''The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle'' (also known as ''The Nelson ailyExaminer'', was the first newspaper published in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It was launched in 1842 by Charles Elliott (1811–1876), a few weeks after

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model focused on the systematic colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principl ...

settlers arrived in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. In its early years the newspaper was criticised for its supposed lack of independence and for being merely a

mouthpiece Mouthpiece may refer to: * The part of an object which comes near or in contact with one's mouth or nose during use ** Mouthpiece (smoking pipe) or cigarette holder ** Mouthpiece (telephone handset) ** Mouthpiece (woodwind), a component of a woodw ...

for the New Zealand Company. Brothers Charles and James Elliott came to Nelson on one of the first four immigrant ships, the ''Mary Jane'', which arrived in

Nelson Harbour Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

on 10 February 1842. They brought a printing press with them and the first edition was published on 12 March 1842. The paper began as a weekly, was published twice weekly from July 1854, and went daily in July 1873.Editorial:To Our Readers
''The Nelson Daily Examiner'' 2 July 1873, at Papers Past,

National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...

The newspaper folded in the face of competition in 1874. Digital copies of all issues are available online via the

References

Newspapers established in 1842 Publications disestablished in 1874 1842 establishments in New Zealand 1874 disestablishments in New Zealand Mass media in Nelson, New Zealand Defunct newspapers published in New Zealand {{NewZealand-newspaper-stub