Ohinemuri District: Ohinemuri

The 1897 partition seems to have been ignored in December 1907, when the Court heard an application by the Crown to have its interest in the reserve defined. It awarded the Crown 2548 acres o roods 9 perches of the block (including the 300 acre reserve) as defined in 1894 after the cutting out of Section 1B. This Crown block was renamed Ngatitamatera Reserve A. The rest of this block (481 acres 1 rood 3 perches) was retained by the non-sellers as Ngatitamatera Reserve B.45

Mackay, reporting on the Court hearing, stated that

[I] obtained an order in favour of the Crown for the whole of the small [300 acre] Ngatitamatera block, and for the large one with the exception of 505 acres which was cut off for the interests of the non-sellers at the southern end of it. The non-sellers, who in many cases were debarred from earlier disposing of their shares from having to obtain Succession Orders for the interests of deceased persons, have now made application to me to purchase their rights in the unsold portion. I replied that the matter would be referred to the Government for their decision.46

But he was told that Government had ceased purchasing, and

The purchase is absolutely closed and the portion cut off for the non-sellers by the Court must stand as it is 47

Ngatitamatera Reserve A was declared Crown Land in May 1908.48 The Crown's award was not surveyed until 1934.49

Ngatitamatera Reserve B and 1B

Ngatitamatera Reserve B was partitioned in two in April 1914, so that the interests of six of the owners could be separately defined. The six owners were awarded Ngatitamatera Reserve B1 of 103 acres 2 roods 20 perches, leaving the remaining 76 owners in Ngatitamatera Reserve B2 of 377 acres 2 roods 23 perches.50

When these subdivisions were subsequently surveyed, Ngatitamatera Reserve B1 was found to have an area of 103 acres 1 rood 12 perches, and Ngatitamatera Reserve B2 an area of 376 acres 2 roods 28 perches.

In 1922 the Court heard evidence about Te Keepa Rangipuawhe's ownership of Section 1B Block III Aroha Survey District, the 400 acre block that had been partitioned out in 1894. It decided that Te Keepa was holding the land in trust for certain members of Tuhourangi hapu.51

When the Tuhourangi Section a block was re-surveyed in 1968, it was found to have an area of 400 acres 1 rood 20 perches.52

45 Hauraki Minute Book 58 page 155. Supporting Papers #J65.10.

46 JMackay, Paeroa, to Under Secretary for Lands, 16 August 1907. Lands and Survey Head Office file 54769. Supporting Papers #D3.22-26.

47 Under Secretary for Lands to J Mackay, Thames, 20 August 1907. Lands and Survey Head Office file

54769. Supporting Papers #D3.27.

48 New Zealand Gazette 1908 page 1300. Supporting Papers #w41.2.

49 Hamilton Maori Land plan 15524. Supporting Papers #N263.

50 Hauraki Minute Book 62 pages 293-294. Supporting Papers #J69.4-5.

51 Order of the Court, 17 August 1922. Maori Land Court Hamilton Block Orders file H1336 (Part Bii). Supporting Papers #K87.2.

52 Hamilton Maori Land plan 19891. Supporting Papers #N265.

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