Nga Hua Mohiotanga 1894-1896: Commentary

Nga Hua o te Mohiotanga Ma nga Tangata Maori 1874

The Fruits of Knowledge for Maori people

Bibliographic Details    Background    Subject Matter    Availability

Bibliographic Details

Published: Napier, May 8, 1874 - December 31, 1874.

605 x 445mm, 4 pages, the number of columns of the Maori section vary from 1 to 3, The Hawke's Bay Times was issued daily, the Maori section was issued twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays, illustrations only in advertisements which are in English and Maori, the masthead was in gothic type, 3 pence per copy, 6 shillings and 6 pence for 3 months subscription. The imprint reads, "Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand: Printed and Published for the Proprietor ROBERT COUPLAND HARDING, at the hawke's Bay Times General Printing Office, Hastings-street".

The editor of the Maori section was described as "a gentleman well qualified for the work, who has already contributed considerably to the scanty literature existing in the native language" (op.cit.: 210), but not named. The proprietor of The Hawke's Bay Times was Robert Coupland Harding, an advocate of land reform and temperance (Scholefield, 1958: 143).

This paper is for the most part written in English. From May 8, 1874 a Maori section was published on the third page of the Tuesday and Friday issues of The Hawke's Bay Times under the title Nga Hua o te Mohiotanga Ma nga Tangata Maori.

Bay Times ceased publication due to financial difficulties with the December 31, 1874 issue: He mea atu tenei kia katoa, kei te mutunga o te tau nei, ka mutu ano hoki ta matou ta, i te nupepa nei, i te Haku Pei Taima. Te take no te mea, e pau ana a matou moni, he nui no te utu o te mahinga, he iti no te moni puta mai. Ko etahi o nga Maori kua utu i te nupepa nei, a ko aua moni, e kore e pau i nga ra o te tau nei (December 31, 1874).

Background

The columns of Maori were introduced to The Hawke's Bay Times "in accordance with the strongly expressed desire of a number of the principal resident natives, who have intimated their willingness to give their support to the journal in the ordinary pakeha fashion, and finding numerous subscribers among their people" (May 8, 1874: 210).

Maori people wrote letters to the editor to be published. Pineamine Paritutata, younger brother of Ihaka Kawheke, wrote an account of the Waikaremoana campaign by pro-Government Maori against the Hauhau to notify other countries around the world and all the places in New Zealand: He panui tenei ki te Kawanatanga, mo te haerenga o te Kawanatanga Maori ki Waikaremoana...Na Pineamine Paritutata taina o Ihaka Kawheke tenei panui ki nga motu katoa o te Ao, me nga wahi katoa o tenei motu o Nui Tireni (September 15, 1874: 359).

Subject Matter

Reporting in the Maori section includes:

  • summary of current news such as market prices of sheep, poultry, wheat and flour.
  • letters to the Editor
  • the fighting by Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Porou at Waikaremoana in the late 1860s
  • waiata and haka
  • Captain Cook's visit to New Zealand
  • the newspaper Te Wananga
  • the temperance movement
  • news of hui held at Rotorua, Turanga (Gisborne) and other places
  • news of Parliament and the courts
  • advertisements

Availability

This paper is on microfilm and microfiche. Original copies containing the Maori section are held at:

Alexander Turnbull Library Wellington:

1874May 8 - Dec. 31

Auckland Public Library Auckland:

1874Oct. 13 and 20

Otago Early Settlers' Museum Dunedin:

1874Oct. 16