Te Waka Māori o Aotearoa 1884

The Maori Canoe of Aotearoa

Bibliographic Details    Background    Subject Matter    Availability

Bibliographic Details

Published: January 14, 1884 - November 14, 1884. Gisborne

350 x 220mm., 4 pages, varies with occasional supplements, double columns, all Maori, issued fortnightly, no illustrations except for woodcut of war canoe, contains advertisements, the subscription cost is 6 shillings per year payable in advance, and 6 pence per copy. The imprint reads, "He mea Ta e Poata me Korowhata i te Tari Perehi o Te Terewhene Kihipane mo Paratene Ngata te tangata nana tenei Nuipepa. Turanganui, Kihipane, Pepuere 29, 1884" [Printed by Porter and Croft at the Printing Office of the Gisborne Telephone for Paratene Ngata, the proprietor of this newspaper, Gisborne, February 29, 1884].

For further physical details refer to Herbert W. Williams, A Bibliography of Printed Maori to 1900, Item 687.

This is the fourth Te Waka Maori!

This paper is written in Maori.

Background

"Hoea te Waka, ha!" "Ko te Tika. Ko te Pono. Ko te Aroha." No.1 Turanganui, Kihipane. Pepuere 29, 1884. Te utu 6d.

The Maori Canoe of Aotearoa. "Paddle the Canoe!" "Justice. Truth. Love." No.1 Gisborne, February 29, 1884. Cost 6 pence.

This newspaper is a revival of Te Waka Māori o Niu Tireni, although the banner is quite distinctive. In the first issue the editor states:

• Kua kite na koutou i te putanga tuatahi o tenei Nupepa i te Waka Maori, te mea ra i kokiritia kautia atu i te 31 o nga ra o Hanuere hei tirohanga ma koutou, kia mohiotia ai e koutou te maanutanga o tenei waka hanga hou hei utauta i nga tini korero, i nga tini whakaaro o nga iwi, hei whakaatu ano hoki i nga korero i nga mahi nui o te ao, kei noho pohehe noiho nga tangata o ia wahi, o to tatou nei whenua tipu ki nga mahi o etahi atu takiwa (February 29, 1884: 2)
• You have seen the first issue of this newspaper, Te Waka Maori which was sent out on the 31st of January for you to look at, and for you to know that this newly built vessel was afloat on which to load the many words and thoughts of the people, and to report the news of the world so that the people throughout our young land do not remain ignorant of events in other places.

No copies of this January issue have been seen.

I mua hoki, i te taima kore nupepa mo nga Maori, nui rawa atu to ratou kuaretanga, kahore he mangai mo nga iwi, hei whakapuaki i a ratou whakaaro (ibid.)

Before, in the time when there were no newspapers for Maori people, there was such great ignorance, for there was no voice for the people with which to make their thoughts known.

The father of Sir Apirana Ngata, Paratene Ngata started the newspaper in January, 1884. When he contracted typhoid fever, the first numbered issue, which was the second published, was delayed in being printed as it was difficult to find another editor. The new editor was G. H. Wilson.

A i whakaaturia hoki i taua putanga tuatahi ra, ko te 22 o nga ra o Pepuere nei te ra hei pereihitanga mo te putanga o tenei marama....Ko te take koki i kore ai e puta i te ra i whakaritea ai, he mate nui i pa mai ki te Etita o te Waka nei, ara kia Paratene Ngata. Ko te wha tenei o nga wiki i takoto turoro ai ia - he piwha te mate - a kihai ia i whakarite wawe i te riiwhi mana .... (ibid.)

It was announced in that first issue (of January 31st), that this month's issue would be printed on February 22nd....Due to the grave illness of the editor of Te Waka, Paratene Ngata, it was not possible to keep to this publication date. This is the fourth week he has lain ill with fever. We could not quickly find a substitute for him.

The motto on the masthead "Hoea te Waka, Ha!" probably invokes the haka:

Hoea te waka e,

Hoea te waka e,

Hoea te waka ki Waikare,

Ki a Hona, ehara i a Hona,

He mate rongopai. I a Kahungunu,

Tumu tonu, whakaheke tonu,

Awa awa tonu, ha, ha, haa!

(Nga hua mohiotanga ma nga tangata Maori.Tuesday, September 15, 1874: 1).

Subject Matter

Content and topics of this paper include:

• mostly Tai Rawhiti (East Coast) local news such as the Te Rotokautuku Oil Company exploration
• reports of Land Court hearings at Uawa (Tolaga Bay) and other places
• laws relating to Maori land, including Bills before Parliament and speeches made in the House of Representatives
• obituaries
• waiata
• short items on:
  • Maori schools
  • King Tawhiao
  • Queen Victoria
  • Captain Porter
  • J. W. Preece
  • William and Gilbert Mair
  • S. Locke
• overseas news
• the earthquake at Taupo in 1864
• a letter by Hamiora Mangakahia.

Availability

This newspaper is on microfilm and microfiche. Original copies are held at:

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington:

1884	Feb. 29 - July 18, Aug. 22 - Nov. 14

Auckland Public Library:

1884	Feb. 29 - March, May, June 20 - July 18, Aug. 22

Auckland University Library:

1884	Feb. - Nov.

Hocken Library, Dunedin:

1884	Feb. 29 - Oct. 17

The Parliamentary Library, Wellington:

1884	Feb. 29 - Oct. 17