NATIVE LANDS AND NATIVE-LAND TENURE: INTERIM REPORT OF NATIVE LAND COMMISSION ON NATIVE LANDS IN THE COUNTY OF ROTORUA.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, G-01h

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1908 NEW ZEALAND.

NATIVE LANDS AND NATIVE-LAND TENURE: INTERIM REPORT OF NATIVE LAND COMMISSION ON NATIVE LANDS IN THE COUNTY OF ROTORUA.

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

Native Land Commission, Kaikohe, Bay of Islands, 16th April, 1908. To His Excellency the Governor. May it please Your Excellency,— We have the honour to submit for your consideration a further report dealing with an additional area of land in Rotorua County. Rotorua County. The area dealt with in this report is 50,023 acres, all within the Thermal-Springs District.' ,]our[] recommendations are set out in detail in the schedule hereto, and are framed so as to accord with our recommendations in our first report dealing with Rotorua County and the Thermal-Springs District. Summarised they are as follows:— A. B. P, For Maori occupation ... ... ... ... ... 7,198 120 To be incorporated (approximate) ... ... ... ... 27,750 0 0 For lease (subject to reserves) ... ... ... ... 8,205 0 0 For sale * ... ... ... ... ... ... 6,870 0 0 50,023 1 20 This will reduce the area of lands not dealt with in our previous report to 131,551 acres, of which 61,861 acres are being investigated and partitioned by the Native Land Court, and may be ready for us to inquire into next month. Some special features of the blocks included in the schedule may be referred to. Although thejßotoitijßlock (area about 19,000 acres) has been subdivided, the surveys have not been made, and the areas of the various subdivisions are not ascertained even approximately. This is only one of the many large blocks owned by the Ngatipikiao, and bordering on the series of lakes from Rotoiti to Rotoma and Okataina, which are in avery unsatisfactory position. We strongly recommend that the surveys of these blocks be executed, even if it should become necessary to cut off portions of land to defray the necessarily heavy expense. We have recommended incorporation of this block for the reasons stated in our previous report. It is all the more necessary because of the nature of the title. Incorporation will hasten the settlement of the block, because it will concentrate the power of disposal into the hands of Committees, which will disregard difficulties arising from the application of Native custom to further subdivisions.

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The Ngatirangitihi Tribe offer Pokohu A Block of 6,870 acres for sale to the Crown. We quote from their memorandum' submitted for our consideration the following :— Owing to the untimely destruction of many of our villages through the Tarawera outbreak in 1886, and the deterioration of our lands, the late Mr. Ballance, then Native Minister, caused a block of of 2,000 acres, known as the Hauani Reserve, to be set apart for our use. Subsequently we were instructed to submit our list of namesjas ownersfor insertion in the title of the said land, which was done accordingly. The nameSjOf somelthree hundred and fifty-odd persons, having been selected at general meetings of the tribe, these persons "were all grouped in sub-hapus, and a Government surveyor was employed to survey the|2,ooo acres into to its number, the position of each portion having first been decided by lot. Several of tlie hapus proceeded to occupy their respective portions, when our minds were disturbed through the Crown Lands Commissioner at Auckland demanding immediate payment of rent. We were unable to comply with this demand, and have only continued to use the reserve in a half-hearted manner in consequence, as we had been led to clearly understand that the land was to become our absolute property. Our tribe numbers over four thousand individuals, and we are now occupying less than 200 acres of worked-out land at Matata, which is totally inadequate to provide us with food; yet we cling to the place on account of our schools, the large fish-supply, and the greater opportunities of obtaining work draining swamps, fencing for Europeans, &c. The effect of the Tarawera eruption has in some cases greatly improved our lands in the vicinity —notably the several Pokohu Blocks ; and we desire to make the following proposals, and earnestly beg your favourable consideration of the same : — Out of Pokohu A (about 6,-670 acres) we ask the Crown to accept an area of 3,000 acres as some return for the 2,000 acres at Hauani aforesaid. We offer a further area of 200 acres in exchange for a piece of about 100 acres at Tiepatua set apart for our use by the late Sir A. J. Cadman when Native Minister, and which we have been occupying ever since. The residue of the Pokohu Block we offer to the Crown in fee-simple, the proceeds to be devoted entirely to the purchase of fencing and stock, so necessary to enable us to profitably utilise Hauani. Much of the Pokohu land is of fair quality, well adapted for the purpose of stock-raising, and there is a considerable quantity of totara and other valuable timber thereon. The block of 2,000 acres referred to in the memorandum, known as the Hauani Reserve, is officially called Lot 63d, Parish of Matata. We are informed by the Hon. the Native Minister that this land was subdivided amongst the several hapus of the Ngatirangitihi; that legal leases were issued to them by the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Auckland under section 219 of " The Land Act, 1892." We recommend that the offer of the Ngatirangitihi be accepted by the Crown. We have had the evidence of Captain Mair, who was the agent intrusted by the Native Minister, the late Mr. Ballance, to communicate with the tribe in regard to the Hauani Reserve. He states that it was the then intention of the Native Minister to grant this reserve absolutely to the Maoris. Perhaps this intention was afterwards changed so as to preserve the reserve for the tribe. The Natives, according to the evidence adduced before us, certainly understood that the reserve was a free gift to them. Their offer now of 3,000, acres for the 2,000 acres is therefore under the circumstances a generous proposal, and as the reserve can be made, and ought to be set aside for Maori occupation, there will be no opportunity for them to either sell or lease it. Their offer also of 200 acres for the 100 acres-granted to them is a generous one, and should be accepted. The balance of this Pokohu A Block should be purchased by the Crown, at a valuation to be ascertained by some disinterested and competent valuer. The owners;,are willing that the money received from the sale should be disbursed for the purpose of fencing and stocking the Hauani Reserve, and this can be arranged by the Native Department. We recommend that the block be incorporated, so that the arrangement may be carried out more expeditiously. We have the honour to be Your Excellency's humble and obedient servants, Robert Stout, A. T. Ngata, Commissioners.

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SCHEDULE.

Rotorua: Native Lands within County and Thermal-Springs District. A. Lands recommended for Maori Occupation.

B. Lands recommended to be incorporated under Section 28 of " The Maori Land Claims Adjustment and Laws Amendment Act, 1907," with Power to dispose of Timber, to set aside Areas for Maori Occupation, to lease in Terms of Section 12 of " The Thermal Springs Districts Act, 1881," or to treat with the Crown for Sale.

C. Lands to be leased.

Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. iotomahana-Parekarangi— No. 5b No. 1 (part) 2 A. E. P. Undefined Interests of Himaima Titihuia and Peti te Whatu (60 shares). Interest of thirty-one owners. List to be supplied to the Native Department. No. 5b No. 4 (part) 31 t/ ... No. 6... No. 6c, Section 2b No. 6d, Section 2b No. 6e, Section 2b No. 6f, Section 2b No. 6g, Section 2 No. 6g, Section 4 No. 6h No. 2b ... No. 6m No. 6n, Section 2b No. 6p, Section 2b No. 6s, Section 2b No. 5a No. 6a, Section 2, No. 2b 44 26 29 24 29 6 2 51 216 101 32 41 356 55 100 0 0 36 0 0 329 0 0 56 2 0 55 2 0 10 0 0 5 0 0 272 0 0 14 2 0 287 0 0 864 1 20 542 1 0 268 0 0 4,358 1 0 This is an old pa and burial-place. Forest reserve. Also called Te Akakahia. Old pa and burial-place. Burial-place. Known also as Tokiniho. Motutawa Island. Ancient kainga. Pending partition by the Native Land Court. 7,198 1 20

Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. totoiti — No. 1, or Whangamoa ... No. 3 (Paretangi) No. 4 (Tokerau) No. 5, or Te Arataukanihi No. 6 (Tauwhitinui) No. 7, or Matawhaura ... No. 10, or Ngamimiro ... iotomahana-Parekarangi Iβ 355' 374 367 360 379 379 131 33 A. 17,000 B. 0 p. 0 (Area undefined, but may be estimated at 17,000 acres. The surveys of the partitions have not been executed. 60 0 0 To be incorporated with lc. See first report on Eotorua County. Has been further subdivided. >okohuB 304 10,690 0 0 27,750 0 0

Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. A. R. P. iotomahana-Parekarangi— 5b No. 1 5b No. 2 5b No. 3 5b No. 4 64 19 13 170 1,070 586 427 3,159 2 22 2 12 3 13 0 0 Subject to reserve for two owners as in A. Subject to reserve for thirty-one owners as in A. 5b No. 5 6l, Section 2b, No. 3 No. 4 ... No. 5 ... 111 4 13 99 2,742 13 21 184 3 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 8,205 0 0

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D. Lands to be sold.

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Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. 'okohu A 270 6,870 B. P. 0 0 See text of report for special recomendation.