SPEECHES OF GOVERNOR SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE WAIKATO CHIEFS AT THE MEETING HELD AT KOHANGA, DECEMBER 1861.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 39, 27 March 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

SPEECHES OF GOVERNOR SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE WAIKATO CHIEFS AT THE MEETING HELD AT KOHANGA, DECEMBER 1861.

Taupahi.

DecemberlG, 1862,

Waata Kukutai, O Waikato and Governor listen to me. This is my opening speech to you now that the two tikaagas may be seen. My thoughts during the two last years have been respecting the soiling (troubling) of this land and I thought how good could arise for it. The splinter of Waikato flew at Taranaki, and evil came ; the splinters of the Pakelia flew at Taranaki and evil came. As for this Waikato has now come here with the Governor, and it is good for us all to talk this day. I merely now call out to you Welcome, welcome. There is good in the two plans (meaning the king movement and the Governor’s proposals) how can that good be made to grow ? You have raised before the Governor the road and the king, and the Governor does not tread them down. Now how must good spring up, or evil grow? This is my invitation for you all to speak. His Excellency spoke after Waata Kukutai, and said, Salutations to you all! I have returned to this country to see my old friends, and to be the Governor of the two races, the Europeans and the Maories. You must not think I am only come as a friend of the Europeans to punish the Maories for anything they have done. I am come as a friend of both and as an impartial person to see what can be done, 1 have been sent with a very large force at my disposal to put an end to war and discord, to establish law and order, and if the force now here is not sufficient I can hare as much more as I like. I know 1 shall have to answer for the way in which I may use that force ; not to Europeans, not to Maories but at the Judgment Seat, where I shall have to stand hereafter and knowing that, as I do, you may depend that I shall use the means at my disposal to the best my ability for the good of those under me. The people of Waikato may therefore rest assured and I give them my word that 1 shall never attack them first, and that they may rest in peace and quietness. Having now said these things, I will talk to you with reference to the points of difference between you and the Government and tell you my news. The first point is the property stolen from the Europeans. You will remember that this has been demanded to be given up if you do not wish to be attacked. In my position as Governor I do not care whether this is given back or not but I will tell you what I think. You know if in a tribe one steals from another that the whole tribes rises and punishes the thief. Now I say that the Maories and the Europeans are one tribe and to say that I will attack the tibc that has the plunder is to say that it is of a different tribe to ourselves, which 1 will not admit; and therefore whenever a man is caught with any of the stolon property', he will, even if it be twenty-years hence, be taken before the Judge and if found to be a thief he will be punished. I do not pretend to say' if he is a thief or no the Juclge will do that when he is caught. Now I have told you this as Governor, I will speak to you as a friend on this point. I look upon the Maories as one hapu of the great family that inhabits this island. When a hapu looks upon a thief as a disgrace, it says to him, “ Give up the plunder, don't bring disgrace upon us.” Therefore I recommend you all to try and persuade the people who have the plunder to give it up. All nations are watching you, and I am jealous for you and cannot bear to be the Governor of (ho Maori, and for other nations to say, “ They (the Maories) are a nation of thieves.’ Just in the same way the father of two children, when he sees one of them take things from the othertriostoniakc him make restitution. So when I see Taranaki lias been plundered I know the Europeans can never feel reconciled to the Maories unless some restitution is made ; and I would persuade them to make it. The next thing is about roads. Y'ou seem to think that roads through the country would do no good. I think that they would improve the value of the lands through which they pass, and if you think I want to spend money in making roads through the land of people who don’t want them, thereby enriching them at the expense of others, you must think mo a fool. In the country of the Europeans, they have to pay the greater part of the cost of the roads before the Government helps them. In the same way I should be very unwilling to make roads through native laud, even if the owners came and asked me to do so, unless they paid part of the money. The only case in which 1 would pay forthem would be when the roads led to some very distant place which would benefit other districts, besides benefitting the lands of the natives through which they pass. I will give you an instance of what I mean. I hear Waata Kukutai is going to cultivate on the top of that mountain (pointing to the hill behind tho vil-

kge). If he does not make a cart road up to the cultivation, I shall think him a very cruel man for otherwise he will kill or injure all the women who will have to bring down the loads of produce: and the cliildren that will be born by them will be de crepit, and thus the tribe will be lost. But do you think I shall be such a fool ? No! I tell him what will be the result, if he does not make the road • and I leave it to him. I should like to see all the land covered with carts and horses and cattle and all the people well dressed and flourishing ; but I shall not come and cut their throats if they don’t like to bo so. How should I like to be judged with a row of dead bodies laid out before me and one should say “ How is this ? who slew them ?” and I should have to say “ I did, because they were foolish and did not know what was good for themselves.” Look there ! (pointing to a heavilv laden bullock dray passing) would you rather see your women laden with those things ? Those men who like to see their women killed with hard work and who do not like oxen and sheep, why it it is their own look out. Another thing—you must not think that I shall let travellers, either Europeans or Maories, be stopped and plundered ; it is a very serious offence. I shall not make war upon the tribe but if ever I catch the individual, he shall be punished. Now the third thing—the king—l will talk about. You heard Waata Kukutai say I assented to the king and the flag. 1 must explain what I mean. If a tribe or two or three, or more call their chief a king and stick up a flag, I think it nonsense, and don't mind it. I think it a foolish thing to do, and that it may lead to bad consequences ; come. You must recollect that this king affair is mixed up with many tilings that ought not to be. For instance, I hear that at the m nan "as many of those people who have plundered the Europeans are present, and I think you should not associate with such wicked people. If I was in the king’s place I would not associate with bad people. I even understand that people who have been receiving pay as assessors from G overnment have been associating wifh these people, and I think it wrong that people who arc paid for putting down robbers should mix with them. In the same way I hear that (he king lias been makinorules to prevent travellers going about this is wroim and if he does wrong things, and he is caught, lie will be fried like another man and punished.’ I can’t help it—you must not misunderstand me: any man may stop people from coming on to his land but where an accustomed line of road runs from one place to another, no man may block it up You must be careful not to think that in this matter I shall quarrel with you all. I, as Governor, have nothing to do witli it, the cause must be tried by the Judge, or by your runangas when you have them, between the traveller and the owner of the soil. I speak to you as a friend, and as the name of king has been mixed with many troubles and is much disliked by many people I would get rid of it, and find some other name, and then with the other chiefs of the district 1 will work to establish law and order in the country. Tf they don’t care to have me as a friend to help them and work with them, they must do without me. I can’t help it. I will now speak to you on one other point—the land. I understand tint there is a jealousy ih.-it I shall buy laud from a tew people, and tab,- k by force from others ; you may depend on it 1 shall not do tnis. Until all (hat are concerned are consulted, no land will be la Icon. ] will not send people about the country teasing and troubling you about the sale of your hinds, i should boa bad man if I did so—particularly in the ‘Waikato as, whenever I have asked you for land, you have given it to me. Hid I not ask you for land on which the Mission (pointing to it)* stands, and did you not give it ? Hid T not ask you for land for Sir. Ash well s station, and did you not give it? so also with other places. Now, as I have said so many hard things of you, I must say that I think in very few countries men would have so liberally given up land for school purposes as you have done and in all countries it is said you have in this thing well done ! Now, I will tell you what I propose to do for the future. Ido not mean to sav, that in as far as institutions for the maintenance* of law and order have not been established in the country among you, your interests have not been overlooked. You must have seen that the Europeans have been allowed to make rules and laws for themselves, and those who made them have been paid for doing so ; while the Maories have been left unprovided for, and those that did make laws were ill paid. Ido not feel that I am without blame in the matter myself. When I was the Governor here formerly, i ought to have seen farther ahead, and what civilization would lead to and require. Iproposethereforenowthatwherever people live in considerable numbers, the island should be divided into districts, and runangas appointed to make laws for them, and to determine if roads are to be made, and what share of the expenses the people of the district will have to pay. They will also determine the ownership and boundaries of land, and if it may be sold, and by whom ; and whether spirits may be sold, and under what regulations. In fact they will have to make laws on all subjects concerning their own interests, and when these are sent to me and I have consented to them, they will be binding alike both on Maori and European. Native magistrates will also bo appointed, and people under them, to administer the laws, and all these people that are employed will have salaries, and be paid regularly on the first of each month like Europeans. You will thus see by what I have said, that the way I intend to put down evil is by putting up good, not by employing force. One thing I have omitted to tell you. In each district n medical man will he stasioned, and salaries will be provided for three native clergymen or schoolmasters, and for each ruipti that wishes to put aside laud for the support of a clergyman, I will endeavour to get a minister. One of the great evils has been, that that there has been no opening for the young men, chiefs and others, who have been highly educated. Now I make all these openings, clergymen, magistrates, doctors, &c., and a young chief may become one of these, and not have to go to work(mnnual labour) on his laud, like a common man, but live like a gentleman. Now don’t you say lam not come hero to conquer and kill you ; I have come to couqvicr and kill you too — tcith good. Now I have done, and if any of you want to ask questions about what I have said. 1 am here to answer. (To he- continued.J