Saturday July 7th
The court sat at 10 am in pursuant to adjournment.
Present – Thos Henry Smith – Judge Te Kaene, Tamihana Rauparaha – assessors
Notice of the sitting of the court for the investigation of the title of Perenara and others to Otaki, having, been read.
Perenara Te Tewe appeared before the court and being sworn informed the court.
I reside at Pukekaraka. I made an application to have my title to a piece of land at Otaki investigated. The piece of land I claim is called Te Waerenga. It is situated at Otaki. It has not been surveyed. The piece of land is too small for me to describe its boundaries. It has been marked off with stakes. I cannot say what is the area it may be 3 or it may be 4 acres. All the people here know the piece of land I claim but they have not seen my stakes. The stakes were put in some time before the application was sent in – (dated December 20th) and the stakes still remain. I produce a sketch of the land claimed. There are stakes at all the angles numbered 1- 2- 3-4 -5- 6- 7 and 8 on the sketch. I know my claim is disputed. This land belonged to my ‘matua’ ‘ake’. My ‘matua’ were Ngatiraukawa and they were brought here by Te Rauparaha and acquired lands here. My ‘matua’ got the piece I now claim. This land has been the subject of many disputes but it was finally held by my ‘matua’ and has been held ever since. There are persons can substantiate my claim but they are at Rangitikei. I did not procure their attendance because I had not got the land surveyed. I supposed that the case would not be settled in consequence of no survey. I did not write for a surveyor because I knew that the piece was so small it was not worth while for him to come. I wish the court to adjourn the hearing of this case to a future sitting of the court as I am not prepared to prove my claim.
Question asked if any person present interested in this land the subject of the claim had any objection to make to the application of Perenara to have the hearing adjourned.
Rangiharuru appeared and objected to adjournment but gave no satisfactory reason for the objection – is a counter claimant.
Eruera Te Matata objected – is a counter claimant has sent in an application to have the title to a piece of land investigated which includes Perenara’s claim – has not had the land surveyed. It was marked out a long time ago but the stakes are not now there. After some further conversation Eruera consented to the adjournment.
Hearing adjourned to a future sitting of the court.
Notice of sitting of court to investigation claim of Oriuria Harumutu and others to Paremata read.
Oriuria Harumutu appeared before the court and being sworn – said.
I reside in the village of Otaki. I am the claimant to the land dexcribed in the application sent in to the court for investigation of title to Paremata. The land claimed by me is at Paremata. It has been surveyed by William Dodds. There is no map. Dodds is not a licensed surveyor. There is no sketch of the land. It is bounded partly by a river. Tamihana sitting in court is an opponent of mine in this claim.
There being no other assessor of the land court present at Otaki besides Tamihana. The court decided that the case could not be heard and accordingly adjourned the hearing to a future sitting of the court.
Notice of sitting of court for investigation of title of Ururoa Ripia and others to Hurihanga taitoko read.
Ururoa Ripia – cautioned to speak the truth – informed the court.
I reside at Otaki. I am the claimant to the land described in the application before the court. The land is called Hurihanga taitoko from the name of a house that stood on it. I lived in that house 20 years. It is not now standing. The land is bounded by a swamp on two sides and at the two ends there are stakes. I put in these stakes a year ago. They are still standing. All the people here know that land. I believe there about 2 acres. It was measured before letting it to the European. It has been let to a European. The claim is disputed. Oriuria Harumutu is a counter claimant. She came and protested against my staking off the land. It was not settled. It has not been settled. Nga Huka (Oriuria’s sister) has said with reference to this land, that it would be better that I should have the land than that Matene or Tamihana should. Te Ruatahora – sister of Oriuria has married Te Matata a ‘teina keke’ of mine and became a widow. She lived with us and she gave me the land I claim.
The court decided that the hearing ought to be adjourned to a future session of the court for the reason that Tamihana who was sitting as an assessor of the court was interested in some degree as an opponent of Oriuria and secondly that as no survey had been made, the claim could not be properly defined.
Oriuria appeared and assented to adjournment and no other person objecting. The hearing was adjourned accordingly.
There being no more cases set down for hearing.
The court adjourned sine die – 7th July 1866.
