THE CROWN, THE TREATY, AND THE HAURAKI TRIBES, 1800-1885

particularly, the movement towards outright purchase reflected the demands of the mining industry for greater security for capital investment; a general desire on the part of the mining and service community to be able to own the freehold of their businesses and residences, tied into a dislike of having Maori landlords; and a resentment which was shared by the miners who were paying out the fees and rents, and the local bodies who would have otherwise received them, that gold field revenues should be going into Maori hands.

The sale of gold field blocks at Thames briefly raised the question of the status of the 'native gold field revenues' generated by them, and what should happen to those monies. At first, Government officials who administered that account were reluctant to pay those revenues over to Pakeha purchasers. That reluctance seems to have stemmed more from the opinion that the right to receive those fees was attached to the land, in its condition as land officially opened for mining purposes, rather than from any notion that the mining deeds had created a trust in the gold field revenues for Maori. Such a right had to be distinctly disposed of, which had not happened in the sale arrangements in question. Thus, the purchaser of the freehold was not considered entitled to the revenues that had been established by cession. Any tentative connexion between the revenues and a native right expressed in the negotiation of the cession deeds was, in any case, soon dismissed by officials who looked to standard common law interpretations of those documents and saw them as merely conveying a right of easement, payment for which would go to the purchaser of the lands concerned, 'whatever the colour of his skin'.

The Tairua Investigation Committee

[pp. 242-246] Mackay's purchase methods came under increasing attack, both within the Native Land Purchase Department, and by provincial politicians dissatisfied with the General Government's land purchase policy and conduct. Although the acquisition of areas such as Ohinemuri and Te Aroha was considered impossible unless right-holding was broken down into a collection of individual, transferable interests, the purchase of signatures from all persons entered into the memorial of ownership took years to complete and required mounting payments. The focus of criticism was, thus, not on the effects of Mackay's dealings on Hauraki's land and resource base, but on the slow rate of acquisition, the expense, and purported corruption among those involved in purchase operations. The question of the abuse of official powers was examined by the Tairua Investigation Committee, but again, the emphasis was on the loss to the 'public interest' rather than the impact on Maori.

Changes in the administration of land purchase policy

[pp. 246-253] The Government (under Sir George Grey) dispensed with Mackay's services, passed a series of legislation intended to speed up the transfer of title, and reorganised the Native Department. Of particular significance for Hauraki, was the passage of the Government Land Purchases Act 1877 under which large tracts of lands on which downpayments had been made were blocked off from private purchase in order to

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