'Fallen Plumage': a History of Puhipuhi, 1865-2015
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Wai 1040, #A61 ‘Fallen Plumage’: A history of Puhipuhi, 1865-2015 Mark Derby A report commissioned by the Waitangi Tribunal Te Paparahi o Te Raki inquiry (Wai 1040) August 2016 Mark Derby, Fallen Plumage’: A History of Puhipuhi, 1865 – 2015 A The Author Tēnā koutou. My name is Mark Derby. I am a Pākehā of Irish descent, living in Wellington. I hold a Masters in New Zealand Studies, with honours in history and te reo Māori, awarded ‘with distinction’ by the Stout Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria University of Wellington. My thesis examined the 1916 arrest of Rua Kēnana by Police Commissioner John Cullen, who was formerly superintendent of the North Auckland police district, in which the Puhipuhi blocks lie. This was later published as The Prophet and the Policeman: the story of Rua Kenana and John Cullen (Nelson: Craig Potton, 2009). I was employed at the Waitangi Tribunal as a researcher and claims facilitator from 2003 to 2007. During that time I completed a commissioned scoping report, ‘‘Undisturbed Possession’ – Te Tiriti o Waitangi and East Coast Maori, 1840 – 1865’ (Wai 900, #A11). I have also worked for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage as a writer on Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand and have published widely on historical issues, both in this country and overseas.1 My research has also appeared in the form of conference papers and peer-reviewed journal articles, and contributions to films, TV series and museum exhibitions on New Zealand history.2 Each of these projects has drawn extensively on unpublished archival as well as secondary research sources. I am a member of the Professional Historians Association of NZ/Aotearoa and on the advisory board of the international research network H-Spain, and a life member of the Labour History Project Inc. 1 My other books include Mautini – A History of Mt Eden Prison, (Auckland: Potton and Burton) Publishing (in progress); Petals and Bullets – Dorothy Morris: New Zealand Nurse in the Spanish Civil Wa r, (Sussex Academic Press, UK, 2015); Kiwi Compañeros - New Zealand and the Spanish Civil War, (Christchurch: Canterbury University Press, 2009/Spanish-language edition published 2011 in association with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) 2 My other historical projects include the conference paper ‘Hakaraia Mahika – Son of Satan or Prophet of peace?’ NZ Historical Association biennial conference 2013; the book chapters ‘Māori tourism’ in Selling the Dream – The Visual Story of Early New Zealand Tourism, (Auckland: Craig Potton Publishing, 2012) and ‘Méliès in Maoriland’ in Making Film and Television Histories - Australia and New Zealand, J. Bennett, R. Beirne, I B Tauris, (eds.). UK, 2011; the TV documentary Dr Smith of the Hokianga, Greenstone Pictures/TVNZ 2001; and the journal article ‘Ossian in Aotearoa – Ponga and Puhihuia and the Re-Creation of Myth’, Journal of New Zealand Studies 2009, pp.29-40 i Mark Derby, Fallen Plumage’: A History of Puhipuhi, 1865 – 2015 A Acknowledgements I am indebted to the people of Ngāti Hau and Ngāti Hine for their generosity in sharing their tribal history and providing informed responses on this report. In particular, I wish to particularly thank Dr Benjamin Pittman, Te Raa Nehua, Allan Halliday and Dale van Engelen of Ngāti Hau, and Pita Tipene and Kevin Prime of Ngāti Hine. Ngā mihi whakawhetai ki a koutou. I also acknowledge the support and advice of Waitangi Tribunal historians Dr Barry Rigby and Leanne Boulton, which has contributed to the completition of this report. Abbreviations AJHR Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives ANZ Archives New Zealand Auck Auckland ATL Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington c. circa (about a certain date) CFRT Crown Forestry Rental Trust ed,eds editor(s) n/d no date No, no.s number(s) NZPD New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) MHR Member of the House of Representatives ML Maori Land plan (North Auckland District) p. page pp. pages pt part s.,ss. section(s) (of an Act) SO Survey Office plan (North Auckland District) vol, vols volume(s) Wai Waitangi Tribunal claim number Wgtn Wellington # number (of document) ii Mark Derby, Fallen Plumage’: A History of Puhipuhi, 1865 – 2015 A Contents The Author ...................................................................................................................... i Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Project background ..................................................................................................... 1 The Puhipuhi lands ..................................................................................................... 2 The Commission ........................................................................................................ 3 Statement of Issues ..................................................................................................... 4 Claims relating to the block ....................................................................................... 4 Scope and methodology ............................................................................................. 5 Sources ..................................................................................................................... 10 Report structure ........................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 1 – Lands and people: Puhipuhi before 1870 ................................................. 16 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 16 1.2 The physical geography of the Puhipuhi lands .................................................. 16 1.3 Occupation and use of traditional resources before the 1820s ........................... 17 1.4 Post-contact occupation and use, 1800 – 1830 .................................................. 22 1.5 European influences and Puhipuhi, 1830s – 1860s ............................................ 26 1.6 Crown purchasing around Puhipuhi, 1859 – 1870 ............................................. 34 1.7 European settlement in the vicinity of Puhipuhi in the 1860s............................ 39 Chapter 2 – Native Land Court title application and survey, 1871 – 1873 .................. 41 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 41 2.2 The initial impetus for the application for title investigation ............................. 41 2.3 Application for investigation of title .................................................................. 43 2.4 Boundary Survey ................................................................................................ 45 iii Mark Derby, Fallen Plumage’: A History of Puhipuhi, 1865 – 2015 A 2.5 Protests at the survey of the Puhipuhi block ...................................................... 48 2.6 Continuation of disputes over gumdigging ........................................................ 52 2.7 Crown objections to Hirini (Sydney) Taiwhanga and his survey of Puhipuhi ... 60 2.8 The 1872 Puhipuhi survey plan .......................................................................... 61 2.9 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3 – First Native Land Court hearings, 1873 and 1875, and their aftermath ... 66 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 66 3.2 The first Native Land Court hearing, 1873 ........................................................ 67 3.3 Maning’s proposal following the 1873 hearing ................................................. 73 3.4 Maning’s attempts to persuade the parties to renegotiate their portions ............ 77 3.5 The uncompleted 1875 re-hearing ...................................................................... 84 3.6 The situation by the end of 1875 ........................................................................ 87 3.7 Crown and claimant attempts to settle differences out of court, 1876 – 1878 ... 88 3.8 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 102 Chapter 4 – Advance payments by the Crown, 1875 – 1881 .................................... 106 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 106 4.2 Background – Crown and private purchasing in the Te Raki district prior to 1880 ........................................................................................................................ 106 4.3 The practice of making advance payments ...................................................... 110 4.4 Reasons for Crown interest in purchasing Puhipuhi ........................................ 114 4.5 The appearance of private land-buyers ............................................................ 115 4.6 Proclamation prohibiting private purchasing, and advances to Nehua and Ngāti Wai, late 1878 ......................................................................................................... 121 4.7 Advance to Kawiti, 1878 – 1879 ...................................................................... 123 4.8 ‘Taihoa! Taihoa!’, 1879 – 1880 ........................................................................ 128 4.9 Nehua withholds part