A Korao no New Zealand

Alternative Title

A Korao no New Zealand. Sydney: Printed by G. Howe, 1815.

Date Created

1815

Date

1815

Identifier

W1. Williams Collection.
Hocken Library

Description



Abstract

This elementary primer was compiled by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) lay teacher Thomas Kendall in the Bay of Island and sent to Rev. Samuel Marsden (then in Sydney) for printing in 1815. It is the first separately published work devoted to the Maori language. In his attempt to standardize orthography, Kendall initiated the Italian or open vowel system, inserted accent marks for long vowels, and established later the ng (1820) and wh (1832) consonants. The only known surviving copy (of 200) is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The Hocken Library has the limited edition facsimile copy (1957) and this unique copy transcribed by hand by John Kenderdine, an Auckland chemist and book collector.

Files

kendall_book_large.jpg

Citation

Thomas Kendall (1778 – 1832), “A Korao no New Zealand,” ourheritage.ac.nz | OUR Heritage, accessed December 26, 2024, https://otago.ourheritage.ac.nz/index.php/items/show/6307.