HON. SIR DONALD McLEAN'S ADDRESS TO THE ARAWA TRIBES.

Waka Maori, Volume 11, Issue 12, 22 June 1875, Page 133

HON. SIR DONALD McLEAN'S ADDRESS TO THE ARAWA TRIBES.

Chiefs of the Arawa, —In compliance with a promise that I should pay you a visit to inquire into the complaints made by you, I have now been more than three weeks at this place, and each hapu, in turn, has had an opportunity of laying its grievances before me. I have not hurried you, but have allowed you your own time, so that it never can be alleged by the Arawa that they have been treated without due consideration. The land disputes within the Arawa boundaries are many, more particularly in the vicinity of Malcetu. There is no doubt that an ancestral title has been established within certain boundaries, which title has been rendered secui'e by the support and assistance received from sections of the Arawa, who, by their occupation and bravery, have enabled tlie weaker hapus to retain possession. I am, therefore, of opinion that the 4i Toa" claim must be recognized over certain portions of these lands. _ Remember that I do not sit as a Judge of the Native Land Court, nor would it be proper for me to do so ; but, as the Government have been purchasing and leasing land here, I felt bound to inquire for myself, and see justice done to all parties. I consider that the ' ; yoa" claim extends from the mouth of W aihi up to the Kaikokopu Stream ; thence across to Pakotoreand the Kaituna River; then down the Kaituna to Te Kopua; thence in a straight line to the mouth of Wairakei Creek, on the coast; thence along the coast to the starting point. I wish, however, to bo quite clear with regard to the claims about the Malcetu pa itself. Those portions which have been cut up and have actually been occupied, or are still in the occupation of some of the sections of the Arawa, should not be disturbed. Some.of you have stated your wish that the operations of the Government Agents employed in purchasing land should be discontinued, so soon as their present negotiations have been completed. I want you to understand that the Government has no desire to denude you or your lands ; on the contrary, the Government desires to secure to you and to your children a sufficiency of land for your present and future requirements. The Native Land Act of 1873 makes provision for this, and also protects you from other evils of which, on a previous occasion, you complained to me. There is no desire to purchase any land against your wish. Instructions have already been given that no fresh negotiations are to be entered into, and that after concluding the transactions already commenced, the land purchase agents shall leave your district until such time as a better understanding exists among yourselves. The proposal made by some of you that the external boundaries of your intertribal claims should be first defined and settled is a good one, and when you are prepared, you will be assisted in getting this done. After you have decided among yourselves where your intertribal boundaries are to be, Government will cause the surveys to be made under certain arrangements. Again, when you wish to subdivide the lands within the tribal boundaries, assistance will also be given you. Steps will also be taken to have the Native Lands Acts of 1573 and 1574 explained to you, in order that you may understand all their provisions.

There is one point I wish, to refer to, which demands some notice from me. One of your hapus has stated that the Grovernment show more consideration for the Waikatos and for the tribes opposed to it than for the Arawa. You know perfectly well it is not so. There are a greater number of individuals among the Arawa receiving public money than in any other tribe in 2few Zealand. And you must not be led away by the belief that you are the only loyal people in the island; other tribes have rendered equally good service in upholding the law, and have not been so well remunerated. You have done good service, but you must not forget that you have also been regarded with consideration. In conclusion, I would advise the chiefs of the Arawa tribe to behave with more moderation in their tribal differences, and to let the law decide all cases in dispute. If they will only do this, and attend more to the cultivation of the soil, they will be more highly thought of by the Europeans, and their prosperity as a tribe will be greatly increased. Maketu, Bth April, 1875.