THE KOHIMARAMA NATIVE CONFERENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 203, 9 August 1860, Page 3

THE KOHIMARAMA NATIVE CONFERENCE.

.;.{From“the New >Zealander, July 18 & 21.) The speech of ■. Tamale Waka Nene to'his brother chiefs on Friday, was, in whatever light and from whatever-point of view regard- . «di ail admirable ’specimen of Maori eloquence, but .a - far .more admirable .vindication of the : speaker’s faithful adherence-to' his long-pfo-.rfessed and long proved loyalty to'the* British -Crown* • -and of the! honesty of i his professions t of. ■friendship to the sulijects ! of the : Sovereign -hea;d of the. British Empire. ; - • j, , What bad *led to this conference he -said—- , what but*the Maori King movement ?ah evil . which, couldf.only be remedied by the Queen, jTo the Queen he :had always been loyal, airways /wouldJbe., As - for /Filliam King’s ; iiK ;surrection,L it might succeed ifor a time, but' ’ i must result iii failure. They who were now ‘ assembled? were : from -various parts-bf the cisland ; <but-to all—whether men of :Wanga- = uui. Wairarafa, Wellington, ? Ahuriri,—to all . he. said,? Be ; kind to the Europeans; so that ..you .may,prosper - Witlr respect to the pres- . ent disturbances, he believed that it was* hot ; the ■ Governorr—who • was “ still swimming in the open sea”—--but Waikato that was the - source .and? spring of this evil; Waikato had ; its' desire-^—-[the King movement} ;Te "Ran-' . gitaki (Wiremu Kingi) had.his desire [topreuvent the .sale of . Teira’s lend to the Governor, and to make 7’aranaki a “ pure Maori land”] ; —-rSO •hadrlie, rTaraate /-Taka, a desire. {Here .chanted-? the tfollowi ng Maori 1 refrain with great significanceV ; “ Let my desires; within me lie hid. ’ .. . . The wish pfTmy heart - I’ll strive to '. . r restrain..”); Lei^l^illiai^vKi Jig hug ihis,assumed mam as ,^9. pleased,;.Jet \yaikato, fancy,, tliey.;had a ■ \ktog4^welLan^-gpod Tamath \Vaka, had aka his desire. Hejjieb went on to declare his willingness to fight for the British Govern-. ..' I? .’•> -H £- ! ?Two conchrred in bis opinions. - " : ' T'T.'

On Monday' the*'Veritimients expressed were; equally friendly, ] and the ..discussion of' Or.' Martin’s jEle'iiieiit^ry^lliil.es.,o^* J/;t.W;;fo,r .Native administratipuj'i was* ;^ur.U|g(which a chief .declared, thatj the .natives .ought tp 4 ,haye seats in .iColonjaln legislature.* ;*IIe .confessed that* they /yyjere / not qualified for; such a post at. presenL-b.utf. that, jliewhimself would study English language; and law for five years in-order to,fit Kimself for a . seat iriitfie, Assembly-.-. l , ?./>;/

Ou ..Tuesday. Tamati, Rauperaha made:, a hold ; and /vigorous, /speech/ against. the, king movement,- and V declared;; that if .<tha'& king's flag.vWas].hoisted .at' his; ..place ./he/woulcl.cuf'it down;]-H.ut*.'•".•.■■ -;.i .v . t v.a , >..-j ’ On Wednesday, the Native; /S'ecretary,(/Mr. McLean) announced the receipt of the lollowr ing Message^'from : : ;His'Excpliehcy"file''Goverf, nor—whfch’,- like" the former one, was" received by the Cliiefs /and ’/Europejiri' irig. : — ‘ • ‘ . ' -Thomas Gore' Governor.t 4 -' In'; his"' opening, sppgch/ the Governor assured 'the Chiefs! assembled.fit K'ohim.ar«ama, thp,t tlie'! 'Treaty-;'of f Wp/aitarigi > ;i ill. f be i maintained inv!olate''by'Her;Majes'tjr'*st;.Goyernt3nqnt.-'.:'lJe now invites • them to consider the difficulties and complicatioris' r: attending' the. ownership of land; and trusts they will.be . able to- devise some plan for removing/ or ■ simplifying';them.. It is nearly all; ’the/Tmids and- ; wars : between"the different tribes;iri /New Zealand' haye. 1 originated, in : the tenure by "which land is now held.’ Very many would in future be avoided if : the possession of .land from' any. fixed date—say, .20 ; years,were, recognised-- as giving the possessor R good title. • : * 7 Such 'id * would b.e, in accordance with the] law. that prevails in England. - ‘ yjt / isl very desirable -that some. ■ general piinciples - regulating the boundaries of ' land belonging to-different tribes should be gene.: rally received' and] adopted;;, for, , until the rights of property are/ tdearly defined, pro : gress in civilization must be both slow arid uncertain. When disputes 'arise between 1 different tribes in reference to-land, they might be referred to a committee” of 1 disinteresfed and. influential- chiefs, . selected / at : a'. confei-erice similar-to the one now.held' at Kohimarama. /

- There is . also a' sirripler 1 plan . universally adopted in Hindostan, which appears well suited to the circumstances of . New Zealand,, viz., when men cannot agree as to their respective rights, each party chooses two persons -—and these four ! choose, ‘ a, chief of another tribe having no interest in the matter disputed: Then the ■; five sit in judgment, arid decide who is right-' and who * is wrong; but before they pronounce judgment, ’ both the contending parties solemnly to abide'by it; j : The Governor earnestly/desires” to \ see the chiefs / arid 'people of ; /New'Zealand in secure of j land, whlch; they can /transmit to*their'- children, and abput which there' could be rio dispute; Some, land ''might be held] in common for tribal .purposes: but . lie .would like l td ,; see 1 every chief'and' every member of his tribe in possession! ”of a Crown Grant for as much land as they could possibly desire or .use.' : When, a dispute arises about a Crown ‘Grarit, 41 the proprietor need neither go ,to waii nor appeal to 1 the Governirierit; - lie can go at ouce-to the proper Court; "rind, if he is right, the Judge will give'possession, arid the Law will;protect Him in it. ; Tribal jealousies, and' disputes, however, interfere to prevent individuals from obtaining Crown‘Grants they will continue] to do so? arid quarrels "rijid;bloodshed, until men grow wiser, and learn* that the rights pf ah 'in/|ividuar shpuld\)be'as.carefully’: .guarded as those oif a community; : * It is essential to the peace] and prosperity of the Maori people,- that some plan for .settling disputes about Irind should be adopted; the Governor therefore- hopes that tha Chiefs will consider the subject carefully rind dispationately* and assures them'that he will gladly co-operate with them in .carrying into .effect any system, that they can recommend, provided that they will really attain.the desired end., Government Housdf ; July'lß, 1860. : ' . In introducing this /Message?'., the Native Secretary observed :-^ —i / - - ‘The Governor was most,anxious/.that some means should bie , devised by the Chiefs now assembled in Conferrence, to , define Tribal Boundaries, an<l make such ,‘a subdivision of property among “tribes,. families, and individuals, as would secure to them their landed rights on a more sure foundation than now existed. ‘ They were all aware that land was the main source of many of "the "difficulties now occurring ambrig themselves, occasioning loss of .life:and affecting the, prosperity, of both race's. No fixed law on the subject could be said to exist excepting tlie “ Law pf Might.” It was true there , were various customs.relating to.'.Native Tenure ; .but .these were not; any way peimarieht.; arid the 'endless complications of such .customs were eventually 1 resolved' 'into ] tlie ' u Law’ of Might”— (Pao'ra, one the Ngatiwhatua Chiefs present, stated tiirit; one law' /djd ] not exist with 1 the Europeans rind. , Natives about land.)—This was true, inasmuch as tlie .Natives . had ; no fixed law to regulate'tlie ..rights of’ property. How, therefore, could it be expected that the law should prevail ?-' The had a. law to guide hiirijon this subjectr-*-the ‘Native nbt; 1 ! The (lovernpr had long thought pf tl)is subject and he ayailed himself, ..jurpsent Conference Chiefs ]t^,RliMJe^‘ow|^' J |jinra before them,, : in ..bope that/they Unitri \yiih, fiiffi:]in],'devisingl’ijsucka,measure ■as would ‘ |impiify .^ritiyftT4h%ej,' j ,.auji ] them 1 tpMeave. tlieMaiidstiieyinherited, jqfii.et ]~an l (|^ , their } cliil* 'rare'n.// 'Sc/ircely//a/] yeri'r ”pass‘|d ~hy f: -witliout : thpir heariug of Svar, parl (New’ Zealand about laud.' At'raurauga, the mt-

:tivds liaVl] beeri figlithig. very hitely ?ni Waka-1 tafie', Tuifiupahorei IJpper •./Taiigaiiui,'- Hawke's Bgy?;' Ngal'Mihii] Te luoirirpa^'aull-^-uoW—-at faranal>i'..' • ’lt ■ was: - some,, that, these - wars were oc(bis.io]nedy , by..,Goveniment land-purchases. This waspiuitrue! The Government used every eruleiiyorir, to. prevent quarrels iirconducting- tfi’e..puj. : cliasp of land ; and in/t.hbse/districts tln;ougndut. Neiv Zoalriud where’ rib land was pu as Ilipta l roa/ arid , other places with wliicli tlie Gover nor (lid not *'iriterfh’re-~:bl(foi;ly]jfi?uds were cur.ried on between the different tribes from time td time; • Powerful tr|b,es'. took of land' by driving off, or .exyenhinafirig the original inhahihints ; these, ].iri their turn,]drove off less powerfuidribes■ tlie cbnqiierbr enjoyed the property, wlii Ie he had the power ;.of kdepitig' it; /but none were certain how: long they so'uld'’'o(/piq)y.; rlie;l{ty«l!.in : 'pqnc ! e.'’"-,' ’' / ;,//.S.ii’i , '^j|)l?jri]g-//tiiri. state of affairs; ript-iyithsiandi tig ; > the/inlrbduetion :of Cliristianity, the Governor now .'asked the co-ope-ration /of ;the. assembled Chiefs to devise some newi'-and/ better^...biw fbj-. .the:'- inheritance 'arid possession of the land. ;■ ' - ’ *

■ i sTlie Message'was received witli. general satisfaction, both in ; fulL council and in tlie several hapits^ one of the first'and riiost ener- 1 getic. speeplies- in - favour of the change proposed - being /by 'an influential Bay-of ; Plenty chief.] d’amihana and others’ requested -/that .the*Afessage might • be. *. printed ;-/rill regarded its /contents; as ; of the first.; importance, and every? speaker was in favour of immediate action vbeirig taken upon/ it; ’Several remarked that . the. Lrin d/question had been the main, cause of the ; - evils -now • disturbing the colony.- : Parakaia, -Kiliirini, and other chiefs froms.Tuhourangi • (near Tarawerri lake) gave expression to very loyalarid pacific sentimeiits, and strongly : 'condemned-the king -movement, for the present position of which they thought the government ‘partly-to blanie. Some of the* speakers proposed; as one means of knocking the movement on the* head, that the produce of -the- kingites should, not/he purchased by, Europeans—that, in short, the; supplies should be stopped. All pleaded with considerable earnestness that/the ;Taranaki war -should’.be. r brought/to an.end* as tlie first step to?the calm consideration,, of /tlie- variojts subjects brought uttdeV '-thehr.-hotice - by the Goverrior. ; 1 7'-/v— 1 /:///;..

- Thursday’s /sitting/ wn3 occupied /by Mr. Ale Lean in giving to; the Conference a : full exposition of tlieliistory of ’ the Taranaki Land question; l front tliefirst purchase '"tV'/tbe/preseht' difficulties. /'Kribwing that Maories are not paitial to long speeches, Mr. McLean appealed to liis to whpthei/lie had exhausted itheir patience? :> iTher 'response was, “ No. go Atujtlie, close of the Native Secretary’s expiration, • and si nee, many leading: chiefs ,hay]e- ; acknowledged their error in;condemning- the - steps 1 taken •by the Governor in the Tarariaki/question.

A<ißi<3oEA.-~The -new land' scheme, that several well; informed correspondents ascribe to Bishop/Selwyn; .would be ar long stride in advance;/ qnd ni-ost excellent transitionary measures -They: say that his lordship proposes to make of; all land- held:'by/’ natives a threefold .'division ; orie /part being .held sacred as native reserve, another let on iease under the authority of native trustees, aqJ/ remaining third sold for such price as its native owner or owners may .choose to take for-it. Present land system must go; if cannot longer be worked with advantage: fo anybody. ■ Natives want a chartge,/and .a I charige..of' the kin<V proposed by Bishop. Selwyu .would meet general a-pproyaJ.^^ucAZq/j^/^j^ni^r/July. 21’.