New Zealand School Journal

First published in May 1907, the journal is said by New Zealand's Ministry for Culture and Heritage to be the longest-running periodical publication for children in the world.[2][4] The journal's development was initiated by then Inspector-General of Schools, George Hogben, on the basis that it was cheaper to produce a single free publication than to produce separate textbooks on history, geography and other subjects.[2][5][6][7] An inspiration may have been the earlier The New Zealand Reader, an anthology of local literature produced in the 1890s by the Minister of Education, William Pember Reeves.[8]

The journal was originally published by the Department of Education 10 times a year (every month except December and January), in three different parts corresponding to different age groups.[2][9][10] Its intention was in part to provide educational material for children with a New Zealand focus, although until the 1930s it included extensive content about the British Empire which then encompassed New Zealand; for example, biographies of members of the Royal family, articles about famous battles, and moralistic poems.[6][11][12] In the early years, one issue a year would be dedicated to coverage of the Empire, with the goal of developing "an appreciation of the higher literature ... an admiration of truth and goodness in daily life, and a high conception of patriotism and national service".[13] It also promoted colonial values, with articles about useful topics like tree-felling, house building and knowledge of New Zealand's natural environment.[14]

Political cartoon criticising the journal, then the responsibility of Minister of Education George Fowlds, by William Blomfield in the Observer, 23 November 1907

The first editor was W. E. Spencer, a former school inspector.[15] The first issue, published in May 1907, began with an unattributed poem titled "The Wasp and the Bee", and also featured poetry by William Pember Reeves.[16] It was not well-received, and was criticised by the Auckland Star as "an inexplicable mystery and a bitter disappointment", being "nothing more or less than a school reading book, of the ordinary miscellaneous character".[17] The Manawatu Standard said that with one exception it had been unfavourably criticised by every newspaper.[18][19] The New Zealand Times said that on the whole the edition "promises well, and should be welcomed heartily as a bright innovation in the literature of our public schools", although it did criticise a poem for referring to soccer as "football" when "for national reasons, it should be Rugby".[20] In 1909, the Minister for Education George Fowlds responded to rumours that it was about to be discontinued: "It is not intended the journal should be stopped — it is an essential part of the educational system because of the large amount of varied reading matter it provides at small cost."[18][21]

Until the 1940s editions of the journal generally did not attribute stories and articles to a particular author, and featured an emphasis on text rather than illustration.[22][23] For the first year of publication there were in fact no illustrations, with limited drawings being introduced in the second year,[24] and until the 1940s, the majority of illustrations were obtained from overseas artists.[25] The journal was initially delivered to individual children free of charge and only began being delivered in bulk to schools in the late 1940s.[26][27] In 1914 use of the journal in state schools became compulsory.[10] Janet Frame, one of New Zealand's best-known authors, remembered being inspired by the poetry in the journal during her childhood in the 1930s.[28]

In October 1914, the journal published the poem If— by British author Rudyard Kipling without first asking permission. Spencer wrote to Kipling's publisher to inform them of the publication and ask of any "reasonable fee" that would be required. In response, Kipling accused the journal of breaching his copyright, advising that he had refused permission to other publications, and sought payment of 50 pounds sterling (a significant sum at the time). Spencer, backed by the Department of Education and New Zealand's Solicitor-General, refused on the basis that the New Zealand government was not bound by copyright laws. There is no record of whether a resolution was ever reached.[29]

In its early years, the journal included regular content relating to Māori people and culture, in part because of a belief that Māori were a dying race and their culture needed to be recorded and remembered.[30] Early articles on the Moriori people of the Chatham Islands included racist inaccuracies (for example in the July 1916 edition, which described them as lazy and unfriendly, and said that they preceded Māori people in New Zealand).[31][12] In 2010 three special editions were published to correct these inaccuracies, and the New Zealand government also officially apologised for them in settlement of the Moriori Waitangi Tribunal claim.[32][33][34][35] Historian Michael King said in Penguin History of New Zealand (2003) that "for hundreds of thousands of New Zealand children, the version of Moriori history carried in the School Journal and other publications which drew from that source, reinforced over 60-odd years by primary school teachers, was the one that lodged in the national imagination".[36] In King's view, the journal was also responsible for popularising both Percy Smith's inaccurate story of Kupe and the belief that Aotearoa is the traditional Māori name for New Zealand, which King disputed.[31][36]

In 1931 the existing editor departed and was replaced by a sub-editor, A M Palmer, who edited the journal until 1940 (although she was only granted the full title of editor in 1937). Under her direction the journal became less imperialist and pro-Empire, and more anti-war.[37] In 1939 C. E. Beeby established the School Publications branch of the Department of Education, which took over responsibility for publication of the School Journal, and began encouraging more local New Zealand works.[18][1] These changes led to the journal becoming known for the high quality of its children's literature.[38] The journal's improvements corresponded with a drive in the New Zealand education system to become more interesting for children and to focus more on New Zealand history and writings.[39] Editor and frequent contributor Jack Lasenby described the journal as being as "anarchic, vigorous and fertile as the New Zealand bush",[40] while Margaret Mahy (whose prolific writing career begin with two stories published in the journal in 1961) described it as "one of New Zealand's leading literary magazines".[41]

Unlike World War I, which was extensively covered in the journal in a romantic and imperialist way,[42] there was little mention of World War II during the war years, although in March 1942 a story was featured about support provided by the Boy Scouts in Britain.[43][44] After the war the journal focused more on life in New Zealand.[44] In 1948, the iconic book-length Life at the Pa was published, written by Ray Chapman-Taylor and illustrated by E. Mervyn Taylor and Russell Clark. It told the story of a Māori boy growing up in a traditional pre-European settlement.[45] In 1949, a series of stories by author Brian Sutton-Smith caused controversy, featuring a "gang" of young boys who engaged in what was then considered anti-social behaviour (such as attempting to sneak into a movie theatre without paying for a ticket). The Taranaki Daily News and other media outlets successfully campaigned for the series to be cancelled and it was discontinued after three of the planned ten stories.[22][18][26][46]

Illustration by Colin McCahon for the journal, c. 1940s[47]

The journal's use of art evolved over time, with coloured covers and photographs being introduced in the 1950s and the use of colour and illustration becoming bolder in the 1960s and onwards, as colour printing became more accessible.[1][22][48] Jill McDonald, art editor in the 1960s, said if books "look entertaining, or exciting, or amusing enough to be worth the effort of reading them, children will make the effort".[1] In the 1940s and 1950s in particular the journal was linked with artists at the forefront of New Zealand art, such as Colin McCahon and Rita Angus.[49] The journal was often an important source of income for New Zealand artists and writers.[22][4] Bob Kerr, an illustrator, has noted that the journal enabled illustrators "to learn their craft", by "providing paying work".[50]

In 1954, the journal shifted from monthly (except December and January) publication to quarterly for older age groups and bimonthly for younger age groups.[9] In 1955, Edmund Hillary wrote an account of his summit of Mount Everest for the journal.[1] In 1957, UNESCO published a report on New Zealand's establishment of the School Publications Branch, praising it as a "particularly interesting solution" to the challenges of educational publishing;[51] it was explained that the intention of the journal was to be a "children's magazine of the highest quality, one which they will turn to with pleasure, and from which they will derive a taste for literature and a lasting interest in books".[9] New Zealand historian John Beaglehole wrote in an essay in the 1950s that the journal was world-leading, not only in providing reading material for New Zealand children but in teaching them:[8]

... that life in New Zealand can be a worthwhile and interesting experience, that New Zealand has a tradition and contemporary ways of living of its own; that New Zealanders are doing fascinating and important things here and now, that can best be written about and drawn by New Zealanders.

Alistair Te Ariki Campbell worked as an editor of the journal between 1955 and 1972, and was active in increasing the quality and quantity of Māori literature. In 1960 he published a special issue of the journal focusing on the needs and interests of Māori schoolchildren.[52] New contributors in this period included Witi Ihimaera and Patricia Grace, Māori writers who had grown up reading the journal as children and had noticed the lack of works by Māori about Māori.[53] The journal began featuring not just stories and articles about Māori traditions like flax-weaving but also stories about contemporary Māori children in cities and urban environments.[54] In 1961 the journal featured the story "Fishing" by Samoan writer Albert Wendt, but it was not until the 1980s or 1990s that Pasifika writers became more widely featured.[55]