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

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1909 Session I, G-01

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1909. NEW ZEALAND.

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

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

Native Land Commission, Auckland, 15th December, 1908. To His Excellency the Governor. May it please Your Excellency,— We have the honour to submit for your consideration a report on Native lands in the Piako County. Our recommendations are set out in the accompanying schedules : the following is a summary of the information contained therein:— A. E. P. Lauds leased ... ... ... ... ... ... 28,332 3 8 Lands for Maori occupation ... ... ... ... 27,126 131 Lands for general settlement by sale ... ... ... 300 0 0 55,759 0 39 These lands comprise a portion of the estate owned by-the Ngatihaua and kindred tribes, under the leadership of Tupu Taingakawate Waharoa (commonly known as Taingakawa), a son of Wiremu Tamehana, who was a chief of great renown fifty years ago. We held meetings of Taingakawa's people at the Thames, at Morrinsville, and at Te Aroha. Besides lands in the Piako County, Taingakawa's people also own lands in Eaglan County. We deal with the latter in another report. But our general remarks in this report may be taken to apply to the lands generally owned by Taingakawa and the hapus recognising his mana and leadership. Although part of the Waikato confederacy of tribes that, since the inception of the King movement and the selection of Potatau te Wherowhero as Maori " King," have been united under the mana and leadership of Potatau and his descendants down to the Hon. Mr. Mahuta, M.L.C., we have found it necessary to deal separately with Taingakawa's people and their lands. We were informed that Your Excellency, with the Prime Minister and the Native Minister, attended a meeting at Waharoa in March last, and there met the owners of the lands affected by this report. We found that Taingakawa had seceded from the Waikato confederacy, and was strongly opposed to his lands being dealt with by the Government or the Commission on the same basis as other Waikato lands.

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We were informed that Taingakawa and his people were given to understand, either at the meeting at Waharoa above referred to or at the subsequent meeting at the same place with the Native Minister, that they would not be compelled to sell any of the lands left to them, but that they would be permitted to lease their lands not required for immediate use. The lists of lands they handed in to the Commission were based on this understanding. It will be seen from the schedules that, of the lands we dealt with in Piako County, more than one-half is at present leased or under negotiation for lease to Europeans. The balance does not appear to us to be too large to be reserved for the use and occupation of the Native owners. A considerable area of the land held by them is not used, and it is only of late that they have taken to any extensive farming. There seems now, however, to be aroused among them a spirit of enthusiasm for farming operations, and during the last twelve months a considerable area has been cleared and made ready for agriculture. We were impressed, however, throughout the Waikato with the necessity of agricultural instructors being sent to the hapus if it is desired that they should become efficient farmers. We have in various reports brought this matter before Your Excellency, but as yet we have not heard of any instructors being appointed. It is, in our opinion, vain to expect that the Maoris can become efficient settlers if they do not receive agricultural instruction and guidance. Large sums of money are being spent to educate and direct European farmers in their farming operations : there is much less need of such expenditure being incurred than of taking steps to train the Maoris to become industrial and agricultural settlers. We have the honour to be Your Excellency's most humble and obedient servants, Bobert Stout, ) ~, . . A. T. Noata, t Gormmssioners - SCHEDULES.

PIAKO COUNTY. Schedule 1. Lands leased or under Negotiations for Lease.

Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. 'e Au-o-Waikato A B 2 (part) 'e Au-o-Waikato — Maungatapu No. 3 (part) No. 4 No. A No. B No. C [iwitahi 3a 1 3a2 ... liro, Te luri-o-puhirua B 'akarau Pa A ... B ... F ,, j. . . ... ... G ... 'ae-o-turawaru 2b 'uketutu 1b 1 ... 1b2 , .. Unga, Te, No. 4a Uupa, Te 'ahuroa No. Id... Jrenui (Te Karangi) 'e Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 29 69 3 8,560 600 B. P. 0 0 0 0 y 12 4 8 17 1 6 J 4 1,220 775 1,042 3,606 95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,668 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 8 1,742 336 328 330 333 333 1,494 1,059 1,059 137 6 645 138 50 0 0 0 0 0 28 2 0 3 28 3 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 2

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Schedule 1— continued. Lands leased or under Negotiations for Lease —continued.

Schedule 2. Lands recommended to be reserved for Maori Occupation under Part II of "The Native Land Settlement Act, 1907" (papakaingas, farms, burial-places, &c.).

Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. Pe Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 31 Ce Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 32 Pe Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 33c Pe Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 36 ?e Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 39 De Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 40 Pe Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 41 [?e Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 44 ie Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 45 \!e Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 46, and Wairere Survey District, Block II, Section 69 Ce Whetu No. 3b 4 Vaiharakeke East No. lcl No. 3a 1 No. 3a 2 Vaotu South Al D4a D4 D5 5 A. 94 R. P. 2 0 3 50 0 0 1 34 3 20 1 65 0 0 2 150 0 0 2 60 0 0 3 101 0 0 8 150 0 0 7 100 0 0 1 124 0 0 11 479 971 28 10 89 94 121 250 0 0 2 14 1 3 0 39 1 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 Timber lease. Total 28,332 3 8

Name of Blook. Owners. Area, Remarks. 'e Au-o-Waikato B 2 (part) „ No. 5 ... No. 7 ... No. 8 ... 'e Au-o-Waikato— Maungatapu No. 3 (part) No. 6 No. 9 ... No. D ... [onehu, Te [ohatupapanui ... [arokaro A „ B i.arokaro C langawhara 1b 2 langawhero 2a laungatautari 1a North ... „ 1a South ... „ 1a West ... 2a 2b 2c 2d latamata North 3 32 2 A. B. P. 680 0 0 415 0 0 288 0 0 1,000 0 0 5 4 2 13 6 7 7 7 4 37 1 5 1 1 3 1 1 54 46 0 0 1,079 0 0 1,580 0 0 494 0 0 278 0 0 400 0 0 500 0 0 250 0 0 250 0 0 641 3 0 307 0 0 163 1 0 326 1 0 300 2 0 246 0 16 25 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 2,871 0 0 I Partly in West Taupo County. Includes Waharoa Settlement. Partly improved.

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Schedule 2— continued. Lands recommended to be reserved for Maori Occupation, &c. —continued.

Schedule 3. Lands for General Settlement under Part I of "The Native Land Settlement Act, 1907." [The blocks are arranged to show the method of disposal urged by the Maoris.] A. For Sale.

Approximate Cost of Paper.-Preparation, not given; printing (1,500 copies), &1 10s. 6d.

By Authority : John Maukay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9o9.

Price 3d.]

Name of Block. Owners. Area. Remarks. Pukehinau Pae-o-turawaru 2c Puketutu 1b 3 ... 1b4 ... Tapui A „ B Te Tapui A Taramoarahi No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Tawawhakaporo 1 2 Tauhei7Al „ 7a 2 ... „ 7a3 „ 7a4 „ 7a 5 7a 6 „ 7b Whareraurekau Whakatakataka Whangorau 2 5 2 8 14 44 4 19 10 94 1 20 6 8 5 3 14 10 45 6 70 94 240 3,476 529 529 1,510 3,523 105 250 452 86 19 334 78 69 108 78 187 118 161 275 1,409 1,432 R. P. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0 0 2 11 3 0 1 0 3 33 0 14 2 10 3 32 2 2 1 29 0 4 0 0 1 14 2 17 Burial reserve. Total ... 27,126 1 31

Name of Blook. Owners. Area. Remarks. Te Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 29 Te Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 44 Te Aroha Survey District, Block XII, Section 45 2 A. 50 B. P. 0 0 These blocks are under lease, and are already shown in Schedule I. 8 150 0 0 7 100 0 0 Total ... 300 0 0 The whole to be sold by public auction.