G.—l.

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.