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                    [0] => The volumes in this series provide indexes by different criteria to records relating to Old Land Claims. They were assembled, and in many cases created or annotated, by the Native Branch of the Lands and Survey Auckland Office to assist in the administration and investigation of claims for the Royal Commission re Surplus Lands in 1946-1948. One item (A1708/234a) is a later ringbinder containing photocopies of earlier indexes.
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            [id] => 23646
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            [name] => Auckland Land District - Indexes to Old Land Claims
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                    [custom5] => Hard-covered or soft-covered volumes with handwritten or published indexes. Nominal indexes are tabbed alphabetically. One item is a ringbinder created later, containing photocopies of collected indexes
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            [history] => 

	There are several different types of index in this series. See below for tips on searching for Old Land Claims.

	Item A1708/2a: Nominal Index to Old Land Claims affecting Auckland and North Auckland Land Districts [in the Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1863, D14 - see item A1708/2e below] [appears to have been property of Mr O A Darby, Investigations Officer for the Native Branch, Lands and Survey Auckland, who was involved in collating information for the Royal Commission into Surplus Lands in 1946-1949].

	This item can be used to find OLC reference numbers if the name of the claimant is known. Hard-covered, handwritten volume, tabbed alphabetically, and information given in headed columns. The first half indexes by claimant, the second half by land block name. Columns in the first half:

	

		Claim number [sometimes called schedule number]
	

		Name of claimant
	

		Area granted (acres, roods, perches)
	

		Locality
	

		Turton's reference: page [in Turton's Deeds, see below]
	

		OLC plan number [Old Land Claims plans - see series 23908]


	The second half of the volume contains an index to claim numbers for blocks in Mangonui, Whangaroa, Bay of Islands, Hokianga, Kaipara, Whangarei, Great Barrier, Vicinity of Auckland, Coromandel, Thames and Piako Districts, and gives only block name and claim number.

	If no information is found, try also item A1708/2d, below

	 Item A1708/2c: Nominal Index to plans in scrip plan drawers - [see below for explanation of scrip] -

	The index is alphabetical, by name of claimant on right-hand pages and by name of block and description of land on left-hand pages.  There are two different columns of scrip plan numbers: "red" numbers and "blue" numbers. These two numbers are noted in item A1708/2f as "old number red" and "blue number". Note that the scrip number in item A1708/2d is the "red" number. In the disputed lands in the districts of Mongonui and Hokianga, the Crown acquired large areas in consequence of the issue of scrip, and later, when these areas were surveyed, the plans, although known as old land claim plans, were scrip surveys. However, the Old Land Claim plans held have been given OLC plan numbers, which do not match the listed Scrip plan numbers.

	Item A1708/2d: Nominal index to claim numbers, OLC plans and scrip plans

	This volume is indexed in alphabetical order by block and claimant's name. Cross-references are given to OLC plan number, claim number [which matches the "No." column in item A1708/2e, and the Old Land Claims number in the box files], and scrip plan "red" number.

	Item A1708/2e: Return No. 3 in 1863 - Appendix to Mr Bell's Report made in 1862 - Land Claims

	This item is a soft-bound copy of Section D-14 of the Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives for 1863. It contains a table with the following columns:

	

		Claim number [in numerical order, referring to Old Land Claims number, as in box files] 
	

		Old Claims number
	

		Claimant name
	

		Acreage originally claimed
	

		Locality
	

		Year purchased
	

		Payment to Natives
	

		Acreage surveyed
	

		How disposed of under former Regulations and under the Land Claims Settlement Acts
	

		Acreage awarded or granted
	

		Amount of compensation in scrip, debentures or cash.


	Item A1708/2f: Scrip claims

	This small soft-bound volume records scrip claims, mainly in the Hokianga and Bay of Islands areas. Information is arranged in  the following columns:

	

		Blue number [in numerical order]

	

		Old number red
	

		Area in acres
	

		County
	

		Further description: eg name of block, name of claimant


	Item A1708/157a: Nominal index to Old Land Claims - plan register

	This hard-bound volume contains a list of Old Land Claims plans in plan number order giving Plan number, Schedule Claim number, Claimant's name, Locality, Area (acres, roods, perches), total acres granted, total acres surplus, and remarks. Following this list is the main part of the volume, a tabbed index by Claimant's name giving name, plan number, claim number, locality and remarks.

	At the beginning of the volume is a note "For further details of Claims see old list". This possibly relates to item A1708/2a (Mr Darby's copy), though this has not been confirmed

	Item A1708/158a:  Mr O A Darby's annotated copy of the 1863 Appendix to the Report of the Land Claims Commissioner (Commissioner Bell's Report). Inside the front cover is a newspaper clipping relating to the settling of William Webster's Old Land Claim, followed by a guide to Old Land Claim searching. [Transcribed below].

	The volume, with the same printed content as item A1708/2e, has annotations added by Mr Darby such as name of block,  a pencilled number, which is Turton's Deed number from "Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases" (Turton's Deeds, Volume 3), a pencilled date (possibly date settled?) and a few other remarks.

	Item A1708/158b: Index of Old Land Claims by County

	This hard-covered handwritten volume has an index to locality on the first page, with a note from O A Darby in 1933: "The Old Land Claims dealt with herein are those only for which plans are in existence in the safes." The volume appears to have been used by Mr Darby as a workbook to record notes as investigations progressed.

	Following are double-page tables for each County, from Northland as far south as Tauranga and Raglan, showing Plan number, Claim number, Area of surplus, Area alienated, Area remaining, Value of area remaining, and Remarks.

	In the back of the volume are pencilled notes regarding Surplus Lands claimed by Maori petitioners, and a copy of a detailed memorandum, apparently a draft written by O A Darby prior to the setting up of the Surplus Lands Commission, regarding the history of "Surplus Lands" in the Auckland and North Auckland land districts and suggesting points for consideration.

	Item A1708/234a: Land Claims settled to 1881

	This item is a ringbinder containing photocopies of earlier indexes. It includes:

	

		 a copy of an index to Old Land Claims in the Auckland District, with a translation from Wellington to Auckland numbers, and the name of claimant, locality, area, reference and remarks (copy of item A1660/1101a and A1660/1102a)
	

		Copy of Appendix to the Land Commissioner's Report, 1863
	

		Copy of Land Claims Finally Settled, 1878
	

		Copy of Final Return of Land Claims Definitely Settled, 1881
	

		List of roll maps
	

		List of Old Land Claims, Grants and Claims (includes Clendon's and Fairburn's Grants), showing imperial reference to annotated cadastral maps NZMS 13, item A1708/172a and metric reference to annotated cadastral maps NZMS 261, item A708/174a, which are both Crown Land Acquisition registers in map format (series 23770)
	

		Copy of Historical Maps of the Bay of Islands annotated with known Pa sites and additional Old Land Claim numbers


	Old Land Claim Searching [transcribed from A1708/158a]

	For history and summary of Old Land Claims refer p.625 etc. of book "Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases etc" [Turton's Deeds, Volume 3]

	(A) Where OLC Plan No. known:

	

		1. Refer front pages of "Nominal Index to OLC Plans and Schedule No's Book" [item A1708/157a]
	

		2. Locate OLC Plan number and refer to Schedule No. of Claim, then using the No. refer to - 
	

		

			(a) Book of "Land Claims Settled to 1881" [A1708/234a] where the Old Land Claims No. can be found, the Deed No. in pencil and other details
		

			(b) Box files [series 23642]
	
	

		3. Using Old Land Claims No. (2(a) above) refer to Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases Etc [Turton's Deeds, Vol. 3]: p. 528-622 for description of land claimed; p. 1-522 for copy of Deed


	(B) Where Grantee's name known:

	

		1. Refer alphabetical index of "Nominal Index to OLC Plans and Schedule No's" Book [A1708/157a]
	

		2. Proceed as for (A) 2 and (A) 3 above
	

		3. Also see "Nominal Index to Claim No's, OLC Plans and Scrip Plans" Book [A1708/2d]


	(C) Where Claimant's name known:

	

		1. Refer "Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases etc" [Turton's Deeds, Vol. 3] pages 525-622 for approximate alphabetical listings.
	

		2. The Old Land Claims No. is the No. shown, refer to book of "Land Claims Settled to 1881" [A1708/234a]
	

		3. Also see "Nominal Index to Claim No's, OLC Plans and Scrip Plans" Book [A1708/2d]


	(D) Where District and either the Schedule No. of Claim or Old Claims No. or the Block name is known:

	

		1. Refer to Index in Districts in date order, in front of book "Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases Etc"[Turton's Deeds, Volume 3] for copy of original deed
	

		2. Refer to Book of "The Land Claims Settled to 1881" [A1708/234a]


	 Old Land Claims

	The first alienations of Maori land to Europeans occurred through sale for gifts or money, purchase by the Crown, or confiscation by the Crown after military action. On 14 January 1840 the Governor of New South Wales proclaimed that direct purchase of land from Maori was forbidden,  that all subsequent sales must be through the Crown, and that all land purchased prior to this date would be investigated by a Land Claims Commission.

	All persons having claims to the land were to submit their claims, together with any supporting evidence, to the Commission. The commissioners would recommend whether a Crown Grant should be issued. If the whole land was not awarded by the Commissioner, any land remaining was to be declared Surplus Land, and was the property of the Crown, the Government having decreed that as the Maori had extinguished the title of his own free will, the land now had no owner.

	The British Government declared in its Proclamation of 1840 that no title in New Zealand would be recognised unless issued by or confirmed by Grant in the Queen's name.

	In 1844 Governor Fitzroy found his Government lacked funds to purchase enough land from the Maoris for resale to settlers, so agreed to waive the Crown's right of pre-emption for the payment of 10 shillings per acre to the Government, later reduced to 1 penny per acre, but this was stopped under Governor Grey. Land purchases by these settlers were also later examined by the Land Claims Commissioners, and were called Pre-emptive claims.


	In 1862 the Native Land Act terminated the Crown's pre-emptive right of acquisition, instead delegating the Native Land Court the authority to approve sales of Maori land. The original records of the Land Claims Commissions were deposited in the Lands and Survey Department in 1881, and transferred to National Archives Wellington in 1960. The records held by the Auckland office appear to be copies produced for later enquiries.

	Scrip plans: 

	Under a Proclamation dated 26 March 1844, Crown Land could be exchanged for that of a land claimant, for example if there were Maori disputes over the land in question and it was thought undesirable to issue a grant. If Scrip (land credit) was granted by the Commissioner a credit to the value of one pound per acre was awarded to the claimant. The Governor would then authorise Treasury to issue Scrip for the purchase of land at some future Government auction.

	For more information on Old Land Claims, see also Turton's Deeds, published copies of information gathered by H H Turton between 1877 and 1882 relating to Maori Land sales. (Available to view in the Auckland office - ask the archivist on desk). 

	Volume 1: Maori Deeds, North Island, Auckland - part 1 shows transcripts of documents relating to Government purchase of Maori land prior to 1877, and part 2 contains plans relating to the documents in the first part.

	Volume 2: Covers Taranaki, Wellington and Hawke's Bay (not held in Auckland office)

	Volume 3: Maori Deeds of Old Private Purchases in New Zealand, 1815-1840, with Pre-emptive and Other Claims - shows transcripts of the Deeds of Sale by the purchases prior to 1840. These are the instruments provided as evidence by the Claimants to prove their title. It includes Commissioner Bell's report about the Old Land Claims, and a return of the claims settled since his report.
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