SUBDIVISION OF THE MAKAURI BLOCK.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 284, 26 June 1875, Page 2

SUBDIVISION OF THE MAKAURI BLOCK.

A numerously attended meeting of natives and othet-s interested was held in the Freemasons’ Hall on Tuesday afternoon last* on the suggestion of Judge Rogan, for the purpose of discussing the principles and conditions on which subdivisions of lands should take place in this district. The Makauri Block was selected as a crucial test, the discussion upon which, taken in shorthand by Mr. Gauuon, and kindly furnished to us, by direction of Judge Rogan, :-- 8. Locke( Esq?, - District 'Officer having been,; voted to the Mt' Rogan opened tie discussion by addressing as follow :-V I have CftUpd »his meeting for the purpose of the views of the Maori ’nsiners and the European purchasers OT’this block of land—the Makauri. the absence of some of jjie Europeans who are mainly in the solution of the matter, • 1 will commence the proceedings jby ptaeing' before you a map of the lstad, It may be compared, to the at),fish of the ocean, the whale or the hppuku ; that is the head, this is the tail; land my assessors are called upon to divide this fish—a valuable estate. Before doing so, I have called you together to see if you, the proprietors of,this estate, cannot agree to soine proposition whereby an amicable sub-division of this and otlter blocks of land can be arrived at, and ini order to avoid unnecessary expense in subdivisional surveys, whieh afterwards might be objected to by those interested, on the matter being formally brought before the Court. Even should this meeting come to no definite conclusion, no harm can be occasroned, as the Native Lands Court can in no way be affected by the present proceedings. No one but airowner, or those Europeans who have ’purchased, from native owners, should be .fjemnitted to speak on the subject. ft f Wi Harofegjt': Some have sold and some are dead ; those who have sold are in the same possitiou as those who are dead. Let those who are living come forward and'state their claims, and let the law be carried out.

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Wi Pere: The applications for subdivisions which have been sent in, are in accordance with our claims as inherited by us from Qur ancestors. Captain Bead has purchased. Let those who disposed of their shares to him point out the land inherited by them by their ancestors. If it is 2000 acres or more, let trim have it. We have always understood that our shares are not equal, nor have we been told to the contrary by the purchasers of shares. I would suggest that the native owners, and. European purchasers should go upon the laud, and that the different boundaries of the claims of the parties interested should be pointed out to a , surveyor ; that surveys be made showing the extent and position of each, and placed on the map now before the meeting; the different shares of each claimant could then be amalgamated, if desirable, and the aggregate area be surveyed in one block. .

Paora Parau: Let the land be subdivided in accordance with ancestral rights. Mr. Hardy: Two years and a half ago, I obtained certain shares in the Makauri Bush Block, for the purpose of occupation. I called a runanga of all the grantees in the block, when I made known to them my intention of fencing in at once the different shares I was possessed of, and of improving the land generally. Of these shares some were held under lease, and others by purchase. All the grantees agreed to the proposal made by me at the runanga, excepting Wi Pere, whose objections were slight, and only lasted one day. Since thaf time I have been at a considerable outlay in the construction of houses, fences, &c. No objection was raised to my making permanent improvements upon the land. It will be manifest to those of the other grantees who have not parted with their shares, that I hold less land than what would be fairly my portion. Those from whom I have leased the shares are desirous that the matter should be finally settled, by my retaining the portions I now hold. Mr. Hamon : stated that a couple of years ago, he bought from Hotene Pomare what purported to be his interest in the Makauri Block. It was afterwards ascertained that this native’s land was without the boundary of the block in question. The portion he understood as belonging to the native he purchased from, he was informed was the property of another native at Wharekauri.

Mrs Wyllie: I speak with regard to McHardy’s statement. We who have leased our shares to him, fully concur in the action he has taken in the matter. I purchased a share from Hana Te Hemohaere. We entered into an arrangement among ourselves to subdivide our respective portions. Mr. Hardy has done precisely as he

has stated to-day. No one interfered with the action he took. I wish the subdivision now existing to be con-, firmed by the Native Lands Cou rt at present sitting.

Paora Matuakore spoke in reference to Mr. Hatnon’s case, saying that Hotene Pomare was wrong in selling any part of the Makauri Block, and that he (thespeaker) and Ema asserted their right to the portion now claimed by Mr. Hamon. He concluded by saying that he held this land by ancestral right, which he deemed equivalent to a Crown Grant.

Ripe rata Kahutia : My ideas with respect to the question before the meeting, are similar to those entertained by Wi Pere. The land in question has been adjudicated upon, and our claims were ascertained to be of a substantial nature. At that time we were not so well versed in the operation of the law as thereafter. We formerly desired that each person having an interest in a block of land should be provided with a Crown Grant for his particular portion, as inherited from his forefathers. The Commissioners who investigated the title of ownership to this block—the Makauri—did not intimate to us whether we would hold the laud in equal shares or otherwise. Let each person of the parties represented respectively by Wi Harbnga and Wi Pere have his land allotted to him in accordance*: with his hereditary right, be his portion great or small. Let a similar course be pursued with regard to Horea, and any others. At the Commission held formerly, I represented the interest of myself and a few others. When our claims were established, Europeans bought our shares. They told us all the grantees shared alike. Then our thoughts became overcast with obscurity. At first we wanted ten persons in each grant; then we were subsequently informed that any number of persons could be inserted in the memorial of title, inasmuch as it was a Commission that awarded us the land—not a Lands Court. On our learning that we shared equally one with another in the block, we sought to attain an amicable adjustment of the difficulty. I went to Napier, and consulted with a lawyer skilled in his profession, without any beneficial result. I say now, let each of us have our portion according to our ancestral right. If such a measure as this be adopted, an amicable subdivision of the land will be arrived at. I will reserve, my words for hereafter.

Pimia Aata: My share in the Makauri Block, together with those of Mrs. Hardy and Amiria’s, are included in land held by Mr. Hardy. I have bought the share of one of the grantees in the block. I am not .referring to Hoera’s share. I wish that the laud as allotted by us to Mr. Hardy be sanctioned by the Court. Mr. Mathieson: I have bought the shares of two of the grantees, namely, Panapa Waihopi, and Wi Paraone; I would like to have the shares marked off. Riperata: Did you lease or purchase the shares ? Mr. Mathieson: I bought them. Riperata: If their title to the land is good, no doubt the transaction is a bona fide one; let it stand on its merits. Mr. Wilson: I appear for Captain Read who has purchased eighteen shares in the Makauri block. It has always been considered that the land was held in equal shares ; those who disposed of their interest in the block, did so under that impression. Captain Read thinks it would be unfair towards him to have a subdivision made other than in equal shares. Hone Kewa and Wi Pere spoke on the subject of Captain Read’s interest in the block, when Mr. Wilson stated, that so long as Captain Read received eighteen of the shares in the whole block, no matter in what part, or the equivalent thereto, he would concur in any arrangement arrived at by the others.

Mr. Hardy: I should like to ask if any of the grantees present object in any way to the boundary I have laid down.

There was no reply. Mr. Tucker said: I have purchased the share of Hone Meihana ; I will agree to any fair and impartial adjustment of this matter.

Judge Rogan : I concur in the suggestions made by Wi Pere. The plan he proposes seems, to my mind, to be a very good one, and calculated to meet the equities of the case. In addition to what Wi Pere has proposed relative to the survey of individual claims, I consider that when the surveys and map are completed, another meeting should then be called for the purpose of making the selections, when, ho doubt, an amicable settlement of all the shares will be arrived at.