The Waipoua Forest.

The future of the Waipoua kauri forest, one of New Zealand's great natural treasures, is debated every now and again. Sawmilling interests in the North agitate for a whack at Waipoua; there is a certain class of mind which sees nothing in a grand old tree but so many thousand feet of timber, worth so much. “Cut out the big trees” is their cry; if they had their way Waipoua would be mutilated, ruined, for those big trees are the glory of the forest Some of them have been there for considerably more than a thousand years. They were growing there probably before the ancestors of our Maoris came to New Zealand; they will be there, if they are left alone, long after we are dust—or ashes. A tribute of reverence and adoration is due to such noble things, trees that no other land, can show.

His Excellency the Governor has given an inspiring lead anew in the cause of “Hands Off Waipoua.” Like other discerning men from abroad who have seen Waipoua, Lord Bledisloe impresses on New Zealanders the wonderful treasure the country possesses in Waipoua, and the sacred duty of saving it from interference.

It is clear that the reserve should be proclaimed a sanctuary, a place tapu, untouchable by commercial interests.