Anglican missionary Thomas Kendall produced A korao no New Zealand as a basic lesson book to teach reading and support Christian instruction. Printed in Sydney in 1815, it is widely treated as the first printed book in te reo Māori. The publication helped begin a shift from an oral-only tradition to a written and printed Māori-language tradition.
The Church Missionary Society published A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand in 1820. Prepared with Samuel Lee and informed by Kendall and the visiting rangatira, it was an early attempt to systematize Māori for teaching and translation. Even though later criticized as error-prone, it shaped how Māori was written in print during the early mission period.
Thomas Kendall travelled to England with Ngāpuhi rangatira Hongi Hika and Waikato to help record and standardize written Māori. Their work at Cambridge with linguist Samuel Lee aimed to set spelling and grammar rules (an “orthography”) for printing and teaching. This trip linked Māori language knowledge with British publishing and scholarly networks.
Missionary William Yate returned from Sydney with a printing press in 1830, an early effort to produce more Māori-language material locally. The attempt is commonly described as not very successful, but it shows growing demand for printed texts in New Zealand. This set the stage for better-equipped mission printing a few years later.
Church Missionary Society printer William Colenso arrived at the Bay of Islands with a printing press in late 1834. This strengthened the missionaries’ ability to print Māori-language scripture and teaching materials in New Zealand rather than relying on overseas presses. Printing expanded quickly because many Māori actively sought reading material.
Colenso produced The Epistle to the Philippians and the Ephesians in Māori in February 1835, commonly described as the first book printed in New Zealand. This was a practical breakthrough: it combined new printing capacity with the growing missionary translation project. It also supported Māori literacy by providing short, portable reading material.
A printed Māori-language version of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tirene (Declaration of Independence) was produced at the mission press in 1836. Printing helped circulate a political text that asserted Māori sovereignty and set expectations about law-making and foreign authority. This shows Māori-language print being used not only for religion, but also for governance and diplomacy.
Colenso completed printing an edition of the New Testament in Māori at Paihia in December 1837 (often referred to as Te Kawenata Hou). This was a major step because it provided a large, consistent body of Māori-language text for reading and teaching. Demand for these scriptures supported rapid growth in Māori reading and writing during the mission era.
In February 1840, the mission press printed a Māori-language version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for use and distribution. The printed Māori text shaped what many rangatira heard, debated, and signed as the treaty moved around the country. This event highlights how Māori-language print became central to colonial state formation.
Missionary Robert Maunsell published Grammar of the New Zealand language in 1842. A more detailed grammar supported consistent teaching, translation, and editing of printed Māori texts. It also strengthened Māori literacy efforts by improving how the language was described for learners and printers.
After years of translating from Hebrew, Maunsell’s Old Testament work began appearing in substantial printed parts, including a publication covering the first six books in 1847. These longer works expanded the range of printed Māori prose and religious vocabulary. They also increased the need for careful revision and standardization across different mission translation teams.
Maunsell completed the full Old Testament translation project in 1857, after publishing later volumes in 1856 and 1857. This completion mattered because it made a full Māori Bible possible when combined with the New Testament and later revisions. It also marked a high point in the missionary translation-and-print program that had supported widespread Māori literacy.
By the late 1850s, leaders from different missions worked through committees to revise and align Old Testament translations for accuracy and consistent Māori style. This committee approach reflected a shift from individual translators to coordinated editorial work, helping prepare texts for wide distribution. Revision also responded to practical problems found when earlier printed translations were used in schools and churches.
By 1860, missionaries and Māori readers had built a large body of printed Māori-language religious and civic text, backed by grammar work, presses, and organized revision. This period established durable practices: teaching literacy through Māori print, using Māori in official documents, and revising translations for wider readership. Later milestones—like the first complete printed Māori Bible in 1868—grew out of this foundation, but the core translation-and-literacy system was already in place by 1860.
Missionary translations, Māori literacy and printed Māori-language texts (1815–1860)