G.—6b

Session 11. 1921. NEW ZEALAND.

NATIVE LAND AMENDMENT AND NATIVE LAND CLAIMS ADJUSTMENT ACT, 1920.

BPOBT AND RECOMMENDATION ON PETITION NO. 203/1920, RELATIVE TO TITLE TO NGAMOTU BLOCK.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly in pursuance of Section 32 of the Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Act, 1920.

Office of the Chief Judge, Native Land Court, Wellington, 21st July, 1921. Re Ngamotu Block--Petition 203 of 1920. Enclosed please find report of the Court herein. I recommend that legislation be passed as follows : — 1. That section 5 of No. 25 of 1917 be repealed. 2. That the following orders of the Native Land Court in respect of the said block be declared ineffective :— (a.) Orders of the 12th May, 1917, and the 7th October, 1920, partitioning the said block ; (b.) Order dated the 12th September, 1919, made; tinder the above repealed section. 3. The Court to be authorized to amend the original order of investigation of title dated the 31st August, 1892, by striking out therefrom the following names : Te Aira Akuhata, Hon Marena, Rewi te Nairn, Rora Pareke, Rapihana None, and Netana Tinohi, and by cancelling the definition of interests made thereunder. i. The Court to be empowered to adjudicate upon and redetermine the relative interests of the remaining beneficial owners according to their several rights, and irrespective of any order heretofore made by the Court or by the Appellate Court. 5. The Court to be empowered at the same or any future time to partition the land among the beneficial owners named in the amended order on investigation, or their successors, as if they were the legal owners of the land, with power to define the relative interests with regard to any portion so partitioned if the Court thinks it expedient so to do. 6. For the purpose of exercising the jurisdiction of laying out road-lines or rights-of-way the land to be deemed to be legally vested in the beneficial owners. 7. Upon any partition order becoming matured the legal estate in fee-simple shall vest in the persons named in any partition order, freed and discharged from the provision of Part XV of the Native Land Act, 1909, and from the title of the Tairawhiti District Maori Land Board or any trust thereunder. 8. The District Land Registrar of Hawke's Bay to be authorized to issue certificates of title for the portions so partitioned to the persons named in the partition orders, and to cancel the present certificate of title as to the land contained in any such partition order. 9. Until any road-line is proclaimed a public road the Tairawhiti District Maori Land Board to hold the land comprised in such road-line in trust for all the beneficial owners subject to all rights of way thereon. R. N. Jones, Chief Judge. The Hon. Native Minister, Wellington.