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Story: Publishing

Lead type used by William Colenso

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Lead type used by William Colenso

This lead type is likely to have been brought to New Zealand by William Colenso in December 1834 along with a Stanhope press. Colenso, a printer, had been sent to New Zealand by the Anglican Church Missionary Society. On 17 February 1835 he completed the first pamphlet to be printed in New Zealand, Paul's epistles to the Ephesians and Philippians (from the New Testament of the Bible) translated into Māori. This typeface may well have been used for that publication.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Curios-008-008

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Elizabeth Caffin, Publishing – Church and state: the first publishers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/42238/lead-type-used-by-william-colenso (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Elizabeth Caffin, published 2 August 2013.