I ētitatia, i whakaputaina hoki Te Korimako (The Bell Bird, 1882-1888) e Charles Davis i raro anō i te maru me te tautoko o ngā Marikena nei o W P Snow rāua ko tōna hoa wahine. I ētita a Davis i Te Karere Maori, Te Waka o te Iwi, Te Whetu o te Tau, me Aotearoa, i mua.

I whakatūria ai a Te Korimako nā te mea:

  ‘He kitenga noku i te he o tena taha, i te heke-haere o te tupu, a i te kore reo o te motu nei hei whakaatu mo tenei taonga mo te tika, mo tera taru mo te he. Ko te take tena i oho-rere ai taku whakaaro kia kimihia he tikanga e purero ake ai nga Maori; a, kitea ana e taku ngakau, he nupepa reo Maori te hanga pai, kia puta ai he kupu ki te iti, ki te rahi, ki te tane, ki te wahine, ki te tamariki.... ta te mea, mo koutou ake tenei reo - tenei nupepa. Ko taku hiahia tenei, me puta te nupepa ki a ia wahi, ki a ia wahi, i roto i te marama kotahi ra nei, i te rua wiki ra nei, i te wiki kotahi ra nei, kei i a tatou te whakaaro.’ (25 Māehe 1882: 1)

  ‘I have seen the evil on that side (Maori side), the decadence of your manhood, nor is there any voice (newspaper) to declare the costliness of that which is right, and the worthlessness of that which is wrong. These are the reasons why my heart was suddenly moved to seek out some means of raising the Maoris, and I concluded in my mind that a newspaper in the Maori tongue would be an excellent thing, so that words could be communicated to both small and great; - to men, and women, and children....this voice, this newspaper is altogether your own. My desire is that this newspaper should be circulated in all respective places once a month, or once a fortnight, or once a week; for the matter will depend on you and myself’ (ki taua tuhinga anō).

I te hiahia ngā rangatira o te niupepa ki te hiki i te iwi Māori kia ahu whakamua, mā te hora mai i ‘ētahi tuhinga akoako, whakaū i te oranga’, mō te utu ngāwari mō te katoa’ (16 Mei 1882: 1). I tonoa e rātou he tautoko nō ngā Pākehā mai i ērā o rātou‘ who have the welfare of the native race at heart’ – ‘Ki nga Pakeha e noho ana i nga takiwa Maori, A e ngakau nui ana ki nga tangata Maori’ (25 Māehe 1882: 2).

I muri i te matenga o Snow i te tau 1885, ka whakatūria he Rōpū Perehia Māori, Komiti o Te Korimako hei whakariterite i te niupepa. Ko ngā tāngata matua o tēnei rōpū ko Charles Davis, rātou ko Te Irimana ko Raureti Mokonuiarangi. Ko ō rātou whāinga matua he tiritiri i te Rongopai ki ngā tāngata katoa, he pēhi i te haurangi, te whakatairanga i ngā mahi whakatika kāinga kia hauora ai, he kauwhau i te pukumahi, he whakaako hoki i tō rātou iwi, ā, kia puta hoki i roto ko ngā rongo kōrero o te ao katoa. Mai i te marama o Hānuere 1886, ka kitea te pikinga ake nā te mea he maha atu ngā reta i roto, pēnei i te horo nui i Tokaanu i mate ai a Te Heuheu, te hūnga o te maunga o Tarawera me ngā kupu whakaari a Te Kooti.

I rere te putanga whakamutunga o Te Korimako i Tāmakimakaurau i te marama o Mei 1888. Tekau mā waru marama i muri mai i whakaorangia mai anō te niupepa i Opotiki, ko te ingoa ko Te Korimako Hou (1890), he mea ētita e te Minita nei e George Maunsell. He maha kē atu ngā rongo kōrero ā-takiwā (Ōpōtiki me Tauranga) i te niupepa hou, tēnā i tō mua. Te āhua nei ko te putanga whakamutunga ko nama 8, i puta rā i te 10 Hepetema, 1890.

Mō ētahi atu mōhiotanga mō te niupepa tirohia P Parkinson rāua ko P Griffith, Books in Maori (Auckland: Reed, 2004), S25, wh. 787–789; H Petrie, ‘Inculcating Habits of Industry’, i Rere Atu, Taku Manu! he mea ētita nā J Curnow, N Hopa rātou ko J McRae (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2002), wh. 174–192; J McRae, ‘E Manu, Tena Koe!’ i Rere Atu, Taku Manu! he mea ētita nā J Curnow, N Hopa rātou ko J McRae (Auckland, 2002), wh. 42–59 (wh. 45–47).

E hiahia ana te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa ki te mihi ki a Gail Dallimore mōna i tuku kōrero mai i whakamahia i roto i ngā tuhinga roa mō ngā niupepa Māori.

Te Korimako  (The Bell Bird, 1882-1888) was edited and published by Charles Davis with the support of Americans Mr and Mrs W P Snow. Davis had previously edited Te Karere Maori, Te Waka o te Iwi, Te Whetu o te Tau, and Aotearoa.

Te Korimako was established because:

  ‘He kitenga noku i te he o tena taha, i te heke-haere o te tupu, a i te kore reo o te motu nei hei whakaatu mo tenei taonga mo te tika, mo tera taru mo te he. Ko te take tena i oho-rere ai taku whakaaro kia kimihia he tikanga e purero ake ai nga Maori; a, kitea ana e taku ngakau, he nupepa reo Maori te hanga pai, kia puta ai he kupu ki te iti, ki te rahi, ki te tane, ki te wahine, ki te tamariki.... ta te mea, mo koutou ake tenei reo - tenei nupepa. Ko taku hiahia tenei, me puta te nupepa ki a ia wahi, ki a ia wahi, i roto i te marama kotahi ra nei, i te rua wiki ra nei, i te wiki kotahi ra nei, kei i a tatou te whakaaro.’ (25 March 1882: 1)

  ‘I have seen the evil on that side (Maori side), the decadence of your manhood, nor is there any voice (newspaper) to declare the costliness of that which is right, and the worthlessness of that which is wrong. These are the reasons why my heart was suddenly moved to seek out some means of raising the Maoris, and I concluded in my mind that a newspaper in the Maori tongue would be an excellent thing, so that words could be communicated to both small and great; - to men, and women, and children....this voice, this newspaper is altogether your own. My desire is that this newspaper should be circulated in all respective places once a month, or once a fortnight, or once a week; for the matter will depend on you and myself.’ (ibid)

The proprietors wanted to assist the advancement of the Maori people by providing ‘instructive and healthful literature’, the price ‘within the reach of all’ (16 May 1882: 1). They requested European support from those ‘who have the welfare of the native race at heart’ – ‘Ki nga Pakeha e noho ana i nga takiwa Maori, A e ngakau nui ana ki nga tangata Maori’ (25 March 1882: 2).

Following Mr Snow’s death in 1885, a Maori Press Association, Komiti o Te Korimako was formed to organise the newspaper. The key people in this association were Charles Davis, Te Irimana and Raureti Mokonuiarangi. Their prime objectives were to spread the Gospel among all people, to encourage temperance, hygiene and habits of industry, and to educate their people and supply general news of current events. From January 1886, the change for the better was reflected in the publication of more letters, matters such as the landslip in which Te Heuheu was killed, the Tarawera eruption, and Te Kooti's prophecies.

The last issue of Te Korimako was published in Auckland in May 1888. Eighteen months later the newspaper was revived in Opotiki as Te Korimako Hou (1890), edited by Reverend George Maunsell. There is more local (Opotiki and Tauranga) news in the revived newspaper than in its predecessor. The last issue appears to have been number 8, which was published on 10 September, 1890.

For further information about the newspaper, see P Parkinson and P Griffith, Books in Maori (Auckland: Reed, 2004), S25, pp. 787–789; H Petrie, ‘Inculcating Habits of Industry’, in Rere Atu, Taku Manu! edited by J Curnow, N Hopa and J McRae (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2002), pp. 174–192; J McRae, ‘E Manu, Tena Koe!’ in Rere Atu, Taku Manu! edited by J Curnow, N Hopa and J McRae (Auckland, 2002), p. 42–59 (p. 45–47).

The National Library would like to thank Gail Dallimore for providing information used in essays about Maori newspapers.