Thomas Kendall was one of New Zealand’s first Christian missionaries. He pioneered the transcription of the Māori language, and also investigated how Māori understood the universe.
Thomas Kendall
Personal details
Full Name:
Thomas Kendall
Lifetime:
1778 (year uncertain) – 1832 (year uncertain)
Biography
Events In History
12 August 1816
The simple building measured about 10m x 6m and included an area for Māori students to sleep and a cordoned-off platform for teachers and Pākehā students
Articles
Missionaries
The Christian missionaries of the pre-1840s have been described as the 'agents of virtue in a world of vice', although they were not immune to moral blemish themselves. Read the full article
Page 3 - Men of vice or virtue?
Thomas Kendall established the first mission school, but he was later suspended after admitting an adulterous affair with a Maori
Main image: Thomas Kendall with Hongi Hika
Missionary Thomas Kendall is painted with Waikato and Hongi Hika in London in 1820. In 1815 Kendall wrote the first book to be published in the Maori language.
