LAND RECORDS CARDS TAKEN

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 10

LAND RECORDS CARDS TAKEN

(New Zealand Press Association) WHANGAREI, March 20. About 9000 cards recording names of Maori people in Northland and their land interests were taken from the Maori and Island Affairs Department between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. yesterday.

The cards, including all the Ws in the files, are the only records of Maori land titles and interests' in the department. The total number of cards kept by the department in Whangarei is between 21,000 and 25,000. The Assistant District Officer for the department in Whangarei (Mr B. Henry) said today that the cards were found to be missing this morning. Whoever had taken them had probably put them in two I cartons, he said. When taking them to a car on the street 'the bottom had fallen out of 'one carton and cards had been left strewn over the ground. The loss was to the Maori people, who relied on the cards to learn their land interests, rather than to the department, he said.

Those whose cards were missing would now have to search through all the titles they may be recorded under, which would be time-consum-ing and-expensive. “They are vital records for the Maori people,” he said; The cards were small whitelined filing cards measuring sin by 3in. The name was printed at the top. W.W.U. Officers.— Officers elected at the annual general meeting of the Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union were: president, Mr R. J. Wasley: vice-president, Mr S. C. R. Wasley; secretary, Mr M. E. Foster: assistant secretary, Mr R. K. Fergus; walking delegate, Mr J. R. Quince: executive committee, Messrs G. C. Ticehurst, W. Thomas, R. Hopkins, S. W. Coxs, R. P. Edge, G. Wright.