Several laws were passed in the 19th century restricting Māori access to liquor, and governments received many letters from Māori decrying the influence of the demon drink. This 1871 letter by Te Tatana Waitaheke of Ōruawharo is one such letter. The second paragraph says: ‘Let your hand be strong to keep away that thing from here. This is the word: “For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober”’.
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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
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MA24 2 4
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