Ohinemuri District: Ohinemuri

As this minor inherited his two shares from his father alone (his mother belonging to another tribe), I would ask whether you think it would be advisable to allow the matter to stand over until the Ohinemuri case comes on again in the Native Land Court in order to see whether it could not be proved to the satisfaction of the Court that, as this child inherits his father's lands, so also should he inherit the debts which his parent had saddled them with during his lifetime, or whether the purchase should be proceeded with at once and the whole of the purchase money for these two interests paid over to the Trustees?104

He was told in reply that

You will be good enough to purchase from Pani Paura's trustees the two shares held by them, paying at the same rate per acre that other similar shares have been purchased at.

The money advanced to Pereniki Te Kokako on the Ohinemuri Block is included in the lien of £45,000 over the Goldfields revenue from the land, and should not therefore be treated as a charge on the present sale. The payments made on the Waihou blocks cannot be allocated to the Ohinemuri land unless at the personal request of the Grantee.105

Provision of Reserves

In April 1881 the Under Secretary of the Native Land Purchase Department advised the Native Minister that

When last in Auckland Mr Wilkinson mentioned to me that the question of Reserves set apart or promised by Mr Mackay out of the Ohinemuri Goldfield Block in 1878 must soon be decided. These promises were not on record at Wellington, nor had I ever heard of them before. I requested Mr Wilkinson to send to Wellington copies of all papers having any promise of land made by Mr Mackay he had in his office. The attached are the papers sent. The matter is a very extraordinary one hidden since 1878. If any value is to be placed on these promises and land is to be given up as Reserves, the matter only can be settled when it is known what part of Goldfield Block the Crown will be able to obtain a title to. This cannot be known till a Native Land Court sits at Ohinemuri.106

The papers contained a number of lists of proposed reserves.107 Each list is different, and

none is dated, so it is not possible to accurately determine the total amount of reserves promised by Mackay.

In March 1881 Wi Koka Unahi and Tupeka Te Whakamau wrote to the Native Minister about the promise of a reserve.

Mr Mackay was the person who negotiated for this land, and he promised to make reserves for us. The number of acres he promised to have reserved was 1000 acres for the Ngatitangata and 1000 for the Ngatikoroke, making in all 2000 acres. We therefore wish you to have the reserves set apart at once, lest complications should arise, as Pakehas are mining for gold on the block in which we ask to have the reserves made.108

104 Land Purchase Officer Thames to Under Secretary Native Land Purchase Department, 24 February 1882. Maori Affairs Head Office file NO 1882/1284. Suppoting Papers #C3.22–23.

105 Under Secretary Native Land Purchase Department to Land Purchase Officer Thames, 9 March 1882,

attached to cover sheet to file NLP 1882/63. Maori Affairs Head Office file NO 1882/1284.

Supporting Papers #C3.24.

106 Under Secretary Native Land Purchase Department to Native Minister, date not known, on cover sheet to file NLP 1881/42. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1881/246. Supporting Papers #B36.161.

107 Papers on Reserves, sent by Land Purchase Officer Thames to Under Secretary Native Land Purchase Department, 22 March 1881 and 21 June 1881. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1881/246. Supporting Papers #B36.162–166 and 179–184.

108 Wi Koka Unahi and Tupeka Te Whakamau, Houmanga, to Native Minister, 22 March 1881. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1881/246. Supporting Papers #B36.167–169.

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