Hill. — Early Printing in New Zealand. 415 



mission held to inquire into the " Present state of the Islands 

 of New Zealand," the report of which was ordered to be 

 printed by the House of Commons on the 8th August, 1838, 

 " that the press was first introduced into New Zealand in 

 1835, and that Mr. Colenso was the first printer" (page 196). 

 The press that was set up at Paihia under the direction of Mr. 

 Colenso was erected there for three reasons — (a) In order to 

 be near the editor of the New Testament, William Williams ; 

 (b) to be away from the constant interruptions pertaining to a 

 station at the harbour ; and (c) to be safe from Maori inroad 

 and pillage. These reasons are stated by Mr. Colenso in his 

 paper " Fifty Years Ago in New Zealand," 1888. 



At the time of setting up the press a motley gathering of 

 nondescripts was to be found in various places within the 

 bounds of the Bay of Islands ; but it is a curious reflection for 

 the thoughtful to find that no heed appears to have been paid 

 to the state of the wild English and Americans, who appeared 

 among the natives like the seven devils among the swine. 

 The press and the teachers were for native use, and traders, 

 whalers, and ex-convicts were to go their own ways, and 

 supply their own wants in the manner that might seem to 

 them best. 



It can hardly be understood at this period as to the state of 

 the people in the numerous settlements to be found in the 

 Bay of Islands at the time of setting up the printing-press. 

 There was no regulating authority whatsoever, for, although 

 a British Resident, in the person of Mr. Busby, had arrived 

 from Sydney in 1833, he could exercise no control, having no 

 executive power and no means of enforcing his decrees. The 

 state of affairs grew so serious that the principal natives of 

 the north took up the matter and decided to do for themselves 

 what it had been their hope would be done for them by the 

 English Government. At an important assemblage of chiefs 

 on the 28th October, 1835, they declared for national inde- 

 pendence in the following words : — 



" 1. We, the hereditary chiefs and heads of tribes of the 

 northern parts of New Zealand, being assembled at Waitangi, 

 in the Bay of Islands, on the 28th day of October, 1835, 

 declare the independence of our country, which is hereby 

 constituted and declared to be an independent State, under 

 the designation of the united tribes of New Zealand. 



" 2. All sovereign power and authority within the ter- 

 ritories within the united States of New Zealand is hereby 

 declared to reside entirely and exclusively in the hereditary 

 chiefs and heads of tribes in their collective capacity, who also 

 declare that they will not permit any legislative authority 

 separate from themselves in their collective capacity to exist, 

 nor any function of government to be exercised within the 



