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Ki te Runanga Nui i Poneke, tena koutou, tenei aku whakaaro mo taku whenua mo Taurarua, ka tukua atu ki o koutou aroaro hei tirotiro ma to koutou Runanga.
He tino mohio no matou ki ta matou rohenga i te whenua i tukua a tuki te
Ko te Rohe tuatahi he mea timata i te awa i te Koru o Taurarua, tika tonu atu, a taenoa ki te Huarahi e karangatia ko te Tiki e ahu mai ana kia Akarana. Ka poua ta matou rohe he Kohatu, katika tonu i te Huarahi nui e maro atu ana i Akarana ki Onehunga, katika tonu i taua Huarahi taenoa ki te Awa o te Ruareoreo i te Numakete ka mutu mai, katika atu i te
Kei mea ra koutou e aku hoa e tohe he ana au mo Taurarua, ki taku mohio e tika ana taku tohe, kei mea ano koutou katahi ano au ka timata korero mo tena whenua, he mahi tawhito tena no mua, kua timata mai ano i a
I muri iho i a
Muri iho i a Paraone ko Kawana kerei ano, ka mahara hoki au na taua Kawana i tango taua whenua nei a Taurarua, ka haere maua ko te Keene kia
Ka tu ta maua whakawa i te tau, 1862. Ko aku kai whakawa ko te
Ka mutu to Kerei Kawanatanga ko
E ki na hoki te pukapuka a Paora ki te Hunga o Roma, i te 7 o
Heoi ano e aku Hoa nga kupu, tena ra koutou.
That the subject of this petition presented to your honorable Assembly is the claim of your petitioner to compensation for a piece of land situated near the City of Auckland, in the Province of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, containing by admeasurement two hundred and fifty-two acres one rood (more or less), and called or known by the name of Taurarua, shown on the plan hereto annexed.
That your petitioner and the chiefs of his tribe know how the boundaries of the lands that were sold to the parties acting on behalf of the Government of this Colony were defined. The pieces of land first sold to the same Government are all on the south-westerly side of the road extending from Auckland to Onehuanga, and the first piece of land occupied by the Europeans was called Horotiu.
That at the time the Europeans lived on the lands called Waiariki (Official Bay) and Waipapa (Mechanics Bay), they did not own those lands, as they had not then been purchased by the said Government; but it was agreed by the chiefs, the owners of the lands, that the Europeans should occupy the lands.
That the boundaries of those lands were not then defined. The occupancy by the Europeans was simply occupancy without ownership, as the lands were not purchased till some time afterwards.
That it was not till Governor Hobson arrived in this Colony that any lands were sold to the Government by the Maoris, and it was then yonr petitioner and the other chiefs pointed out the boundaries of the lands that were sold to the Government.
That Mr.
That the first boundary of the lands sold to the Europeans begins at Taurarua Bay, going in a straight line to the Native road called
That your petitioner, and the other chiefs who accompanied the said
That all the lands sold were to the west of that stone, and those were the only boundaries pointed out.
That Your petitioner and the said chiefs were not aware that the lands were surveyed, nor were they ever informed that the Government intended to survey the said lands. Your petitioner and the said chiefs were not asked to point out the boundaries of the said lands to the surveyor; nor did they know, until afterwards, that the Government intended to claim any other lands than those then sold.
That your petitioner and the said chiefs, when they signed the deed conveying the said lands to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, were not aware that they had conveyed Taurarua, as the true purport of the deed was never correctly explained to your petitioner and the said chiefs, they having agreed to sell the lands to the west of Taurarua only.
That in the said deed the boundary of the said land is described as the Bay of Orakei, but the bay pointed out by your petitioner and the said chiefs was the bay of the Taurarua Stream, and the Government, taking advantage of that sentence in the said deed, have included Taurarua, which was never sold; nor was the name Taurarua even mentioned in the said deed, nor has your petitioner ever been paid for that piece of land.
That your petitioner and the said chiefs, when they signed the said deed, were not aware that the Government intended to include Taurarua in the lands sold. Had the said
That other lands of your petitioner, namely, Matapipi, Kumeu, and Waikoukou, situated in the Kaipara district, were taken more recently by the Government in the same manner as Taurarna; but for these pieces of land your petitioner has received compensation; for lands were formerly purchased by the Commissioners on behalf of the Government without the deeds describing the lands being properly read over and explained to the Natives before they were executed, and lands not intended by the Native owners to be sold were often, through error, inserted in the deeds.
That your petitioner humbly begs that your honorable Assembly will not consider his claim for compensation for Taurarua is unjust, or that it has only now been advanced; for your petitioner, in the time of Governor Fitzroy, preferred his claim for compensation to the Government.
That, during the time of Governor Fitzroy, the Europeans had permission to purchase land from the Native proprietors without restrictions; and Sir William Martin, on account of the love your petitioner and the said Apihai Te Kawau bore to him, was allowed to live at Taurarua.
That Sir George Grey succeeded the said Governor Fitzroy as Governor of the said Colony; and immediately after the arrival of the said
That your petitioner did not know that the Government had asserted any right of ownership to Taurarua until the erection of Mr. Kissling's school house on the said land, and the occupation of the said land by a minister of the English Church.
That immediately your petitioner ascertained that the Government bad taken possession of the said land, your petitioner, with other chiefs of his tribe, waited upon His Excellency the said
That at the conference of the Native chiefs held at Kohimaramara, near the said city of Auckland, on the 10th day of July, 1860, His Excellency Thomas Gore Browne, who succeeded the said
That your petitioner, in his reply to the said address of the said
That nothing was stated by the representatives of the Government in answer to the claim then made by your petitioner.
That Sir George Grey returned to the Colony as Governor in place of the said.
That your petitioner and the said
That your petitioner replied, "O! my friends, this is a new idea of yours! It was never mentioned yesterday, when you said I should receive the one thousand pounds on this day, and thus made me agree to that sum."
That the arbitrators appointed by the Government were
That the, said
That the said arbitrators consequently could not agree, and no decision was given respecting any claim to Taurarua aforesaid.
That your petitioner not being able to obtain any satisfaction in respect of his said claim, wrote to the said
That on the arrival of His Excellency Sir George Ferguson Bowen, as Governor of this
That your petitioner then resolved to apply to the Native Land Court for a certificate of title under the Native Lands Acts for the said land; but, on consulting his solicitor, your petitioner was informed that, as Crown grants had been issued for portions of the said land, the Native Land Court would not investigate your petitioner's claim.
That your petitioner was then informed that his only available remedy would be to apply to your honorable Assembly for compensation for the loss of his said land.
That your petitioner assented to this proceeding, as he was exceedingly sad and grieved about the loss of his land; for your petitioner and his descendants will always maintain that they did not receive payment for the said land, and that the same was unjustly taken away.
That your petitioner does not wish your honorable Assembly to restore Taurarua aforesaid to him, as Europeans are now inhabiting the land, and Crown grants have been issued for portions of the same, but he wishes to obtain compensation for the loss of his said land.
That your petitioner would most respectfully remind your honorable Assembly that in the early times of this Colony the Government obtained lands for little or no payment, and the Maoris were glad to receive the Europeans among them, and the Europeans were allowed to acquire large tracts of valuable land for a few blankets and articles of clothing. Even the missionaries pursued this plan of acquiring land, giving in exchange a few axes, iron pots, or fish-hooks; telling the Maoris to believe in God, engaging their attention heavenwards, and whilst they were in that position, ere the eye had turned to the earth, bought the land and none remained. When the Maoris were wiser, the missionaries ceased to buy land.
That your petitioner would most respectfully remind your honorable Assembly that he has never allowed his claim to rest. The claim is not a new idea in the heart of your petitioner, for from the time of Governor Fitzroy to the present day your petitioner has always urged his claim in respect of the said land.
That your petitioner would most humbly and respectfully remind your honorable Assembly that he has always been a faithful and loyal subject of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and that your petitioner has been the constant friend of the Europeans since their arrival in Auckland.
That your petitioner would most respectfully remind your honorable House that Taurarua aforesaid is now of immense value.
That your petitioner most respectfully prays that your honorable House will carefully consider your petitioner's claim to the said land, for it is the birth-place of his forefathers; and your petitioner respectfully submits that his aggrieved heart should be comforted. The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, 7th chapter and 24th verse, says, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death."
Your petitioner therefore humbly prays that your honorable House will be pleased to grant him such relief as the justice of the case justly entitles him to and your honorable House shall think fit.