The difference between the English and the Maori translations has been the subject of scholarly research, most notably by Dr. Lachlan Paterson. He asserts that the Maori texts were quite different in tone to the English texts. The English texts often appeared condescending but this was not the case with the Maori texts.

Sample pages

Presented here are a few sample pages from the Maori messenger to give an indication of the type of material included in a typical issue of the magazine. The first page shows the opening page of the first issue of the new Maori messenger, page two gives an account of a meeting about translating the Bible into the Maori language and shows a picture of an apostle preaching the Gospel in a Roman city, the third page gives the text of a Maori hymn with its English translation and shows the prodigal son kneeling in his moment of repentance, and page four gives the text of a lament for a Maori woman named Ngahuia by her friend Kaikino.