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

Ngāti Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)
Claims Settlement Preamble
New (unanimous)
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:
(30) 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:
(31) 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:
(32) 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
December 1882 objecting to the sale. The Crown applied to
the Native Land Court to have its interest in the block
declared. During the Native Land Court hearing some nonselling
grantees opposed the land being sold without the consent
of all 10 of the grantees and the backing of their hapū.
Despite their objections the Court awarded the southern half
of Rotoitipaku to the Crown on 25 June 1883. There was no
provision for reserves within the section of Rotoitipaku
awarded to the Crown. Members of Ngāti Tuwharetoa (Bay
of Plenty) wrote to the Minister of Native Affairs on 25 June
1883, outlining the objections of some Ngāti Tuwharetoa
(Bay of Plenty) around Kawerau and Ngāti Umutahi to the
sale and asking to be allowed to return the money advanced
by the Government:
(33) The loss of their traditional lands through confiscation, Crown
purchases and other alienations under the native land laws has
impacted on the access of Ngāti Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)
to resources such as the coast and the swamp that traditionally
provided food, medicine, and shelter. They also lost control
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