Maori Land Blocks of the Ohinemuri District: Ohinemuri

In October 1894 WG Nicholls of Paeroa, husband of Rihitoto Mataia, offered the Ngatitaharua Reserve to the Crown for 7/- an acre.6 The Minister of Lands approved purchase at this price, which was the same as was being paid for other portions of the Ohinemuri Block.7

At this time two of the five Grantees had died, and succession in both cases had been awarded to Rihitoto Mataia. She was herself one of the Grantees in her own right.

One week after receiving approval to purchase Mair concluded the transfer.8 He forwarded the completed deed, commenting that

I was in some doubt as to the value of each interest, but eventually found that they had been fixed at a former Court. However, to make the matter perfectly sure, I got the grantees to sign a memo agreeing to the definition of interests as decided by the Court.9

The division of shares Mair was referring to was Rihitoto Mataia 334 shares, and Mere Perenihi and Pani Paura 100 shares together. This meant that Rihitoto received £116–18–0d, and Mere and Pani shared £35, a total of £151–18–0d.

Mair was told that his action was unorthodox.

Pray avoid making any arrangements of this kind without authority. No other officer attempts it, and your former efforts in the same direction are still a source of trouble to us. If the Court has defined the shares on those lines, the document is superfluous.10

He responded that

If the memo attached is of no use, it can be disregarded. I only had it signed to make matters perfectly clear, for the division of interests in some of these Ohinemuri lands is not always plain. It appears from the records that in some cases the grantees share in a block depends upon the area which that person has formerly sold to the Crown. There was no dispute between the sellers in this particular case, but the interests seemed so out of proportion that I merely had the agreement signed as a precautionary measure, and to prevent any of the sellers saying hereafter that they had not been paid in proportion. The Court files were not particularly clear.11

Before the purchase could be registered, the Governor had to agree to remove the restrictions on alienation which had been placed on the title by the Court. The Governor consented to this in December 1894.12

Ngatitaharua Reserve was declared Crown Land in July 1895.13

6 WG Nicholls, Paeroa, to Chief Land Purchase Officer, 13 October 1894, referred to on cover sheet to file NLP 1894/268. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #892.1.

7 Chief Land Purchase Officer to Minister of Lands, 31 October 1894, approved by Minister of Lands, 31 October 1894, on cover sheet to file NLP 1894/268. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #B92.1.

8 Auckland Deed 1877. Supporting Papers #A236.

9 Land Purchase Officer Thames to Chief Land Purchase Officer, 7 November 1894. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #B92.2–4.

10 Chief Land Purchase Officer to Land Purchase Officer Thames, 13 November 1894. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #B92.5.

11 Land Purchase Officer Thames to Chief Land Purchase Officer, 22 November 1894, on Land Purchase Officer Thames to Chief Land Purchase Officer, 7 November 1894. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #B92.2–4.

12 Governor's Consent, 8 December 1894. Maori Affairs Head Office file MLP 1895/23. Supporting Papers #B92.6.

13 New Zealand Gazette 1895 page 1122. Supporting Papers #W28.2.

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