1846 ‘Surplus’ land taken

In 1846, the British Government issued a self-governing charter to the colony and instructed that all Māori land ownership be registered. Any lands deemed to be unused were to become Crown land. The pre-emption clause in Article 2 of the Treaty, requiring Māori to sell, only to the Crown or its agent, was reinstated by Governor Grey after being waived two years earlier by his predecessor, FitzRoy. Crown pre-emption meant exclusive right of purchase, not first option. Crown agents developed a range of frequently dubious practices to persuade Māori to sell, and the Crown monopoly meant that they could offer whatever the Government was prepared to pay, not a market rate. Governor Grey embarked on wholesale land purchases in the South Island, the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay. As complaints increased, the Government itself was the arbiter as well as the defendant. Māori criticised a system that did not allow them to lease out their own land, or receive market prices, while many Pākehā wished to purchase directly.