NATIVE LANDS (SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT ON).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1907 Session I, G-01d

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1907. "NEW ZEALAND.

NATIVE LANDS (SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT ON).

Presented to both Nouses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Wellington, sth August, 1907. May it please Your Excellency,— We have the honour to present the following report, which is supplementary to the interim reports already presented. 1. Nuhaka 2f2. The area of this block is 854 acres 2 roods 15 perches. The owners have arranged that it shall he reserved for their occupation and use, and have agreed to— (1.) Lease the north-west end to Hotene te Arihi, except portion next referred to; (2.) Lease portion lying between above and the main Nuhaka-Wairoa Road to Kiore Huka, Tame Materoa, and Wairoa Huka. The boundary between these two portions to be arranged by proposed lessees. (3.) Balance lying to seaward of road to be leased to Hohepa Karauria, Wairoa Huka, Tame Materoa, and Kiore Huka. Our specific recommendations that the Tairawhiti Maori Land Board shall be empowered to give effect to proposals re Nuhaka and other blocks will apply to this block. 2. ROHE POTAE, OR KING-COUNTRY. We are now in a position to make a further report on some of the blocks shown as not dealt with in our report on the Rohe-Potae lands (G.-Ib, 1907). (1.) Rangitoto-Tuhua No. 55 (Aurupu). —The area of this block is 1,548 acres. We find that a large number of the owners signed a deed purporting to transfer this block to the Maniapoto-Tuwharetoa Maori Land Board in trust to lease the same on behalf of the owners. This deed has not been registered. The Crown has not purchased any interests. We recommend the block for leasing through the Board, to be dealt with in the manner proposed for blocks in column 2 (for lease) of Schedule 4 of our report on Rohe-Potae lands. (2.) Rangitoto-Tuhua No. 71 (Te Tawai). —The area of this block is 1,513 acres. It is good land, valued at £1 2s. 6d. per acre. It is in the same position as Rangitoto-Tuhua No. 55, as a deed of transfer to the Board has been signed by some of the owners, but has not been registered. We make the same recommendation as in the case of No. 55 (3.) Wharepuhunga. —The area of this block was originally 131,266 acres or thereabouts. The Crown has purchased in all 54,311 acres (after deducting a reserve of nearly four thousand acres made out of purchased land for settlers), and the Native owners now hold 76,955 acres. The latter area includes a

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reserve of 3,776f acres already referred to. The Native portion is held in twenty-two subdivisions (including the reserve). The accompanying schedule and plan show the scheme of the partition. Exclusive of the reserve, the Native portion is in three main blocks. The Northern Block is reported to be of good quality and suitable for close settlement. Two of the main kaingas are on this Northern Block —namely, Karamu andWaireka. The Eastern Block, which consists of Subdivisions 15, 16, 18, and 19, is of inferior quality, although portions of 16 are fair. Aotearoa, the largest of the Ngatiraukawa kaingas, is on 16. The whole of the Southern Block, consisting of Subdivisions 6, 8, 10, 13, 17, and 20, is poor land. In the scheme of partition the different hapus receive a proportion of good and a proportion of poor land. Thus the owners of No. 4in the North are given a subdivision in the South No. 6, and so on (see Schedule). The Northern and Eastern Blocks are reported to have very little forest — about 5,200 acres out of 54,000 acres. The Southern Block, on the other hand, is almost all forest—24,ooo out of 28,000 acres —and there is reported to be inilling-timbsr. With the exception of Subdivisions 19 and 20, the Wharepuhunga Block is owned by the Ngatiraukawa Tribe. As already stated in our report on the Rohe-Potae lands, they, in sympathy with the Waikatos, are opposed to their land being dealt with in any way by the Commission. They desire to be left alone to do as they please with the land. There is very little of it under cultivation. On the other hand, the Ngatiraukawa as a tribe own very little land outside Wharepuhunga, and some of that they share with relatives residing in Otaki and other places in the Wellington District. The insufficiency of other lands was taken into consideration by the Land Purchase Officer (Mr. W. H. Grace), who would not negotiate for the purchase of this block. Subdivisions 19 and 20 are owned by a section of the Ngatituwharetoa Tribe of Taupo, who own a sufficiency of other lands of similar quality in the Taupo district We are of opinion that these subdivisions, from their position and the fact that the owners have sufficient other lands and will never be in a position to utilise the subdivisions in question, should be sold. They adjoin Crown lands. We are of opinion that the Maniapoto-Tuwharetoa Board should be empowered as agent for the owners to sell these subdivisions to the Crown, as they are completely surrounded by Crown land. The owners of Nos. 5, 7, and 9 also own Nos. 6, 8, and 10 at the southern end. The former should be reserved for their use and occupation, and the latter sold to the Crown through the Board. No. 6 adjoins Rangitoto B Block, which was vested in trustees for the purpose of sale to discharge survey liens, and which we have recommended for sale. No. 13, a small subdivision in the Southern Block, owned by the same people who own No. 12 in the North, should also be sold. The owners of No. 16 in the Eastern Block also own No. 17 in the South. In our opinion No. 16 should provide all their needs in the way of papakaingas and farms, and No. 17 should be sold. Large portions of Nos. 14b, 16, 15, and 18, and the whole of the reserve of 3,776 acres, should be leased. But we have not the information to enable us to recommend specific areas for the purpose. We think that the Board should be left to make such adjustments after inquiry. We summarise the recommendations as follows : — (i.) For sale : Nos. 6, 8, 10, 13, 17, 19, and 20; area, 27,000 acres, (ii.) For lease : Reserve, 3,776 acres, and portions of 14b, 15, 16, and 18, to be determined by the Board after inquiry, (iii.) For Native occupation : The rest of the block. The fair value of timber on lands recommended for sale should be taken into consideration. ■ 3. Tutira Block. The total area of the Tutira Block is 20,490 acres. The title to the block is a Crown grant issued under what are known as the Waikari-Mohaka provisions of " The Native Land Acts Amendment Act, 1881." The number of original

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owners or grantees was forty; the present number of owners, including successors, is approximately seventy. The block is situated on the Wairoa-Napier Road, some distance north of Tangoio. By deed of lease dated the 10th September, 1884, the Natives leased to the present lessee and one Arthur MeTier Cunningham the whole of the block, retaining a reserve of about 3,000 acres for a period of twenty-one years expiring on the 10th September, 1905. This lease, however, subsequently became vested in the present lessee, Mr. W. H. Guthrie-Smith, and one Thomas John Stuart. On the 21st September, 1894, Messrs. Guthrie-Smith and Stuart obtained a renewal of their lease as to 9,500 acres, portion of the Tutira Block; such lease was for twenty-one years from the 21st Septetnber, 1894, and therefore expires on the 21st September, 1915. The rent payable under such lease was £600 during the first eleven years of the said term, which included the back country as to which the lease was not renewed, and £330 during the remainder of the said term, being the rent of the front portion comprised in the renewal. Negotiations recently took place with a view to the renewal by the present lessee of the lease now held by him, and in the course of these negotiations it was suggested that the present lessee should also take a lease of the back portion of the block. The value, according to a valuation made by the District Valuer, Mr. W. E. Griffin, in February, 1907, is as follows : — Capital Unimproved ImproveValue. Value. ments. £ £ £ Part of Tutira Block not now under lease, 9,999 acres ... 2,997 2,877 120 Part of Tutira Block now under lease to Mr. GuthrieSmith, 9,500 acres ... ... ... ... 25,250 16,580 8,670 Other part Tutira Block forming Native Reserve, 1,000 acres ... ... ... ... ... 5,250 4,150 1,100 The back portion of the block, 9,990 acres, which has reverted to the Native owners, is very rough country, and, as is apparent, is practically unimproved. It is infested to a considerable extent with rabbits, and any one taking a lease of it incurs the somewhat serious liability of being responsible for the destruction of these rabbits. It is because this back country involves such responsibility, and also because its condition is to some extent a menace to the balance of the block, that it has been suggested that the present lessee in renewing his present lease should take over as well the back portion. This he is willing to do, because he recognises that, however diligent he may be in keeping down the rabbits in the portion now occupied by him, he will be continually liable to invasion of rabbits from the back block as long as the same is not under lease. At present he is in occupation of the back portion of the block from year to year, and he himself keeps down the rabbits. In consideration of such occupation, the present lessee is continuing to pay full rent of £600 per annum, and has a verbal arrangement with the Native owners that if he should remain undisturbed in his occupation of such back country for a period of three years he will paya proportion of the royalty he is receiving from flax cut on the portion included in his "lease. It is estimated that for such period of three years the proportion so to be paid would amount to several hundred pounds should flax maintain approximately its present selling-value. It should be here mentioned that the present lessee is in occupation of 1,000 acres reserved by the Natives. Such reserve was to be occupied by the Natives if they chose after 1905, but they have not availed themselves of the right of occupation, although it has always been open to them to do so. The lessee pays the Native-land tax in consideration of temporary occupation, amounting to over £70 a year. The Commission met the Native owners and the lessee at Tangoio. The Natives were desirous that new arrangements should he made regarding the occupation of this block. The Natives asked that they should be placed in the position to utilise a portion of the land. It was made clear to us that the portion which had reverted to the Native owners was not suitable for subdivision and could not be worked profitably apart from the land now held under lease. It winters about one hogget to 21 acres. The whole of this is covered with fern and manuka, and the winter

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carrying-capacity fluctuates with the opportunity afforded by each season of burning-off. It can only be properly utilised by'having the front block from which to draw sheep when feed is available and to which one can take stock when feed is not available. This country cannot be brought into use by crushing, as the conditions are against that. Unlike most rough country, it cannot be improved by stocking with cattle, owing to there being boggy creeks all over it, which have already been the cause of the loss of a large number of cattle. The Natives could not possibly face the expense of a fence dividing the leased from the unleased portion of the block. In the proposal for a renewal of the lease the lessee suggested that the Commission should take into consideration the following special circumstances in considering the rent: — First, the expense of keeping down rabbits, which is at present considerable and is liable to increase: Some of the owners immediately adjoining have been fined under the Rabbit Act more than once, and their places have become such a menace that the Rabbit Board has taken over the rabbiting. Secondly, the expense of destroying manuka and blackberry which have spread from the adjoining blocks is also considerable and continuous. Thirdly, it should also be remembered that the Tutira Lake is included in the area. The lake extends to about 450 acres. Fourthly, the present lease, 9,500 acres, has eight and a half years to run at a rent of £330 per annum. This lease terminates in September, 1915. The difference between £330 and the new rent capitalised is very large. A careful consideration of all the circumstances led us to the conclusion that, although at the end of the present lease the area therein comprised might be cut up into smaller farms, at least 12,000 acres of the whole block could not be profitably settled except in conjunction with such farms; that the Maori owners themselves cannot use the portion which has reverted to them; and that it would be in their interest if fresh leases were made. We therefore made certain proposals to the present lessee, which have been agreed to. We recommend : — (1.) That 13,420 acres be leased to Mr. Guthrie-Smith (present lessee) for thirty years from now at an annual rental of £1,355. (2.) That 5,570 acres be leased to his sister, Miss Guthrie-Smith, for thirty years from now at an annual rental of £70. (3.) That the Native owners, in addition to the rent, receive half the royalty on the flax grown on the swamp lands at the western end of the lake. (It is estimated that the annual revenue from this source to the owners will be at least £200.) (4.) That 500 acres adjoining the Native reserve of 1,000 acres be taken out of the lease. This area not to interfere with the home paddocks, and to be hereafter fixed by us. (This would enable the Maoris to start sheep-farming on a small scale. The land is good, suitable for farming in two sections, and is perhaps the best land in the block.) The increased rental with royalty will be at least £1,000 above what the Maoris are now receiving from the whole block. We have the honour to be Your Excellency's most humble and obedient servants, ROBERT STOUT, A. T. NGATA, Commissioners

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SCHEDULE.

Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not given ; printing (2,500 copies), £i Si. Gd.

Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9o7.

Price 6d.-\

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Interest (approximate). Title. Highest. Lowest Number of Name of Block. Area. Remarks. Owners. harepuhunga — No. 5 6 7a 7b 7c 8 9 10 11a llB 12a 12b 13 14a 14b 15 16 17 18 19 20 Partition orders. Acres. 164 123 Acres. 55 41 A. P.. P. 2,182 1,628 339 776 1,018 1,029 1,862 2,015 71 71 2,794 1,269 96 644 10,492 2,211 16,000 10,166 8,455 4,500 7,556 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 20 3 20 3 32 0 0 0 0 0 16 3 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 H » it » H it it it u It It 86 138 149 ■ 450 22 13* 25 16 16 2 5 5 13 20 20 1 2 10 5 15 5 81 13 117 117 J 04 138 138 Same owners in each. I Same owners in each of I and original 7. Same owners in each. i ) Same owners in each o: original 12 and 13. It It J- 1103 12 It It 290 36£ [ Same owners in each. U It | 430 24 It 288 6 It It \ 288 14 j Same owners in each. It 73,178 1 28

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WHAREPOHUNGA BLOCK, KING COUNTRY.