Rarely has the Maori point of view been more forcibly expressed.

Ngata died on 14 July 1950 at Waiomatatini. In January 1895 Ngata married Arihia Kane Tamati, of Whareponga, East Coast. He left four sons and four daughters.

-----
by Ihakara Porutu Puketapu, B.A., Administration Officer, Department of Maori Affairs, Wellington and Robert Ritchie Alexander, M.A., DIP.ED.(N.Z.), B.T.(CALCUTTA), PH.D.(MINNESOTA), Teachers' Training College, Christchurch.

Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1934. G. 11, Report of the Commission on Native Affairs Sir Apirana Ngata and Maori Culture, Ramsden, E. (1948) The History of Te Aute College, Alexander, R. R. (1951) Bay of Plenty Times, 1, 8, 9 Nov 1934, 15�20 Jul 1950 (Obits).

**********
CARROLL, Sir James, K.C.M.G., M.L.C.
(1853�1926)

Minister of the Crown, Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand.

James Carroll was born on 20 August 1853 at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, the sixth of the eight children of Joseph Carroll. His father, of Irish extraction, had been born in Sydney and was Wairoa's first European farmer. His mother, the chieftainess Tapuke, who belonged to a noted East Coast tribe, had been born at Makauri (near Gisborne), but had moved to Turanga (Gisborne) with her tribe at an early age. Young Carroll passed his early childhood with Ngati Kahungunu relatives in Hawke's Bay until his father reclaimed him and put him under the guardianship of George Richardson, an old friend of the family. He attended school until he was 10 and then worked on his father's station, where he learned to talk and debate with the other musterers. On a visit to Ireland, many years later, Carroll was asked by his hostess what university he had attended and he replied, with a twinkle in his eye, �the University of Nature�.

In 1871, at the age of 17, Carroll joined the Waikaremoana expedition against Te Kooti and for his bravery was mentioned in despatches and awarded the New Zealand Medal, with a gratuity of �50. After this campaign he joined the Native Lands Department in Napier as a cadet. There his ability drew Sir Donald McLean's notice and led to his being transferred to Wellington, where he remained for a year. At the end of this time he returned to Wairoa, but later accepted a position as Native Interpreter to the House of Representatives. In July 1884 he resigned to contest Eastern Maori with Wi Pere, but was unsuccessful. He therefore joined Judge Logan as an interpreter for the Native Land Court. In September 1887 Carroll defeated Wi Pere for Eastern Maori and retained the seat in the 1890 election. In 1893 he contested the Waiapu (European) electorate when he defeated C. A. de Lautour � a veteran politician. Carroll retained this seat until he was defeated by W. D. Lysnar in December 1919. He was subsequently appointed to the Legislative Council, where he remained until his death.

In March 1892 Carroll joined the Ballance Ministry as member of the Executive representing the Native Race. During this period he helped Seddon to draw up the Native Land Purchase and Acquisition Bill, a measure by which the Government sought to obtain Maori Land by more equitable means than formerly. In February 1896 Seddon appointed Carroll Commissioner of Stamp Duties; he thus became the first Maori to hold a ministerial portfolio. He became Minister of Native Affairs in December 1899, retaining this portfolio in the Hall-Jones and Ward Ministries until the Liberals were defeated in 1912. For three months in 1909 and seven months in 1911 Carroll was Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand. In the Coronation Honours, 1911, Carroll was created K.C.M.G. On the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth (1901) he accompanied Seddon to the celebrations. In 1918 he was selected to visit the battlefronts in France and Belgium. There he met and was greatly impressed by Bonar Law, the British statesman.

As Minister of Native Affairs, Carroll was, in effect, the arbitrator on many questions between the Maoris and the Government. When the tribes were not disposed to trust the Native Land Court, Carroll intervened and persuaded them to allow 650,000 acres of their lands to be opened for settlement. He persuaded Mahuta Te Wherowhero the Maori �King�, to accept seats in the Executive and Legislative Councils, and by so doing to submit to the sovereignty of Queen Victoria. Although his native policy was conservative (taihoa), Carroll did his best to promote local self-government among the Maoris. He greatly facilitated the passing of the Maori Councils Act of 1900 which conferred autonomy on the villages in matters of health and education, and instituted a stricter supervision over the sale of spirits to natives. The first general conference of the Maori Councils, held in Rotorua on 17 April 1903, sought additional powers for the village committees, and put forward proposals for better medical facilities in native areas and suggested model by-laws to limit tohungaism (witchcraft). In all such matters the Government sought Carroll's advice.

Carroll's name is also associated with the passing of the Maori Lands Administration Act of 1900. In 1898 he had accompanied Lord Ranfurly and Seddon to a great meeting of King Country chiefs, where the questions of the alienation of native lands and the declining population of the race were discussed. There, Seddon informed them that his Government intended to prohibit the further sale of Maori lands in an attempt to prevent the Maoris from becoming a landless class and in order that their numbers might have a chance to increase. These proposals were embodied in the Maori Lands Administration Act, which was placed in the administrative sphere of the Native Minister. Carroll was deeply interested in cooperative farming and encouraged its adoption. He also prepared the way for the consolidation of all legislation dealing with native lands. Under the Native Land Act of 1909 the distinction between European and Maori lands, first instituted by the Treaty of Waitangi, was abolished and, where native lands were vested in an individual owner or a small group, all prohibitions and restrictions on their sale were removed. In the case of lands owned in fee simple by 10 or more natives as communal property, alienation could not be made without the consent of the group. Special Maori Land Boards were empowered to deal with the disposition of native land, with the consent of the owners, by sale or lease. The principles consolidated in the 1909 Act remained in force for many years.

Carroll became known as Seddon's right-hand man and confidential adviser in all the Government dealings with the Maori people. On one occasion in the 1890s when Seddon contemplated sending 300 Maori warriors to settle troubles in Samoa, Carroll demanded to be allowed to lead them. At Seddon's funeral Carroll was the chief Maori spokesman. Possessing a rare dignity, he was an eloquent speaker in English and Maori and so could use his immense influence to further the understanding between Maori and Pakeha. His gift for picturesque speech was seen at its best when he unveiled the memorial to his old friend and opponent the Hon. Sir William Herries: �Standing by this memorial� My mind is a hive to which are homing a hundred honeyed memories.�

Carroll was undoubtedly one of the finest speakers the New Zealand Parliament has known. As an orator he carried conviction through the simplicity and sincerity of his words. He was both prudent and just and displayed a wonderful sense of humour. One of the most dramatic scenes ever witnessed on the floor of the House of Representatives occurred after Carroll had defended his administration of native affairs against a most scathing and apparently unanswerable denunciation by Herries. While Herries was speaking Carroll sat slumped in his seat alongside the Premier apparently half asleep. As Herries sat down even Carroll's fellow Liberals felt daunted. But Carroll, speaking without notes, answered each charge to the satisfaction of his own party and the opposition alike. And, in the triumphant moment when he concluded, Herries was seen to walk across the floor of the House to congratulate him on his reply.

Early in life Carroll married Heni Mataroa, who survived him. There were no children but they brought up 30 foster children. His interests outside politics were many. He enjoyed boxing, wrestling, athletics, and bowls, both as a spectator and as a lively participant. He was also fond of horse racing and kept his own stables. When Carroll died in Auckland on 18 October 1926 a brief but impressive memorial service was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral, after which the embalmed body was sent by the Wainui to Gisborne for interment. At the time of his death Sir James was a member of the Legislative Council and a trustee of the East Coast Native Trust Lands.

- - - - -
by Robert Ritchie Alexander, M.A., DIP.ED.(N.Z.), B.T.(CALCUTTA), PH.D.(MINNESOTA), Teachers' Training College, Christchurch.

N.Z.P.D., Vol. 212 (1927) (Obits) Life and Works of Richard John Seddon, Drummond, J. (1907) King Dick, Burdon, R. M. (1955) Bay of Plenty Times, 20 Oct 1926 (Obit).

********

[raku]

As you can see by your own cut-and-paste (which sort of proves you have no personal idea yourself about Ngata), he was renowned for supporting his own tribe to the detriment of ALL others. Money poured into the development of Ngati Porou. No lands were lost in his tribal area while he had influence. But TWO MILLION ACRES were lost by other Iwi while he was in Parliament! Wow he recruited Maori for the war and your own cut and paste says that without his drive Maori would not have volunteered - so that is a plus?

Ngata was also one of those drivers for the banning of Te Reo Maori in schools, something he later regretted, but only thanks to the pressure of various Maori leaders, and in the end his own people, who pressured him to change his ways. Later on in his life he tried to make amends by getting the Maori language revived in various institutions.

Ofcourse he was loved by Pakeha, simply because he was controllable. He did absolutely nothing for any tribe outside his region bar one, that was the other kupapa tribe- Te Arawa. Pakeha still ripped off Maori lands, Maori language was banned from schools until WW2 thanks to Ngata, Carroll, Pomare....(you know all the ones promoted by Pakeha)

It is true he revived some Maori arts and a few games, but as chief purse puller in Wellington, he also stifled the revival of sports and arts from other Iwi. So those games and arts have had to do it by people power alone and not with the luxury of wads of cash. It wasn't until the return of the Maori Battalion from WW2 that widespread revivals started to occur right around NZ, geez funny how that coincided with Ngata not being in Parliament aye. Ngata looked after his own, you can't really knock him for that, ofcourse those who benefitted loved him, but outside his regions other Iwi despised him for stifling their Iwitanga and allowing to be lauded by Pakeha for actually doing very little to help Maori.

I'm still amused by your assertion that Ngata regarded Maori as a dying race and that is what made him recruit as many young Maori men as he could to die for NZ in WW1!? It doesn't quite make sense, however I would eagerly await your reasoning.

And I note in the references of your cut-and-paste the American Alexander, so an American is qualified do you think to talk about Ngata (from those hallowed days of the 60s - how were Maori treated then?) and Walker is not????? You could pop Alexander in the same category as White, Best, Cowan, King...they know what "sells" (ofcourse to "mainstream" NZ'ers, and we know who they are aye e hoa)

You know Alexander wrote an "historical" book about Te Aute College, yet in most circles it was rubbished, and there wouldn't be a Maori old boy from that school who wouldn't consider the history of Te Aute College still has to be written, so as an historian he falls terribly short of being even acknowledged.

My suggestion to you e hoa is to read, korero with kaumatua from all parts of NZ, learn and reflect. Maori history is very difficult to separate from Pakeha discourses now unless you are willing to work hard and learn to separate "preferred Pakeha opinions" from Maori beliefs and concerns.

I had tipuna who served in WW1, and several whanau who fought in WW2. They were indeed brave and acquitted themselves superbly, there is no question. However on the subject of Ngata...well, lets say as a Pakeha puppet he did ok from their point of view, but for Maoridom overall he was abysmal. But don't ask Ngati Porou or Te Arawa, or read literature penned by their whanaunga, get a wider view, which in my opinion is far more accurate.

regards, on your journey..........He moana pukepuke e eke ngia e te waka.