SKETCHES OF HAWKE'S BAY AND THE EAST COAST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 953, 20 June 1868, Page 3

SKETCHES OF HAWKE'S BAY AND THE EAST COAST.

FIUST SBRIES.-BARLI DATS,

BY AN OLD COLONIST, " Fleeting as wore the dreams of old, Remembered like a talc that's told, They pass away." Chapter V. — Land Purchases. The earliest movement on the part of the Government towards the acquisition of land in this district, took place about 1850. The chief land commissioner, Mr. M'Lean, came over from Manawatu in December of that year, and the nativo chiefs speedilygathered round him with offers of land for sale. Foremost and mo3t active amongst them was Hapuku, then the most influential chief in the district. Arrangements were made, and reports of the splendid opening for settlement which these offers furnished were sent to the Governor. Urged forward by Mr. M'Leari, before the end of 1851 the Government had obtained the cession of between six and seven hundred thousand acres, comprising some of the finest land in New Zealand. These purchases were effected for a sum of £6100 actually paid to the natives. Political results of great value mingled with the solid advantages derived from these proceedings. The natives were evidently prompted as much by a desire to obtain European settlement throughout the country, as by the money which they were to receive — of the real value of 'which they had but imperfect knowledge. An extract from a letter, written by Hapuku to Governor Grey, will shew how much the former influence was at work : — This is from your loving friend, who has agreed to give Mr. M'Lean the land for you, that you, the Governor, may have the land and send me Europeans as soon as possible, at the same time with the payment, that we may soon have respectable European gentlomen. lam annoyed with the low Europeans of this place ; let the people come direct from England— new Europeans, to live on our lands at Tawitikura. Let it be a lai'ge, very large town forme. In March 1851, Mr. M'Lean travelled to Wairoa and Poverty Bay. Whilst at .Wairoa, a block of land at Turiroa was offered to the Government by Rangimataco, but not accepted ; nothing was done north of the Mohaka river-r-funds not being plentiful, and the Turanga natives not sufficiently unanimous to enter upon any formal' arrangements. "Whilst these purchases were being made, the "Wairarapa natives were obtaining large sums per annum by leasing their beautiful valley to numerous squatters. The natives of this district were not slow to notice this, and frequently alluded to it. in dealing with the land commissioners. They also had some slight experience of their own, owing to the receipt of considerable sums from the owners of fisheries and trading stations, for the sites occupied by them. In July 1851, the Wairarapa rents amounted to upwards of £1100. Contrasting this fact with the sums paid by the Government for the actual cession of thenland, the natives argued that they would be better oif if they followed the same system, and asked such exorbitant sums of money as selling prices, that the commissioners' difficulties were increased tenfold. I am not going into the merits of the "Land Purchase Ordinance" of that time, but certainly think its restrictive clauses were then necessary. The question resolved itself into this, either to abandon the entire land-purchasing policy of the Government, and leave the colony to develop itself in the best way it could, or, by refusing to allow Europeans to deal with the natives, compel the natives to sell to the Government. ISTo governmental department has had such abuse heaped upon it, or been so fiercely assailed as the Land Purchase. Upon its devoted head has been cast the blame of all the wars with the natives; and pretty nearly all the troubles the colony has suffered from, have been referred, in some way or other, to the same source. The limit of these pages will not permit the discussion of this subject at much length, -and it would be, moreover, foreign to their object. The purchases made in Hawke's Bay were conducted, in nearly every case, with prudence and success. When anything went wrong, it was mainly owing to the overreaching character of the people who had to be dealt with. Of such a nature was the war which, in August 1857, broke out between the Ngatikahungunu and Hapuku. Believing, from the countenance and support he had already received, that the Government woxild give him unreserved support, that chief laid claim to large tracts of land to which he had scarcely a shadow of real title, and, after prolonged jealousy and heartburning, the smouldering embers burst into a blaze. No effort was spared to induce Hapuku to withdraw, but with- , out success ; and a desultory warfare was earned on till the end of September 1858, literally in the midst of the European settlement. However, in no case did they interfere with the settlers, many of whom visited the hostile posts from time to time ; indeed very little interest was felt in the matter. The casualties were not very great, amounting to some 15 killed and 40 wounded, during the entire business. The principal loss was in the death of Puliera, a chief well liked by the settlers, a strong supporter of the land-selling policy of Hapuku, and held in equal esteem by both factions. The desertion of his followers, at length compelled Hapuku to submit, and his pa at Whakatu was burned to the ground. The old man, gloomily brooding over his defeat, retired to Poukawa, and never thoroughly forgave the Government for allowing him to be driven away from his position. The immediate result of this was, that a considerable sum of money had to be paid to Moananui's party, to obtain a satisfactory title to the block which had already been sold by Hapuku. There now aroso among the natives a growing desire to put a stop to similar disturbances, by calling in the aid of the Waikato confederacy, and handing over their lands to them to prevent their alienation to the Government. This hampered the proceedings of the commissioners still further. Moreover, the prices asked for land were ever increasing in amount ; and the tone of the natives in many instances grew threatening and unsatisfactory. The rapid 'settlement of the district, and increasing value of property, impressed them with the idea that they had thrown away their lands — that advantage had been taken of thoir ignorance, to acquire for a fraction of its real vahie lai-ge tracts of country, and in some oases they even went so far as to threaten to retake possession of portions of it — being ignorant of the fact that the additional value attached to their property was solely owing to tho growth of the European settlements. They wore generally well paid for their land ; had they received ten times tho amount, they would have been no better oft. Liberal reserves were made for their use, so much so that it was no unfrequent comment amongst tho settlers that the best of everything was reserved for the Maories. Between the cupidity of the natives, and the impatience of the settlers, the land commissioners had no pleasant time of it, and had to steer their course with the utmost wariness. No person unacquainted with the nature of a land purchase transaction, can have any idea of the labour and difficulty attending it — to say nothing of the personal disagreeables that were inseparable in those days from any dealings with the natives. To the temper, judgment, and perseverance of the gentlemen who conducted the purchases in this district, a large share of praise is due ; and many settlers who are now enjoying, in the

! year of grace 1868, the pleasures o£aprifV:! ; ; vate deal, tinder the axispiees of the Lands ' Court, /will look back to the days when the f Government did those things for the.m/ and. ■ not only saved them the . trouble bu£ sup- • 1 plied them with a standing grievance,. which; I was always a passive recipient of abuse. | We have arrived at a period when, perj haps, the old system could not or would not supply the wants of the community;; nevertheless, its results were, in the main/ satisfactory, and we have yet to become acquainted j^ith the benefits that are to '•. accrue from the new system. .The •" Native Lands Acts 1865-67 " are undoubtedly based upon an earnest desire, on the part of the Government, to deal justly with the difficult questions of native title, and to. put a stop io the continued carpings at, and refiectioiis cast upon the. old purchase department. In a very large number of cases, the allegations made against that department were unfair, and prompted by party feeling. The missionary party- were always forward in their opposition, ano^freguently upon very weak grounds. In a measure, the two influences were conflicting—the missionaries seeking to exercise extensive sway over the temporal possessions of the natives, and influence .their disposal ; and the commissioner considering, very justly, that the land question was no business whatever of theirs. Certainly no other people , ever received so much consideration at the hands of any Government as the natives of New Zealand have at tho hands of our Government; and the charges brought against the Native' Land Purchase Commission should rather be laid at the door of the insatiable cupidity of the Maoris, which has been too often prompted and fostered by a party who, whilst opposing the Government, took, on the whole, , good care of themselves.