In response to a claim by Ngarimu Blair of Ngati Whatua o Orakei that the land on which Auckland University's Epsom campus is situated was part of a “gift” of land to the Crown in 1841, (see NZ Herald 30 Sept HERE), we have contacted Archives NZ, and have received a copy of the Deed of Sale for this - the Waitemata to Manukau block. The deed confirms the land was sold, and not only the land, but also mentions “the whole of the water, and everything above and below the land.” (If you would like a copy of the deed, please email us at: [email protected])
Ports of Auckland continues to ignore evidence that shows there is no doubt the land for the founding of the city of Auckland was sold, and not “gifted” by Ngati Whatua Orakei, as stated on the commemorative plaque on Quay St. The next step is to send a copy of the Deed of Purchase to Auckland councillors, pointing out the error in the plaque. Please consider doing so. The text of the original the Deed of Purchase of 3,000 acres for the site of Auckland – the Mataharehare, Opou and (Maunga) Whau block - states Ngati Whatua “…..consented to give up and to sell a portion of land to the Queen of England for ever and ever for whatever purpose her majesty may seem right.”
This particular Deed has been digitised and can be viewed here.
This was downloaded from the National Library: http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE24490755
Instructions: You can click through each page, zoom in and out, or download individual pages. If you want to view or download a PDF version of the entire file, click on 'Derivative Copy' at the very bottom left of the viewer, then click on 'Table of Contents' and the PDF 'file 1' icon. This will open the PDF, which you can then save or print in one go. If you are experiencing issues viewing digital records, please try a different web browser or alternatively download the file as a PDF.