MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 May 1939, Page 9

MAORI MEMORIES

GUESTS OR INVADERS. (Recorded by J.H.S. tor “Times-Age.”) In Sir George Grey’s despatch of August 20, 1863, it was hoped to justify the act of confiscation as —"The Waikato chiefs having murdered Europeans and planned destruction of our settlements; it is' now necessary to inflict such punishment as will prevent other tribes from carrying out designs of a similar nature.” This protest could only be applied to the acts of the Manaiapoto Tribes, yet only a very limited area of their land was involved in this manifesto. On the other hand almost the whole of the fertile lands of the Ngatihaua people, who had consistently opposed the illegal acts against the white settlers, were to be confiscated. The main object of the government plan was to expel the rebel Maoris from the open lands and confine them to the Hunua forests. At the same time they hoped to get 20,000 emigrant settlers to occupy and cultivate this area on farms of 100 acres each. Their first objective was certainly attained, but the results were finite different to what was aimed at. The forest proved to be an impregnable fortress for the Maoris, from which they could raid all the adjoining settlements. No settlers would dare to occupy land subjected to such dangers. Worse than all, the hitherto loyal Ngatihaua were unjustly deprived of their ancestral lands for cultivation and hunting, and their rivers and lakes for fishing and transport by canoes. Still more alarming their only hope of justice was to join the enemy and fight for their rights. So much for the justice or injustice of the punishment we had sought to inflict upon those people, who would have welcomed us as Manuhiri (guests) rather than Reremai (invaders). The next thing to consider is our 'personal security—and theirs.