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

This is the petition of me, Horomona Pohio, an aboriginal Native of New Zealand, which I now make to you, because of my land sold by the Natives of this island to the Government: that is to say, it was sold to the Government by the Ngatitoa, which tribe took the payment for those lands, as an equivalent for such of them as had been killed by us. To my mind this was wrong: as that tribe went across of their own accord, and attacked my people, the Ngaitahu. Therefore we, the Ngaitahu, had killed some of them by way of reprisal.

Now give heed! The boundary of the land in question on the south is at Waiautoa, toward the east along the course of the Wairau, thence up to its mountains, thence to the mountains above Waiautoa. For this land I, or rather the people of Ngaitahu, have received no payment. That land belonged to me, and was mine up to the time when Ngatitoa received the payment for it. The last battle fought was won by us; and so I think the land still belonged to us.

Now this is my petition, that the whole question be investigated, in order that it may be seen in how far it was right that the Ngatitoa alone should receive payment for land which was our own, and how it was the disposal of our own lands by sale was not left to ourselves.

My petition to you ends.