EARLY WAIRARAPA

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 12

EARLY WAIRARAPA

Maoris Refuse to Sell SIR GEORGE GREY’S EFFORTS Dominion Special Service. It is not generally known that the Church of England settlement to which Christchurch owes its birth was nearly carried out in the Wairarapa instead of at Canterbury. With this story is linked up the purchase of the Wairarapa from the Natives and the opening up of the ’district for closer settlement. Although communication had been established over the Rimutakas by means of a bridle track in 1844, closer settlement could not proceed, as under the Treaty of Waitangi the Maoris owned all the land, and the greatest difficulty was experienced in inducing ment in the Wairarapa was under disinetn in the Wairarapa was under discussion not only in the colony, where the district was recognised as providing the only large tract of grazing land within easy distance of Wellington, but in the Old Country where a project was afoot for the establishment of a model Church of England settlement in New Zealand. William Wakefield and the New Zealand Company urged the claim of the Wairarapa as a suitable district for settlement He forwarded to his court of directors a survey of the district carried out by H. S. Tiffen, and in 1846 sought Governor Grey’s assistance in facilitating the purchase of 300,000 acres for the proposed settlement

Land purchase was a difficult question, however. The older Natives were not slow to see the advantages the “run” or leasehold system had over a straight-out transfer of the freehold. They were receiving an annual rental which was preferable to a lump sum, and, in addition, while they remained landlords they retained some power and obtained from the white settlers considerable sums in excess of their rentals. For instance, all timber removed from properties, even that used for domestic purposes, had to be paid for. Some Natives even went so far as to cultivate land they had leased to settlers and made claims against the pakeha for damage done to their plots. As fencing the plots was completely neglected by the Natives, these claims were not infrequent Maoris Refuse to Sell.

On February 26, 1847, Messrs. Bell and Clark, the latter acting as interpreter, left Wellington to negotiate with i the Natives for the sale of their land. ‘The first difficulty they encountered was the fact that although there were only 75 Natives in the valley, no principal chief who had power to act on behalf of his people could be found. The Government officers were forced then to travel from district to district addressing the Natives, but their efforts were in vain. They exhausted every line of argument, even going to the extent of threatening to dispossess the run-holders, thereby depriving tEe Natives of their rents, hut the reply was invariably the same: “We do not wish to sell our land.”

The squatters of the district when approached by Bell and Clark generally expressed themselves in favour of land purchase. Under the loose system of leasehold which then, existed they were unable to improve their station properties, and the position generally was most unsatisfactory. When assured by the Government that their runs would not be disturbed unless for a new settlement, and that they would be granted a pre-emption right to purchase them,, they expressed themselves as being only too anxious to co-operate with the Government and obtain a more secure tenure for themselves.

Sir George Grey Becomes Interested. Definite progress was made when Sir George Grey took an active part in the negotiations. The Natives, had remarkable faith, and trust in him and his intervention. To the Natives of the district he wrote: “My friends, —I have been told that you will not make any arrangements with the Government for the sale of your lands, although sufficient portions would be reserved for yourselves and your children to use. My friends, this is not right. Ample reserves shall be retained by you if you will sell your lands, but if you will not conclude such an arrangement then I shall desire the Europeans to depart from your lands, and I shall put an end to the arrangements at present existing between them and you.” After allowing time for this message to sink into the Native mind, Sir George dispatched Mr. JJ. Tracy Kemp and Mr. Bell to the Wairarapa to make fresh negotiations for purchase. Eighteen months had elapsed since the first attempt, and the difficulties had increased with the passage of time. A. number of the squatters had paid their, rents as much as four or five years in advance, and the Natives felt that it would be a breach of trust to sell the land they had leased. A meeting of all the chiefs concerned was summoned, and all the interested parties were represented at a great assembly which began on Monday, January 8, 1849, and lasted some days. For over a week the Maoris debated'the question of whether to sell or not among themselves, and finally it was agreed to offer the land required, which comprised over a million acres, and stretched to the north and east to Whareama and in a direct line to the source of the Manawatu River, to the Government for the sum of £16,000, to be paid in four yearly instalments of. £4OOO each. Kemp was staggered by this demand, which he considered just another way of refusing sale. He offered the Maoris £4OOO for the land, but this offer was refused, and the meeting dispersed, Simon Peter, on behalf of the Natives, telling Kemp to offer the land to the Government for £16.000. Kemp and Bell returned to Wellington to report that the second attempt at purchase had failed. (To be continued.)