especially around Okauia. Their interests did therefore extend into our inquiry district to some extent. In addition, they had occupation rights in the Te Puna area as a result of their links with Pirirakau.⁴⁸ Hapu of Ngati Raukawa were in a somewhat similar position, being based primarily on the other side of the Kaimai Range but with interests and some settlements on the Tauranga side. They also had strong connections with the Wairoa hapu, who acknowledge their Ngati Raukawa whakapapa.⁴⁹

Ngati Rangiwewehi of Te Arawa, who lived to the south of our inquiry district, had interests that overlapped with those of Tauranga Maori in the area between Otanewainuku and Oropi–Waoku. In addition, we note that Motiti Island was the subject of a long-running dispute between Ngai Te Rangi and Te Arawa.⁵⁰

2.4.3 Customary interests and claims of Treaty breach

Having set out the territories within which various groups had interests, we now relate these territories to the cms blocks, the 50,000-acre confiscated block, and the Te Puna–Katikati blocks: three of the key areas within our inquiry district which are the subject of claims of Treaty breach. The nature of the claimed breaches will be discussed later in this report. Our identification of the groups with interests in these areas is based on the core territories provided by the claimants themselves. We reiterate that Maori land interests were not a matter of clearly defined boundaries between groups and that a group could have a particular interest in a place that was some distance from its core territory. In listing various groups below, therefore, we do not suggest that other groups had no rights within the areas mentioned. However, we believe that it will be useful for both the claimants and the Crown for us to give some guidance as to which groups were primarily affected by alleged Treaty breaches involving the three blocks:

► The cms blocks. The principal groups holding interests in the cms blocks were Ngati Tapu, Ngai Tamarawaho, and Ngai Tukairangi. Ngati He have also asserted an interest in them, and we accept that they appear to have had an interest in the southern part of the blocks at a place called Taiparirua.⁵¹

► The confiscated block. The confiscated block (which encompassed the cms blocks at Te Papa) included substantial parts of the core territories of Pirirakau, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Pango, Ngati Kahu, Ngati Hangarau, Ngai Tamarawaho, Ngati Tapu, Ngai Te Ahi, and Ngati Ruahine. None of these hapu’s rohe was exclusively within the confiscated block, but Ngai Tamarawaho and Ngati Hangarau in particular had very limited interests outside of it. It is likely that Ngati He also lost some land around the eastern boundary of the

48. Document a2, pp 172–173; doc a13, pp 16–17; doc a47, p 23

49. Document a2, pp 172–173; doc a13, p 17; doc k2; doc n14, p 4

50. Document a2, pp 174–175

51. Document j2, pp 15, 41–42; doc j42, p 7; doc 142(a)