NATIVE POLICY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 25, 19 December 1861, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATIVE POLICY.

Tun following document, translated into Maori is being circrtlatcd amongst the Natives : These are seine of the thoughts of the Governor, of Sir George Grey, towards the Maeries at this time.

llis desire is, how to arrange things, (hat there may be goed laws made, and these laws be put in force ; and how ali men, both European and Maori, may he taught to work for the common good of the country in which they live ; that they may be a happy people, rich, wise, well instructed, and every year advancing in prosperity. Eor it is the desire of the Queen (whose heart was dark when she heard of the (roubles in New Zealand), that all her subjects, both Europeans and Maorics, in all parts of these islands, should have the benefits of law and order ; that the lives and persons of all men should he safe fre m destruction and injury ; and dial every man should have for himself and enjoy his own lands, his cattle, his horses, his sheep, his ship, his money, or whatever belongs to him. .And it is (he desire of the Queen that all her subjects should help in making the law T by which they arc governed, and (hat from amongst them should be appointed wise and good men as Magistrates, to adjudge in case of disputed rights and punish (he wrong-doer, and to teach the law, how it should be obeyed. The Europeans in New Zealand, with the help of the Governor, make laws for themselves, and have their own Magistrates; and, because they obey those laws, they arc rich, they have large

houses, great ships, horses, sheep, cattle, corn, and all other good things for the body. They have also Ministers of Religion, Teachers of Schools; Lawyers, to teach the law ; Surveyors, to measure every man’s land ; Doctors, to heal the sick ; Carpenters, Blacksmiths, and all those other persons who make good things for (lie body, and teach good things for (he souls and minds of the Europeans. It is because they have made wise and good laws, and because they look to the Queen as the one head over all the Magistrates, and over all the several bodies of which the English people consists. It is the desire of the Queen, and (his also is the thought of Governor Grey and of the Eunanga of the Pakchas, that (he Maorics also should do tor themselves as the Europeans do. They know'that of late years (he Maorics have been seeking for law and order. The Englishmen have been more than a thousand years learning how to make laws and to Govern themselves wed]. Besides tliis, in order to have magistrates, and Policemen, and other officers, it is necessary to pay (hem, tor (lie laborer is worthy of his hire ; and he who w orks for the whole hotly of the pjcoplc, should he paid by the people ; for while he works for (hem he must, more or less, neglect his own work.

New (he thought cf (he Governor is how he may help the M auries in (he work cf making laws, and how he may provide for the payment of the Magistrates and oil er Cffcirs cf Government till such time as the Maorics shall have hcccmc rich anti he able to pay all the expenses themselves. In order, then, to provide (he machinery of good government among the Maorics in these Islands, the Governor desires to sec established the followir.^i system, whereby goed laws may he made, well disposed persons he protected, hi d men restrained irem violence, and security for life and property be; ensured to all.

1. The parts cf (ho Island inhabited by Maorics will be marked off into several districts, according to trihes and divisions cf tribes, and the conveniences cf the natural features cl‘ the country. To cvciy one of these districts the Governor will send a learned and geed European to assist (lie 3 aories in tlm work of making laws and enforcing them ; he will be called Civil Commissioner. There will he a Eunanga for that district, which will consist of a certain number of men w ho will be chosen from (he Assessors. The Civil Gcmmissicr.cr will be the President of that Eunanga to guide its deliberations, and if the votes aie equal cn any matter, he will have a casting vote to decide. This Eunanga will propose the laws for (hat district, about the trespass of cattle’, about cattle pounds, about fences, about branding cattle, about thistles and weeds, about degs, about spirits and drunkenness, about putting down bad customs of the old Maori law, like the Tuva, and about (lie various tilings which specially concern lire people living in that district. T hey will also make regulations about schools, about needs, if (hey wish for (hem, and about other matters which may promote (he public geed of that district. Ai.d all these laws which the district Eunangas may propose w ill be laid before ti c governor, and he will say if they are goed or not. If he says they are geed, they will bcccmclaw for all men in that district to wbieh they relate. If he says they are not goed, then (be Eunanga must make seme other law which will be better. Tins is the way with (he laws which (lie Europeans make in their Eunangas, both in New Zealand and in the great Eunanga of (he Queen in England. 2. Every district will he subdivided into Hundreds, and in each of (lies? there will be Assessors nppionled. The men of that district will choose who shall he Assessors, only the Governor will have the word to decide whether the choice is good or not.

The Magistrate, with these Assessors, will hold Courts for dispmtes about debts of money, about cattle trespass, about all breaches of the law in that district. They will decide in all these cases.

3. In every hundred there will bo Policemen, and one Chief Policeman, who will be under the Assessors. These Policemen shall summon all persons against whom there are complaints before the Court of the Assessors, and when the Assessors shall have decided, the Policemen will see that the orders of the Assessors arc carried out. All fines which shall be paid and applied to some public uses. Commissioner or Magistrate will keep) this money till it is required. 4. The Eunangas will be assisted in establishing and maintaing Schools and Teachers; sometimes Europeans, sometimes Maorics, will be appointed. The Maories ought to pay p)art of the Salary of the School Teacher, the Governor will p>ay the rest.

5. Where Eunangas wish to have an European Doctor to live among them, the Governor will endeavour to procure one to reside there, and will pay him so much salary as may make him willing to go to that work. The Doctor will give medicine to the Maories when they are sick, and will teach (hem what things are good for rearing of their children, to make them strong and healthy, and how to prolong the lives of all the Maorics by eating good food, by keeping their houses clean, by having proper clothes and other things relating to their health. This will be tbe business of the Doctor. But all those who require the service of the doctor will pay for them, except such as the Eunanga may decide to he too poor to do so. G. About the Lands of (he Maorics. It will be for tbe Eunangas to decide all disputes about tbe lands. It will be good that each Eunanga should make a Register, in which should be written a statement of all the lands within the district of that Eunanga, so that everybody may know, and that there may be no more disputings about land.

This, then, is what the Governor intends to do, to assist the Maori in the good work of establishing law and order. These are the first things : —the Eunangas, (heAssessors, the Policeman, the Schools the Doctors, the Civil Commissioners to assist the Maories to govern themselves, to make good laws, and to protect the weak against the strong. There will be many more things to be planned and to be decided ; but about such things the Eunangas and the Commissioners will consult. This will be a work oflime, like tlicgrowingof alargctrcc —at first there is the seed, then there is one trunk, then there are branches innumerable, and very many leaves : by by and bye, perhaps, there will he fruit also. But (he growth of the trees is slow—(he branches, the leaves, and fruit did not appear all at once, when the seed was put in the ground : and so will it be with the good laws of the Eunanga. This is the seed which the Governor desires to sew- :—the Eunangas, the Assessors, the Commissioners, and the rest. By and bye, perhaps, this seed will grow into a very great (ice, which will bear good fruit on all its branches. The Maories, must assist in the planting of this tree, in the training of its branches, in cultivating the ground about its roots ; and, as the tree grows, the children of (he Maori, also, grow to he a rich, wise, and prosperions people, like the English and these other Nations which long ago began tbe work of making good laws, and obeying them. This will he the work of peace cn which "the blessing cf Providence will rest, —which will make the storms to pass away from the sky, —and all things become light between (he Maorßand the Pakeha ; and the heart of the Queen will then be glad when she hears that her two races arc living quietly together, as brothers, in the good and prosperous laud of New Zealand.