THE NATIVE POLICY.

Marlborough Press, Volume II, Issue 104, 27 December 1861, Page 2

THE NATIVE POLICY.

Official intimation of the Governor Sir George Grey’s policy towards the Maoris at this time. His desire is, how to arrange things, that there may be good laws made, and those laws must be put in force; and how all men, both European and Maori, may be taught to work for the common good of the country in which they live : that they may be a happy people, rich, Aviso, well instructed and every year advancing in prosperity. For it is the desire of the Queen (whose heart Avas dark Avhen she heard of the troubles in Ncay Zealand), that all her subjects, both Europeans and Maoris, in all parts of these islands, should have the benefits of luav and order; that the lives and persons of all sluuld be safe from destruction and injury; and that every man should have for himself and enjoy his oavia lands, his cattle, his sheep, his money, or whatever else belongs to him. And it is the desire of the Queen that all liqt subjects should

fc help in making the laws by which they are governed, and that, from amongst them, should be appointed wise and good men as Magistrates, to adjudge in case of disputed rights and pttnish the wrong-doer, and to teach the law, liow it should be obeyed. The Europeans in New Zealand, with the help of the Governor, make laws for themselves and have their own Magistrates; and, because they obey those laws, they are rich, they have large houses, great ships horses, sheep, cattle, corn, and all other good things for the body. They have also ministers of religion, teachers of schools; lawyers, to teach the law; surveyors to measure every man s land; doctors, to heal the sick; carpenters, blacksmiths, and all those other persons who make good things for the souls and minda of the Europeans. It is because they have made wise and good laws, and because they look up to the Queen as the one head over all the magistrates, and over all the several bodies of which the English people consist. It is the desire of the Queen, and this also is the thought of Governor Grey and of the runanga of the pakehas, that the Maoris also should do for themselves as the Europeans do. They know that of late years the Maoris have been seeking for law and order. The Englishmen have been more than a thousand years learning how to make laws and to govern themselves well. The Maori has only just begun this work. Besides this, in order to have Magistrates, and policemen, and other officers, it is necessary to pay them, for the labourer is worthy of his hire; and he who works for the whole body of the people should be paid by the people; for while he works for them he must more or less, neglect his own work. Now, the thought of the Governor is, how he may help the Maoris in the work of making laws, and how he may provide for the payment of the Magistrates, and other officers of Goverment, till such time as the Maoris shall have become rich, and be able to pay all the expenses themselves. In order, then, to provide the machinery of good government among the Maoris in these islands, the Governor desires to see established the following system, whereby good laws may be made, well-disposed persons be protected bad men restrained from violence, and security for life and property be ensured to all. 1. The parts of the island inhabited by Maoris will be marked off into several districts, according to tribes or divisions of tribes, and the convenience of the natural features of the country. To every one of these districts the Governor will send a learned and good European to assist the Maoris in the work of making laws and enforcing them, he will be called the Civil Commissioner. There will be a runanga for that district, which will consist of a certain number of men who will be chosen from the assessors. The Civil Commissioner will be the President of that runanga to guide its deliberations, and if the votes are equal on any matter, he will have a casting vote to decide. This runanga will propose the laws, for that district, about the trespass of cattle, about cattle pounds, about branding cattle, about thistles and weeds, about dogs, about spirits and drunkenness, about putting down bad customs of the old Maori law like the taua, and about the various things which specially concern the people living in that district. They will also make regulations about schools, about roads, if they wish for them, and about other matters which may promote the public good of that district. And all these laws which the district runanga,s may propose will be laid before the Governor, and he will say if they are good or not. If he says they are good, they will become law for all men in that district to which they relate. If he says they are not good, then the runanga must make some other law which will be better. This is the way with the laws which the Europeans make in their runnagas both in New Zealand and in great runanga of the Queen in England. 2. Every district will be subdivided into hundreds, and in each of these there will be assessors appointed. The men of that dis- ' trict will chose who shall be assessors, only the Governor will have the word to decide whether the choice is good or not. The Magistrate, with these assessors, will hold courts for disputes about debts of money, about cattle trespass, about all breaches of the law in that district. They will decide in all these cases. 3. In every hundred there will be policemen, and one chief policeman who wi-ll be under the assessors. These policemen shall summons all persons against whom there are complaints before the court of the assessors, and when the assessor shall have decided, the policemen will see that the orders of the assessors are carried out. All fines which shall be paid shall be applied to some public uses. The Commissioner or Magistrates will keep this money till it is required. 4. The runaugas will also be assisted in establishing and maintaining schools arid teachers; sometimes Europeans, sometimes Maoris, will be appointed. The

Maoris ought to pay part of the salary o* the school teacher, the Governor will pay the rest. 5. Where the runangas wish to have a European doctor to live among them, the Governor will endeavour to procure one to reside there, and will pay him so much salary as may make him willing to go to that work. The doctor will give medicine to the Maoris when they are sick, and will teach them what things are good for the rearing of their children, to make them strong and healthy, and how to prolong the lives of all the Maoris by eating good food, by keeping their houses clean, by having proper clothes and other things relating to> their health. This will be the business of the doctor. But all those who require the services of the doctor will pay for them, except such as the runanga may decide to be too poor to do so. G. About the lands of the Maoris. It will be for the runanga to decide all disputes about the lands. It will be good that each runanga should make a register, in which should be written a statement of all the lands within the district of that runanga, so that every body may know, and that there may be no more disputings about land.

This then is what the Governor intends to do, to assist the Maori in the good work of establishing law and order. These are the first things: —the runangas, the assessors, the policemen, the schools, the doctors, the civil commissioners to assist the Maoris to govern themselves, to make good laws, and to protect the weak against the strong. There will be many more things to be planned and to be decided; but about such tilings the runangas and the commissioners will consult. The work will be a work of time, like the growing of a large tree, at first there is the seed, then there is one trunk, then there are branches innumerable, and very many leaves; by and by, perhaps, there will be fruit also. But the growth of the tree is slow, the branches, the leaves, and fruit did not appear all at once, when the seed was put in the ground : and so will it be with the good laws of the runanga. This is the seed which the Governor desires to sow: —the runangas, the assessors, the commissioners, and the rest. By and bye, perhaps, the seed will grow ints a very great tree, which will bear good fruit on all its branches. The Maoris then must assist in the planting of this tree, in the training of its branches, in cultivating the ground about its roots; and, as the tree grows, the children of the Maori, also will grow to be a rich, wise, and prosperous people, like the English and those other nations which long ago began the work of making good laws, and obeying them. This will be the work of peace, on which the blessing of Providence will rest, which will make the storms to pass away from the sky, and all things become light between the Maori and the pakeha; and the heart of the Queen will then be glad when she hears that the two races are living quietly together, as brothers, in the good prosperous land of New Zealand.