G.—6

in which, the interests acquired from these Natives were located, and the consideration paid are as follows :— Vendor. Block. Consideration. £ s. d. Hariata Whareiti .. .. Orakei No. 1 Reserve .. .. 717 0 0 Orakei No. lc .. .. 524 14 0 Orakei No. 3c . . .. 617 13 0 Orakei No. 3f 1 .. .. 43 8 0 Orakei No. 4b .. .. 2,503 12 0 Orakei No. 5 .. .. .. 119 11 8 .£4,525 18 8 Mere Paora Tuhaere .. .. Orakei No. 1 Reserve .. .. 605 0 0 Orakei No. Ib .. .. 704 11 0 Orakei No. Id .. .. 1,69116 0 Orakei No. 3b 2 .. .. 467 10 0 Orakei No. 3d .. .. 1,402 10 0 Orakei No. 5 .. .. . . 112 1 0 £4,983 8 0 Te Rere Arama . . .. Orakei No. 1 Reserve .. . . 717 0 0 Orakei No. lc .. .. 524 14 0 Orakei No. 3c . . . . 617 13 0 Orakei No. 3f 1 .. .. 43 8 0 Orakei No. 4b .. .. 2,503 12 0 Orakei No. 5 .. .. .. 119 11 8 £4,525 18 8 The payments made to these Natives for all their Orakei interests are set out in schedules attached (Appendices Dl, D2, and D 3). Miscellaneous payments totalling £4,555 18s. Bd. were made to Hariata Whareiti during the period extending from 15th November, 1913, to 30th March, 1916. All the payments have been vouched in the manner indicated above. It is not possible to earmark each individual payment as being in respect of any particular interest, but it is clear that this Native has received full consideration for her interests in the whole of the Orakei Block, including the interest in Orakei No. 1 Reserve. She has, indeed, received more than the full consideration, because not only was she paid £30 more than the total consideration expressed for her interests, but the Crown, although it had purchased her interest in Orakei No. 1 Reserve on the 19th August, 1915, in mistake entered into a fresh agreement for the purchase of the same interest and paid her a sum of £823 19s. 7d. on the 15th March, 1923. Of this amount the sum of £100 has been refunded to the Crown, so that, in the result, this Native received for her papakainga interests a sum of at least £723 19s. 7d. more than the amount to which, in terms of her agreement, she was legally entitled. No special mention need be made of the payments to Mere Paora Tuhaere or Te Rere Arama. Each received the full consideration for her interests in the Orakei Block and full payment for her interest in Orakei No. 1 Reserve. 61. It is proper here to refer to a matter having relation to the question of payment. Mention has already been made of the attempted purchases by Matthew Henderson and others of interests in the Orakei Block and of the refusal of confirmation of the transfers by the Tokerau District Maori Land Board. Deposits had been paid to the Native vendors and were recovered out of purchase-moneys paid by the Crown for interests acquired in the Orakei subdivisions. There was no evidence before me that pressure was put by the Crown's agents upon the Natives to repay the deposits out of the proceeds of the sale of their interests in the papakainga or in any of the Orakei subdivisions. No deductions on account of these repayments were made by the Crown from the consideration jrnid to the Native sellers. In every case the cheques were made payable to the vendors, and their endorsements received. If Mr. Henderson and others were repaid, they were repaid by the vendors themselves out of the consideration-moneys received from the Crown. 62. It is clear, in the result, that the Natives who sold their interests in Orakei No. 1 Reserve have each received the full amount nominated as the consideration for such interests. 63. Question 5 is, " Whether the purchase-money agreed to be paid in respect of those interests purchased by the Crown in the said land has been duly paid to the Native vendors." The answer is " Yes." Question 6 : Whether the Natives now occupying the land purchased have any right or justification for their continued occupation thereof ? 64. The method adopted by the agents or officers of the Crown in purchasing land, but in some cases not the houses belonging to the vendors, has in fact resulted in Natives owning houses upon land which has become Crown land. Except those persons, no Native has any right or justification for continuing to occupy the portions of Orakei No. 1 Reserve Block owned by the Crown, or for refusing

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