SEGURO DE VIDA PROPUESTO POR EL DIPUTADO ARMANDO BARDALES

As mentioned in Chapter Two, Te Aute College was responsible for producing most of the early Māori university graduates. There is not much information available about the experiences of these graduates at university during the 1890s (Tiakiwai, 2001). However, there is considerable autobiographical information about the deeds of the first wave of Māori university graduates. In many cases, these graduates went on to serve the needs of the Māori community in a range of ways.

As noted in Chapter Two, the first Māori person to graduate from the University of New Zealand was Apirana Ngata (1874–1950) from Ngati Porou. Ngata entered Canterbury University College in 1891 (Fitzgerald, 1977). He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree, with second - class honours in political science in 1893 and in 1897 completed a Bachelor of Laws degree. Ngata was not only the first Māori person to graduate from a New Zealand University with a degree, but he was also the first New Zealander to hold a double degree of BA and LLB (Walker, 2001). In 1921 he was conferred a Master of Arts degree and in 1948 was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by the University of New Zealand (Walker, 1999). After graduating from University, Ngata went on to become a politician for Eastern Māori in 1905, retaining this seat until 1943. Ngata worked tirelessly in service of his people and as previously mentioned in this chapter, was responsible for stimulating a Māori cultural revival in the early part of the 20th century. He also championed the cause of Māori land development. In recognition of his service to his people, Ngata received a knighthood in 1927 (Walker, 2001).

Maui Pomare of Ngati Awa was another Te Aute graduate who attended university during this early period. Pomare completed his secondary education at Christchurch Boys’ High School and at Te Aute College. He studied medicine in Chicago, gaining his MD in 1899 (Alexander, 1951). He became the first public health officer with special responsibility for Māori

health in 1901 and then entered New Zealand politics in 1911. He was passionate about improving Māori health and was awarded a knighthood for his efforts in 1922 (Alexander, 1951).

Another notable Te Aute scholar was Te Rangi Hiroa (Peter Buck) from the Taranaki region. He attended Te Aute from 1896, passing his Medical Preliminary Examination in 1898 and graduating from Dunedin Medical School in 1904 (Alexander, 1951). After graduating, he briefly entered politics as the member for Northern Māori in 1909. In World War One he became a member of the Māori Pioneer Battalion. After returning home, he was appointed the Director of Māori Hygiene and worked hard during the 1918 influenza epidemic that seriously affected Māori communities (Alexander, 1951). Later in life, Buck cultivated a distinguished career as an anthropologist spending most of his time overseas. He was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of New Zealand and by Yale University and in 1946 was awarded a knighthood.

There were other high profile Te Aute graduates that went on to university study including: Tutere Wi Repa, Dr E.P Ellison and the Reverend Reweti Kohere. However, it is Ngata, Buck and Pomare in particular that are credited with Māori social, economic and cultural revival in the early 20th century (Durie, 2009).

As previously noted in Chapter Two, a key driving force in the success of these early Māori graduates was John Thornton, the Principal at Te Aute College. However, while Thornton was a strong advocate of university education for Māori, he nevertheless still held the view, like most of his contemporaries at the time that the survival of the Māori population depended upon their complete assimilation into the European way of life (Fitzgerald, 1977).

The idea that Māori should embrace European civilisation clearly had an influence on some of the Te Aute College students in Thornton’s charge. For example, in 1891, twenty students from Te Aute College including Ngata formed the Association for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Māori Race. One of the stated aims of the association was to abolish “injurious customs and useless meetings” (Walker, 2001, p.70). It also aimed to elevate Māori social life. The aims of this association discouraged some Māori customs, promoting European cultural superiority instead. Ngata and two other peers went out to preach this gospel in Māori communities, making a two week visit to East coast villages. Not surprisingly, these ideas were snubbed by elders who were more concerned with the survival of the Māori population. Later, in reflecting on this experience, Ngata wrote:

We had none of us any great knowledge of Māori [community] life; the little we knew was not to the credit of the Māori people. Beyond that we did not look. It was sufficient for us as enthusiasts, that our people were dirty, idle, drunken, and immoral, for we would teach them how to be clean, industrious, sober and virtuous. So we framed a constitution [that was] utterly impracticable, unsuited to the circumstances of Māori society, and beyond the powers of the greatest organizing genius to effect (Te Aute College Students Association, 1897 cited in Fitzgerald, 1977, p.31).4

Although there was a strong push from these Māori graduates to take on the aspects of European civilisation, it should be remembered that at the time, there were grave concerns about the survival of the Māori population. Also, they could not have envisioned the extent to which assimilation policies would take their toll on Māori culture and language.

Five years after the first Association was formed, the Te Aute College Students Association, later to be known as the Young Māori Party, was established. This Association had more realistic goals and emphasised the need for members to remain in touch with their community as well. In his address to the association, Ngata (1897) stated “Never let us be false to our people; whatever education may do for us, let it not put us out of touch with them, else our training will be a pitiful and lamentable failure” (Ngata message to Te Aute College Students Association, 1897 cited in Fitzgerald, 1977,p.31).

This section has shown that even in this early period, Māori university students were a diverse group, coming from different iwi and different backgrounds. It also demonstrates the struggle to maintain cultural integrity in the face of stringent attempts to bring about cultural assimilation. These battles are still ongoing and are reflected to a large extent in the participant’s narratives presented later in this thesis. The section also demonstrates the strong cultural expectation that university graduates will be of service to the Māori community.