PETITION OF NATIVES RESIDING AT THE EAST CAPE.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1865 Session I, G-12

G-.—No. 12.

PETITION OF NATIVES RESIDING AT THE EAST CAPE.

PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 9th SEPTEMBER, 1865.

(Mr. Ormond.)

WELLINGTON.

1805.

G-.—No. 12

Akuhata 28 o nga, (ra) 1865. Xi soi kai Whakabite o tb Whabe Btjnanga niji o Ntri Tieeni, —■ He inoi atu tenei na matou na nga tangata c mau nei nga ingoa ki tenei pukapuka ki a koutou ki nga kai whakarite (o te) runanga o Nui Tireiii. Ko ta inatou inoi koia tenei kia whakatikaia c koutou he rohe tika mo matou kia whakarerea tenei rohe c kiia nei he wehenga no te takiwa ki Akarana no te takiwa ki Ahuriri.

Ko tenei rohe c mau nei he rohe tapahi haere i o matou kainga ko etahi wahi o a matou whenua me o matou iwi kei roto kei te takiwa ki Akarana ko etahi kei te takiwa ki Ahuriri.

Kaore matou c pai kia tau ke o matou whenua me o matou whanaunga kite takiwa ki Akarana c hara i a matou tera kainga, me nga iwi o reira he iwi ke, engari te rohe c paingia ana c matou ko te rohe i hangaia c te Atua, ara kia haere i te tihi o Whakapunake rere atu a puta atu ki Hikurangi tae noa ki "Wharekahika, he rohe tika tenei mo te whenua, mo nga tangata hoki. Ko to matou tino taone ko Nepia, ko te wahi c tv tata ana kia matou. Kua hoko inatou i te whenua kite Kawanatanga o Heretaunga ko ta inatou hiahia tena kia nohoia nuitia taua whenua c nga Pakeha. He iwi tuturu matou no te Kuini, etumau ana to matou whakaaro piri tonu i runga i te aroha ki vga Pakeha, kua kitea nuitia to matou ahua i te putanga mai o te he ki enei kainga, a c mau tonu nei to matou mahi.

No kona ka puta ta matou hiahia kia whakatikaia nga rohe o Akarana o Nepia kia riro katoa mai o matou iwi me o matou kainga ki roto kite takiwa o te Kawanatanga o Ahuriri. A ka inoi tonu matou.

[translation]

August 28th, 1865.

To the Members op the House of Assembly or New Zealand, —

This is a prayer from us, the persons whose names are subscribed, to you, the Members of the General Assembly of New Zealand. Our petition is this, that you lay down a correct boundary for us, that this present boundary, which is said to be a division of the Provinces of Auckland and Hawke's Bay, be abandoned. The present boundary is a boundary which intersects our settlements, for some portions of our land and some of our tribes are situated in the Province of Auckland, and some in the Province of Hawke's Bay. We do not like that some of our lands and some of our relatives be included in the Province of Auckland ; that place is not ours, also the tribes of that place are strangers to us. But, on the other hand, the boundary which seems good to us is the boundary which God has made, that is, commencing from the summit of Whakapunake, thence onward, coining out at Hikurangi, and going as far as Wharekahika. This would be a boundary proper as regards both lands and people. Our chief town is Napier, that which is situated nearest to us. We have sold land to the Government of Hawke's Bay; our desire is that Europeans in large numbers be located thereon. We are a people loyal to the Queen, constant is our thought of continued adherence in love to the Europeans ; our real feeling has been abundantly seen at the time of the first appearance of the evil at these settlements, and our work continues still the same. On account of that, the thought arises within us for the boundary between Auckland and Napier (Hawke's Bay) to be made straight, so that all our tribes and lands may be included within the Province of Hawke's Bay. And we shall ever pray. [Here follow 363 signatures.]

PETITION OF NATIVES RESIDING AT EAST CAPE.