The Short Title of this Act shall be “The Canterbury Waste Lands Act 1865.”

The Governor may by proclamation in the New Zealand Gazette and also in the Government Gazette of the Province of Canterbury and upon the recommendation of the Superintendent and the Provincial Council create districts for the sale and disposal of Waste Lands of the Crown and define the boundaries thereof and may from time to time as occasion may require in like manner and upon the like recommendation vary the boundaries of such districts Such districts shall be called “Land Districts.”

For each Land District there shall be a Board to be called a “District Land Board” to consist of one Chief Commissioner and of not less than two nor more than five other Commissioners all of whom shall be appointed and be removable by warrant under the hand of the Governor.

Each District Land Board shall sit at such times and in such places as the Superintendent of the said Province shall direct of which sittings due notice shall be given in the Provincial Government Gazette and in one or more newspapers published in the Province.

Each District Land Board shall in respect of the Land District for which it is created have the like powers and be subject to the like obligations and restrictions as by any law now in force the Waste Lands Board of the said Province has or is subject to in respect of the whole Province.

The provisions of the Waste Lands Regulations of the said Province relating to the conduct and management of the business of the said Waste Lands Board shall apply mutatis mutandis to the District Land Board to be established by authority of this Act.

So soon as a District Land Board shall have been established in any Land District to be created by authority of this Act all business relating to the sale letting disposal or occupation of Waste Lands of the Crown situate within such district shall be conducted by such District Land Board only and not by the Waste Lands Board of the Province.

Nothing herein contained shall affect the powers of the said Waste Lands Board with respect to Waste Lands of the Crown not included in any districts under this Act and the powers of the said Waste Lands Board in all matters relating to surveys shall be exercised throughout the Province by the said Waste Lands Board only anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding.

And whereas it is desirable that in certain parts of the said Province now comprised within the West Canterbury Gold Fields rural land should upon its being withdrawn and excluded from the said gold field be sold by auction at an upset price of not less than two pounds per acre Be it enacted that it shall be lawful for the Governor upon the application of the Superintendent and Provincial Council of the said Province by proclamation in the New Zealand Gazette to set apart and define blocks of rural land in any part of the said Province now comprised within the said gold field which lands may when withdrawn from the said gold field be sold by public auction at an upset price of not less than two pounds per acre and to make regulations for the due and proper management of such auction sales and for all things necessary and incidental thereto Such proclamation and such regulations when published in the New Zealand Gazette shall have the force of law.