NATIVES AND BISHOP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19079, 25 July 1925, Page 11

NATIVES AND BISHOP.

TAKAPUNA MAORI LAND.

CLAIM TO OWNERSHIP.

QUAINTLY-WORDED APPEAL.

THY TELEGRAPH.—-SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Friday. For a long timo the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland has been trying to obtain possession of certain land at Takapuna to which ho holds a title, but which certain natives decline to vacate. Lately proceedings were taken against them, but judgment was reserved to enable them to petition Parliament for an inquiry into their claim to be tho rightful owners of tho land. Tho petition was presented to Parliament to-day by Sir Maui Pomare. It is a picturesquely worded document, reading as follows: Greetings. We, tho heirs, chiefs, and survivors of our deceased forefathers, laden with grief, pain and disaster brought upon us by our younger brothers, the pakcha, do hereby pray to your honourable House to hear us with your wise judgment in tho matter of our grievances hereunder enumerated:— (1) Wo, your humble servants, aro truo descendants of tho several tribes of tho Hauraki Gulf, namely, of Paoa, Marutuahu, Tamatera and Whanaunga, and wo aro residing at Awataha in Takapuna. {2) Wo aro living on this land a3 our forefathers did of old, and the chain of occupation from them to us at tho prosent day has never been brpken. This land belonged to our forefathers, with all its rights, and belongs to us, their truo descendants, at the present day. Validity of Grant Disputed. (3) Tho occupation of this by our forefathers and by us was never disturbed by anybody until 1916, when tho pa,keha started to disturb us, and wo knew then of the grounds of their action, which wo all resent; and we dispute their rights and actions to this land. (4) We aro now awaro of the grounds of the pakeha's action against us—a Crown grant issued by the Governor to the Bishop of tho Roman Catholic Church on August 19, 1850, tho validity of which we strenuously dispute on tho grounds that tho Governor bad not purchased the land, nor was the land his to enable him to grant it to the said church, but that the land was our forefathers then, and is ours, for wo aro their heirs, at the present day. (5) Wo knew all our forefathers and fathers whose names appear in the several deeds of land sold to tho Crown in other parts of the land ''Mahurangi," for this is tho general name given to the northern shore of Waitemata in which this land of ours, "Awataha," was was wrongly included at tho timo of tho purchase by tho Crown in the year 1841. (6) In tho year 1850 a grant of our land wa,3 wrongly issued to tho church by tho Crown, that is our kainga, "Awataha," which piece of land "was never sold to tho Crown. Mahurangi was tho only land sold by our forefathers, and when the Governor saw the mistakes he t>ad made in 1850 he effected another purchase of tho samo Mahurangi in 1854. "Awataha" was never mentioned in any of these sales by our forefathers and fathers. " Trouble and Strife." _ (7) There were several sales of portions of Mahurangi, and such portions were named in such sales; but our land and home, should it not bo named ? These revelations greatly assist us in our claim and invalidate tho Crown grant, 0 honourable members. (8) Now, in order that the trouble and strife between your humblo servants and tho pakeha who is causing us no end of persecution be set nt rest, wo humbly and sincerely pray that all law proceedings brought against us by the pakeha bo immediately suspended until tho matter of our claim lias been settled upon these grounds. Honourable tho Speaker and honourable members, your humblo servants humbly pray that you be blessed by tho Almighty Gos in your great deliberations, and with wise, truo and equitable judgment in tho matter of our claim. May God help you. And we shall ever pray. Tho petition is signed by Wiha Rawiri Puhuta and 76 others.