No. 62 of 1881.—Petition of Nepe te Apatu and 32 Others.

Petitioners say that the Taipara Block, part of the Waipukurau, belongs to them; that they never sold it to Government or any one else; that it was reserved to them out of the sale of Waipukurau in 1851; and that they have been living upon the land ever since that time. They pray to be protected from Mr. Harding, who endeavours to turn them off.

I am directed to report as follows:—

That the piece of land claimed by the petitioners is an area of about 20½ acres. In 1851 Mr. Pelichet made a survey of the block in which the reserve, of which this forms a part, lies. His map and survey notes are in existence. The Native reserve seems to have been coterminous with the then forest line, and was thus necessarily very irregular. Afterwards, what is called a give-and-take line was adopted, which, on the whole, was considerably in favour of the Maoris. After this time the Maori interests were subdivided, and the hapu that received the portion opposite Waipawa found that the line of Mr. Pelichet was more favourable than the new line. There seems to have been no dispute for some years, not in fact until Mr. Harding, the present legal owner, took possession under his Crown grant. The Natives then set up their claim as actual possessors, and also on the ground that the lines of the Crown grant did not represent the lines of the survey by which they sold. A blunder in the Survey Office complicated the matter. A piece of land 5 acres and 28 perches, that seems unquestionably to have been within the original Native reserve, was included in the Crown grant; whilst upon the other portion, 15 acres 1 rood 24 perches, the Natives seem to have from an early period resided, evidently believing it was theirs, and had not been sold to the Crown. Mr. Harding is not the original grantee, but is owner by purchase. Finding that he could not get peaceable possession of property which was legally his, he applied to the Courts for redress, and got an order to be put in possession. This order is of no practical value to him, as the Sheriff cannot execute the writ.

In December, 1875, Mr. Sheehan, then acting as counsel for the Natives, agreed in writing that, on condition Mr. Harding would withdraw certain actions then pending, their portion of the taxed costs would be paid, and possession of the land given. The Natives declined to recognize this agreement. In March, 1880, the Native Minister (the Hon. Mr. Bryce) made an offer to the Natives of £200 to cancel their alleged rights, and got a promise from Mr. Harding that they should have six months given them to remove houses, &c.; and this would have been the most satisfactory way to settle the dispute; but, unfortunately, the Maoris refused this offer.

There seem to be two courses open. One is for the Government to seek power by Act to give to the Maoris possession of that small piece to which they seem to have a title, and at the same time to put the law in force by ejecting them from the remainder. In this case Mr. Harding would be entitled to compensation for the loss of that portion of the land included in his Crown grant, and also for the expenses he has been put to in maintaining his right. The other course would be to take by Act of Parliament the whole of the land in dispute, and pass so much of it as may be necessary by grant to the Maoris, and give Mr. Harding fair compensation (1) for the freehold, (2) for disturbance, and (3) for costs in maintaining the validity of his title. In either case, before giving any title to the Maoris, a clear and explicit arrangement should be made that all further annoyance to Mr. Harding should cease.

As it appears that the Crown grant was issued in error, the Committee recommends that the second alternative proposed should be adopted as a basis of settlement.

The Committee recommends that this report should be passed to the Government for immediate consideration and action.

[Translation.]
No. 62 of 1881.—Pukapuka-inoi a Nepe te Apatu me etahi atu e 32.

E Ki ana nga kai-pitihana no ratou te poraka o Tapairu wahi o Waipukurau; kihai ratou i hoko i taua wahi ki te Kawanatanga ki tetahi atu tangata ranei; i rahuitia taua wahi mo ratou i roto i te hoko o Waipukurau i te tau 1851; a i runga tonu ratou i nga whenua e noho ana mai rano i taua takiwa; na e inoi ana ratou kia tiakina ratou i a Te Haringi e pana nei i a ratou.

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Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei:—

Ko te piihi whenua e ki nei nga kia-pitihana no ratou e tae ana ki te 20 eka me te 1/2 te nui; I te tau 1851 ka ruritia e Te Pirihe tetahi poraka, kei roto tenei rahui i taua poraka. Ko te mapi a Te Pirihe me ana tuhituhinga i runga i te ruri tenei ano. E kitea ana, ko te rohe o te rahui ko te raina tonu o te taha o te ngaherehere no reira i kopikopiko ai. No muri iho ka whakatakotoria ano tetahi raina i riro ai te whenua o tetahi taha ki tetahi taha, a o tetahi ki tetahi, engari ko te nuinga ano i riro ki te taha ki nga Maori.

No muri i tenei ka roherohea nga paanga o nga Maori ka riro i taua hapu te piihi i tawahi atu o Waipawa; I pai atu ki a ratou te raina a Te Pirihe i te raina hou; he maha nga tau kaore he raruraru, otira no te rironga rawa o te whenua i a Haringi i runga i te Karauna karaati. Koia hoki te tangata kei a ia i naianei te whenua i runga i te ture; katahi ano nga Maori ka mea no ratou te whenua i runga i ta ratou noho i runga, i te mea hoki kaore te raina o te Karauna karaati i rite ki te ruri o te wahi i hoko ai ratou. No te Tari ruri te he i raruraru ai taua mea. Ko tetahi piihi e 5 eka e 28 paahi i tangohia e te Karauna karaati no roto ke hoki taua piihi i te wahi i rahuitia mo nga Maori. Na ko tetahi wahi 15 eka 1 ruri e 24 paahi kua nohoia noatia atu e nga Maori i mua i runga i te whakaaro no ratou ano taua piihi a kaore i hokona ki te Kawanatanga.

E hara a Te Haringi i te tangata tuatahi i a ia te Karauna karaati engari he mea hoko nana. No tona kitenga kaore ia i tukua atu ki runga ki te whenua i hokona ra e ia katahi ia ka anga atu ki nga Kooti kia whakatikaia ia. Puta ana te ota a te Kooti kia riro ano i a ia tana, otira kihai i whaitikanga taua ota no te mea te kaha te pirihimana Heriwhi ki te whakahaere i te warati.

Ia Tihema, 1875, ko Te Hiana te roia o nga Maori i whakaae ia mo te taha ki a ratou, tuhituhi rawa, ara; mehemea a Haringi ka whakakore i ona whakawa e tu ana i taua takiwa, tera ano e utua tetahi hawhe o nga moni i pau i runga i aua whakawa, a ka tukua atu ano ki a ia te whenua. Kaore i whakaae nga Maori ki tenei whakaritenga. Ia Maehe, 1880, ka mea atu a Te Paraihe Minita mo te Taha Maori ki nga Maori tera ia e hoatu e £200 ki a ratou mehemea ka whakakorea e ratou o ratou take ki te whenua; na i whakaae ano a Haringi kia ono marama e tukua atu ki nga Maori hei hikitanga atu i o ratou whare me o ratou taonga i runga i taua whenua; koia nei ano te huarahi pai hei whakaoti i taua raruraru mehemea ra i whakaae nga Maori.

E rua nga huarahi e puare nei hei whakaoti i tenei raruraru. Kotahi tenei; me rapu mana te Kawanatanga i runga i tetahi ture kia ahei ai ia te whakanoho i nga Maori ki runga ki te piihi paku e mohiotia nei no ratou, a, me te whakahaere ano i te Ture hei pana i a ratou i runga i te toenga atu o taua whenua e whakaarohia ana e hara i a ratou. Mehemea ka peneitia ka tika ano kia utua a Haringi mo tera wahi ka tangohia ra i roto i tona Karauna karaati, a mo ana moni hoki i ngaro noa ra i runga i ona tohenga ki tona whenua. Ko te rua o nga huarahi koia tenei; me hanga he Ture e Te Paramete hei tango i taua whenua tautohe katoa, na, ka karaati atu i te wahi e tika ana ki nga Maori, me te utu ano hoki i a Haringi i runga i enei take: (1) mo tona whenua, (2) mo te whakararurarutanga i a ia, a (3) mo ana moni i pau i a ia e hapai ana i tona take ki te whenua.

Na i mua atu i te tukunga o te whenua ki nga Maori me whakamarama atu i te tuatahi me mutu rawa, ta ratou whakararuraru i a Haringi.

No te mea e kitea ana i he te putanga o te Karauna karaati ka whakahau tenei Komiti kia whakaotia tenei raruraru i runga i te huarahi tuarua kua korerotia nei, a ka whakahau ano te Komiti me tuku atu tenei ripoata kia tere tonu ai te whiriwhiri me te mahi e te Kawanatanga.