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

No. 2. — Mr. Interpreter Johnson to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary

No. 2.
Mr. Interpreter Johnson to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary,

WhangareiReport of Land Negotiations in that District.Native Secretary's Office, Auckland; 12th December, 1853.

Sir,—

I have the honor to inform you that I proceeded to Whangarei, in compliance with the directions contained in your letter of the 7th ultimo, and to report the result of my negotiations for the information of His Excellency the Governor.

Having first ascertained the nature of the native claims in that district to be clearly defined (the Parawhau, or original tribe of Whangarei, occupying and claiming the southern bank, and the Ngapuhi the northern bank of the Whangarei, but both parties being connected with, and, in a great measure, controlled by Tirarau, the chief of the Wairoa River in Kaipara) I lost no time in repairing thither to gain his consent to the object, of my mission, which I obtained in general terms over any tract of country for which I could make arrangements with the more immediate owners, excepting alone a block between the Whangarei and the Wairoa, which Tirarau and Manihera, the resident owners, have determined to retain for themselves, on the ground that this alone remained, they having sold the rest of their land to Mr. Busby, of the Bay of Islands, which lands, they stated, were at the disposal of the Government.

Although at that time I was not aware whether this block (marked No. 1 in the annexed plan) included a site for the Highlanders, but, bearing in mind His Excellency's directions to acquire as much land as possible, I negotiated with part of the owners and obtained their consent to the sale of a block called after a river running through the centre of it—the Mangawhai—abutting on Mr. Busby's claim on the North, and the surplus of Mr. W. S. Grahame's claim on; the Otamatea on the West, thus having a frontage to the East and West Coasts on two sides and the River of Whangarei on the North, which, including the above mentioned claims, will not fall short of 200,000 acres. To have proceeded too hastily with the purchase of such a large tract of country might have led to difficulty afterwards, I therefore wrote to the remaining claimants, whom I had not seen, who reside at the Otamatea, requesting them to hold a meeting preparatory to my going to them at a future time; and I also requested a party of the Highlanders who had arrived to explore this tract of country and ascertain whether it met their wants, while I myself, in the meantime, proceeded with the negotiations for the block marked No. 2 on the annexed plan, which the Highlanders had expressed their wish to obtain as a settlement, failing my ability to acquire a more desirable location.

Obstacles incurred.

The principal men among the owners of this block are William Pohe, Stephen Hari, and Whare, all adherents of John Heke, during the war in the North, together with others who had left the proximity of the Europeans for the inland districts after the war. The antipathy which these men professed for the Europeans's cattle, their scruples about sacred places, and extravagant ideas of the value of their land, being witness to the frequent transfers of property between the settlers at Whangarei, caused me at first to have but faint hopes of success; and it was a considerable time before I could gain their consent to the sale of this block of Fourteen thousand acres (14,000 acres) in the immediate vicinity of the settlers already located there. My next care was to perambulate the boundaries, and I had nearly settled every point at issue, the price asked being Seven hundred pounds (£700), when messengers arrived from Kaikohi, bearing two letters from Hariett, widow of John Heke, using all her influence to prevent them selling any land whatever.

After several days discussion, I at last persuaded the natives to be directed by their own good sense, and not be led away by the Kaikohi people, and our negotiations stood again on the same footing.

page 56

I was most anxious to comply with that part of my instructions which related to the location for the Highlanders, and as the party who had left me had not returned, I concluded that they had not found a locality on the other block first mentioned, which was suitable to their wants, and I accordingly so far entertained the proposal of the purchase of the 14,000 aces, as to request the chiefs to follow me to Auckland, to learn the decision of the Government on their offer.

Since my return to Auckland this morning, I have seen the party of Highlanders who have explored the land comprised within the Mangawhai Block, and have expressed their wish to locate the present immigrants in the valley of the Ruakaka, which is situated in Mr. Busby's claim, in preference to the 14,000 acres offered by Pohe, &c., and I would have arranged the extent of the reserve for the natives living on the Mangawhai Block, and the amount of the payment, which will bear no proportion to the price asked for the land on the North side of the river, had I sooner been made aware of the ultimate choice of the Highlanders, as I apprehend no difficulty in the matter, a settlement in that locality being favourably received by all the natives with whom I conversed on the subject; the only stipulation being that portions sufficient for the few natives residing on the land be reserved for their use. The arrangement of these questions will occasion my paying another visit to the spot, which I might have avoided had the Highlanders sooner made me aware of their ultimate choice.

I have, &c.,
John Grant Johnson,
Interpreter.

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, &c., &c., &c.