PETITION OF RUTENE TE UMANGA AND 204 OTHERS, AND CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE THERETO.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1883 Session I, J-02

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1883. NEW ZEALAND.

PETITION OF RUTENE TE UMANGA AND 204 OTHERS, AND CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE THERETO.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives, 27th June and 4rth July, and ordered to be printed. No. 1. [Translation.] To the Honourable Members of both Houses, at present in Assembly. This is a petition from us to you. We labour under a serious grievance in connection with our lands, but, as we consider it is our duty in the first place to address ourselves to the Government in the matter, we send the following letter to two of their Ministers. ■j Eotorua, Ist May, 1883. To Mr. Bryce, Native Minister, and Mr. Bolleston, Minister for Lands, Wellington. Friends ! Salutations ! We have to state to you the fact that we are sorely pained at the manner in which the Government have used our lands, and caused their depreciation. We have two grievances; one is with reference to the Government Broclamation over what is called the thermal-spring lands. Now, the Government have drawn that Proclamation over lands situated at about forty miles from those springs. We did agree to the Act, suggested by Mr. Fenton, for the purpose of protecting the hot springs, geysers, and medicinal waters, but that only embraced an area, as it was surveyed, of 3,000 acres. We were not aware that that law would so grievously affect us, and create an injustice in regard to our tracts of land, our forests, our mountains, and plains. We have heard from surveyors that the boundary of the proclaimed district comprises an extent of country somewhere about 600,000 acres or more. Now, this is a very unjust proceeding on the part of the Government, and contrary to that which was intended by the Parliament. The Parliament would protect us, but you, the Government, would impose upon us. Our second grievance is this : We have just heard that the Government have made a fresh boundary affecting our lands, with a view of confining the sale of land to themselves, and that we are not to sell or lease to private Europeans. We have heard that a letter was written by Major Jackson to Mr. Bryce, Native Minister, requesting that he should be informed of the amount of moneys paid as advances upon those lands, viz., Opohutu, Okoheriki, Te Barua, Patetere No. 2, Te Tatua, and Te Bawhiti; also that he should be informed of the names of the persons who received those moneys, and of the Government officer who advanced them. Now, Mr. Bryce replied that he would not give the information, because all those persons who owned the land knew about those moneys. That is why we now submit our grievances to the Government, because we never knew who received those moneys, what lands were advanced upon, and who the Government officer was who made the advances. Now, arrangements were concluded for the sale of some of those lands to Europeans. The price for forest land differed from the price for flat land—the forest land was fixed at 6s. per acre, and the flat land at 7s. per acre : all this was prior to the Government Proclamation. We received a portion of the purchase-money, and the survey was paid for by the European. What we say now is this : If the Government will agree to the prices fixed upon in the said sale, then we will agree to sell to them, as we are anxious to pay back the money which the European advanced to us; but if the Government reduces the price to a mere nothing, then we shall conclude that it is indeed a work of injustice on the part of the Government. Enough. Do you both make this matter clear to us ; if not, then we will send a petition to the Parliament, which will be for our member to present and for the Parliament to investigate into, as to a means for affording us relief from the oppressive acts of the Government. That is all. We will ever pray. From Butene te Umanga, and 204 others.

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Xi nga Mema o te Paramete o te Whare o runga me te Whare o raro c noho huihui mai nei. He Bitihana Inoi tenei na matou kia koutou. He mate nui to matou mo a matou whenua i mahia kinotia c te Kawanatanga, na ka whakaaro matou me rapu atu ano kite Kawanatanga katahi matou ka tuku i te pukapuka nei ki nga Minita tokorua, ara, koia tenei. Botorua, Mci 1, 1883. Xi a te Paraihe Minita mo te taha Maori raua ko te Boretana Minita mo te taha whenua kei Poneke. E Hoa ma tena korua, He kupu atu ta matou kia korua otira kite Kawanatanga kanui to matou mamae monga mahi ate Kawanatanga c rara nei o matou whenua. E rua o matou mate ko te panui a te Kawanatanga mo nga whenua c kiia ana he whenua Ngaawha kua kumea rawatia c te Kawanatanga tana rohe ki nga whenua tawhiti e4O pea macro te mataratanga atu i aua Ngaawha. I whakaae ano matou kite Tikanga a te Penetana kia tohungia nga Ngaawha me nga Puia me nga Waiariki. Na, kua oti marire taua wahi te ruuri ka tae ano pea kite 3,000 eka kahore matou i mohio ka waiho taua tikanga hei kohuru i a matou hei whakamate i o matou whenua Papatupu tae noa ki o matou Ngaherehere me nga Maunga me nga Pakihi. Kua rongo matou ki nga kai wea, ko nga whenua c pau ana ki roto ki taua rohe Potae c tae ana kite 600,000 eka nuku atu ranei. Na ka whakaaro matou he mahi he rawa tenei na te Kawanatanga. No te mea ki ta matou mahara kihai i penei te whakaaro o te Paramete ko ta te Paramete he tiaki ia matou ko ta koutou ko ta te Kawanatanga he kohuru ia matou. Ko to matou mate tuarua ko tenei katahi nei matou ka rongo kua mahia c te Kawanatanga tetehi rohe potae ano mo a motou whenua i runga ite ture hoko. He mea ano kia hokona atu kite Kawanatanga kia kaua c hokona c riihitia ranei c matou kite pakelia, kua rongo matou ki tetehi pukapuka i tuhia atu c Meiha Hakihana, kia te Paraaihe Minita. He tono kia whakaaturia mai c ia nga moni tamana a te Kawanatanga i runga i aua whenua ara, ko Opohutu ko Okoheriki ko te Barua ko Patetere no. 2. ko te Tatua ko te Bawhiti. He tono hoki kia whakaaturia mai nga ingoa o nga tangata ia ratou aua moni me te ingoa ote apiha Kawanatanga nana i tuku. Na whakahokia mai ana etc Baraihe kite kupu nei. Kahore ia c whakaatu mai, te take c mohio katoa ana aua tangata nona aua whenua ki aua moni. Koia matou i whakaatu ito matou mate kite Kawanatanga. Kahore hoki matou i mohio na wai ranei aua moni i tango na wai ranei. Kahore matou c mohio ko ewhearanei nga whenua i tamanatia ko ewhea ranei. Kahore matou i mohio ko wai ranei te Apiha o te Kawanatanga nana tenei paahi ko wai ranei. Ko etehi o aua whenua kua rite te hoko kite Bakeha. He utu ano to te Ngaherere c ono hereni mote eka mote Pakihi c whitu hereni mo te eka. Ko taua hoko no mua atu ite Here ate Kawanatanga kua riro mai ia matou tetehi wahi ote moni kua utua hoki etc Pakeha te ruuritanga ote whenua. Na ko ta matou kupu tenei inaianei mehemea ka whakaae te Kawanatanga ki taua utu i runga i taua hoko katahi matou ka whakaae. He mea kia whakaho kia c matou nga moni a nga Pakeha i riro nei ia matou, a mehemea ka whakahokia c te Kawanatanga te utu kite kore noa iho katahi matou ka mohio he tino mahi kohuru tenei heoi ma korua ano c ata whakaatu mai kia matou. A kite kahore c marama i a korua ka tukua atu c matou tetehi Pitihana kite Paramete ma to matou Mema Maori ano c hapai ake a ma te Paramete c kimi tetehi ora mo matou i runga i tenei whakahaere kohuru a te Kawanatanga. Ka mutu na o hoa. Na, kihai i marama mai i te Kawanatanga, koia matou i tuku atu ai i to matou Pitihana kite Paramete o te Koroni he mea kia kimihia mai c koutou kia whakaritea mai hoki tetehi tikanga c ora ai matou. A, ka inoi tonu matou. Butene te Umanga, me etahi o 204.

No. 2. Petera te Pukuatua and Others to Sir G. Grey. [Translation.] To Sir George Grey, at Te Kawau. Ohinemutu, Botorua, 28th May, 1883. Sir, greeting! You are the kind parent of both races in this Island, and doth relieve the hearts of all those who are afflicted. We have heard that a petition has reached you at Barliament from Butene te Umanga and. his friends—2o7 in number—urging that the restrictions contained in the Thermal Springs Act may be removed, as it at present ties up our district. Now, this is to inform you of our opinion of that law. We do not want it to be unfastened at present, because it is the chief mainstay of ourselves and our children. Our lands are not yet through the Court; but there are many rival claimants to them, and many Europeans are continually urging the sale of these lands; and it is only that Act which saves our district from being thrown into a state of confusion. Do you look at the proceedings which are being carried on at Cambridge at the present time ; that is all through the foolish sales of land before it was investigated, giving rise to the granting of spirit licenses, the payment of lawyers' fees, and numerous other evils practised by the land companies and such Natives as Butene te Umanga and his friends, for landswallowing purposes. Then: land, Patetere, has gone from them in consequence of this evil work of theirs, and now they turn their eyes in this direction so they might surreptitiously get our land. That petition is not from us—from the Ngatiwhakaue and Arawa tribes—but from Butene, of Ngatihuri hapu, and Ngatiraukawa, with their friends, the land-swallowing companies of Cambridge.

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We sent a petition last year to the Parliament for the Government Proclamation to be effectually fixed until the whole district of Botorua had been investigated by the Court, and each hapu had been awarded its own particular piece, so that any sales or leases throughout Botorua might be carried out on clear principles, and facilities given for the construction of railroads and other European public works in this Island. With regard to that part of their petition which alludes to the question of Government moneys having been paid over certain portions of Botorua, that should be left in abeyance just now. It was your own public officers who advanced those moneys to Ngatitura and some of ourselves. However, those moneys can be carefully considered after all those lands have been adjudicated upon by the Court. At present do you oppose the petition of Butene and others, and uphold our objections. From your loving friends, Petera te Pukuatua, and four others.

Kia ta Hori Kerei, kei Te Kawau. Ohinemutu, Botorua, Mci 28, 1883. E pa tena koe te matua aroha o nga Iwi c rua o tenei Motu te taanga manawa mo nga tangata katoa c akina ana c te mate. Kua rongo matou tena kua tae atu ki a koe te tahi pitihana kite Paaremete na Butene Te Umanga me ona hoa c 207. E mea ana kia wetekia te here ote Ture Ngaawha c here nei i to matou takiwa na he whakaatu tenei na matou kia koe i to matou tino whakaaro mo taua Ture, kaore matou c pai kia wetekia taua here i naianei no te mea he tino oranga mo matou me o matou tamariki taua here ko taua waahi whenua o matou kaore ano i oti te whakawa. He maha nga iwi c tautohe ana a he maha hoki nga pakeha c akiaki ana ki a hokona aua whenua na taua Ture anake i kore ai te raruraru o to matou takiwa katoa me titiro hoki kite mahi c mahia mai nei i Keemureti. Na te hoko pohehe noa iho ote whenua i mua ote whakawa taua tv mahi o te whakaputa raihana o te kai waipiro te utu roia te aha te aha noa atu o aua tikanga horo whenua a nga Kamupene apiti atu ki aua ahua tangata Maori ara ki a Butene Te Umanga me ona hoa ma hoki kua pau noa atu ta ratou whenua a Patetere i runga i tenei mahi kino a ratau a c huri mai ana o ratau kanohi ki tenei whaitua he tahae i to matou whenua. E hara i a matou na ia Ngatiwhakaue me te Arawa katoa taua pitihana. E ngari na Butene o Ngati Baukawa me ona hoa kamupene horo whenua o Keemureti taua pitihana na te mea kua tae noa atu ta matou pitihana kite Paremata i tera tau ki a tino pumau te here o te Kawanatanga, a tae noa kite tino oti o te whakawa o te takiwa katoa o Botorua kiia hapu kiia hapu tana piihi tana piihi ki a marama ai te hoko te reti o nga whenua o Botorua me ona mahi katoa, me te reriwe me era atu mahi nunui a te pakeha i tenei motu. Ko nga kupu o taua pitihana mo nga moni a te Kawanatanga i runga i etahi waahi o Botorua me waiho marire. Na o apiha ano aua moni i whakaputa ki a Ngatitura me tehi tangata o matou. A tera ka whakaarohia taua moni i te wa c oti ai te whakawa o aua whenua ko tenei whakakorea atu te pitihana a Butene ma kia mana mai i a koe ta matou whakahe mo taua pitihana. Na o hoa aroha, — Petera te Pukuatua. Paora te Amohau. Ngahuruhuru. Otira na Ngatiwhakaue katoa. Taupua.

No. 3. Wi Matenga te Waharoa to Hon. Mr. Bolleston. To Mr. Bolleston : Greeting. Wellington, 27th June, 1883. I, Wi Matenga te Waharoa, am authorized by my hapu, the Ngatirangiwewehi, to act on their behalf in Wellington with regard to any petitions that may be presented to Parliament praying for the removal of the restrictions imposed by the Thermal-Springs Act upon land at Botorua. My people instructed me to oppose such petitions, and to make known to the Committee and the Government their wish that the Thermal-Springs Act should be allowed to remain in force, as they (the petitioners) and we all know that this Act will prove beneficial to us and to our descendants. That is all from Wi Matenga te Waharoa.

No. 4. Te Pukuatua and Others to the Government. (Telegram.) Ohinemutu, 3rd July, 1873. To the Premier and the Members of the Government. Do you keep "The Thermal-Springs Districts Act, 1881," in force. Te Pukuatua Korokai. Te Amohau te Uremutu. Te Whanoa and all Ngatiwhakaue.

Authority: George Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB3.