Charles Oliver Bond Davis played an important role in supporting the production of a number of Māori newspapers, including The Maori Messenger – Te Karere Maori, Te Waka o Te Iwi, Te Whetu o Te Tau and Te Korimako. Davis found himself charged with (but not convicted of) seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet by Tauranga Māori criticising Te Arawa Māori, with the title 'te Arawa mangai-nui' (literally big-mouthed Te Arawa, but actually a reference to Te Arawa's renown as great orators). Davis was described by a contemporary as 'a diminutive man of mummified appearance with a thin squeaky voice, destitute of one atom of personal charm'.