Ngatimaru to Be a Section of the Ngatiawa Tribe, but This Assertion Was ~Isproved by Information.He Later Obtained
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
I . 1- .... ~h'~'~( ~ tvl\5, A Report Commissioned by the Waitangi Tribunal for the Taranaki claim (Wai 143) concerning r-NGA-T-l-MA:-R-T:J-A-TE>-F BLOCKS By Aroha M. Waetford September 1995 Any conclusions drawn or opinions expressed are those of the author ~. Table of Content Page 1 Note about the Author 1 2 The Claim and the Claimants 3 Purpose of the report 2 4 Location of Ngati Maru A to F blocks 5 Ngati Maru Tribal History 4 5.1 The people 5.2 The land 6 5.2.1 Tribal boundary issue 9 6 Pre-Taranaki Land Wars 12 6.1 The Northern Expedition, 1819-1820 6.2 Waikato attack, 1831 7 The Taranaki Land Wars 13 7.1 Wiremu Kingi 14 8 Titokowaru's war: 1868-1869 9 The Confiscation of Taranaki Land, 1865 15 9.1 The Compensation Court 16 9.2 Award granted for claims to Compensation Court 10 Ngati Maru's Participation in Land Sales, 1872-1875 17 10.1 Background to scheme introduced under McLean's Instructions 10.2 The Scheme and Ngati Maru 18 10.3 Land Sales of Ngati Maru 19 10.4 Section 24, Native Land Act 1873 10.5 Tables of landblocks sold by Ngati Maru 20 10.5.1 Te Kopua and Waitara Taramouku No 1 21 and No 2 blocks 10.5.2 Pukemahoe, Ruapekapeka and Onaero-Urenui Taramouku blocks 10.5.3 Te Wera and Mangaotuku blocks 10.5.4 Calculation of Reserves for Ngati Maru lands sold to the Crown 22 10.6 Commissions of Inquiry, from 1880-1907 23 10.6.1 Fox-Bell, West Coast Commission, 1880 10.6.2 Rees-Carroll-Mackay Commission, 1891 10.6.3 Ngata-Stout Commission, 1907 24 11 Ngati Maru A to F blocks, Pre-1907 Enactments , 11.1 Petition of Tutanuku Tume, 1896 12 Planning for the Enactments, 1907 28 12.1 The Purangi Landless Natives Bill 29 12.2 Ngati Maru Landless Natives Bill 30 13 The Purangi Landless Natives Act 1907 & the Ngati 31 Maru Landless Natives Act 1907 13.1 Allocation of Land 13.2 Criteria for determining land-ownership 13.3 Surveying the Ngati Maru A to F blocks 32 13.4 Section 55, Native Land Amendment Act 1913 34 14 Other petitions presented to Parliament 14.1 Petition of Kapua Keepa, 1925 36 14.2 Sim Commission regarding Keepa's petition 37 14.3 Te Hekenui Whakarake's petition 15 Subdivision of Ngati Maru A to F blocks 39 15.1 Alienations of the Ngati Maru A to F blocks (a) Block A 40 (b) Block B (c) Block C (d) Block D - Repartition in 1971 41 (e) Block E 42 (f) Block F 15.2 Maori Affairs Amendment Act 1967 43 15.3 Unallotted land 15.4 Impact of Maori Trustee 45 16 Summary of ownership of land allocated under the 46 Ngati Maru and Purangi acts 17 Conclusion/Issues concerning Ngati Maru Wharanui 48 17.1 Quality of Ngati Maru A to F blocks 17.2 Taranaki Land Confiscation of 1865 17.3 The Compensation Court award of 1866 49 17.4 Purchase of Ngati Maru lands 17.5 Lands allocated for landless Natives 50 17.6 Unallocated sections of land 51 17.7 The Maori Affairs Amendment Act 1967 17.8 The Maori Trustee 52 Appendices Bibliography Document Bank ..I 1 Note about the Author My name is Aroha Waetford and I am of Ngati Haaua ki Waikato, Atihaunui a Paparangi, Ngarauru and Ngapuhi descent. I am employed by the Waitangi Tribunal Division as a researcher. In 1992 I graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Auckland University in May, and was admitted to the bar as a barrister and solicitor in June. I have tutored Legal Systems at Auckland Law School while also being employed there as the Academic Co ordinator for Maori Law students. The general purpose of this report is to investigate issues of land loss experienced by the Ngati Maru iwi of Taranaki. I was commissioned by the Tribunal to produce this Taranaki "ancillary" or discrete claim in September 1994. 2 The Claim and the Claimants The claim for Ngati Maru was lodged at the Waitangi Tribunal on 28 September 1987, and registered initially as Wai l36. 1 The Ngati Maru claim is now part of the Wai l43 Taranaki claim. The claimants, Tainui Tokotaua, P . T. Kopu:, and Bruce Orchard lodged this claim as representatives on behalf of Ngati Maru trustees. In their written statement, the claimants: i) disagree with the tribal boundary lines depicted in the map of the 1928 Sim Royal Commission report,and, ii) state that the boundaries differed from the ones defined in ancestral teachings of the Ngati Maru land area. 2 Further submissions by Ngati Maru speakers were made before the Waitangi Tribunal at Te Upoko 0 te Whenua marae, Tarata, in 1 See Statement of Claim at Appendix 2 2 In the statement of claim, the claimants mentioned maps in a report by Percy Smith. However, such a report could not be located by the writer. The writer has however, referred to Smith's book which contains a map of Taranaki tribal boundaries: SP Smith, History and Traditions of the Taranaki Coast, also, Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, Sim Commission, 'Sim Commission Report', 1928, vol II, G- 7, P 3l. See depiction of Sim Commission map at Section 5.2.l of this report ',. - October 1991. 3 Dennis Patuwairua, the speaker on behalf of Ngati Maru, highlighted: iii) concerns about the poor quality land, namely, the Ngati Maru A to F blocks which were allocated to tribal members under the Ngati Maru Landless Natives Act 1907 ('Ngati Maru Act'), and the Purangi Landless Natives Act 1907 ('Purangi Act') ; iv) how various wahi tapu which claimants had identified, as no longer being within tribal ownership; v) how as a result of wars and land confiscation, Ngati Maru as an iwi had been fragmented, and were striving now to regain their tribal identity. 3 Purpose of report The aims of this report are to: (a) Review the history of Ngati Maru' s tribal land holdings prior to the Taranaki wars of the period 1860-70. (b) Examine how Ngati Maru were effectively rendered landless as a result of the land wars and land confiscation which occurred in Taranaki. (c) Discuss whether the area of land returned, namely, the Ngati Maru A to F Blocks, were sufficient for the needs of the tangata whenua? ll 4 Location of Ngati Maru A to F Blocks (lithe blocks ) The Ngati Maru A to F blocks are six adjoining blocks which total approximately 2 000 acres. They are located about 30 kilometres east of Inglewood. Less than one kilometre north of Purangi, the western boundary of the blocks stretches seven kilometres northeast, along the Waitara river. Ngatoto Road, runs about three kilometres north along the west bank of the Waitara river. Matau North Road briefly borders the east side of a few blocks. Consequently, access to the A to F blocks, by road, is quite difficult. Also, the blocks consist of very rugged hill country, and are covered in native bush, gorse and scrub. 4 3 Wai 143 Taranaki claim, Ngati Maru hearing at Te Upoko o te Whenua marae, Tarata, 15 October 1991. Speakers on behalf of, or in support of Ngati Maru were Dennis Patuwairua, Tom Ngatai, Richie Luke and Lovie McDonald 4 Oral evidence by Dennis Patuwairua, Ngati Maru hearing at Te Upoko 0 te Whenua marae, Tarata, 15 October 1991 2 The process of allocating these blocks to Ngati Maru Maori, under the Ngati Maru and Purangi Acts, will be examined in a later section of this report. s S See overpage, locality map, and, the topographical map of the A to F blocks 3 2 km I mile F j A ( ---~ / ,/ ~ / ~ 0 / ~ Mt TaranakI "/' B ..... ~ :z ~ Crown land ,/ Wanganul <. RIver '''"''' .... ",' '''"''' ,/ ./"'''"''' Figure I Map of 'A to F' blocks Heights above sea level 300m (984ft) 200m (656ft) 100 Waltara River CROSS-SECTION THROUGH BLOCKS A - F Figure 2 : Topographical map of 'A to F' blocks 5 Ngati Maru Tribal History 5.1 The People There is little written material which records the tribal origins of Ngati Maru. Also, since the written versions have partial differences, establishing authenticity is somewhat difficult. A common element, however, is that Maru Wharanui is the common· ancestor of the Taranaki Ngati Maru. Ngati Maru hapu which have been mentioned in published materials are Ngati Te Ika, Ngariki and Ngati Hine. 6 A list of sixteen Ngati Maru hapu has been collated by Dennis Patuwairua and Pono Whakaruru. 7 The sixteen hapu being: Ngati Kui, Ngati Kopua, Ngati Rautao, Ngati Rongonui, Ngati Mihi, Ngati Takahi, Ngati Hinemokai, Ngati Wharanui, Ngati Kehu, Ngati Tearei, Ngati Teika and Ngati Kura te Uta. An early account Of Ngati Maru's tribal origins was recorded by Parris in 1872. B Initially, he understood Ngatimaru to be a section of the Ngatiawa tribe, but this assertion was ~isproved by information.he later obtained. 9 With the assistance of Hone Pihama, a Ngati Ruanui chief, Parris was informed that the Ngatimaru tribes living in the Ngatimaru country, in the Upper Whanganui, and at the Thames, are descendants of a branch of the Ngati Ruanui tribe. They originally lived at a place called 6 See above note 2. Reference made to hapu, in Smith's book at p 18. Also, reference made in petition of Kapua Keepa, Ngati te Ika; Petition No 74/1925, and file N.D.