PAPERSPAST

Ko te New Zealand Spectator te nūpepa tuatahi o Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara i āhua roa tōna oranga. I tīmata te tānga ā-wiki i a Whiringa-ā-nuku 1844, i ētahi wiki maha tonu i muri mai o te matenga o te New Zealand Gazette, tō Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara me tō Niu Tireni nūpepa tuatahi.

I whakatūria te Spectator e tētahi komiti o te hunga whai whenua, hei whakakapi i te āputa i mahue i te Gazette, hei nūpepa rerekē hoki. Ko te Gazette ia, he nūpepa a te Kamupene o Niu Tireni i raro i te takatānga o Samuel Revans, kua tino keakea rawa āna huaki ki te kāwanatanga tuawhenua, ā, ko te mutunga iho, kua pīrangi kē te maha o te hunga whai whenua i tētahi nūpepa āhua ngāwari kē ake. Heoi, kāore i roa kua puta kē atu te Spectator ki te mura o te ahi, nā te pānuitanga a āna kaiwhakatā i tētahi tuhinga a Revans, he mea i kitea noatia he huaki ki te rōia wā kāinga, ki a Daniel Wakefield (te teina o Edward Gibbon Wakefield). Ka panaia ngā kaiwhakatā e ngā kaiwhakaputa, nā, ko te urupare a ēnei ko te whakatū i tētahi nūpepa tāwhai, te Wellington Independent. I whakamātau wawe tonu te Spectator ki te whakamate i te Independent mā te tangonga i ngā mīhini whakatā i te whakamahia e rātou. Ka hokona e te Independent āna ake mīhini, ā, i te mahi anō e whā marama i muri mai. Ka whawhai tonu te Spectator me te Independent mō ētahi tau maha, me te tautoko i ngā rōpū ātete mō ngā take tōrangapū ā-kāinga, ā-rohe, ā-motu hoki.

Mai i te tau 1845 ki te tau 1858 i whakaputaina te Spectator i te Tiriti o Manners, i te umanga whakatā a Robert Stokes (1810 pea ki te 1880). Ko Stokes tētahi mema o te komiti nāna te Spectator i whakatū. I tae tuatahi mai ia ki Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara i te tau 1840 hei kairūri whenua mō te Kamupene o Niu Tireni. He maha ngā tau i whai wāhi ia ki ngā mahi tōrangapū ā-rohe, ā-motu hoki, tae noa ki tana tūnga hei mema o te Whare Pāremata mai i te tau 1862 ki te tau 1879.

Ko Stokes te rangatira matua o te nūpepa mai i te takiwā o te tau 1850. I raro i tāna whakahaere, ko te Spectator anake te nūpepa, hāunga te New Zealander, i tautoko i a George Grey rātou ko te kāwanatanga tuawhenua. I kitea te tautoko a Stokes e te maha noa o te hunga whai whenua hei koropiko whakapatipati, he mea whakaoho e tana tāwhai kia āta manakohia e te Tari Tuawhenua. Nā reira i whakaahuatia ia hei "kaieneene tuhituhi kōkau".

I ngā wā katoa i ngana te Spectator kia rewa tonu ana mahi, nāwai, i te tau 1865 ka whakaae kia taumanutia e tōna hoa tāwhai, e te Independent.