Papers relating to Horowhenua disturbance. (Being a return to an order of the House of Representatives, No. 44, of the 4th October, 1871.)
No. 24.

"To Mr. Mclean,—

"We lay this letter before you, the Minister for Native affairs. Salutations to you. We now write to inform you of our affliction and our distress, on account of the evil acts of Kawana Hunia, who is always defying us and provoking us. He has left the other side of Manawatu, and from thence to Rangitikei, and has come across to this side; he is in the midst of us, stirring up strife and defying us. Now, O you, the Government, consider what this man is doing. The Ngatiapa claims were confined to the other side of Manawatu by the decision of the Native Land Court, which sat at Otaki in February, 1868; also by the decision of the Court at Wellington, in July 1869, the rights of Ngatiapa were fixed to be on the other side of Manawatu.

Now the old boundary at Tauteruru, which was fixed by the old men who are dead, namely, Te Rauparaha and party, and Te Whatanui and party, as the boundary for Muaupoko, has been abandoned by (Kawana Hunia), and Kawana Hunia and Muaupoko are building houses on the land of old Te Whatanui. His wife, Tauteka lies buried in that very land, Horowhenua.

This is a word from us and from the tribe to you, to request you to do something in the matter of the acts of Kawana, and the Muaupoko, so that they may retire to the other side of the boundary and to their own old pa. Do not allow them to remain on the disputed land, let it be left to be inquired into by the Native Land Court, so that the disputes may be settled.

There is also another important subject for you to consider, namely, the bringing of guns by Kawana Hunia, and the Ngatiapa to Horowhenua. They were brought from Rangitikei on the 21st April, 1870. This was done by Ngatiapa and Muaupoko to stir up strife, so that the Ngatiraukawa and Ngatitoa might become engaged. But Ngatiraukawa and Ngatitoa did not act on that evil device of Kawana Hunia and his tribes. The bringing of those guns from Rangitikei by Kawana Hunia and his tribe was seen by many. Those guns belong to you, to the Government. They were issued by the Government to Ngatiapa, Rangitane, and Muaupoko, to be used in fighting against Ngatiruanui. Let an order be issued for those guns to be taken to page cxxxiv Wanganui, and deposited in the Government store, for it is through his having possession of those guns that Kawana Hunia is so arrogant.

Those are all our words to you, that is to say, to the great Government of New Zealand.

In testimony of the correctness of our writing to you, our names are hereunto affixed.