MAORI LAND CASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22743, 1 June 1937, Page 11

MAORI LAND CASE

BLOCK NEAR NELSON HISTORIC RAID RECALLED WARRIORS FROM KAWKIA MANY CLAIMS TO OWNERSHIP [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WELLINGTON, Monday More than 100 Maoris attended when the Native Land Court sat in Wellington to-day to investigate the ownership ■ of lands conquered by Te Rauparaha's warriors more thai; a century ago. The block in question, known as Wakapuaka, is situated a few miles outside Nelson, and comprises about 11,000 acres. The question of ownership involves much interesting ancient history, and ' the investigation is likely to last about j ten days. Three Judges, Messrs. C. E. I MacCormick, H. Curr and J. W. ! Browne, are hearing the case. The i petitioners are the Ngatikoata tribe j represented by Mr. A. Elkington, the Ngatitama tribe, represented by Mr. H. Stowell, and Hari Katene and others, for whom Mr. R. Sim is appearing. Tho ! respondents are the trustees o" the ! He in i Matenga Estate, represented by I Mr. H. F. O'Learv, K.C., and with him ; Mr. H. E. Evans. i To Rauparaha's Invasion | Events leading up to the original j bequest of the land by the Ngatikoata tribe to a Ngatitama woman named I Kauhoe recall some of the most stirring | times in New Zealand history, when ; tho warrior chief To Rauparaha took the Sounds country by storm after i migrating from Kawliia and settling on i the island stronghold, Kapiti. The i Wakapuaka country is stated to have ! been seized from the original tenants iby the Kawliia invaders under Te Rauparaha, whose followers conquered ; all that portion of the South Island. One of Te Rauparaha's leading chiefs was the priest Te Puoho, a famous warrior of tho Ngatitama tribe. ! Ho was with Te Rauparaha and Tamati Waaka None on their famous exi pedition from Kawliia into the Well- | ington district when Nene drew Te Rauparaha's attention to a pakeha ship beating through the strait under sail, i and bade him settle at Kapiti and ! obtain friendship and muskets of the seafarers. ( An 111-fated Expedition Te Puolio played a prominent part in subduing the Blind Bay and Massacre ) Bay districts when Te Rauparaha . embarked 011 his raids into the South ' Island. Later he went on with a war S party of his own 011 a spectacular, but ill-fated expedition dawn the west ) coast to Southland, where he was slain. In the meantime Chief Tutepourangi, of the Wakapuaka district, had been captured by Te Rauparaha's allies, tho Ngatikoata, at the battle of Waiorua. when the Cook Strait tribes attempted ) to drive Te Rauparaha away from > Kapiti. The attackers, however, took ) home to the South Island a Ngatikoata child. 5 A rescue expedition was sent to re- ) capture him. This they did, and on making peace they released Tutepourangi, and at least one of their number settled at "Wakapuaka. Basis of Various Claims On these facts, set out in a report | laid before Parliament last year, the I various claims are based. The Ngati- ! koata claim the land was ceded to them j by Tutepourangi in return for his life. They gave the use of part of it to Ta Puoho's widow, Kauhoc, for her son "\Vi Katene, and on the failure of his line tho gift reverted to them, leaving them the sole owners. I The Ngatitama claim is based on ' j occupation, citing Wi Katene, among 1; others alleged to hare lived there, 'j Hari Wi Katene and others claim the ' Land was a gift to Kauhoe, and theretore others of her descendants are entitled under Maori custom to share ".lie land. The respondents' case is that the iand was given to Kauhoe for her son, Wi Katene, whose only child, * Huria Matenga, inherited it. Huria died in 1909, and the estate passed into the hands of strangers, but it is her title which is attacked by the various petitioners. ~:V^ A Colourful Sdfene This title was confirmed by the Native Land Court in 1883, when a certificate of title was issued to Huria Matenga. A full report on the subject was presented to Parliament by the Native Land Court last year, recommending that the case be reopened and opportunity given to the petitioners to place their claims before the Court.' No ordinary Court session provides such a colourful scene as did the Land Court session to-day, when spectators varied from ancient greybeards and old women with tattooed lips, long jasper ear-pendants and coloured handkerchiefs bound round their heads, down to wailing brown babies in arms. | Evidence had to be taken through the medium of an interpreter, as somo of the older Maoris spoke 110 English. The tense interest aroused by the case was reflected in the rapt attention with which many interested individuals listened to the evidence and argument