Please note that this is still in draft format

Eruera Te Matewhitu Kershaw applied to succeed to the interests of his mother Mauruuru in the Rua-o-te-moko land block (also recorded as “Te Ruaotemoko”, Grant No. 3747). This was a Māori Land Court succession case in the New Plymouth court (Aotea district). The application was first filed (TBC) on 10 January 1922, as evidenced by the Native Land Court form (Case No. 3747) received at New Plymouth on that date. The case was then publicly notified in Māori-language court schedules (Ko te Kahiti o Niu Tireni) over the following years.

For example, in April 1923 the panui (court notice) listed the application as item No. 252: “Eruera te Matewhitu – Ruaotemoko – Mauruuru” see paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. A July 1924 notice was also published with item No. 413, see paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.

Mauruuru was the original owner of that interest (the block being an old land grant, No. 3747) see paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.

The Ko te Kahiti o Niu Tireni newspaper (which published Māori Land Court notices) also carried this listing in July 1924, see paperspast.natlib.govt.nz, ensuring that whānau and interested parties were informed of the pending succession.

Māori Land Court Decision and Minute Book Entry

The succession was ultimately heard and decided in 1927 at a sitting of the Māori Land Court in New Plymouth (TBC). The court’s decision is recorded in the official minute book for the Aotea District. On 26 April 1927, Judge and court officials heard Eruera’s case.

The minute book entry (New Plymouth sitting) notes that Mauruuru (the deceased) was indeed Eruera’s mother, and that she had died in 1917 Eruera and daughter Awhimate Matewhitu both gave evidence.

The court minutes record that Awhimate sworn stated that she knew her when was alive and that she was her grandmother, she left no will and had children.

The judge then made an order vesting Mauruuru’s Ruaotemoko interests equally among those five children. In other words, the succession order awarded 1/5 share to each of Mauruuru’s five surviving children, namely:

• Eruera Matewhitu Kershaw ma 1/5

• Rangipuano Kershaw ma 1/5

• Erana Kershaw ma 1/5

• Henare Kershaw ma 1/5

• Tamou Kershaw ma dec? Issues

• Nua Kershaw ma dec? No issues

Tamous shares were divvied up equally for his children:

• Tamou Kershaw M19 1/20

• Hinewhariki Kershaw F17 1/20

• Taumarewa Kershaw M 15 1/20

• Tawhi Kershaw M 13 1/20