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Proceedings of of the Kohimarama Conference, Comprising Nos. 13 to 18 of the "Maori Messenger."

Reply from Ngatikahungunu. No. 5

Reply from Ngatikahungunu. No. 5.

July 16th, 1860.

To the Governor.

Sir,—Salutations to you! We have a word to say to you. Let one place for assembling your conference be here in Auckland; and we say also that you must go to Wellington and page 44 there hold another conference. This is the desire of all the chiefs of the head of this island of New Zealand. Sir, we are in earnest in what we now say to you. It is the unanimous wish of the chiefs of the South that you should go to Wellington to confer with them, that you may know all your people, and that you may know the people of the King; so that you may place your people in order under the authority of the Queen, that she may make matters right for her subjects who live under her rule; so that our shortcomings as subjects of the Queen may be made straight by you. The lands that you have given to us, to your children, are not yet settled, that is, we have not received Crown Grants for them. That is one grievance. There is another: our lands are sold to you, but we have not yet received the payment and we have become like dogs through waiting for the price of our lands. One desire of ours is, that these causes of discontent should cease. Those are evils to which we are constantly subject. There is another: the supporters of the Maori King are trying to get us, the Queen's subjects, to join them in their fruitless undertaking. That King movement has no object in view, save this—hea ken!—to take the lands in the territory of the Queen and to usurp the Queen's sovereignty. Your word was right when you said that this is rebellion against the Queen. Yes, that word of yours is right. Now this is ours to you. Marshal your people living in this island in New Zealand, that you may know which are yours; and it will be for you to provide for your children. Do you provide for them by permitting them to be supplied with all your goods and commodities and causing them to dwell in peace and security. The subjects of the Maori King must look to their King to do the same for them.

Sir, this is a true word. Now therefore perform it, that you may soon witness the effects. Let the King see to the supplying of his subjects, and getting their debts paid. These are our ideas, which form the subject of discussion in all our runangas, that is to say, the Maori runangas,—namely, that you should act upon those suggestions. It is ended.

A Song.

I am no more on the Maori side—
I have turned to that of the Pakeha:
Let these blankets be the payment.

From

Wiremu Waka and Karaitiana Te Korou. (Both of Wairarapa.)