Ki te tino Runanga Nui o Niu Tireni e noho nei i Poneke.

Ko te inoi tenei o o koutou tangata pono o o koutou hoa aroha o nga tangata o Turanga e mea ana.

He nui te pouri o matou e noho nei, ko to matou hiahia nui, ko to matou tino whakaaro, ko te noho tuturu i raro i te maru o to tatou Rangatira o te Kuini; ko ia ano hoki to matou matua, heoi ko o matou mate enei ka whakapuakina e matou Kia koutou.

He inoi tonei na matou ki a koutou, kia tirohia e koutou o matou mate, me nga whakararuraru-tanga, me nga taumahatanga e whakapurangatia aua kia matou i roto i nga marama katoa kua pahemo nei.

Ko eneinga pouri ki a matou ko o matou whenua e tohea tonutia ana e te Kawanatanga kia riro i a ratou, kua rua nei nga tau kua pahemo i muri o te whawhai ki tenei tara wahi o te motu net, mutu tonu te whawhai ka riro etahi o nga tangata o konei ia a te Kawanatanga te mau atu ki Wharekauri, ko te whenua i waiho marire kihai i puta tetahi kupu kia riro o matou piibi. Kihai i puta mai tetahi panuitanga a te Kawanatanga ki a. matou kua riro tenei whenua i te ran o tana patu heoi ka whakaaro matou, heoti tonu te mate mo tenei iwi ko nga tupapaku i hinga, ko nga tangata i riro herehere atu ki Wharekauri; tena ko tenei, kua maroke noatu te toto i roto i nga tau erua kua pahemo nei, katahi ano ka puta mai te kupu a te Kawanatanga ki a matou kia murua o matou whenua, no roto i tenei tau taua kupu, mehemea i puta mai taua kupu i te takiwa o te whawhai kihai i tino kaha to matou pouri, ahakoa kihai matou i uru ki te hara o to Hauhau. Whakarongo mai ra e te Runanga Rangatira, he nui te pouri ki a matou i naianei mo nga mahi a te Kawanatanga ki te tawai tonu i a matou kia whakaaetia e matou kia tukuna atu te wahi raorao katoa o tenei whenua, na matou na nga Rangatira i noho pai te nuinga o te whenua, heoi, ko te utu tenei mo to matou noho pai kia tere matou ki te wai: no te tau kua pahemo nei, i te marama o Hune, ka tae etahi pukapuka a etabi o matou ki te Kooti Whakawa whenua Maori kia whakawakia etahi take whenua a matou, hoki mai ana te kupu a te Kaiwhakawa, a Te Penetana mea ana, " e pai ana, otira me ruri te whenua i te tuatahi a ka oti, katahi ka whakawa," no muri iho ka puta mai nga panuitanga ki a matou "ka tu te Kooti Whakawa whenua Maori, a te tekau ma rua o nga ra o Hepetema, 1866," i puta pono mai aua panuitanga ki a matou, otira ko te panuitanga mo te rironga o te whenua o tenei tahatika kihai i puta mai ki a matou, I huihui rawa matou ki Turanganui i to ra i whakaritea ai e Te Penetana, kihai i tu te Kooti, heoi ka whanga marire matou kia rongo i te take, kihai rawa i rongo, kihai hoki tetahi panuitanga i puta mai i taua taima kia riro.te whenua, otira i tuarua te panuitanga mo Te Kooti, puta mai ana taua panuitanga mea ana, "ka tu te Kooti i te rua te kau ma rima o nga ra o Oketopa, 1866," huihui rawa matou ki reira, kore noa iho, heoi ka kini matou he aha ranei te take o tenei tikanga e whaka-poraru tonu nei i a matou, ka roa to matou kimihanga, katahi matou ka rongo i te kupu tango i te whenua, ko nga kupu whakaora i te tuatahi, ara, ka tu to Kooti Whakawa Whenua ki konei, muringa iho ko te kupu whakamate, ara, ko te tango whenua. Heoi, ka maha nga marama i whanga marire ai matou kia ora matou i runga i te ture kore noa iho. I kaha tonu matou ki te tono i te Kooti i aua marama, i kaha tonu hoki a Te Piki ki te tohe i to matou whenua kia whakaaetia, kia tukuna, katahi matou ka whakaae atu ki a ia tetahi pihi whenua, he pihi nui noatu he iti rawa te wahi i mahue atu ki a matou, ko te nuinga o taua whenua na matou, na te taha i te taha Kawanatanga, otira te take i whakaae ai matou he hoha no matou ki tona tawainga i a matou, me to maha o nga kupu whakawehiwehi a te Kawanatanga ki a matou, kihai ia i pai ki ta matou i whakarite ai, ko tana i pai ai kia riro te raorao katoa i a ia, kia tere matou katahi ka puta mai tana ki ki a matou, ka mauria mai e ia te Kooti Tango whenua, katahi ano matou ka rongo i tenei ingoa mo te Kooti, miharo ana matou, ko wai, ka whanga marire matou ko te Kooti

Whakawa Whenua i whakarites kia tu i te toru o nga ra o tenai marama, a tae mai ana nga Kai whakawa kathi matou ka whakaaro ko te orange pea tenai mo matou. Aue! No hea te orange, tea rawa mai tutakina tonutanga e Piki, ara e te Kawanatanga, a i naianei e ki ana, ka rapua ano he tikanga ki a koutou ki te Runanga hei whkahe i a matou; na reira matou Rangatira ka kimi whakaaro i roto i a koutou kia whakaorangia matou me o matou whenua.

Ko nga tangata i huihui ki tenei Kooti he maha noa atu, i Waiapu mai a puta noa ki te Wairoa, kihai i whakaarohia e Te Kawanatanga to matou huihui huhuakore i era taima e rua, taea noatia tenai, page 10me o matou whenua i tukuna ai e matou ki te Kooti, ko etahi o aua whenua kihai i tukuna e te Kawanatanga kia ruritia e matou: ka peke ra o a matou kupu, ko tenei anake, kua maroke noa atu te toto i era tau e rua kihai i puta te panuitanga tango whenua i taua taima, a heaha te hara o tenei tau. j hapainga ai taua whakaaro i naianei? whiriwhiria marietia to matou inoi, ko koutou hoki nga. "Rangatira kua whakaritea hei rapu tikanga hei whakatupu i te rangimarie i roto i te motu nei; na reira matou ka inoi tonu ki a koutou. Ko te putake o tenei he na Taranaki, ehara la matou. Ka inn. Na o koutou hoa aroha i runga i to ture o to to tatou Tino Ranagatira o Te Kuini.

[Translation.]
To the General Assembly of New Zealand in' Session at Wellington.

Saith as Follows,—

We are dwelling here in great trouble. Our earnest desire and intention is to live for ever beneath the protecting shade of our Sovereign the Queen: for she is our great parent also. These are our troubles, which we now proceed to bring under your notice.

We pray you to look into our troubles, perplexities, and heavy measures which have been heaped upon us during all these months now past.

These are our troubles: Our land, that the Government is constantly trying to take away from us. Two years have now passed away since the fighting took place in this part of the country. Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, some of the people of this part were transported by the Government to the Chatham Islands, but the land was left untouched, neither was there anything said about taking our pieces of laud. We received no notification from the Government to the effect that they had acquired this land by force of arms; and so we inferred the only punishment this people were to suffer was in the dead who had fallen, and those persons sent as prisoners to the Chatham Islands. But in the present case, the blood shed has long since dried, during the two years which have passed; yet the word of the Government, that we are to be deprived of our lands, has only now come forth. This word was heard only during the present year; had it been uttered during the fighting, it would not have caused us so much pain, although we did not participate in the offences of the Hau Hans.

Give heed, Assembly of Gentlemen! We are in great trouble at this present time, by reason of what the Government has done in deceiving us, so that we might consent and cede the whole of the flat land of this district. It has been owing to the influence of us, the Chiefs, that the greater portion of the country has remained quiet; and the reward for our having remained quiet, is, that we are to be washed away by (into) the water. During the past year, in the month of June, some of our people made application to the Native Lands Court, to have title to certain of our lands investigated; a reply from the (Chief) Judge, Mr. Fenton, was received, saying, it was good, but the lands must first be surveyed; after which, they would be adjudicated upon. After this, we received notices that the Native Lands Court would be holden on the twelfth day of September, 1866; these notices we actually received. But any notification informing us that the lands along this coast were gone from us, we did not receive. We all assembled at Turanganui on the day appointed by Mr. Fenton, but the Court did not sit, and we waited patiently to hear the reason, but we did not hear; nor did any notice at that time reach us, to the effect that the land was gone. But (shortly after) a second notice was received by us that the Native Lands Court should be holden on the twenty-fifth day of October, 1866; we all assembled at the place appointed, but there was no Court. We then wondered in our minds as to the reason why we were being perpetually bothered in this manner; and after considering for some time, we heard for the first time a word about the laud being taken. The life-giving words came first: namely, the Native Lands Court was to be holden here. These were followed by the death-causing words, namely: the land was taken. But we have waited quietly for many months, hoping to get relief by the law, but in vain. We were urgent in applying to the Court during those months. Captain Biggs was urgent in asking us to consent to our land being ceded; then we consented to hand over a piece of land, it was a very large piece, leaving a piece for ourselves much smaller as compared with the other, the greater portion of which piece belonged to ourselves, the Government Natives. But we gave our consent only because we were wearied at his constantly teasing us, and because of the many intimidating words of the Government used towards us; but he was not satisfied with what we had agreed to. What he wanted was, to get all the level country, and we might perch ourselves on the mountains. Thereupon we told him it must be left for the Land Court to give us relief; then he replied, he would bring the land-taking Court. This was the first time we had heard such a name for the Court, and we were surprised. Still we waited patiently for the. Lands Court, appointed to be holden on the third of this month. The Judge came, and it then occurred to our minds that this, perhaps, would bring us relief. Alas! where was the relief? No sooner came the Court here, than it was adjourned by Biggs, or rather by the Government. And now, he says, some method for the purpose of casting us will be sought from you, from the Assembly. For which reason our Chiefs seek counsel from you to give us relief, and save our lands.

The people who were assembled at this Court were very many, having come from all the country lying between Waiapu and Te Wairoa. The Government had no consideration for our having assembled in vain on the two former occasions, nor upon the present occasion, nor even in the matter of our lands, which we wished to take through the Court. Some of those lands we were not permitted by the Government to survey.

We have said all we wished to say, excepting this: the blood had long since become dry, during the two years which had elapsed, but no notice taking away the land appeared during that time. And what evil has been done during the present year, which should give rise to such a measure Being carried into effect?

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Consider carefully our prayer, for you are the gentlemen who have been elected to devise such measures as tend to promote peace in this country; and that is why we have addressed our petition to you. This evil originated at Taranaki, not with us.

From your friends under the law of our Sovereign the Queen.