MODEL PA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 14

MODEL PA.

PROPOSAL FOR ORAKEI. LAND TITLE DIFFICULTIES. The difficulties that the Auckland City Council has been faced with in connection with the Orakei native village settlement, and the proposed laying out of a model village or pa, were referred to by ' the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, 111 presenting his financial report to the Auckland City Council last evening. The Mayor said that a sub-committee had been set up to represent the City Council and confer with a committee of representatives of the pa, when it had been explained that all habitations had to conform with the standard laid down in the by-laws. The matter had then been taken up with the Government, the desirability of action being taken to settle the question of titles anu land tenure at issue between the owners and the Government being urged. "The council could not enforce its bylaws, because it was unable to fix the personal responsibility on the legal owners of th 6 land, as it had 110 official knowledge of who th'bse persons were," said Mr. Davis. "Thus the council was powerless in its desire to improve the village and its immediate environments, notwithstanding its anxiety to remove what clearly was a menace to health. An immediate , issue was the settlement by the .Government of the land claims of the Maoris of Orakei, and once that had been met, it was felt .that the natives would readily co-operate with both the Government and council to put .the village in order, and to formulate plans for making the area one of beauty and utility. It is hoped that the matter will receive the further consideration of the Government, and result in a termination of the unsatisfactory state of affairs existing at the Orakei native village. . I have recorded these facts to show that, so far as the corporation is concerned, the issue is practically out of its hands krid that everything depends upon the adjustment of the land titles."