NEW MAORI NEWSPAPER

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 195, 5 April 1878, Page 7

NEW MAORI NEWSPAPER

Regarding the new Maori paper to be started by the "Land-ring" at Gisborne, about 150 Maoris have signed and published the following letter in the Te Wananga, the present paper published by the Maoris themselves at Napier :-— We, the tribes on the East Coast of New Zealand, even from Te Mahia to Te Whni a Pawa (Hicks Bay), give this notice : — " Whereas some Europeans at Gisborne, that is at Tueanganui, have determined to print and publish two newspapers in the Maori language, so that those Europeans may propagate their own thoughts, and mode of dealing with political subjects to the Maori people ; but we say that our newspaper, Te Wananga, is sufficient for the whole tribes of the South and North Islands of New Zealand, because our Wananga newspaper is our own ; we, the. Maori, have paid for it, and we the Maori print and publish it, and we the tribes of New Zealand, of our own accord first sought for and caused that newspaper Te Wananga, to exist, and it was not of the European wish or advice or assistance by which our Wananga came into power ; hence we think that the object of the Europeans of Gisborne in publishing the two newspapers is to cause evil to us, the Maori people. Hence we say— do not let even one Maori of all the Natives of these Islands, give the slightest support to these two newspapers. We ask, what were these Europeans doing who now wish to publish these two papers when the days of evil, theft, and neglect, were being so heavily felt by us, the Maori race ; we ask, why, in those days of death resting on us, the Maori! people, did not those Europeans print a Maori paper for us, the Natives of New Zea* land? But now, in these days, when we, the Maori people, have, of our own power and knowledge, caused ;a Maori paper to be printed for our Maori tribes, now these Europeans try to find some line of:policy by which they can .cause

evil to us, the tribes of New Zealand, > and by which we the Maori people, may again be cast back into ignorance and evil. This is our word to those Europeans: — We, the tribes ot New Zealand, will not be guided or listen to your way of teaching, because of our own ability and knowledge we have arrived at the sunny side of the hill of peace, and will not again go back to the regions of evil and ignorance, and thereby be misled by you, and give you the power to laugh at us."