mihaneren.adj.

1840 Let. 23 Aug. in New Zealand Jrnl. (1841) 31 July 190/1 [Henry Williams] had not given them [sc. Maori owners, for land] even a fish-hook or a head of tobacco, except..to those who became converts to the mihanere (missionary) creed.

1845 E. J. Wakefield Adventure in N.Z. II. 11 The mihanere natives, as a body, were distinctly inferior in point of moral character to the natives who remained with their ancient customs unchanged... A very common answer from a converted native, accused of theft, was, ‘How can that be? I am a mihanere’.

1847 G. F. Angas Savage Life & Scenes Austral. & N.Z. II. 153 Those natives who are still heathen are generally styled ‘devils’... Hongi Hongi,..in answer to my inquiry as to whether he was a ‘mihorari’ or a ‘pikopo’ (Catholic), confessed with evident delight that he was a ‘devil’.

1854 R. E. Malone Three Years' Cruise Australasian Colonies iii. 22 Mihaneri (missionaries—the universal name, in New Zealand, for Protestant Christians).

1898 T. M. Hocken Contrib. Early Hist. N.Z. 56 Altogether, there were..not less than 150 natives, who, according to their custom, being mihanere or Christianised, assembled twice a day for religious service.

1928 Na To Hoa Aroha (1986) 17 Dec. I. 160 The Ringatus, a strong factor on this side, are prepared to arrive at a modus vivendi with the mihinare.

1954 Econ. Geogr. 30 7076/2 Wellington soon came to depend for its pigs and potatoes upon the efforts of the mihaneres.