Niupepa (Māori language newspapers) – past, present, future

The Team from Alexander Turnbull Library

Niupepa Māori (Māori language newspapers) were produced by the government, churches, Māori and Pākehā from 1842 to the 1930s. Four experts in the field, including Curator Māori, Paul Diamond, will explore the history, present and future of Niupepa from their early production through digitisation to being made publically accessible.
Thursday 13th September
Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets. Programmes Room and Lilburn Room / Free
12.10 - 1pm
Niupepa offer a unique source of Māori language text as well as an invaluable historical record of New Zealand’s history from a Māori perspective. The first newspaper in the Māori language, Ko te Karere o Nui Tireni, was published by the government in 1842. From then till the early 1930s, around 40 Māori newspapers were published for various lengths of time. Most Māori papers were gone by the early 20th century, when the Māori language was declining.

Over the last few years the Digitisation team at the National Library have processed more than 18,000 pages from 25 historical newspapers and periodicals, adding them to the Papers Past website. The collection was based on images supplied by the New Zealand Digital Library Project at the Department of Computer Science, University of Waikato.

Chaired by Paul Diamond (Ngāti Haua, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi), Alexander Turnbull Library Curator Māori.

Basil Keane (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne) has worked as the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Director, Māori Digital Projects and has degrees in law and Māori studies. He has worked overseeing all Te Ara content from a Māori perspective, and recently has been involved in research for Te Ahu o te Reo: The Health of te reo Māori in Homes and Communities.

Arapine Walker is the Poutiaki Rauemi with the Services to Schools team in National Library’s Tāmaki Makaurau office. She is a passionate advocate of the Library working with kura kaupapa Māori to develop a more strategic and purposeful relationship, one that seeks to contribute to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and better education outcomes for Māori children.

Tracy Powell is a Digitisation Advisor at the National Library of New Zealand, working on projects and programmes such as the digitisation of historic newspapers for Papers Past.