MAORI COUNCIL AGAINST "LAND GRAB" BY GOVT.

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 61, 5 August 1965, Page 3

MAORI COUNCIL AGAINST "LAND GRAB" BY GOVT.

There will be no legislation this year to alter Maori land titles or to interfere with the present system of tribal ownership. Plans to enable Maori land to be used better are still in the melting pot. They are the subject of a special twoman committee of inquiry appointed by the Government. This committee is now touring both islands, but its report and recommendations will not be in the hands of the Minister of Maori Affairs (Hon. J. R. Hananl in time for any legislation to be prepared this session. The committee consists of the former Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court, Mr I. Prichard, of Rotorua, and Mr H. T. Waetford, of Whangarei. The committee is travelling extensively. It has already met Maoris in the North Island at Rotorua, Taupo, Wairoa, Nuhaka, Gisborne, the East Coast and on the Wanganui River. Early this month, it will

visit Auckland, Thames and Helensville, while late in August and early September it will be in North Auckland. In the South Island, the committee has already visited Blenheim, and it will visit Southland and parts of Canterbury and possibly the West Coast. The whole conception of the committee arose from a clash between Mr Hanan and the top Maori body, the New Zealand Maori Couiicil. last year. The Minister wanted to overhaul the existing complicated Maori land laws so as to make better use of idle and deteriorating Maori land — estimated at over half a miUion acres throughout New Zealand. He wanted to prevent the continual fragmentation of Maori land titles which have led to cases of thousands of Maoris owning one block. He also wanted to take drastic powers through the Maori Land Court to control incorporations. But the Maori Conncil fought the proposals vigorously and talked of the "last land grab by the Fakeha." As a compromise, the Government set up the present committee so as to get some idea of the Maoris' own opinions. From discussions held by the committee so far, one

proposal keeps coming to the fore. It is a suggestion that Maori land could be held in trust so that remaining Maori land could be saved for the benefit of all the people. The Maori Council comments that the basic question is whether Maoris today are willing to let their land interests go to the few members of their families that can make a living from farming, or whether they want the land to be farmed in such a way that any profits go towards the support and progress of the family or tribe as a whole. 'Tf the choice is the first, namely to let the land go to individuals, then the days of Maori land are clearly numbered," states the council. "If, on the other hand, people chose to keep Maori

land for the general benefit, then it could be held in trust for as long as it continued to serve any useful purpose. "If we are to aim at settling individuals on Maori land the problem is largely one of buying out — or taking without compensation — the smaller interests and selling to those settled on the land. There are many difficulties here. "The Idea of a trust is basically more simple, although much thought will have to be given to details." The council lists several questions which will have to be considered. Among them is the question of whether the trust would simply take over the uneconomic shares in any Maori land or whether it would aim at taking over management of whole blocks.