The Short Title of this Act shall be “The Green Land Claims Settlement Act 1870.”

It shall be lawful for the said George Green at any time and from time to time within the period of six months from and after the passing of this Act but not afterwards to select out of any of the Crown Lands open for sale or selection within hundreds at the date of the passing of this Act situate in the Province of Otago and not already set apart or appropriated for town sites or suburban sections or already specially reserved or set apart or required to be reserved or set apart for the last-named or any other special purpose of public utility or advantage two thousand five hundred acres of land to be selected by the said George Green in such manner as he shall think fit and also to select out of any of the Crown Lands situate in the Province of Southland within hundreds at the date of the passing hereof now or at any time within the said period of six months and not already set apart or appropriated for town sites or suburban sections or already specially reserved or set apart or required to be so reserved or set apart for the last-named or any other special purpose of public utility or advantage two thousand five hundred acres of land to be selected by the said George Green in such manner as he shall think fit Provided that the said lands shall not be selected in more than one block in each of the said Provinces of Otago and Southland respectively and shall not include lands which in the opinion of the Provincial Governments of Otago and Southland at the time of such selection shall be considered auriferous Provided also that all such land so selected by the said George Green and his assigns shall be surveyed at the expense of the said George Green or his assigns he being allowed the compensation in additional acreage for the expenses of such survey provided by “The Land Claims Settlement Act 1856” aforesaid.

It shall be lawful for His Excellency the Governor at any time to issue to the said George Green or his assigns a grant or grants of the said land or lands so selected by him or them within the said period of six months so limited as aforesaid for that purpose Provided always that before any such grant or such grants shall be issued it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the Governor that all expenses of James Spencer and other persons charged upon the said land or lands by “The Green and Spencer Land Claims Act 1868” and “The Green and Spencer Amendment Act 1870” shall have been liquidated or otherwise duly provided for.

All and singular the right title interest possession property claim and demand whatsoever of the said George Green and his assigns or any of them in and to all and every of the said lands and hereditaments hereinbefore mentioned as having been purchased or alleged to have been purchased by the said George Green of Native chiefs of New Zealand described and comprised in any of the said deeds documents and muniments of title enumerated mentioned or set forth in the said Schedule to this Act except as hereinbefore provided are and is and shall be henceforth absolutely vested in Her Majesty the Queen and her successors for ever to be by her and her successors held in the same manner and subject to the laws rules and regulations in force for the time being respecting other Waste Lands of the Crown in the Colony of New Zealand freed and discharged of all claims and demands whatsoever by or on the part of the said George Green his representatives and assigns.

Nothing in this Act contained shall be taken to affect the right of the said George Green and his assigns to a grant of one hundred and ninety-eight acres of land in Stewart’s Island near a place called Raggedy or Rugged Point awarded to the said George Green under and by virtue of a certain award made by the said Alfred Domett bearing date the twenty-first day of January one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven to be selected and surveyed by him in the manner and upon the conditions set forth in the said last-mentioned award.

Before the union of the Provinces of Southland and Otago the provisions of this Act relating to the Province of Southland shall be deemed to apply to so much of the united Province of Otago and Southland as shall be within the present Province of Southland and the provisions relating to the Province of Otago shall be deemed to apply to so much of the united Province as shall be within the present Province of Otago and the provisions of this Act relating to the Provincial Governments of Otago and Southland respectively shall be deemed to apply to the Provincial Government of the said united Province.