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A Compendium of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs in the South Island. Volume Two.

No. 3. — The Assistant Native Secretary, Collingwood, to the Chief Land Purchase Commissioner

No. 3.
The Assistant Native Secretary, Collingwood, to the Chief Land Purchase Commissioner.

Kaikora, February 25th, 1859.

Sir,

I have the honour to inform you, that I arrived here yesterday bringing with me the whole of the Natives residing between the River Waiautoa and the Peninsula. I have not yet seen Kaikoura (Whakatau), but despatched a messenger with a letter to him this morning.

The Natives are very anxious to know how much money I intend giving them for the land, but I have not yet told them what I am instructed to pay for it. They are very exorbitant in their demands, asking no less a sum than £5000 for their claims, they appear to have a thorough knowledge of the value of land, and seem to be acquainted with the sums which have been paid by runholders for land in the Amuri district.

I have not yet gone into the subject with them to any extent, as I considered it useless, doing so until the arrival of Whakatu. I have however hinted to them that the land has been once purchased already, and that if requisite the Ngatitoa and Ngatiawa tribes would give possession of it to the Government. I have also asked them, why if they had claims to the land they did hot make their appearance at the time of your visit to Nelson, and get paid for it?

The district claimed by them commences at the Hurunui, and is bounded on the south by that River to its source; on the east by the sea from the Hurunui to Cape Campbell (Te Karaka); on the north by the sea from the last named place to the Wairau Bluffs (dividing the Wairau plain from Kaparatehau); on the west by a line drawn from the Bluffs (Pari nui awiti), to the Wairau gorge, from thence to Rangitahi (Lake Tennyson, Tarndale); from there it is bounded by the range of mountains lying to the eastward of the Buller and Grey districts, West Coast, to the pass of the Hurunui and Teramakaul.

You will perceive from this description that the whole of the Awatere, Tarndale, Clarence page 35(Waiautoa), Amuri and Waiau-ua country is included within these boundaries, and may be estimated to contain about two and a half millions of acres.

The greater part of these districts are now occupied by sheep-farmers, who in many instances have purchased considerable quantities of land from the Government. Some of the settlers are annoyed by the Natives, for instance Mr. William McRae of the Clarence or Waiautoa, whom they have prevented building a wool-shed at the landing place on the run occupied by him, and there are others in nearly the same situation. It is therefore necessary that the Native Title should be extinguished as speedily as possible, to prevent disputes arising between the two races.

My instructions from you were to pay the-Natives the sum of £150 on their surrendering their rights to the land, but from having heard that they were not inclined to part with it for a small sum I brought £200 with me from Nelson, thinking it would be sufficient to meet all demands.

You may be assured that I shall use every means in my power to induce the Natives to accede to the terms offered by me, but should I be unsuccessful in my endeavours to complete the purchase, I shall proceed to Port Cooper, and from thence to Arahaura, on the West Coast, and on concluding the purchase of the latter district, would return to Port Cooper and be ready to carry out any instructions which you might forward to that place.

Should I be unable to get the Natives to surrender their claims to the East Coast District, I would beg to recommend that the sum of £500 should be placed at my disposal for carrying out the above object.

I have, &c.,

James Mackay, Junr.,
Assistant Native Secretary.

The Chief Land Purchase Commissioner, Auckland.