PETITION OF 300 MAORIS OF HAWKE'S BAY, WAIROA, TURANGA, AND TAUPO.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1873 Session I, J-06

J.—6

1873. NEW ZEALAND.

PETITION OF 300 MAORIS OF HAWKE'S BAY, WAIROA, TURANGA, AND TAUPO.

Presented August lith, 1573, and ordered to be printed.

To the Members of the House of Eepresentatives of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled. Tin: Petition oe the undersigned Maorts eesiding in the Districts of Hawke's Bat, Waieoa, Tueanga, and Taupo, showeth, — 1. That during the last Session of Parliament a petition was presented by Eenata Kawepo and 553 other Natives in the District of Hawke's Bay, of which the following is an extract: —■ "To the General Assembly of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned Maoris of the District of Hawke's Bay, showeth: That your Petitioners were owners and occupiers of land in the District of Hawke's Bay before the introduction of the Native Land Court, and the said owners of land thought no evil, were not under any law as regards land. That your Petitioners bade good-bye to their old customs when the Native Land Court was introduced, thinking that prosperity and peace would be the result." 2. That, in accordance with the prayer of that petition, the Parliament did appoint a Commission for the purpose of making inquiries into the various complaints, and the Commissioners held a sitting in Napier during the months of February, March, and April, and in\ estigated the complaints made by some of the Natives about their lands. 3. That the time at the disposal of the Commissioners would not permit of their going through the whole of the complaints, and they had accordingly adjourned, leaving the greater part of the complaints unheard. 4. That your Petitioners thank the Parliament for the consideration shown to them in appointing the Commission, for, although the work has been left unfinished, many things will thus be made known to the Parliament which will shotv to them that the complaints of the Maori people have not been made without good reasons. 5. That the Parliament will see what has been the work of the Europeans of this part of the country in leasing, mortgaging, and buying Native lands; they will see the evil ways of the lawyers and interpreters, and will understand by what underhand and dishonest methods the Native owners have been despoiled of their lands. 6. That Parliament will see how the land has gone for grog and debts to the storekeepers and publicans: how the interpreters, with whom has rested the explaining of the different writings to the Maoris, were bought over by sums of money to the exclusive service of the Europeans: how- the Natives, at the time of signing tho documents of the lawyers and interpreters, were in all instances without friends who could advise them, or assist them in fully understanding the effect and meaning of what they were asked to sign ; and how by these means, and the unfair and untruthful representations of these interested Europeans, the Maoris were induced to sign deeds of mortgage and of sale without properly understanding their full force and effect; and also how, in many cases, high Government officers, instead of advising and assisting the Maoris in these troubles of theirs, have been concerned in the said works, aud in promoting the evil designs of the Europeans. 7. That many cases much worse than those already inquired into, yet remain to be dealt with, and the Maoris consented to the adjournment of these complaints in the hope that Parliament would take further action, and appoint another Commission to finish the work, and give those Commissioners power to decide all the complaints which come before them at once, so that all these matters may be finally disposed of, and cease to be a cause of trouble and ill-feeling in this land. Wherefore your Petitioners would ask: That another Commission should be appointed to deal with this work, and that power should be given to the Commissioners to give judgment upon each case after hearing, and without delay. [Here follow 300 signatures.] By Authority : Geoege Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB73. [Price 3d.]

Xi te Eunanara nui o Niu Tireni c noho nei kei te Paremata. o Ko TKVEI PiTIHANA NO NGA TANGATA MAORI E MAU NKI O MATOU INGOA I RARO 1H0 — E NOHO ANA I TE TAKIWA O HtAKA PEI I Te WaIROA, TURANGA, I TaUPO, E WIt.AKAATU ANA, 1. I tenei nohoanga a te Paremata kua pahure tata nei i tapaea te pitihana a Eenata Kawepo me era atu tangata o Haaka Pei a tae ana kite 553 o nga tangata, ko ngakupuotaua Pitihana koia enei : — Xi te Eunanga nui o Niu Tireni kei te Parem.ita c huihui ana. He Pitihana ua n_;a tangata Maori i tuhia ki raro nei o te takiwa o liaika Pei ko a mitou kai tuku Pitihana c wliai whenua ana c noho ana hoki kite whenua kite takiwa o Haaka Pei i mua atu i to taenga mai o te Coot) whakawa whenua Maori kaore matou c mthara kite kino kaore hoki o matou ture mo te whenua i whakarerea c matou nga tikanga o to matou tupuna i te taenga tnai o nga whakawa whenua Maori mahara noa ka puia mai te oranga vie te tika. 2. A i runga i te inoi a taua pitihana ka whakaturia tetahi Komihana c te Paremata hci ata whakataki i nga he, c torn nga marama i noho ai aua Komihana i Pepuere, i Maehe, i Aperira, a whakawakia ana nga raruraru whenua o etahi o nga tangata Maori. 3. A i roto i te taima i whakaritea ma nga Komihana kiliai i oti te whakawa i nga he katoa koia hoki i mutu pu ai to ratou mahi a i mahue te nuinga o nga raruraru kiliai i whakawakia, c wh ikawhetai ana matou kite Paremata mo ta ratou wiiakaaro kite whakatu i te Komihana; notemea abakoa i mahue i etahi o nga mahi tenei ake he tini nga m ia ka whakaaturina c mitou kite Paremata kia tino mohio ai ratou c hara i te mahi pokanoa te mahi whakahe a nga tangata Maori. 4. A ka kitea vga mahi a nga pakeha o tenei takiwa c te Parem.ua nga mahi reti mokete me te hoko ite whenua o nga tangata Maori. Ka kitea nga huarahi he a nga roia a nga kaiwhakainaori a ka mohiotia nga ritenga he, me vga ritenga tahae i riro ai nga whenua i te muru. 5. A ka kitea c te Paremata te peheatanga i riro ai te whenua hei uiu waipiro, nama hoki ki nga Pakeha hoko toa ki nga Pakeha paparakauhe—ka kitea nga mahi a nga kaiwhakainaori na ratou anake hoki i whakamarama i nga tini pukapuka kia matou nga Maori a riro ana aua kaiwhakamaori i te moni te kukume kite taha Pakeha anake tv ai. 6. A ka kitea te he i nga takiwa c tuhituhi ana o matou ingoa ki nga pukapuka a nga roia a nga kaiwhakainaori i to matou noiioanga tonutanga i te kore hoa mo matou hei arahi i a matou hei soa whakamarama kia matou te ritenga me te tikanga o nga pukapuka i tonoa mai nei kia matou kia tuhia o matou ingoa. A. ko n>j;a mahi kino enei me nga korero teka a nga pakeha i uru nei kite hoko whenua koiano vga tangata Maori i taea te whakapatari kite tuhituhi io ratou ingoa ki nga pukapuka mokete, ki nga pukapuka hoko whenua, kihai hoki i tino mohio i te ritenga me tana tukunga iho he tenei nei ano o matou taenga ki nga tino Pakeha ate Kawanatauga. Ko te mea kahore ratou i whakapuaki i tetahi kupu whakatika i a matou hore rawa matou i awhina c ratou i uru hoki ratou ki taua mahi na ratou ano i witakatakoto i nga ritenga wiiakawai a nga Pakeha. 7. He tini noa atu i enei nga mahi c toe ana kia whakawakia, a whakaa. ana nga tangata Maori taihoa enei he ka whakawakia hua noa tenei ake te mahi a te Paremata, a i mea matou ka whakaturia ano tetahi atu Komihana hei whakaoti i tenei mahi, a kia what tnaua ano aua Komihana ma ratou ake ano c whakawa tuturu i nga he kato.i c kawea ana ki to ratou aroaro sia oti i a ratou enei mahi, a kia kaua rawa en.ii mahi c waiho hei take wliakararuraru hei whakatupu riri rauei i te motu nei. Koia matou nga kai inoi nei c tono atu nei : Kia whakaturia ano tetahi atu Komihana hei whakarite i ana mahi. kia wliai maua hoki taua Komihana maua ake te kupu tuturu o te whakawa o ia mahi a aua c whakaroa engari me puta tonu mai te kupu tuturu a te Komihana.