Ng¯ati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) Claims Settlement Bill

Preamble
Ngāti Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)
Claims Settlement
Struck out (unanimous)
Crown then enacted further legislation, including the Confiscated
Lands Act 1867, in order to validate Wilson’s
arrangements.
(25) While Ngati Tuwharetoa were granted some land through the
compensation process, they lost their customary rights of
access to other traditional lands and resources.
(26) Land restored through the compensation process was returned
to individuals rather than to the hapū or iwi. The awards did
not reflect the customary forms of tenure and land became
more susceptible to partition and alienation.
Crown purchases
(27) In 1873, Crown land purchase agents began negotiating to
lease the Rotoitipaku and Tawhitinui blocks. Eight Ngati
Tuwharetoa men signed a deed of lease for the blocks. Some
of these men were listed as trustees for the 2 blocks in the
schedules Wilson prepared of the compensation awards.
(28) In 1874, after publication of the awards for the Rotoitipaku
and Tawhitinui blocks in the Gazette, it became clear that the
existing deed of lease did not have the appropriate signatories.
Crown land purchase agents attempted to complete the lease
deeds by obtaining the signatures for all the grantees listed in
the Gazette notice. This proved difficult for a number of
reasons, including administrative difficulties and the absence
of some grantees from the area. The Crown subsequently
decided to attempt to purchase the blocks instead.
(29) In 1878, a number of areas within the Rotoitipaku and Tawhitinui
blocks were set aside and, in many cases, surveyed as
reserves under instruction from Crown officials. During negotiations
with some of the grantees the following year, the
Crown land purchase agent agreed that these reserves would
be excluded from purchase.
(30) Over the next few years the Crown negotiated with some of
the owners, purchasing all of the Tawhitinui block in 1883.
An 88 acre reserve was excluded from the sale.
(31) Crown agents also negotiated the purchase of the interests of
five of the grantees of the Rotoitipaku block. Some of the
other grantees wrote to the Minister of Native Affairs in
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