LANDLESS NATIVES IN THE SOUTH ISLAND (REPORT RELATIVE TO SETTING APART LAND FOR).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1897 Session II, G-01

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SESS. 11.—1897. NEW ZEALAND.

LANDLESS NATIVES IN THE SOUTH ISLAND (REPORT RELATIVE TO SETTING APART LAND FOR).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Sir, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, 14th June, 1897. We have the honour to submit an interim report relative to the setting-apart of land for landless Natives in the South Island ; but, before detailing the work performed in connection therewith, it appears advisable to furnish a brief retrospect of the causes which led to the necessity for setting apart land for the aforesaid purpose. In consequence of the numerous petitions received from the Natives in the South Island relative to the non-fulfilment of promises made them at the cession of their land to the Crown— that additional land sufficient for their future wants should be set apart for them—several inquiries were held under Eoyal Commission for the purpose of ascertaining their actual requirements. A Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament was also appointed in 1888, and again in 1889 and 1890, to report on the Middle Island Native claims. These several inquiries eventually resulted in the setting-apart of the under-mentioned areas of land, to provide for the persons found to be landless, or insufficiently provided for at that date, subsequently augmented by 19,721 acres to meet the requirements of other persons not included in the earlier enumerations :— Land originally set apart. Acres. Acres. Marlborough ... ... ... ... ... 6,111 Waiau, Southland ... ... ... ... ... 60,110 Stewart Island ... ... ... ... ... ... 9,184 Tautuku, Otago and Southland ... ... ... ... 11,819 Wanaka ... ... ... ... . . ... 2,980 Westland ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,764 85,857 91,968 Augmented area ... ... ... ... ... ... 19,721 111,689 The following allocations have been made up to date, viz. : — Acres. At Tautuku, in favour of 370 persons ... ... ... 12,371 At Stewart Island, „ 239" „ ... ... ... 8,725 At Marlborough, „ 375 ... ... ... 12,914 At Westland, „ 129 „ ... ... ... 3,660 At Heaphy Eiver, „ 38 „ ... ... ... 1,600 1,151 „ ... ... ... 39,270 The number of persons whose claims have been considered up to date comprises 3,483, of whom 1,151 persons have been located, leaving 2,332 yet to be dealt with. These persons have been grouped into families to facilitate their location so soon as the surveys at Waiau and Wanaka are sufficiently advanced to admit of this being done; and it will not therefore occupy long to perform this duty as soon as matters are otherwise in readiness. In addition to the claims referred to in the preceding paragraph, there are about 460 persons in the Kaikoura and Marlborough districts whose position will have to. be considered, as many of the number, it is alleged, have no land, and others are insufficiently provided for. An additional area will therefore be required to meet their wants if the same concessions are to be made in their favour. A great deal of difficulty exists in providing for these claims in the Marlborough District, and the question arises where it will be possible to locate them-.

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The same difficulty also exists in respect of additional land required to locate all the persons whose claims are under consideration in the southern provincial districts, and this difficulty may ultimately necessitate the removal of some of the families to Stewart Island who have selected their areas on the mainland. Subsequently to the report of the Joint Committee in 1893 Judge Mackay was appointed under Boyal Commission to make further inquiry into the claims of these landless people. He reported, inter alia, that there were a large number of people who were either landless or were insufficiently provided for. The inquiry was confined to the southern districts of the South Island only—from Canterbury southwards; but it was known even at that date that there were numbers of other people in the rest of the Island who were also unprovided with land. Before effect was given to Judge Mackay's report the Hon. Mr. Cadman, who was then Native Minister, made a visit to the southern districts in the beginning of 1892, when he satisfied himself that the necessity for action did exist. The immediate result of his visit was that 85,857 acres of land were set aside to meet these claims, as detailed on a previous page. The matter came before Cabinet on 13th December, 1893, when it was decided that Judge Mackay and the Surveyor-General were to make the allocation of the land. After sitting some time, with the concurrence of the Government, Mr. T. Parata, M.H.E., was asked to come to Wellington to assist in grouping the families and locating them to the different blocks. He joined us in our work at the end of April, 1894, and continued to assist us in the work we were engaged on until it was found necessary to adjourn for a time, in order that further information might be procured from the people themselves as to the grouping of their various families, and to obtain other information from the books of the Native Land Court with respect to the exact apportionment of the existing reserves among the persons to whom the land had been originally allotted. Some time elapsed before it was possible to secure the services of a person to undertake this work, and then it took a very long time to get the information together in such a form as to be available for the purposes for which it was wanted. The work was much protracted owing to the scattered nature of the numerous holdings and the necessity for great accuracy in ascertaining the correct area that each person held, together with the further necessity of insuring that the aggregate individual holdings should agree with the total areas of the reserves. It was soon found this involved the compilation of a complete alphabetical list of all the South Island Natives and their respective holdings. This list will prove a valuable record for future reference. On the completion of this information we met again, having the advantage of Mr. Parata's assistance, and then completed the grouping of the families who were to receive land at Stewart Island, Waiau, Tautuku, and Wanaka. This was in October, 1895. In the meantime surveys had been started to obtain information from which the actual location of the family groups could be made. So soon as ever the map of Tautuku was ready—in August, 1896—steps were taken to mark off on the plan the family allotments of those who had been awarded land there, on the completion of which the survey of the individual sections was put in hand, and has been now completed. It was at this same time also that an increased area was approved of by Government for those who wished to receive their land at Mahitahi, Bruce Bay, and instructions were sent in reference to the survey of the same. The Government also agreed to set aside an area of 1,600 acres at the Heaphy Eiver, Nelson District, which is now under survey, the family groups having already been settled. When the survey of the Stewart Island Block was sufficiently far advanced the disposition of the sections was arranged on behalf of those families who had lands allotted them there. So soon as the survey is completed the people can occupy the lands. With reference to the Marlborough Natives, the following is a summary of what has been done there : Judge Mackay ascertained in 1886 the wants of those residing at the Pelorus and Wairau, and subsequently, in 1888, the names of those residing in Queen Charlotte Sound. In 1892 certain lands in the Sounds were reserved to meet these cases, and the surveys put in hand. On completion in 1894 the Natives interested made their selections at the Land Office, Blenheim. In these cases a somewhat different method of allotting the lands was adopted. Bach person received 40 acres, 3 acres cf which was set apart for residence purposes in suitable localities, grouped together in villages. The area so dealt with was 6,111 acres, which was awarded to 191 individuals. The boundaries of their land have been pointed out to the people, and many of them are in occupation. With regard to the rest of the landless people in Marlborough, a block of land containing 6,442 acres has been set aside at Tennyson Inlet for 175 other persons, but the survey of this block has not yet been commenced. Outside the cost of the surveys and the occasional clerical assistance the expenses of the work have been very little, for, with the exception of about four days, the whole of it has been done outside official hours, and in our own time. We have, &c, A. Mackay. The Hon. the Minister of Lands, Wellington. S. Percy Smith. Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not given; printing (1,375 copies), £1 6s.

By Authority: John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB97. Price 3d.]