MAUNSELL, ROBERT (1810-94) came of a very old Irish family, and was born at Milford, near Limerick. He received his early education at Waterford and proceeded to Trinity College, Dublin, where he took first place amongst 72 freshmen. Graduating B.A. in 1833 with a high place in classics, he intended to read for the bar, but turned from law with a view to offering his services for the mission field. He was accepted by the Church Missionary Society, and entered the training college at Islington. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Blomfield in 1833, and priest in the following year. Without delay Maunsell sailed for Australia, and crossed to New Zealand in the Active. He was stationed at Mangapouri on the Waipa, in Nov 1835. There he made an assiduous study of the Maori language, of which he soon had a scholarly mastery. Maunsell was sent to Puriri for a few weeks, and then to assist Brown at Matamata and eventually to Tauranga. He travelled much between the Bay of Plenty and Waikato during the campaigns of Waharoa (1836), and persuaded the taua of Ngati-Haua not to eat the flesh of their victims. After further adventures Maunsell reached Maraetai, near Waikato Heads. Here he opened a mission station (1836) with agricultural farm, church and day schools, which for a few years was very successful. In 1839 700 pupils were presented for examination. Volkner came here as his assistant; F. D. Fenton taught music and Stack arrived in 1853 to manage the farm. The habits of industry and steadiness which characterised the people of lower Waikato have been ascribed to the regular discipline and training of Maunsell's regime.

Maunsell devoted much time to translating portions of the Scriptures, but his manuscript was destroyed in the burning of his house. He was one of the committee of four appointed in 1844 to revise the Maori prayer book. In 1847 he revised the Old Testament, and in 1850 the Maori grammar. It is said that while he spoke in English he thought in Maori. Trinity College recognised his high scholarship by awarding him the honorary degree of LL.D. (1849).

Owing to the decrease of the native population Maunsell, on the advice of Grey, decided to move the station from Maraetai some miles up the river. The move was effected in 1853, and the new station established at Kohanga, where Volkner supervised the preparatory work on an additional area of land given by the Maori for the agricultural school. The industrial work was successful, but the farm failed owing to the poor soil. In the first year both oats and potatoes yielded less than the seed. The food shortage was serious for the mission. On the outbreak of the war in 1863 Maunsell's influence with the Maori failed, and he was compelled to send his family to Auckland. He himself took the field as chaplain to the troops, in which capacity he buried the dead after Rangiriri.

At the end of the war he went to live in Auckland. He was appointed archdeacon of Waitemata but resigned (1868) to become incumbent of St Mary's, Auckland, which position he held to 1883, when he retired. From 1870-83 he was archdeacon of Auckland. He died on 19 Apr 1894. Maunsell was described as tall, gaunt and loosely built, with a strong, weatherbeaten countenance.

Col. Gent.; Morton; typescript letters of G. and R. Maunsell in Turnbull Library; Stack; Buller; Gorst; Thomson; N.Z. Herald, 20 Apr 1894 (p); Auckland Star, 23 Feb 1927.

Reference: Volume 2, page 41

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