NATIVE LANDS COURT.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 251, 27 February 1875, Page 2

NATIVE LANDS COURT.

Tuesday, February 23, 1875. [Before Judge Rogan (presiding); Hone Peti; and Wikiriwhi Tb Tuaha, , Assessors.] Waikohu Matawai Block. Pita te Huhu, sworn states: I belong to Ngaitamatea, a section of. Mahaki. Wi Haronga has a claim through Tane nui Arangi and others. I confirm his statement. I claim through Tahito and Wakarau. By the Court: My fire has not burnt on the land, but I claim the same ancestor as Ngapotiki. (Witness then named four battles fought by Ngakikahunga and others). Our fight was with Ngapotiki. We defeated Whanau a Kai, and others. The hurt was healed, and we took Waikohu, Motu and other places. My tribe together with Ngapotiki Whanau a Tapara lived on the land. Afterwards Wakatohe came on the place. We quarrelled; Poia were killed. The hurt was not healed, Ngapotiki was killed. By Panapa: I have not said it is my land. I said that my fire has not been kindled on the land. Rihari, on being sworn, and stating that he belongs to Ngapotiki, was desired by Haronga to sit down. Mr. Assessor Hone said it was his own fault that his witnesses failed him, he should have seen that they would bear him out.

Wi Haronga said: They tell me one thing out side, and in here they say something else. The witness was then dismissed, and Haronga informed by the Court that his case was closed and that the Whanau a Kai could proceed with theirs. Pimia Ata, sworn said: I belong to Tetatonga Mahaki. I have not been on the land, |but my uncle on my mother’s side has. He is in Court. Turuhira Nohotu, a descendant of Pokinga i waho, has been put in as a claimant by Panapa. Tamati te Bangi, sworn said: I belong to Mahaki. I have heard of this land. lam in Maungatapere. The block belongs to Ngapotiki. I have been on the land since it was surveyed. I have disputed the boundaries, and the subject of the dispute has been settled by both sides. Several other witnesses were examined, and th’e Court adjourned to Wednesday 24th February. Waikohu Matawai Block Continued. Peti Morete, sworn stated : Our claim is an ancestral one. Wakarau is. the ancestor. He was a son of Mahaki. My ancestor Te Mauia occupied the land. By the Court: I have a right through my ancestor. Ngapotiki and myself have one common stock. My ancestors have not worked on the land since Mauia. The people of later generations have not done so. By Panapa: Te Mauia was at Puhinui. I have heard that he had a rahui, standing there. His mana is still on the land. Other descendants of Mauia are on the list you have given in to the Court. The reason for the rahui was on account of a fight with the Uriwera tribe. They were defeated, hence his rahui. Mere Hoia (Mrs. Lawrence), said: I belong to the Whanau Akai. I want my name added to their list. Pimia only spoke for her particular family. I speak now for others who belong to the same tribe as herself.

Panapa on being asked by the Court refused to recognise the parties named by last witness. He further stated that the land claimed was altogether outside the block.

Eward Harris, sworn states: I put in a claim to this land as a descendant of Wakarau, who was the youngest of three brothers, Ihu and Hikarongo being the others, all sons of •Mahaki, Ngapotiki take their name from my ancestor Wakarau. My ancestor Tohura had a pa at the Makihoi shown in the plan. This land has never been cultivated in later generations., Panapa admitted that the name of their tribe came from Wakarau, and in answer to his question the witness said that he could not show on the plan where W a karau’s land was, but that as descendants of Wakarau, Panapa’s people claimed possession of it. By the Court: I have not been on the land. There are other lands where my title is undisputed that I shall never visit. I was not here when the land was surveyed. I was born at Turanganui. I am related to Ngapotiki but by another ancestor, Wiremu Kingi. I claim through Wakarau. The land became ours by right of conquest; others were taking it. We fought for it with Ngai taupare. My ancestors lived on it down to my own time. I have been on the land. This closed the case for the objectors, and the Court adjourned to Thursday, 25th February. Waikohu Matawai Block. Wiremu Kingi stated that Ngapotiki were the owners of the land and that the genealogy given and boundaries described by Panapa were correct. It was true that Mahaki was the stem from which the people sprung, but. that the land in dispute had been divided to them, other descendants of Mahaki had land outside of the block. By the Court: The land is Ngapotiki’s. I have omitted names of persons belonging to the hapu. I do not admit that the counter claimants have any right to the

land. None of the descendants of counter claimants have occupied the land. They have not cultivated it in my time and my old people, they have not occupied it according to native usage. Pimia Ata said that her ancestors occupied the land according to native custom, that Aporo from her line was in. She was but a child herself and had not lived on the land.

Panapa then replied to the effect that the land was his tribe’s, that Aporo was with the surveyor at the time of the survey; and that Pimia’s land was outside altogether. With reference to Paora HapUs statement that Puhuirui was his he could say that Paora was a escendentd of Mauia by a slave Woman. Wi Mahuika is the representative of that line. Peti Morete’s people had left and had not returned. The Court now declared that the case was closed, and that a decision would be given on Saturday. Heuare Potae wished that a block of land at Uawa (Wairoro) should come before the Court. The case was disposed of at the last sitting. By the Court: The memorial of ownership is not yet made out. Henare Potae : all the persons are here that are owners of the land. We consent to tell it. We have received advances upon it, both Captain Bead and the Government have paid us. The list given by Mr. Wilson contains names of ancestors, and not that of actual living persons. The names now read by the Court are living persons ownejsin the block. Mr. Commissioner Wilson stated that the block was in Uawa contained 805 acres and that he would pay the survey fees. The Court signified its approval of the sale. Judge Bogan was understood to say that the Inspector of Native Surveys had intimated that he could not certify to the correctness of any plan before he had satisfied himself of the same. No memorial of ownerships could issue without the plan to which the memorial referred had had that official’s sanction. The course he would adopt would be of issuing memorials of ownerships with an endorsement to the effect that they were subject to the plan being certified to by the Inspector of Surveys. As the other plans of Uawa land had not yet been received from Auckland, the Court stated that those cases would stand over, and would probably be ready for hearing in a fortnight’s time, due notice of which would be given. Application was made that the Uawa cases should be heard at that place, Judge Rogan intimated that the proper course was to apply to the Chief Judge. Karauria of Uawa complained that from no cause of their own they had been put to considerable expense and had also worn the hospitality of their relatives threadbare ; he thought they should be recompensed for loss of time. Mr. Locke said that the Rangatira plan was ready, and that some others would be put in to-morrow. The Court then adjourned. A report of yesterday’s proceedings are unavoidably held over.