No. 19.
Mr. Commissioner Kemp to the Chief
Commissioner.
Sir,—
In acknowledging the receipt of your letter in reference to a piece of land tendered to the Government as a gift by the native Chief Maihi Paraone Te Kuhanga of the Kawakawa, I have the honor to report that I have examined the land in question, which is situated on the south bank of the Kawakawa River, and estimated to contain about seven hundred acres.
As a precedent, I could scarcely recommend the acceptance of this land as a gift, but I might suggest that, as negotiations have been entered into with this chief and his people for the purchase of the whole of the Buapekapeka Block, of which the above forms a part, it might then be very conveniently included, and a small sum allowed by way of compensation. This arrangement would, I believe, meet the wishes of all the parties concerned.
I have, &c.,
H. T. Kemp,
District Commissioner.
Chief Commissioner, Auckland.