The number of works suggests that translation and printing of the liturgy and scriptures took precedence. The works of both authors went into several editions and work on the Williams dictionary was continued by his son and grandson well into the 20th C. Then in 1844 Williams’ A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language and Concise Grammar was published at Paihia. A primer for those unable to read appeared in 1839. Robert Maunsell’s Grammar of the New Zealand Language was published in Auckland in 1842. William Williams worked on a grammar and dictionary parts of which were printed at Paihia in 1837.

In New Zealand, work on dictionaries and grammars gained impetus with the arrival of Colenso and a printing press. This was followed by Samuel Lee and Thomas Kendall’s A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand compiled in England with the assistance of Waikato and Heke, and published in 1820. Thomas Kendall published A Korau on New Zealand, or the New Zealander’s First Book, in Sydney in 1815. As late as 1847 there were calls for additional refinements and achievement of still greater levels of erudition. Many hands were involved and the quality varied, but improved with time and experience. Māori language activity can be divided into three parts: the study of Māori grammar and pronunciation Māori-English dictionaries and the translation into Māori and printing of hymns, Old and New Testaments, and the Prayer Book. This laid the groundwork for Māori to pass on written language skills to their people, as trained teachers materialized among the Māori pastorate. Others, like William Puckey and James Hamlin, had a good knowledge of colloquial Māori and made important contributions. William Williams quickly established himself as a competent linguist, and was the predominant language scholar until the arrival of Robert Maunsell in 1835. Mornings were given to meetings where the language was studied and the scriptures translated. This group evolved into the “translation syndicate” whose members were the most experienced the mission had to offer. Learning the language and translation was a priority for the missionaries and they were organised for the purpose.

Hand in hand with Māori literacy was the missionaries’ growing facility in te reo, the ability to translate works from English into Māori, and then enable them to be printed and distributed. The missionaries knew the power of the printed word and the demand by Māori for printed works in their own language proved insatiable. For centuries, the few printed books to be found in English households tended to be religious in nature. By the time of the drafting of the Treaty in 1840, 17 years had elapsed since his arrival and it was evident that he could speak at length on his feet and conduct two-way translations. As leader of the Church Missionary Society in New Zealand it was his responsibility to promote literacy, and practices that led to it.Ĭonveying a religious message through printed works was a time- honoured tradition.

seems to flow naturally from him”. However many years in the field were to follow, with earnest and lengthy conversations with Maori on all manner of subjects including religion and belief. Little more than three years after arrival he said “ I shall never make an orator among the natives” and admired the progress of his children who could speak the language “nearly as well as their own”. Also, he was impressed with his brother’s fluency: “ (the language). Initially, Henry Williams did not regard himself as competent in spoken Māori.

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