 In 1882 he succeeded in getting through to its second reading a bill to set up local Māori committees with power to adjudicate on land titles.This bill led directly to the 1883 Native Committees Act which gave committees the authority to advise the Native Land Court, and to arbitrate between Māori disputants in some matters if the disputing parties consented.However, because they were regional rather than tribal and had insufficient powers, these committees were not acceptable to most Māori.