PETITION OF JOHN TOPI PATUKI.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1878 Session I, J-03

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1878. NEW ZEALAND.

PETITION OF JOHN TOPI PATUKI.

Presented to the House of Representatives, 23rd August, 1878, and ordered to be printed, 28lh August, 1878. Xi te Tumuaki me nga Mema o te Ilunanga Nui o Niu Tireui. Tena koutou, ma Te Atita kodtod c tiaki : E whakaatu aria to koutou Kai-Pitihana ko aliau tetahi o nga tino tangata nui i muri i oku Matua i aTo Marama i a Tubawaiki i a Taiaroa. Ko ahau ano hoki te tangata i kiia iho hei whakahaere ite iwi o Ngaitahu. Ko ahau airo lioki to tangata i kiia c Tuliawaiki, o Taiaroa, c Karetai me te iwi katoa hei mahii nga mate kino ote iwi. He Eangatira ahau no te iwi o Ngaitahu me Ngatimamoe, he Tangata Maori ahau no Niu Tireni, i whanau ahau kite Waipounamu. 2. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c tono ana ki to koutou Wharo Eangatira mo te whenua o to koutou Kai-Pitihana me tona iwi me Ngaitahu me Ngatimamoe kua hokona c nga tangata Maori o Ngatitoa, o Ngatiawa, o Ngatitama kia te Kuini W-kitoria o Ingarangi ki ana uri i muri i a ratou ko te take i hokona ai c Ngatitoa, c Ngatiawa, c Ngatitama hei utu mo o ratou tupapaku i mate te patu c Ngaitahu. 3. Ko te whenua c tonoa nei c to koutou Kai-Pitihana ka timata i Kaiapoi Pa ka haere mai ma te tai Eawhiti ka ahu haere mai i te tahataha o te moana tae mai ki Kaikoura, Te-Karaka, AVhakatu ka :ihu atu kite Hauauru a tae noa kite rohe timatanga i hokona c Ngatitoa ki aTe Kuini Wikitoria me pau katoa a Eangitoto ki roto o tenei tono me nga mea katoa i hokona i runga i te whenua. 4. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana kaore ano i hoko i mau moni ranei i man ranei i tetahi eka whenua mea ranei c mutu ai te mate me te inamae o te kai-inoi ratou ko tona iwi ko Ngaitahu, me Ngatimamoe, me Eangitane, me Ngatikuia. 5. Ko te Kai-Pitihana c tono ana ki to koutou Whare Kangatira kahore he take kahore he paanga o te iwi o Ngatitoa. o Ngatiawa, o Ngatitama kia waiho ai te whenua tuturu o te Kai-Pitihana ma Ngatitoa, ma Ngatiawa, ma Ngatitama c hoko ki a Te Kuini. 6. Ko te Kai-Pitihana c ki ana no runga i te korero parau korero titotito a Ngatitoa kite Kawana o Niu Tireni i runga i nga kupu a Ngatitoa id a Te Kawana no ratou tera motu i riro i te rau o to patu ana ki a Ngaitahu no kona ka hoko a te Kawana i tera motu mo te Kuini i runga i ena ritenga a te Kawana kua riro te whenua tuturu o te kai-inoi te hoko tahae c te tangata ke kia te Kuini. 7. Ka timata atu i konei nga korero a te kai-inoi i nga korero o te whawhai a Ngatitoa kia Ngaitahu. Koia tenei: I mua atu ote whawhaitanga o Ngatitoa ki a Ngaitahu ka puremu tetahi tangata no Ngatikahungunu ki tetahi wahine no te iwi o Ngatitoa ko te ingoa o taua tangata ko te Kekerengu ka rongo a Ngatitoa kua puremutia ta ratou wahine ka mea kia patua a te Kekerengu : ka oina a te Kekerengu ki tera motu, ara, ki Kaikoura ka mea nga tangata o Kaikoura kite mea ka haere mai aTe Eauparaha ki tenei motu ka haca tona puku ki to niho mangaa. Ka rongo ate Eauparaha kua whiti a te Kekerengu ki tena motu, ki Kaikoura, ka haere ia kite whai i ate Kekerengu ka timata te parekura i Kaikoura mate ana nga tangata o Kaikoura horo ana te pa. Ko te Kekerengu ka puta kaore i mate ka timata i konei te riri a Te Eauparaha ki a Ngaitahu. 8. Ka haere tonu te riri a Te Kauparaha me tona iwi ki a Ngaitahu ka tae ki Kaiapoi, ka mate i kona nga Eangatira o Ngatitoa o Ngatiawa i a Ngaitahu te patu. Ko nga ingoa o aua Kangatira ko te Pehi ko te Pokaitara me era atu. 9. Ka hoki mai a Te Kauparaha i taua taima, muri mai ka haere ake ano nga taua a Te Kauparaha a Ngatitoa, a Ngatiawa, a Ngatitama, a Ngatiraukawa me era atu iwi i whakauru ki roto ki a Te Kauparaha kite whawhai ano ki a Ngaitahu ka hinga a Ngaitahu ki Kaiapoi ki Hakaroa, ko te ingoa o taua riri ko Taupoki. 10. Ko te Pitihana c whakaatu ana ko te riri nana i utu a Taupoki ko te Paruparu, ko Kaumoa na Ngaitahu ena riri; i haere katoa mai nga Kangatira o Murihiku, ka mate i kona nga taua aTe Kauparaha he wahi iti nei ka mate rawa a Te Rauparaha kite moana, hinga rawa nga iwi katoa i haere ake i a Te Eauparaha i a Ngaitahu te patu. 11. E whakaatu ana ano te Pitihana muri mai i tera whawhai ka hoki a Ngaitahu ka mea nga Eangatira o Ngaitahu kia haere mai ratou ki tenei motu whawhai ai ko te ingoa o taua riri ko Tauanui.

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12. Ko nga Rangatira hei riri ki a Ngatitoa ko Tuhawaiki ko te Whakataupuka ko Taiaroa ko Karetai me era atu Eangatira. Ka haere mai i Otakou, tae noa mai kite Karaka kite Awaiti ka patua haeretia mai nga tangata o Ngatitoa c noho haere ana i te tahataha o te whenua tae noa ki Whakatu. 13. E whakaatu ana ano te Pitihana i te rongonga o Te Eauparaha kei to mea a Ngaitahu kia haere mai ki terrei motu ka tukua ake c ia etahi o nga mokai o Ngaitahu i riro mai i a ia i Kaiapoi. Ko te ingoa o te tangata ko Moomoo he tangata whai mana a Moomoo i roto i a Ngaitahu i mua o tona hereherenga mai. Ko te take i tukua ake ai, hei maungarongo hei korero hoki ki a Ngaitahu kua mutu rawa tana riri ki a Ngaitahu, ka tah'i ka houhia te rongo inutu ana te mahi whawhai a Ngatitoa ki a Ngaitahu. 14. E whakaatu ana ano to Pitihana c toru pea tan i Muri iho o te houhangarongo ka puta te whakaaro ia Ngatitama, katahi ka haere kite Waipounainu ko te Eangatira ko Te Puoho me Te Wahapiro me tarra taua katoa ma te Hauauru o te Waipounamu ko tana haere he tango i te whenua katoa, whawhai haere ake ana i nga kainga koraha o te Waipounamu ka tae ki Tuturau ko te ingoa o te awa ko Mataura kei te Porowini o Otakou tenei wahi. 15. Ka rongo a Tuhawaiki, a Taiaroa me to koutou Kai-Pitihana ka whawhaitia taua taua a Te Puoho a Te Wahapiro, a na to koutou Kai-Pitihana i patu a Te Puoho herehere a ana te nuinga mauria ana kite kainga o to koutou Kai-Pitihana ki Ruapuke. 16. E whakaatu ana to koutou Kai-Pitihana no te rongonga o Te Eauparaha kua hinga nga taua a Te Puoho raua ko Te Wahapiro ka haere ake kite riri ano ki a Ngaitahu ka mate no Ngaitahu kotahi tangata ko Iritonga. 17. E whakaatu ana te Pitihana ka rongo nga Eangatira o Ngaitahu kua mate a Iritonga ka haere mai nga Eangatira o Murihiku ka tae mai ki Hakaroa, ka patua c Ngaitahu no Te Eauparaha ko Koko ka mate. Ko te riri whackamutunga tenei a Ngaitahu raua ko te Eauparaha. 18. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c whakaatu ana kaore rawa i kaha nga taua a Te Eauparaha ki a Ngaitahu i roto i enei riri i riro i a Ngaitahu te papa o taua mahi whawhai. Kua tae mai nga Mihinare ki Ngapuhi i tenei taima. 19. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c whakaatu ana ko nga iwi i whawhai ki a Ngaitahu ko Ngatitoa, ko Ngatiawa, ko Ngatitama, ko Ngatiraukawa, ko Ngatimutunga me era atu iwi ko Ingarangi hoki i tapoko tahi te pakeha kite riri ki a Ngaitahu, koia tenei: Kaore iea te mate oTe Pehi ka puta te whakaaro i a Te Eauparaha kia utua c ia te kaipuke pakeha hei tiki i a Te Mailiaranui, haere ana te kaipuke ka tae ki Akaroa, ka tawaretia o nga pakeha a Te Maiharauui ka mauria mar ki runga kite kaipuke, no te taenga o Te Maiharanui ki runga kite kaipuke ka kite i a i te ope kohtiru a Te Eauparaha. Ite maunga ano oTe Maiharanui ka hoki mai to Kaipuke. 20. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c whakaatu ana i te mutunga o taua riri i te tau 1838-1839 ranei ka haere a Tuhawaiki ki Poihakene kite mahi i tetahi tiriti ki reira kite whakamana hoki i a ia i te iwi katoa hoki o Ngaitahu kia waiho ma te Kuini o Ingarangi c tiaki a Tuhawaiki ratou ko tona iwi. 21. I mohio to koutou Kai-Pitihana i whakaae te Kawana o Poihakena i homai hoki ho mana ki a Tuhawaiki i homai te kara o te Kuini te tohu Kingi hoki me te mana katoa me nga weruweru hoia me nga kai tuhituhi Pakeha hoki me era atu tohu katoa i homai ki a Tuhawaiki. 22. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c whakaatu ana na Tuhawaiki hoki i ki atu kite Kawana o Poihakena ko Poneke nei te wahi tuatahi hei nohoanga pakeha. 23. Ko to koutou Kai-Pitihana c ki ana kei te pohehe nga pakeha kei te ki ko Te Eauparaha te tangata kaha kite riri. I roto i nga korero katoa me to inoi a to koutou kai-inoi he mea pai ma koutou ma te Paremata c rapu te tika me te pono hei whakahoki mai ki au me toku iwi i o matou take kihai nei matou i hoko kite pakeha no te mea hoki kua hoatu ke c koutou te utu o to matou kainga ko toku iwi ma te iwi ke. 24. He nui nga tangata hei whaaki korero ki o koutou aroaro me he mea ka pai te ngakau o te pakeha kite rapu i te tika me te pono, katahi ka tatu te whakaaro o to koutou kai-inoi. Poneke, Akuhata 14, 1878. John Topi Patuki.

[Translation.] To the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives of New Zealand. Salutations to tou ; hat God protect tou. I, tour petitioner, state that I am one of the principal chiefs after my parents Te Marama, Tuhawaiki and Taiaroa, and that I was the person who was selected to manage the affairs of the Ngaitahu tribe. I was also selected by Tuhawaiki, Taiaroa, Karetai and the tribe to attend to the grievances of the people. lam a chief of the Ngaitahu and Ngatimamoe tribes, an aboriginal native of New Zealand, born in the Middle Island. 2. Tour petitioner prays your Honorable House in respect of the lands belonging to him and his tribe Ngaitahu and Ngatimamoe sold by the Ngatitoa, the Ngatiawa, and the Ngatitama to Queen Victoria, her heirs and successors. The said lands were sold by Ngatitoa, Ngatiawa, and Ngatitama as being the payment for their dead killed by Ngaitahu. 3. The land asked for by your petitiorrer commences at Kaiapoi, and goes then to the East Coast, thence by the coast to Kaikoura, Te Karaka, Nelson, and to the boundary of the land first sold by Ngatitoa to Queen Victoria, including D'Urville's Island, aud everything connected with the land sold. 4. Tour petitioner has not sold land, or received money, or a single acre of land, whereby the loss and pain of your petitioner and his tribe Ngaitahu, and Ngatimamoe, and Rangitane, arrd Ngatikina, may have been relieved. 5. Tour petitioner submits to your Honorable House that the Ngatitoa, Ngatiawa, and Ngatitama had no right or title to warrant their selling your petitioner's land to the Queen. 6. Tour petitioner submits that it was through the false statements made by Ngatitoa to the Governor of New Zealand that they had taken the Middle Island by conquest that he bought the

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Middle Island for the Queen, and so your petitioner's land has been fraudulently sold by other persons to the Queen. 7. Tour petitioner will here make a statement as to the fighting between Ngatitoa and Ngaitahu. This is it: —Before the fighting took place between Ngatitoa and Ngaitahu, a man of Ngatikahungunu named Te Kekerengu committed adultery with a woman of Ngatitoa. When Ngatitoa heard of this they determined to kill Te Kekerengu, but he escaped to Kaikoura in the Middle Island, and then the people of that place said that if Eauparaha went over there they would rip his belly up with a barracouta's tooth. When Eauparaha heard that Te Kekerengu had gone across to the Middle Island to Kaikoura he went in search of him, and there was a battle at Kaikoura, in which the people of that place were defeated : the pa was taken, but Te Kekerengu escaped. Te Eauparaha now 7 commenced his war upon the Ngaitahu. 8. Te Eauparaha and his people continued to fight against the Ngaitahu and went on to Kaiapoi, where certain chiefs of Ngatitoa and Ngatiawa were killed by Ngaitahu. The names of these chiefs were Te Pehi, Te Pokaitara, and others. 9. Te Eauparaha then returned to the North Island, and afterwards the war parties under To Eauparaha, composed of Ngatitoa, Ngatiawa, Ngatitama, and Ngatiraukawa, and other tribes who had joined him, went again to fight against the Ngaitahu, who were defeated at Kaiapoi and Hakaroa. The name of the .battle was called Taupoki. 10. Tour petitioner states that the battles in which revenge was taken for Taupoki were called Paruparu and Eaumoa. These battles were gained by the Ngaitahu—all the chiefs, including those of Murihiku, took part. To Eauparaha narrowly escaped death by drowning, and all his party were defeated. 11. Tour petitioner states that after that fighting the Ngaitahu went back, and the chiefs proposed to raise a war-party under the name of Tauanui, to come over to the North Island to fight. 12. The chiefs to be the commanders of the expedition against Ngatitoa were Tuhawaiki, To Whakataupuka, Taiaroa, Karetai, and others. They came up from Otago to Te Karaka, Queen Charlotte's Sound, killing iv their passage those of Ngatitoa whom they found living on the skirts of the land as far on as Nelson. 13. Tour petitioner states that when Te Eauparaha heard that Ngaitahu were coming to tho North Island lie sent back some of the prisoners of Ngaitahu whom he captured at Kaiapoi. One of them was named Momo ; he was a man of rank among the Ngaitahu previous to his capture. He was sent back in token of peace-making, and to tell the Ngaitahu that his anger against them was at an end. Peace was then made, and the fighting ceased between Ngatitoa and Ngaitahu. 14. Tour petitioner states that about three years after the peacemaking the Ngatitama went to the Middle Island, under their chiefs Te Puoho and Wahapiro, with all their party. They went to the AVest Coast of the Middle Island, their intention being to take all the land. They fought along the outlying places of the Middle Island, and went on as far as Tuturau ; the name of the river is Mataura, in the Provincial District of Otago. 15. When Tuhawaiki, Taiaroa, and your petitioner heard of this they fought against Te Puoho's and Te Wahapiro's war-party, and your petitioner killed Te Puoho ; the majority were taken prisoners and conveyed to your petitioner's place of residence, Euapuke. 16. Tour petitioner states that when Te Eauparaha heard that the war-parties of Te Puoho and Te Wahapiro had been defeated he went to fight against Ngaitahu, who were defeated, and one of them named Iritonga was killed. 17. Tour petitioner states that when the chiefs of Ngaitahu heard of the death of Iritonga the chiefs of Murihiku came up to Akaroa and killed Koko, one of Te Eauparaha's people. This was the last fight between Ngaitahu and To Eauparaha. 18. Tour petitioner states that Te Eauparaha's war-parties did not conquer the Ngaitahu in these battles, but that Ngaitahu were the victors. At this time the missionaries arrived in the Ngapuhi District. 19. Tour petitioner states that those who fought against Ngaitahu were Ngatitoa, Ngatiawa, Ngatitama, Ngatiraukawa, Ngatimutunga and other tribes, and also Englishmen. The Europeans took part in fighting against the Ngaitahu iv this way : The death of Te Pehi not having been avenged, Te Eauparaha made up his mind to charter a European vessel to go to fetch Te Maiharanui. The vessel went to Akaroa, and the Europeans, by treachery, got Te Maiharanui on board of the vessel. When he got there he saw Te Eauparaha's band of murderers. As soon as they had got hold of him the vessel returned. 20. Tour petitioner states that when that fighting was over, in 1838 or 1839, Tuhawaiki went to New South Wales to make a treaty with that colony to have tho rights of Ngaitahu established, and to get the protection of the Queen of England. 21. Tour petitioner is aware that the Governor of New South Wales agreed, and invested Tuhawaiki with authority; he gave him the Queen's flag, and gave him full authority ; he gave him a suit of uniform ; he appointed a secretary for him. 22. Tour petitioner states that Tuhawaiki represented to the Governor of New South Wales that Wellington would bo the best place for Europeans to first settle in. 23. Tour petitioner states that the Europeans are in error in supposing that Te Eauparaha was the strongest in the fighting ; and your petitiorrer prays that you will, in truth and justice, consider that it would be right to restore to myself and people our interests in the lands which we have not sold to the Europeans, because you have given the payment for our land to other people. 24. There are many persons who may be called as witnesses before } 7ou,if the Europeans desire to see truth and justice, and to set the mind of your petitioner at rest. Wellington, 14th August, 1878. . John Topi Patuei. By Authority: Geoegk Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB7B. Price 3d.]

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