Otaraia 3 Hurai 1853 Ki Poneke, ki a Kawana Kerei E hoa, Tenei taku kupu ki a koe. E kore matou e hohoro atu i roto i enei ra, e kore pea e rokohina atu e matou tera hei tunga mo tau komiti, he raruraru no matou, no konei matou i roa ai, he nui no a matou mahi. Erangi me noho marie mai koe, me tatari mai koe ki to taonga. Ka nui, ka nui nga Maori e haere atu ana i runga i to tikanga, kua tae mai nei ki a matou, kua whakaae matou katoa. Erangi ko tera i tuhia mai ai e koe hei tunga mo tau komiti, e kore koe e pai me whakarere kia tae atu matou i te 18 o nga ra o Hurae? Ka haere atu ai matou kia huihui nga rangatira Maori o Wairarapa ka haere atu ai, e haere ana au ki Kaikokirikiri ki te tiki i nga tanga[ta] o reira. Ki te roa matou me tatari marie mai kia tae atu matou ka korero a[i]. Heoi ano te kupu ki a koe. Naku, na tou hoa aroha, na Ngature, ki a Kawana Otaraia 3 July 1853 To Port Nicholson, to Governor Grey Friend, I have this to say to you. We cannot get there quickly at this time, so perhaps we will not be able to make it for that sitting of your committee; we are busy, that's why we are delayed, we have so much to do. However, be patient and wait for your reward. There are many, many Maori who, following your suggestion, have come to us, and we are all agreed. But what you wrote as the date for that committee, would you not agree to postpone it until we can get there on the 18th of July? We are going to collect the Maori chiefs of Wairarapa to go there, and I am going to Kaikokirikiri to fetch the people there. So if we are late, wait patiently until we arrive and can talk. That's all to say to you. From me, from your good friend, Ngature To the Governor [Notes following relate]