LAND BOUGHT FROM MAORIS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 14 (Supplement)

LAND BOUGHT FROM MAORIS

'J’HE Greymouth Borough Council was instituted in 1868, and the late Mr. Edward Masters, who was afterwards a member of the House of Representatives, was the first Mayor. The following reproduction of historical documents tells the story of the birth of the Borough, from the purchase of the land from the Maoris to the election of the first Mayor:— PROCLAMATIONS Declaring arid Describing Lands Sold for the Site of the Town of Greymouth G. GREY, GOVERNOR Order 'in Council At the Government House at Wellington the Third Day of February 1866 ' ■ PRESENT HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL ’O7HEREAS by an Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand ’’ entitled .“The Native Reserves Amendment Act, 1862” it is amongst other things provided, that where tinder the provisions of ‘‘The Native Reserves Act 1856” the assent of the aboriginal inhabitants is required to 'bringing land under the operation of the said ' ‘‘Native Reserves Act 1856” the Governor may by Order-ih-Couhcil, declare such assent to have been ascertained and thereupon the title of the aboriginal inhabitants in the land to which the same shall relate shall be deemed to be extinguished, arid the land shall, from the date of such Order-ih-Council, vest in Her Majesty, for the purpose and subject to the provisions of the said “Native Reserves Act 1856 as altered by the recited Act, and that as effectually as if the same had been ceded and conveyed by such aboriginal inhabitants to Her Majesty. , v Now therefore His Excellency the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, doth hereby declare, that the assent of the aboriginal inhabitants to the bringing of the pieces of land described in the Schedule hereunder written, under the operation of “The Native Reserves Act 1856 has been ascertained. FORSTER GORING, Clerk of the Executive Council. # SCHEDULE All that piece of land situate at the Grey River, in the . Province of Canterbury, .bounded towards the North by the Grey River; towards the East, four thousand and fifty links ’ (4,050) by freehold land; towards the South, nine thousand, eight hundred links (9,800), by Crown land; and towards the West by Tidal Creek. I, ALEXANDER MACKAY a person duly appointed in this behalf, under the provisions of “The New Zealand Native Reserves Act 1856” hereby certify and report that I have ascertained that the original inhabitants entitled to the piece or parcel of land described in the Schedule hereunder written, have assented that the said piece or parcel of land shall be subject to the provisions of the said Act as witness my hand this 12th day of January, 1866. ALEXANDER MACKAY.

Schedule Above Referred To _ . Report adopted this 3rd day of February 1866 with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the Colony. G. GREY, Governor. # $ # 4? FORSTER GORING, •Clerk of the Executive Council. We the undersigned, the owners of the above described piece of land at Greymouth, have agreed that the said Reserve shall be brought under the provisions of “the Native Reserves Act 1856.” ] THAIA TAINUI t ARAPATA HORAU ‘ MAKAIMI PAETURE, his X mark. £ WERITI TAINUI his X mark. f Mawera 12th Hanuere 1866. J Witness to Signatures: < EDWARD H. BOLD, i Assistant Surveyor. ’ c ALEXANDER MACKAY, Commissioner Native Reserves. (Translation) Kou matou ko nga tangata kua tiii tuhia iho o matou ingoa i raro o te pukapuka nei ma matou te pihi whenua Kei Mauwera (Greymouth) kua oti te whakamatiu ki runga, kua • whakaae matou kua tukua kite turc mo nga whenua rahui a nga Maori nga tikanga. mo tana whenua. THAIA TAINUI, ARAPATA HORAU, MAKAIMI PAETURE, his X mark. WERITI TAINUI his X mark. Witness to Signatures: EDWARD 11. BOLD, Assistant Surveyor. ALEXANDER MACKAY, Commissioner Native Reserves.

G. GREY, GOVERNOR