89

G.—7.

Court, the deed was re-executed, and £20 given to the complainant; and he knew very well why that sum was paid to him—it was in consideration of his claim to the one acre. We therefore consider that this complaint should not be entertained. WißEiiu Hieairo, Commissioner. Wiremu Te Wheoro, Commissioner. No. XVI. —Te UrOKOOPorm —Waka Kawatini, Kaitono. Ko te Kaitono whakawa o tenei piihi ko Te Waka Kawatini. Ko tenei whenua i hokona etc Kaitono kite Kawanatanga. Ko tana c tono ana he waahi no taua whenua i whakatoea etc Kawanatanga mona i te wa o te hokonga. I te wa i whakaatu korero ai te Kaitono ratou ko nga kaiwhakaatu korero mo te taha kite Kawanatanga ka kitea he tika ano, i whakatoea tetahi eka mo te Kaitono whakawa i te wa o te hokonga o taua whenua i mua atu i te whakawakanga a te Kouti Whenua Maori i taua whenua. I whakaritea hoki i tera hokonga ko nga utu mo taua whenua haunga te eka kotahi c £300 i tuhia ano he pukapuka o taua hokonga. No muri iho ote whakawakanga o taua whenua etc Kouti Whenua Maori ka whakahoutia hoki te pukapuka hoko ka hoatu hoki kite Kaitono whakawa c £20, a i tino marama ano i taua Kaitono he take i hoatu ai ki a ia taua £20 he whakakore mo tona paanga ki taua eka kotahi. No reira ta inaua whakaaro i mea ai kaore i tika te tono a te Kaitono whakawa. Wiremu Hikairo, Komihana. Wiremu Te Wheoro, Komihana.

REPORT on CASE No. XVII. Omarunui No. 2.— (Kopuaroa). By the evidence given by the complainants and the persons complained against, it was shown that this land had been leased to a European named O'Neal, at a rental of £S0 per annum. The lease was made before the land was passed through the Native Land Court. There is a piece of land called Kopuaroa, which lies contiguous to this, and at the time of the lease it was excepted from the portion leased. It was left as a cultivation for the Maoris. When this land was leased, the boundaries were merely pointed out it was not surveyed; but before the case was taken before the Court, Mr. Grindell, interpreter, told the Maoris to have Omarunui and Kopuaroa surveyed in one block. The Maoris agreed that this should be done. After that the case was taken before the Native Land Court, and a Crown grant was ordered to be issued therefor. After that the lease was re-executed. At that time the land was mortgaged to certain Europeans. Subsequently to the re-execution of the leases, a deed of sale was drawn out and signed by the persons whose names the Court had ordered to be inserted in the Crown grant. Our opinion is— 1. That the statement of the complainants that Kopuaroa was not given up for lease, mortgage, or sale, but that the surveyor put the two blocks together under the one name of Omarunui, is correct. 2. This is the fault of the interpreter. He did not clearly show the boundaries set forth in the deed of sale when it was read over to the Maoris ; that is to say, he did not give the Maori names of the boundaries. He merely gave the name of the block as Omarunui, and read over the boundaries according to the lines, chains, and links which are given in the Crown grant. 3. Those Maoris signed the deed under the belief that they were selling Omarunui to the Europeans, but they were ignorant of the fact that Kopuaroa was also included in that deed. 4. The land which was sold to the European was Omarunui, that which was leased before the said land was taken before the Native Land Court; the land which was added to the piece which was leased at the time the surveyor surveyed it, so that it should be more conveniently taken before the Court, Bhould be returned to the Maoris. Wirehu Hikaiho, Commissioner. Wiremu Te Wheoro, Commissioner. No. XVll.—Omarottdt.—No. 2. (Kopuaroa.) Kei roto i nga korero a nga Kaitono whakawa ratou ko nga tangata c whakapaea ana i whakaatu mai ai ki Te Kouti mo tenei whenua ka kitea ko tenei whenua I tukua a-retitia o nga tangata maori ki tetahi pakeha ko Onira (O'Neal) te ingoa mo nga moni c waru tekau pauna (£80) mo te tau kotahi. Ko tauajtukunga kite reti no mua atu ite tukunga o taua whenua ki Te Kouti Wnenua Maori. I taua tukunga ai kite reti tera tetahi piihi whenua c takoto tahi ana ki tenei ko Kopuaroa te ingoa, i taua wa i whakariteritea ai te reti i kapea tera piihi ki waho ote waahi i tukuna mo te reti. I waiho tera waahi hei whenua mahinga kai ma nga tangata Maori. Itewa i tukua rate whenua nei kite reti he mea whakaatu kau nga rohe ehara ite mea ruri; engari no mua atu ote tukunga kite Kouti Whenua Maori ka tonoa c Te Karini Kaiwhakainaori ki nga tangata maori Ida ruritia katoatia a Omarunui a Kopuaroa ite ruritanga kotahi. Ka whakaaetia c nga tangata maori. I muri iho i tera ka tukua kia whakawakia c te Kouti Whenua Maori, katahi ka whakaputaina he Karauna Karaati mo taua whenua. I muri rnai o tera ka whakahoutia ano te Reti. I taua wa, c takoto mokete ana taua whenua ki etahi pakeha.