SCRIPTURES FOR MAORIS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19555, 10 February 1938, Page 7

SCRIPTURES FOR MAORIS

SOLD AT A LOSS

WORK OP BIBLE SOCIETY

Reference to the work of the British arid Foreign Bible Society in distributing copies of the Scriptures to the Maoris is made in the annual report of the society. The report stated that the society was the one means for the supply of the Maori Bible, and at present each copy was sold at a loss of about 10s. The society had supplied edition after edition of Scriptures in Maori since 1827; A grand total of 171,474 copies of Maori Scriptures had been supplied in the course of the years.

The first connection of the British and Foreign Bible Society with New Zealand dated back to 1827. In that year the New South Wales Auxiliary printed at Sydney a volume of Scripture extracts translated into the Maori language by C.M.S. missionaries. The third translation into Maori was printed in 1832-33, and there were two excellent copies of this translation in the Wellington Bible House library.

The first book printed in New Zealand Was the Gospel of St. Luke in Maori. This was done by Mr. Colenso at Paihia in 1835, and of this the society also had two copies. The New Testament, translated mainly by the Rev. W. Williams (afterwards Bishop), was first printed by the C.M.S. in 1837, the Bible Society contributing largely to the cost. The Maoris showed their gratitude by generous offerings of maize and potatoes, which realised a very considerable sum, and these formed the first donations from New Zealand to the Bible Society.