KO TE PIRE MO NGA TAKE MAORI, 1952

Te Ao Hou, Summer 1953, Page 49

KO TE PIRE MO NGA TAKE MAORI, 1952 Ka neke atu i te 20 tau inaianei mai o te whakataunga i te ture matua e pa ana ki nga Whenua Maori me era atu take Maori—ara Te Ture Whenua Maori, 1931. Ko taua Ture te whakarapopototanga o nga ture katoa a taua wa e pa ana ki nga whenua Maori me nga take Mori me Te Ture Whenua Maori hoki o 1909. Mai i 1931 kua maha nga whakatikatikatanga I taua Ture a kiki ana tana rua tekau ki te toru tekau o nga pukapuka ture i aua whakatikatikatanga. Ka hia nei tau o te timatanga o te whakarapopoto i taua ture ki te Pire kotahi engari ka roa e mahi ana ka kitea iho kaore e kapi nga ahuatanga katoa o taua ture. Ko etahi wahanga o te ture nei ka 40 tau pea te tawhito, a ko etahi wahanga ano ahakoa kua whakatikatikaina kaore he rereke rawatanga atu i roto o te rua tekau tau. Me whakatikatika ra te Ture Whenua Maori he Ao Hou ke ano hoki tenei. Haunga te pikinga o te tokomaha o te Maori ki aua noa atu engari kua piki te matauranga me te koingo takitahi o te Maori mo nga koha o te Ao Hou nei e kiia ake ra he Ao Hou ke ano tenei. I te timatanga o 1952 ka karangatia e te Minita Maori nga mema Maori me etahi o nga kaihautu o te iwi kia hui mai ki Poneke nei kia korerorero ngatahi ratou mo nga wahi o te Ture nei e tika ana me whakatikatika. I orite te whakaaro o taua huihuinga me whakatikatika taua ture a he nui nga whakaaro i whakapuakina tera e whakarapopototia ki te ture nei a tona wa. Kua takoto i te Minita ki te aroaro o te Paremata tetahi Pire i huaina ko Te Pire Mo Nga Mea Maori hei whakarapopoto hei whakatikatika i te ture e mohio nei tatou a na nga tohunga i whakairo taua Pire. He wahanga nui o taua Pire ko te ture tawhito ano engari ko nga wahi hou me ata matakitaki e te iwi Maori. Na te whakaurunga o nga ahuatanga hou ki taua Pire ka whakaarotia me waiho mo te tuunga o te Paremata a tera tau ka whakatau ai hei ture engari me ata whiriwhiri aua ahuatanga hou i roto o enei ra. Mehemea tera etahi mea kaore i te raroto ki nga whakaaro ka taea te whakarereke ana tatu mai ano taua Pire ki te aroaro o te Paremata. Ina e whai ake nei te aronga o etahi o nga ahuatanga hou kei roto i taua Pire, ko te tumanako tera e taea te ata whakamarama e Te Ao Hou a muri ake nei. THE MAORI AFFAIRS BILL 1952 It is now over 20 years since the principal Act dealing with Maori land and other Maori matters—the Maori Land Act, 1931—was passed. That Act was compiled by gathering together all the statute law then in force on these subjects, and a large part of it is mostly a repetition of the Maori Land Act, 1909. Since 1931 there have been many amendments of the law, now spread over twenty or thirty volumes of the Statute Book. Work began several years ago on consolidating this law into one Bill, but it soon became apparent that a mere gathering together of the existing law was not enough. Some of the existing law goes back more than forty years, and other parts, although amended, have not been substantially changed for twenty years. Circumstances have changed greatly in this time. Not only have the Maori people increased rapidly in number, but they have taken considerable steps forward in self-reliance and general education, and their position in the community is very different now from what it was a few decades ago. In some fields the disabilities imposed by the law appear to be no longer justifiable; in other fields the increasing rate of growth, and the diminishing area of Maori land available have created weighty administrative problems. Further problems are also created by the increasingly large number of owners of Maori land who are not legally Maoris; that is, those who are of less than half Maori blood. Early in 1952, the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Corbett, arranged a meeting with the Maori members of Parliament and several other Maori leaders to discuss some of the problems in the existing law, and to consider proposals which had been framed to meet them. General agreement was reached that amendment of the law was necessary, and most of the suggestions made were also approved. The Minister has now introduced a Bill under the name of the Maori Affairs Bill, consolidating and amending the present law, and in which the suggestions adopted at his meeting with the Maori members have been worked out in detail. There is much in the Bill which is merely a repetition of the present law, but some provisions are entirely new and of the greatest importance to the Maori people. Because of the important changes it was not intended to pass the Bill into law during the recent session of Parliament, but rather to leave it open to discussion and comment until 1953.

Ko Te Tango Tamariki Whangai: Ko ta te Ture i whakarite ai inaianei e ahei ana te Maori ki te tango tamariki Maori anake hei tamariki whangai. Ko ta te Pire mo nga Mea Maori e whakaaetia ana kia tango te Maori i nga tamariki a ona whanaunga o nga moutere hei tamariki whangai, penei i nga tamariki a nga Hamoa a nga Rarotonga me nga iwi o Kuki Airena me nga iwi hoki o nga moutere o Tokelau. E penei ana ano tetahi ota tango tamaiti whangai i raro i te Pire i ta te Ture Mo Nga Tamariki i whakarite ai ara ko nga tamariki whangai e ahei ana ki te kairiiwhi ki nga whenua o ratou matua whangai penei ano koiara tonu o ratou matua ake. Ko nga Wira: Ko ta te Ture inaianei e kore nga Maori kei raro i te 21 tau te pakeke e ahei ki te hanga wira. Ko ta te Pire ia e ahei ana te hunga kei raro iho i te 21 tau te pakeke penei ano me te Pakeha mehemea kua marena kei te pae ranei o te pakanga, ki te hanga wira. Tetahi e whakamana ana taua Pire i te Kooti Whenua Maori kia whakaroatia atu ano te wa mo te whakamana i te wira a tetahi tupapaku. Inaianei mehemea kaore he tono kia whakamana te wira a taua tupapaku i roto o te rua tau o tona matenga kua kore e whai take taua wira. Ko Nga Mana Kairiiwhi o nga Pauaru Tane: O nga Pouaru Wahine: Ko ta te Ture inaianei ki te mate tetahi tane tetahi wahine ranei kaore he mana motuhake o tana wahine o tana tane ranei ki ana rawa. Ko ta te Pire ia e whai mana motuhake ana te pouaru ki nga rawa a tana tane a tana wahine ranei penei ano me te Pakeha haunga ia nga Whenua Maori, ina ra e whai mana ana taua pouaru ki te wahanga e tika ana o nga rawa mana. Ko Nga Uri Maori kei raro iho i te hawhe toto Maori: Ko nga ture Maori mo te Kairiiwhi paanga whenua mo nga Maori anake i eke ki ta Te Ture i whakarite ai ara he hawhe toto Maori neke atu ranei. Ko ta te Pire e whakarite ana kia uru nga uri Maori he whenua Maori o ratou ki nga whakaritenga o te Ture haunga ia te hawhe kaehetanga te aha ranei. Ko Nga Moni Hoko Whenua riihi ranei: Ko ta Te Ture i whakarite ai e ahei ana te Kooti ana whakataua tetahi hoko tetahi riihi ranei ki te tohutohu kia utua nga moni ki te Kaitieki Maori (i mua ake nei ko nga Poari Whenua Maori) ma reira e tieki kia kainga paitia ai. Ko ta te Pire ia ko nga moni anake e Any modifications which arise out of discussion in the meantime can be considered for incorporation in the Bill when it is reintroduced in the next session of Parliament. In the remainder of this article are set out, in a very general way, some of the more important changes proposed in the Bill. It is hoped that some of these changes will be stated in more detail in succeeding issues of Te Ao Hou. ADOPTIONS At present, Maoris can adopt only Maoris or the descendants of Maoris. The Bill allows Maoris to adopt children of certain other Polynesian races, namely, Samoans, Tokelau Islanders and Raratongans. An adoption order under the Bill would have the same effect as an adoption order made under the Infants' Act. This means that, for purposes of succession, an adopted child ceases to be a child of his natural parents, and is deemed to be the child of the adopting parents, as if he had been born to them. WILLS OF MAORIS Maori minors are at present completely unable to make a will. The Bill would allow them to make a valid will in the circumstances in which European minors can do so, for example, when married, or on active military service. The Bill would empower the Court to extend the period within which application for probate of a Maori will can be made. At present a will becomes null and void if no application is made within two years from the death of the testator. SUCCESSION RIGHTS At present the widow or widower of a deceased Maori has no claim as of right to any part of the deceased's estate. The Bill provides that, in respect of estate other than Maori land, a surviving wife or husband will have the same rights as in the case of a European; that is, that he or she will be entitled to a proportion of the estate. The special rules of Maori custom as to succession in Maori land apply only to Maoris as defined in the old Act; that is, to persons of half or more Maori blood. The Bill provides for the extension of these rules to owners of Maori land who, although of Maori descent, have less than half Maori blood. MONEYS FROM ALIENATION Under the present Act the Court, on confirming an alienation, can direct that any purchase money or rent be held by the Maori Trustee (formerly the Maori Land Boards) and retained for the owners' benefit. Under the Bill, the Court could direct the retention only of sums in excess of £50 for individual owners,

neke atu i te £50 e taea e Te Kooti te tohutohu kia puritia hei painga mo nga tangata takitahi ara mo tetahi take tika tonu penei me te hanga whare. Ko te wawahi i nga paanga whenua Maori: Ko tetahi mea porearea ko te paku o nga paanga whenua o etahi Maori. Raha tonu nga whakaaro o nga tari Maori me era atu kaiwhakahaere me pehea ra aua paanga pakupaku he mahi nui ki te whakatikatika haere i nga taitara me te whakarato i nga moni reti i nga hua ranei o nga mahi Ahuwhenua. Rokohanga ka mate nga pakeke ka whakauruuru ko nga tamariki ko nga mokopuna ki aua paanga whenua, nona hoki te paku hei te wawahanga ka paku rawa atu a kei te kaha te piki o te tokomaha o te iwi Maori. Ko ta te Pire ia me wehe tetahi tahua moni ki raro i te ringa o te Kaitieki Maori, o nga tahua moni kei te Tari Maori na te Kaitieki Maori me nga Poari Whenua Maori kua whakakorea ake nei hei tango i aua paanga pakupaku. Me whakamarama ake ra tenei. Ka mate tetahi Maori ka tukua ona paanga whenua ki te Kaitieki Maori ko ia ra te Kaiwhakahaere mo nga whenua Maori penei. Ka wariutia nga paanga whenua a mehemea kei raro iho i tetahi wariu meake nei ka panuitia e kore e wawahia aua paanga ki te hunga e tika ana engari ka tangohia e te Kaitieki Maori a ko te wariu moni e whakaputaina ki taua hunga. Ko aua whenua ka whakatoputia kia totopu ka hokona ki te Maori ki te Karauna ranei hei mahi ahuwhenua hei tuunga whare ranei mo etahi Maori a ko nga moni ka kawea ki te tahua moni a te Kaitieki Maori hei tango whenua ano. Ko nga hoko whenua Maori a tetahi tangata whai paanga ki tetahi tangata whai paanga ano: Ka hanga noaiho te hoko a tetahi tangata i ona paanga i tetahi whenua Maori ki tetahi tangata whai paanga ano i taua whenua, i runga i nga whakaritenga a te Pire kaore e penei i ta te Ture nei he whakauene roa, ka mutu ano ma te Kooti e whakatau. Ko nga Koha: I runga i ta te Ture i whakarite ai mehemea ka tukua e tetahi Maori ona paanga whenua hei koha ki tetahi Maori ke, ki te mate kore uri taua tangata kore wira hoki a ki te mate penei ranei ana uri ka hoki aua paanga whenua ki te tangata nana te koha ki ana uri ranei. Ka whakakorea tenei ahuatanga e te Pire mo nga ra e tu mai nei haunga ia nga whenua i tukua hei tuunga whare ka hoki rano te mana o ta te Pire ki te wa i timata ai te tuku whenua hei tuunga whare ara e kore nga tuunga whare e hoki ki te hunga no ratou mai aua whenua. and for a specific purpose, such as the building of a house. SPLITTING UP OF INTERESTS One of the gravest problems of Maori administration is the smallness of the shares in which much Maori land is held. This impedes effective use of the land, and also creates a great amount of administrative work, in keeping title records and distributing rents or profits. This problem arises out of the splitting up of interests on succession, and—by reason of the high reproduction rate of the Maori—is rapidly becoming worse. The Bill would set up, under the management of the Maori Trustee, a fund, known as the Conversion Fund, from the accumulated profits of the Maori Trustee and Maori Land Boards. From this fund the Maori Trustee would have power to buy small interests in Maori land from the Maori owners, and the Court may also direct the sale to him of small interests on partition and consolidation. On the death of a Maori his interests in Maori land would vest in the Maori Trustee as Maori Land Administrator. The interests would be valued, and unless the share to which a successor is entitled is above a certain value, it would be retained by the Maori Trustee for the Conversion Fund, and the successor would be paid its value. The interests acquired from the Conversion Fund, by voluntary purchase and on succession, are to be accumulated, and sold—in economic areas—to Maoris or their descendants, or to the Crown for Maori Land Development or Maori Housing. Any moneys arising from the land would go back into the Conversion Fund for further purchases. The essence of the scheme is that small interests are not to be handed on or split up, but purchased by the Maori Trustee, and used exclusively for Maoris or Maori purposes. SALES OF MAORI LAND The Bill would enable the transfer of the interest of one owner in a piece of Maori land to any other owner by means of an order of the Court, thus avoiding the trouble and expense involved in an ordinary transfer. MAKING OF GIFTS Under the present law if a gift of Maori land is made from one Maori to another, and the person to whom it is given, or any successor of his dies without issue and without a will, the land given goes back to the donor or his family. The Bill would abolish this rule for future gifts generally, and would exclude its operation as regards land vested by the Court for house sites, whenever this took place.