Anglo Maori Warder 1848: Commentary

The Anglo-Maori Warder 1848

Bibliographic Details    Subject Matter   


Bibliographic Details

Published Auckland, April 25, 1848 - October 19, 1848.

468 x 290mm., 4 pages, 4 columns, mostly English with 2 columns on the last page in Maori. Issued every Tuesday, with no illustrations except within the advertisements, the cost was 28 shillings per year, 7 shillings per quarter, and single issues 7 pence. The imprint reads, "Published and printed by Williamson and Wilson, Auckland, Shortland Street".

The paper was published by Williamson and Wilson in Auckland. In 1845 Williamson established the English language newspaper The New Zealander to "champion the rights of Maori"(Scholefield, 1958: 80). Wilson, according to Scholefield, believed that it was in the best interests of Maori people for the Government to assert its supremacy in New Zealand as quickly as possible (ibid.). To foster this process they combined to print instructions in Maori: for farming and gardening after the English fashion; for keeping bees and taking honey; for making things useful to man - such as different kinds of food, soap and candles... together with some simple directions about clothes and physic and matters relating to health (April 25, 1848: 2).

This paper is for the most part written in English. There is a Maori section on the last page of each issue which is not translated, nor is it a translation of the English text. The section in Maori was expected to become equal in size to the English section.


Subject Matter

Reporting in this paper includes:

  • obituaries
  • literary extracts
  • shipping notices and other advertisements
  • snippets of local and overseas news.