To his Excellency Robert Fitz Roy, &c. &c. &c., Governor of New Zealand.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume III, 5 October 1844, Page 3

To his Excellency Robert Fitz Roy, &c. &c. &c., Governor of New Zealand.

The humble Petition of the undersigned Aboriginal Inhabitants of the island Tavai Poenammo Sheweth That your petitioners have been made acquainted with the goodness displayed by your Excellency, conjointly with the Bishop, Archdeacon Williams, and Protector Clarke, towards John Heke and other aboriginal inhabitants of the Northern Island of New Zealand, in granting them the privilege of having no Custom House in the Bay of Islands. That your petitioners are smokers of tobacco, wearers of blankets, consumers of sugar, and various other imported articles, which are taxed at the neighbouring Custom Houses. That there are several flag-staffs within an easy day's journey of your petitioners' usual place of residence. That your petitioners think little of the British Lion, and as for the Unicorn, he is a white Tipo, in which the missionaries have taught your petitioners not to believe. That your petitioners wish to have a free port; and that if your Excellency will proclaim theirs such within one month they will let the Lion and Tipo alone. Your petitioners therefore pray that you will lose no time in attending to their wishes, and your petitioners will ever pray, &c.