Hocken. — On Literature in New Zealand. 473 



time in the arts of civilised life and the truths of Christianity, 

 and for this their callings fitted them. One was a blacksmith, 

 another was a flax- or rope-spinner, and the third a carpenter, 

 occupations in which the natives were especially interested. 

 Kendall had had some experience as a teacher in the Home- 

 country, and he was thus able to undertake and complete 

 within the first year of his new labours what is indeed the first 

 literary production of this country. It is a small 12mo primer 

 or school-book and vocabulary of fifty - five pages, printed at 

 Sydney in 1815. It is entitled " A Korao no New Zealand; 

 or, the New Zealanders' First Book : being an Attempt to 

 compose some Lessons for the Instruction of the Natives." 

 The book is, of course, extremely rare, if not unique, the 

 only copy known to me being that in the Auckland Museum. 

 Those of us having the least acquaintance with Maori will 

 recognise how primitive is the first portion of the title, "A 

 Korao no New Zealand," nay, of what dog- or pidgin-Maori 

 it consists ; and the same may be said of the contents. But it 

 was a necessary and praiseworthy attempt to open communi- 

 cation between the two races, and as such it now holds its 

 pride of place. Doubtless, too, it was quite abreast of the 

 schooling requirements of eighty-five years ago. From the 

 accounts which have descended to us from those early days 

 it seems very clear that the relative position of teacher and 

 pupil was entirely reversed, and that the latter had the 

 former under control. The pupil came or played truant as he 

 pleased, and it was quite as dangerous then to administer 

 reproof or punishment as it is to-day in our own State schools. 

 The surest method of securing the attendance and attention 

 of these wayward ones was the promise of a meal of potatoes 

 or some other of the new pakeha foods. But this too often 

 sadly reduced the scanty rations of the missionary, who was 

 too fastidious to supplement them with the roast joints of the 

 country. 



Reverting to the contents of Mr. Kendall's book leads me 

 to remark upon the different renderings that have been im- 

 posed upon the Maori tongue since its first few words were 

 made known to us by Captain Cook. Like other branches of 

 the great Polynesian language, it is an oral and not a written 

 tongue, and the first attempts to reduce it to writing were 

 not only confused, but ludicrous. Its soft harmonious sounds 

 when presented in English syllabary became grotesque. Each 

 one spelt according to his fancy or untrained ear, with the 

 result that, whilst he might recognise his word again, no one 

 else could. An example or two will suffice : Wai, water, was 

 ivhi, wye, wi ; nose, ihu, was esJioa, ahewh, ehoo ; come here, 

 haere mai, was iremi, harrymy, haromai, aire mai ; Hokianga 

 was Jokeehangar, Shukiehanger, E'Okianga; Hauraki was 



