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1909. NEW ZEALAND.

NATIVE LANDS AND NATIVE-LAND TENURE: INTERIM REPORT OF NATIVE LAND COMMISSION, ON NATIVE LANDS IN HAWKE'S BAY, PATANGATA, WAIPAWA, AND RANGITIKEI COUNTIES.

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

Native Land Commission, Wellington, 19th December, 1908. To His Excellency the Governor. May it please Your Excellency,— We have the honour to submit a report on Native lands in the following counties : Hawke's Bay, Patangata, Waipawa, and Eangitikei. These comprise the lands generally belonging to the Hawke's Bay Natives. The information with regard to Eangitikei County is in addition to that contained in our report dated the 12th March, 1908, and printed as Parliamentary Paper G.-Ib, 1908. The data for the accompanying schedules was supplied by the Native Department, and checked by us after conference with the leading Natives of the districts affected and with lawyers and Native agents having local knowledge of the lands. In the case of unregistered leases the Native Department had no information, but we were able to obtain particulars during our sitting in Napier in October last. The following is a summary of the information contained in the schedules: — Leased or under XT . , .. ... m, , Negotiation. Not dealfc wlth ' Total - Hawke's Bay ... ... ... 280,210 218 91,310 033 371,520 311 Patangata ... ... ... ... 88,407 2 36 2,429 2 0 90,837 0 36 Waipawa ... ... ... ... 50,369 0 5 74,044 0 1 124,413 0 6 Eangitikei 152,089 3 8 31,588 0 7 183,677 2 15 Totals ... ... 571,077 027 199,371 2 1 770,448 228 Becapitulation. a. r. p. Lands leased, &c. ... ... ... ... ... 571,077 027 Lands not dealt with by the Commission ... ... ... 199,371 2 1 Total ... ... ... ... ... 770,448 228 The Commission did not have time to make any exhaustive inquiries into this area of 199,371 acres. The bulk of it is made up of three blocks (subdivided) :— Owhaoko (part) ... ... ... ... ... ... 81,294 Puketoi ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 59,800 Eangipo-Waiu ... ... ... ... ... ... 17,746 Total ... ... ... .. ... ... 158,840 Owhaoko and subdivisions (as set forth in Schedule 2, Hawke's Bay County) were formerly under lease, but, owing to the poor quality of the land and the

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