Palmerston North
Wednesday 4th September 1901
Court opened at 10.20 am
Present – the same
Mere Takes Personalty
Mr. Fraser informed the court that the personalty consisted of house and land in 105 Queen Street, Hastings about ¼ acre.
Land - £150 Interest @ 8% Plus Rates about £80 probably £200 to clear property.
Tangatake Xed – as to personalty of deceased
1 horse and buggy - £15 1 set trap harness - £4 3 cows - £14 2 cows and calf £1
1 waka (came from the Wairoa and exchanged for Otenes waka) 1 bed and bedstead
2 boxes 1 pounamu (ear ring) belonged to Te Meihana Takihi given for Meri Taki child for his child Hinetauaraia).
Meihana bequeathed the waka to Mere. Iritana and other persons mentioned in the will.
Otene and Iritana took away the following taonga – 5 horses, 1 harness, 1 double furrow plough
The committee decided that the taonga should be divided equally between Mere and Iritana but they could not agree. They afterwards divided the taonga as described.
Iritana Xed Tangataki
There is a cart I forgot about. The calves before were sold and 1 full sized beast. 2 calves sold and 1 beast in Mere’s time.
6 cows were taken to Pakowhai after Mere’s death.
2 and a calf belonged to Mere and 3 to sell. Mere had no pigs and no fowls. Had a house, it stands on my land at Te Karamu. Mere paid for the house. I know the pounamu called Kahutahi no te Meihana, don’t know that it belonged to your mother.
Meihana and his wife gave it to their mokopuna to Mere’s child Hinetauaraia. I don’t know who has charge of the pounamu. All that I know of was the gift to the mokopuna and Mere.
You said that you would not abide by the decision of the komiti.
According to the will was for both of you. I don’t know that your child was concerned in the matter.
I don’t know that the will was read out. Cost £70 about 10 years old.
Iritana Maimatao
All the taonga described by Tangatake no Mere ana taonga.
Buggy and the waka mentioned in Mere’s will. The pounamu belongs to our tipuna on our mother’s side. The child that was born at the time was before Mere. Para was the name, she is dead. It was taken after her death by Karaitiana Takamoana. A kokotangi uri ka mau tona ki aia a mate noa.
Afterwards Karaitiana’s wife gave it back to Te Meihana.
Meihana afterwards gave it to Mere. Our mother was dead. It was handed from one to other of us.
If we all died it would go to Wairarapa to Hariata Kerei or ehe to Te Manihera Rangitakaiwaho.
If Hinetauaraia had lived I would have consented that it should go to her, but at her death it would go to Mere. If Meihana Takihi had given it to another should have objected. The cause of our quarrel was because Tangatake took some of Meihana’s property. Collar, harness, chains, swingle trees was what he took after Meihana’s death. He took them to the Karamu.
Mere Taki was my wife according to maori custom the tikanga o nga tipuna.
Had another wife. I know that you are Waimatao and that you were a teina of Mere Taki.
Otene Meihana
Te waka belonged to Iritana matua he no Iritana.
I was at my place when I returned from Wairoa. I gave a cost £7. Ka riro I te tangata mona te waka. I sent for another waka and Meihana asked me to give it to him. The owner wanted a cart for it. I gave a cart for it and harness. Meihana kept that waka.
Both these waka were mine as I paid for them. There is no waka in the will nor buggy.
Tangatake Xed
You fetched the waka a mea tiki pokanoa.
I don’t know that Mere told you to take the waka but you took it away. The waka was at my place when you took it away. A number of persons saw you take the waka away. I called out not to take the waka.
No mina o te komiti. This cause was brought from O. to Karamu by T. after Meihana’ s death.
I did not go to Mere to fetch back the waka.
Case Closed.
Ordered that Hinetauaraia – f, about 11 years of age of Te Karamu be appointed to succeed to the personalty of Mere Taki deceased, and that A. L. D. Fraser Esquire of Hastings Native Agent and Tangatake Hapuku of Te Karamu be appointed trustees for Hinetauaraia during her minority.
Re application to grant Probate
Paora Ropiha left four children viz – Herani, Keita, Matene Te Otene
T. H. Spence – sworn and xed
I knew Paora Ropiha when alive. Received a letter to come and write his Will. I went to Waipawa the first I heard. I had been ill but was better when I arrived.
Memory perfectly clear. Paora dictated to me. Read it over twice to him or three times. May have been possibly 12 or so others.
Paora Ropiha
Hutana wrote his will. Did not die until sometime afterwards. All the family were present at the time but Te Otene and others fully aware of that. No questions raised about it.
This seemed that his entire claim would be.
Did not put anything in the will but what he told me.
H. had plenty of land through the mother.
Consented to withdraw application for Probate.
Asked that the court should appoint successors under section 48/94 in favour of persons named in the will –
Eparainga, Porangahau, Rakautetahi, Kaimotumotu, Taharaiti, Mangapuaka, Te Tapairu, Whangaehu, Mangaorapa (2)
Orders made for – Eparaima east, Mangareia, Tapairu, Mangapuaka No. 1, Taharaiti No. 2, Rakautatahi 1D & no. 2, Porangahau No. 1A , No. 3B, Mangaerapa No. 2, Eparaima west.
Fees paid £2.7.0 paid
Court adjourned.
