debt would begin to accumulate against their [Ngati Tamatera] interests at Ohinemuri’.⁷⁵ The debt against Ohinemuri escalated in the next two years, largely as a result of store accounts charged by Maori against the block while Mackay was absent in Waikato from May 1873 to June 1874. At a great assembly at Whakatiwai in August 1874, a number of temporary stores and a bakery sold food, drink, and clothing to the thousands who attended.⁷⁶ At the end of 1874 Mackay denied that he had encouraged the practice – rather the opposite – but had accepted the charges on his return, partly, he said, to save members of Ngati Tamatera from imprisonment for debt.⁷⁷

10.2 The Leasing of Ohinemuri

As a result of the mounting debts against the land, the attitudes of the Government and former Maori objectors to gold mining were reversed. All the objectors bar Te Moananui came to accept mining as the best means of discharging debt. But the Government, now in pursuit of the fee simple title to the land, was less than eager.

Leasing and sale of land were prominent topics at a large hui at Whakatiwai in July and August 1874; so too was raihana, now the subject of serious criticism in the local press. But Mackay produced a pocketful of receipts for store debts which he said were forced upon him for blocks from Moehau to Te Aroha. The tribal leaders were clearly embarrassed and concerned, and met to try to find ways of dealing with the problem, now out in the open.

Mackay sought to embarrass Te Hira with details of raihana taken by his relatives, and asserted that Ohinemuri was now open. When Te Hira retorted that McLean, the Governor and Mackay himself had acknowledged that Ohinemuri was in his keeping, Mackay replied, ‘Separate your own pieces from those of others, and keep them to yourself, pieces owned by other people are gone.’ There were angry exchanges, Mackay asserting that Mere Kuru had received raihana and Mere denying it. Te Moananui blamed Mackay for failing to cease issuing or accepting orders on goods, and charging them against land. Te Hira said that Mackay had no right to charge him with what the young people had done. Again Mackay took the line of individual responsibility for individual interests in land: ‘what solely belongs to you, you can keep solely for yourself’.⁷⁸

Te Hira, although still opposed to gold mining in Ohinemuri, reluctantly agreed to negotiate.⁷⁹ Another large meeting was held at Ohinemuri on 10 November 1874 at which Mackay put the question as to how the cash advances were to be redeemed. Many in the

75. Document E2, p 71

76. Thames Advertiser, 5, 8,14,17, 20 August 1874 (doc o6, pp 241–242)

77. Document a8, p 223

78. Thames Advertiser, 24 August 1874 (doc o6, pp 244–245)

79. Ibid, 22 October 1874 (p 247)