Elizabeth Fairburn Colenso (1821 - 1904)

Elizabeth Fairburn Colenso was a missionary and Bible translator in New Zealand. She was born at the Church Missionary Society station at Kerikeri, New Zealand. Having grown up speaking the Māori language from infancy, she helped see the Maori Old Testament through the press in England. It was a lengthy undertaking; she was correcting proofs throughout the mid-1860s. Returning to New Zealand early in 1867 she helped prepare the revised New Testament for the press, correcting the printed copy, and sometimes suggesting alternative translations. She also translated Christian materials into the Mota language. She served for many years, before and after her work in Bible translation, as a school teacher for Maori children and also on Norfolk Island.