G.—6.

Eruera Kawhia and party convinced us that they were the rightful owners and occupiers of the land before the Court. They did not recognize Tuta Nihoniho and his hapu Te Aetanga-Mate in the slightest, and this petition is untruthful in making that assertion. Had they been recognized they would have been admitted. Tuihana, one of the petitioners, is included in the title to Ngamoe. Her father was a tohunga, and as such had general functions among the hapus of bis tribe Ngaitangihaere, and on the whole, though with some hesitation, we decided to admit her. The judgment, attached, shows the grounds that influenced our decision, coupled, however, with evidence too diffuse to be mentioned therein. Thus, we found that Tangihaere, the father of Poromata, had lived and died at Taranga, and though he visited his son at Ngamoe, Tangihaere had no pas or places there ; thus his papatupu that Te Aetanga-Mate allege had no existence whatever. We found that Poromata, who moved there from Uawa, was the first Maori colonist at Ngamoe (his brol her went there also) ; but Poromata and his sons were killed and their colonizing was suddenly stopped. At the time of Poromata's death his daughter Mate had long been living with her husband at Turanga. From her are descended Te Aetanga-Mate, Tuta's hapu, on behalf of whom he claimed this Ngamoe land. It was not until after Atakura's son Tuwhakairiora had completed the conquest of Ngamoe that Mate heard of it, and in the following year she sent a war-party from Turanga under her grandson Pakanui. I say "in the following year," because it transpired that preparations in planting food for the taua had been made at Turanga. This expedition landed south of Ngamoe Block, at Mataahu. Pakanui carried his arms inland in a direction parallel to the course his cousin had taken, and a few miles south of same. Thus he did not interfere with Tuwhakairiora's conquest. The line laid down ten years ago by Te Aetanga-Mate themselves, which is the northern boundary of Whareponga and now forms the southern boundary of Ngamoe Block, was in our opinion the line of demarcation between these conquests. Pakanui requested assistance from Tuwhakairiora, but that chief refused to come to his aid ; and From Hokamau's (his representative) evidence in other claims at Hicks Bay, it would seem that Tuwhakairiora had at that time other wars on hand. Finally Rikipapaki, Pakanui's brother, took Kahuitara Pa, and the enemy was completely expelled. Pakanui then settled on the land acquired, and built a large house of ponga-trees —hence the name of the village where he lived, " Whareponga," and which is the name of one of Tuta's Aetanga-Mate. blocks of land there. .). A. Wilson. Approwimatt Coit »/ Paper. -Preparation, not given ; printing (l,400iooplw), £8.

By Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9l3. Price 3d.]

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