Ownership of Area

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 73, 27 March 1936, Page 10

Ownership of Area

MAORIS AND THE CROWN. A case of considerable interest, concerning the ownership of the bed of Lake Omapere, in North Auckland, will Court at a sitting in Auckland on May 25. This will be an appeal against the judgment given some years ago by Mr. F. O. V. Acheson, a Judge of the Native Land Court, in favour of the natives. The appeal is by tho Crown and it has been announced that a full Bench of Native Court Judges will be assembled for the hearing. The title to the bed of this lake was investigated by the Native Land Court many years ago. Lake Omapere is a very shallow body of water, lying about midway between Ohaewai and Okaihau. The Maoris have claimed that the area now covered by the lake was originally dry land, but that, as the result of extensive fires, the surface was lowered and became covered by water. The area has been claimed as Crown land, but the. natives hold that it has never been sold to the Crown, which, in turn, says that it has never been native lane but an area which has always been under water. • : About live years ago the rival claims were contested before Mr. Acheson, who gave judgment in favour of the native claimants. The Crown then appealed, but it was not until recently that a date was set down for the hearing. The preliminary stages of the appeal were dealt with in Auckland, the Court comprising the Chief Judge, Mr. R. N. Jones, and Mr. C. E. MacCormick, a-Judge of the Native Land Court. The Crown was represented by Mr. V. R. Meredith and the native claimants by Mr. E. C. Blomficld. Both parties sought an adjournment and the hearing was set down for May 25. Mr. Jones intimated that the questions involved were so important, with the possibility of litigation going finally to the Privy Council, that he would arrange for a full Bench of Native Court judges to be assembled for the hearing. , Cases involving the ownership of important lakes have been heard in New Zealand, but it is stated that this will be the first occasion on which claims of this - nature have been fought out in the Appeal Court.