Petition Excerpts

These letters formed the genesis of Te Kerēme — the Ngāi Tahu Claim, and were the beginning of 150 years of protest about the Crown’s broken promises. The core tenets of Te Kerēme were:

• Failure to reserve one-tenth of purchased land for the iwi
• Unjust prices paid for land
• Unclear boundaries of purchased land
• Failure to provide schools and hospitals
• Restricted access to mahinga kai

Below are just a few of the many Ngāi Tahu petitions sent to the Crown in regard to the Ngāi Tahu land purchases. These have been gathered from the digital collection of the Appendices of Journals of the House of Representatives. These Appendices hold an extensive record of the petitions pertaining to Māori grievances.