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An Epitome of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand

Ohinemutu, 15th June, 1876

Ohinemutu, 15th June, 1876.

Sir,—

In accordance with your telegram of the 23rd ultimo, requesting us to furnish a full report of all land purchase transactions in the district since the 1st of July last, we have the honor to record herein all points bearing on the subject named in your communication.

As some of our documentary statements were transmitted to you early in July last, it may very considerably help you to understand our negotiations if citations be made from papers previously written; although some of the matters quoted may date anterior to that mentioned in your instructions.

It may not be necessary to particularize our business in the way of Maori meetings and other preliminaries transacted by us during the first few days of July, but we will extract portions of the report alluded to in a previous paragraph. Under date 10th July we remark:—" We have had some difficulties to encounter in our land-purchase operations, "which at times threatened to bring about a collapse. Some of the Arawa chiefs, acting under the advice of Hawke's Bay tribes and their pakeha friends, whose opposition to the present Government is well known, have, by petitions to the Assembly, by numerous letters and telegrams, and by various other means, endeavoured to stay our land proceedings in the Arawa country. The various petitions and other communications forwarded by the Arawas generally have been notable only for their gross misrepresentations.

"Added to the wonted troublesomeness of these Arawa tribes, their cupidity has been excited and their known character of dishonesty encouraged by private individuals, who persistently endeavour to lease and buy Maori lands within our district; although they well know that it is impossible under the circumstances to obtain a legal title; and that by foolishly bargaining with the unscrupulous Arawa they are but wasting tome and money; and no doubt, at some future period, when driven to their wits' ends they will fall back, as their predecessors have done, on the Government for compensation, with what show of justice remains to be seen. We have pleasure in stating, however, that; notwithstanding the violence of the opposition, and the various obstacles referred to with which we have had to contend, land matters at present throughout the whole of our district, as far as our operations are concerned, are standing upon a most satisfactory basis; and now that the Arawas have discovered that we unflinchingly adhere to the principles of truth and justice, and that their threats are either treated with indifference, or met by sound argument, their feelings have become somewhat mollified, and they now profess to be desirous of aiding the Government scheme, which indeed does not surprise us, as they are sufficiently intelligent to see that such a course will be advantageous to themselves."

It will be remembered, perhaps, that we intimated in our last general report the probability of our success in respect to purchasing the block of land at Maketu known as Te Puke in which case our operations would be extended to the Maketu flats, known as Te Papanui, Paengaroa, &c. We have to state that the proposed line of action we then ventured to suggest was carried out by us. We treated with the Waitaha and Tapuika tribes, to whom it is fully known these lands really belong; and, although the toa element raised its crest, our determined indifference towards the braves, on the grounds of justice, so thoroughly convinced them of the untenableness of their position, and the fictitiousness of their claims, that they agreed to confine their demands to a few hundred acres of worthless sandy soil near the sea coast, including Te Tumu, the famous battle ground where Ngaiterahgi were worsted. On procuring the signatures of the Waitaha and Tapuika tribes to our deeds, they warmly repudiated any claim whatever by the toa, stating that the Ngatiwhakaue and others claiming as toa put forward their fictitious demands for the purpose of extorting money, and taking advantage of the ignorance of Europeans as regards these. Maori questions. With the above sayings and other page 379 arguments of our own showing the fallacies of the toa claims, the, whole of the element suddenly collapsed, and we were told by the Ngatiwhakaue to go on with the ancestral claimants, but that, as an act of grace, they hoped we would not overlook them.

In justice to the braves generally, it becomes necessary to draw a line of demarcation between the two prominent sections—namely, the anti-leasing and anti-selling party, and those who have treated with us for the alienation of their lands. Of the former, the great leading personage is Te Pokiha Taranui, more commonly known as Fox, a man of indomitable pride. He carries with only a small section of the Ngatipikiao tribe named Te Ngatikakinga, who are known to possess but small influence and very little land.

The Ngatipikiao tribe, who are with the Government in the land scheme, comprise the large majority under the old chiefs Te Puehu, Te Mapu, Rotorangihoro, Te Matangi, Pita Te Wharetoroa, and others. With this large section of Ngatipikiao range the tribes of Waitaha, Tapuika, Ngatipukenga, Ngatimoko, and many others. In fact; the real landholders generally throughout the Arawa country favour both selling and leasing their tribal lands; and it is found that the opposing party, as a rule, have little or no land either to sell or lease; consequently the genuine owners of the soil view the acts and clamours of the anti-sellers with extreme bitterness.

Throughout the Taupo District, we may say that the tone of feeling is in favour of Government; and, although Henare Matua and other Hawke's Bay celebrities have sent their written and oral messages to the Taupo Natives, stirring them up to oppose any attempt on the part of the Crown to secure land in this district by purchase or lease, the machinations of the Napier chiefs have been unsuccessful, and their gratuitous opinions treated with profound indifference.

During the month in which the foregoing extracts were written we visited Tokanu, and held a series of meetings with some of the resident chiefs relative to the main trunk road from Taupo to Whanganui and site for Native village school, which propositions were received approvingly by the principal chiefs present. On this occasion complaints were made to us in relation to the interference of Tareha and other Hawke's Bay chiefs with respect to the Mohaka Block, sold by the Taupo Natives to the Government, and declared to be their property exclusively, although the points mooted here were publicly discussed at a Native meeting held previously at Napier, when a sum of money on the Mohaka Block was paid to Tareha by request of deputations sent to Napier by the Taupo Natives. At the same time a portion of the block in question, claimed by the great chief Renata Kawepo, was excluded from the sale, by which arrangement all Maori difficulties relative to the Mohaka purchase were removed.

In July also we completed the deeds of Tauhara Middle lease, Runanga No. 2 lease, and Tauhara Block purchase, transmitting the same to Wellington.

In the month of August the following conveyances were forwarded to the Under Secretary at Wellington, namely—Te Puke, Paengaroa, Kaikokopu, and Waitahanui Blocks, estimated at over 100,000 acres.

A series of meetings with the chiefs Poihipi Tukairangi, Hohepa Tamamutu, Hitiri te Paerata, Takerei, Ruha te Parangetungetu, Te Reweti Waikato, Te Papanui, Te Heu Heu, Hauraki, and others, regarding land claims on the west shores of Lake Taupo, Te Tatua on Waikato, Paeroa, Kaingaroa, and other places; and we succeeded in obtaining the necessary signatures to complete the conveyance of Tauhara North.

Early in September we proceeded to Ohinemutu, where we met numerous deputations of Ngatiwhakaue, Ngatituara, Ngatiraukawa, Ngatitahu, Ngatiwhaoa, Ngatiwahiao, and others, who expressed their general approval of the system adopted by us in relation to the land transactions throughout the district, and pleaded the necessity of settling the land titles by ourselves and local committees, as suggested by us when our land negotiations on behalf of the Crown were first initiated.

In this month likewise we completed and posted deeds of Tauhara Middle purchase, Tauhara North purchase, and Oruanui lease, accompanied by explanatory memoranda. Also in this month was held the great Taupo meeting relative to certain territory on the western shores of Lake Taupo, disputed on the one side by the Hau-Hau element, under the chiefs Hauraki, Te Tuhi, and others, and on the other by the friendly Natives under Te Heu Heu, Paurini, and Hohepa Tamamutu. Major Scannel was chosen president of the meeting, and the assessors who aided in the deliberations were Te Kepa te Rangipuawhe and Arekatera te Pnni. The evidence taken was most voluminous; the inquiry extended over fifteen days. The whole of the testimony adduced at this local Court was forwarded to the Hon. the Native Minister for his information.

In November a meeting of the Ngatimanawa and other tribes was held in respect to boundaries of the Kaingaroa previously leased conditionally to Government; also an energetic discussion regarding the building of a Maori village school-house, Ngatimanawa having presented as an endowment fortytwo acres of land, and proposed to collect the sum of £50 in aid of the building fund. Subsequently a meeting was convened at Wairoa for the purpose of inquiring in respect to multitudinous claimants of the Paeroa lease and Kaingaroa generally. The meeting was largely, attended by the Tuhourangi, under the leading men, Te Kepa te Rangipuawhe, Waretini, Aporo te Rangikaniwhaniwha, Hohua te Manihera, Pauroa Takahurioakanui, and others. There were representatives also of the Ngatiwhaoa present, Ngatitahu and Ngatitaru. No decision was arrived at regarding surveys and the inquiry into Maori titles of land, inconsequence of the opposition pertinaciously adhered to by the Tuhourangi.

In December a meeting with the Ngatirangitihi tribe was held at Te Awa-o-te-Atua relative to land matters generally and the question of survey. Result on the whole satisfactory.

At Maketu a meeting was held relative to the Puke, Rangiuru, Papanui, and Paengaroa Blocks, the various owners having expressed a desire to close without delay the land transactions between themselves and the Government.

At the request of Mr. Brabant, Inspector of Native Schools, a meeting was held in the carved house, Tamatekapua, at Rotorua, the land agents being present with the resident tribes, the business being the collection of money in aid of the Ohinemutu school fund, to which the chiefs agreed. Next page 380 in order is a conference with Ngatitahu and Ngatiwhaoa respecting the leases already initiated of Tumunui, Rotoreka, Kapenga, and Paeroa. A communication regarding these block was, in consequence, transmitted to the Government.

During the month of January the surveys of the Heruiwi and Puke Blocks were initiated and continued till nearly the end of February, when a local disturbance, caused by armed Natives in respect to the Puke Block, induced us, after two days' patient investigation in the Maketu Court House, before Mr. Hamlin, R.M., regarding the various points in dispute by the belligerents, to withdraw temporarily the survey party; but the surveys of the leased blocks, named Heruiwi and Pukahunui, were continued and ultimately completed.

Relative to a local land dispute at Taupo of about twenty-five years' standing, between the Ngatitahu and the Ngatitama, Mr. Young was deputed by the Hon. the Native Minister to inquire into and settle if possible the long-pending difficulty, and after various conferences with the disputants the matter was referred to a meeting convened at Paeroa for final settlement, at which place it was arranged, Mr. Young being present, that two of the contending claimants on the Ngatitama side should be allowed to remain in peaceful possession of the disputed territory named Tutukau. Thus terminated this vehement disputation of many years' standing, which periodically threatened to decimate by war the contending tribes, and thereby involve a tribal or general rise to arms in the Arawa country.

In the month of March, Petera te Rangihiroa and other members of the Ngatihineuru tribe entered into a compact with Hawke's Bay Natives to repudiate the leases previously agreed to by themselves and Government; and in order to recall Petera te Rangihiroa and his adherents to a sense of their just duty, Mr. Young was instructed to meet the dissentients at Runanga, where, after considerable speechifying, Petera evaded the subject, which compelled us to instruct both Captain Lloyd and Mr. John McGregor to complete as speedily as possible the necessary surveys.

The great event affecting our numerous negotiations in the Bay of Plenty and Lake Districts was a large gathering at Paeroa, twenty-five miles from Ohinemutu. We being engaged with G. S. Cooper, Esq., and having other matters of consequence requiring our, immediate attention, we were represented at the important Paeroa meeting by Mr. Young, who took the notes of the proceedings and replied to various questions mooted by the different speakers regarding certain points respecting land estimated to be of considerable consequence by the Maoris, and published by the Bay of Plenty Times and by the Waka Maori, which we append here:—

"The originators of the meeting, Ngatitahu and Ngatiwliaoa, opened the proceedings by reading a paper to the assembled tribes, numbering in all about 600 persons, consisting of Ngatiwhaoa, Ngatitahu, Ngatimanawa, Te Urewera, Ngatihineuru, Ngatitutewha, Ngatituwharetoa, Ngatiwhakaue, Ngatirangitihi, Ngatininewai, Ngatiraukawa, Ngatituara, and Tuhourangi, under the leadership of its Putaiki or Council of Twelve. The land policy of the Government was keenly argued before one of its representatives, and notwithstanding the audacity of Tuhourangi in proclaiming itself the sole dictator of the proceedings, its Pretentious assumptions, were at once repudiated by the confederate tribes in the following terms:—'Who has constituted you an authority to dictate to us as to what we shall do respecting our land matters? We refuse to acknowledge your pretentions in any way, and here let your interference in our land matters cease.'

"Notwithstanding the fierce opposition to all general measures in the district by the Tuhourangis, the twelve confederate tribes declared for the Government, affirming their determination to keep inviolable all their bargains, and to facilitate in every possible way the settlement of the lands in the Arawa country; adding, with emphatic outspokenness, the land agents of the Government have acted throughout the negotiations in an open straightforward manner. After four days' continuous discussion, the meeting was brought to a conclusion, the anti-selling Tuhourangi tribe retiring completely crestfallen to its home at the Wairoa, threatening to convene another monster meeting to defend itself, which meeting is still in abeyance."

In the month of April, various matters of minor importance commanded our attention, and we deemed it advisable to transmit to you a general report, which, in order to connect a continuous narrative of our operations, should be embodied here, but unfortunately the copy of the report in question has been mislaid, owing to which act of carelessness, allow us to refer you to the original already in your hands.

In May we proceeded to Whakatane, Kokohinau, Te Teko, Te Umuhika, and Te Matata; at the latter place we held a series of meetings with Ngatirangitihi on land affairs, and procured the necessary signatures to the final lease of Tawhitinui and Otuhangu, known as lots Nos. 31 and 39, Parish of Matata.

At a Native settlement named Te Umuhika, six miles from Te Awa-o-te-Atua, upwards of 300 persons presented themselves, the occasion being what the Natives term "he hui," or gathering. We took advantage of this tribal meeting, in which the Ngatiawa, Te Uriwera, and the Arawas were largely represented, and placed before the assembled throng the long-pending dispute regarding the ownership of certain lands in the Pokohu Block, at Rangitaiki, leased by us previously. After explanatory speeches by us, and selecting nine or ten of the most intelligent Native chiefs and assessors to serve as a jury, the various points in dispute were submitted to the multitude, allowing each tribe to conduct its own business as it seemed fit. No attempt on our part was made to interfere with the discussions, nor impediment placed in the way of any person who desired to speak; and after the subjects, one by one, were thoroughly exhausted, and the audience had no further desire to continue the examination, we withdrew with our ten jurymen to settle the decision, refraining to give any opinion till after the chiefs and assessors had concluded their remarks, and to our surprise and great satisfaction the views held by the jury of ten coincided precisely with those held by ourselves; and we found that the opinions held by ourselves and the jurymen on the disputed points were endorsed by the large audience generally. This mode of investigating title to Maori land has called forth the plaudits of the tribes in the Bay of Plenty and Lake Districts, the leading chiefs having expressed their entire page 381 confidence in the course adopted by us in this respect; and it would seem, from various communications received, that the result is bringing about almost universal satisfaction. The owners of the Puke Block, the survey of which engendered hostile feeling and a rise to arms, desire that an investigation regarding Te Puke, similar to that held at the Umuhika, should be accorded by the Government, as will be seen by the following document transmitted by the Waitaha tribes to the Hon. the Native Minister:—