On Wednesday 17 December, Maori church and community leaders gathered at Poroporo Marae in Whakatane to celebrate the launching of Te Kawenata Hou, the newly reformatted edition of the Maori New Testament.

At the launch celebrations, Bible Society CEO Reverend Mark Brown shared Bible Society's thoughts on a vision for a new contemporary Maori Bible translation.
 
“For many years, Bible Society has been receiving requests for another Maori translation, a translation in contemporary, everyday Maori language that a modern Maori reader will identify with,” he said.

The current Maori Bible was last revised in 1952.  While the 1952 edition will always be considered a Taonga, the language is far removed from everyday Maori language now spoken in homes, at places of work and in schools.

"The vision would not be to replace the 1952 edition, but to have a contemporary Maori translation that will sit alongside it.  Something that a young Maori reader can open, and begin reading as if God was speaking to him or her in their own everyday heart language,” Reverend Brown said.

However, Reverend Brown said that it cannot be just Bible Society’s vision.  He explained that the vision must also come from the Maori church and its leaders.  He offered Bible Society’s full support, including project coordination as well as help with funding and translation expertise.

It is expected that the project would take 13 years to complete.

The first Maori New Testament was printed on William Colenso’s small press at Paihia in 1837 and the first ever edition of the full Maori Bible was published in 1868.  Since then, there have been four revisions of the full Bible at intervals of 21 years, 36 years and finally 27 years up to the 1952 edition.  Mark pointed out in his speech that it has now been 56 years since the last revision.

Watch the video of the launch celebrations.