Question of the Week: Do you have any New Zealand family?

Question

Do you have any ancestors or family members from New Zealand?

Tell us about it with an answer below! You could also answer on Facebook or use the question image to share your answer with friends and family on social media.

Comments

I have discovered, although not listed on this site that various parts of my family ended up in New Zealand and some married into the local population. Charles Broughton is one of my cousins via the Markwick Line. So I have many distant Maori cousins which is incredibly exciting.

---

Yes, I was born in New Zealand and have cousins all over the country, mainly Wellington and Christchurch.

---

I am a kiwi currently living in Wellington. On my Mothers side they came out from Norway and Sweden on the first Scandanavian settlement ship "England" in the late 1880s. They landed in Petone then moved up to the Scandanavian settlement camp in Mauriceville before been given a 40 acre block of land to clear and make their own.

On my Father's side I am still trying to piece together who came from where and when!

---

Hello,

If you look at the following article you will get a better picture about the early arrival to NZ of Scandanavians to Mauriceville etc. I am sure you will find it interesting reading. Regards jack Richardson, Tauranga NZ-

Article- " Mosquitoes and Sawdust " by Val Burr

---

My paternal forefathers - the Mouat- came to NZ and settled in the South Island at Charleston. There are many Mouats buried in the local Seven Mile Cemetery. My grandfather - also called Barclay Mouat- moved to Australia and settled for a while at Natimuk and married a local girl. They finally settled in Hamilton (Vic) where they are buried in the local cemetery.

Answer 1

I do try and add NZ Notables whenever I read about anyone interesting. 

See my profile for a list. 

As for my own family, we have been in NZ for at least 4 generations. 

Most of my tree is pretty much done, apart from some pretty solid brick walls, but those are mostly back in the UK, not in NZ. 

But if I receive news about or from new relatives, I can easily disappear down the rabbit holes to add them to the tree!!! 

Answer 2

The Kiwi Crew is a great little group doing amazing work on NZ profiles and our portion of the tree. This week a new programme called “Passengers” aired on TV. Members of the group added information about the subject of the programme, a 12 year old 1863 Bohemian immigrant to Puhoi, and connected him to existing profiles and to some of his ancestors. Please join us if you are active in NZ genealogy. We’d love to get the NZ Project back up and running, but are working well together regardless.

Eowyn, how do we get some project co-ordinators?

Comments

Similar to Fiona, I spend most of my time on WIkitree trying to connect Kiwi profiles together as part of the KiwiCrew. I am more than happy to help out within the New Zealand Project if it can get up and running.

Answer 3

I work on profile's from New Zealand everyday

Im 5th Gen Kiwi with closer links to family in the UK.

Most of my known Family, and that of my wife ( Corney)  have profiles on Wikitree and these branches are extended out all the time.

Comments

Thankful for the huge contributions you make Graeme.

---

Thank you Graeme

Answer 4

I have various profiles that ended up in New Zealand but the closest ones were my grandfather’s 3 brothers who all emigrated from Ireland whilst he had gone to Canada to visit relatives. I would like to visit it someday myself.

Answer 5

My family hail from Dunedin, Timaru and Auckland for between 4-6 generations. There are rumors of Maori ancestry but I haven't been able to prove them. One member of Parliament confirmed and possibly connected to a Prime Minister on another branch(family tales).

Comments

converted this comment to an answer

Answer 6

Our New Zealand Project is far from dormant, and flourishing beautifully - check out the standing of our very little country in the challenge competitor lists, I don't think we disgrace ourselves there.

I am now having to deal with journalists who ask permission to use information I have posted here. Two important requests this week, one for British Heritage and one for a local historian in New Zealand.

PS: I have 6200 connections, that's pretty cool.

Comments

Val, The first line at the top of the NZ project page says - 

New Zealand Project is currently dormant with no leadership, if you are wanting to connect with fellow Kiwis on WikiTree, consider joining The Kiwi Crew.

I'm pretty sure that Eowyn only means dormant in reference to the fact that the project currently has no leadership. That's all. Not that we as a group are not active. 

But yes as a group, especially for challenges, we have been quite active over the last 5 years!! 

OH yes and the fact that most contact within the group, especially during the challenges, takes place off site on the Discord, probably also gives the impression of our group being "dormant". 

---

Thanks, understood

---

I have cousins living in New Zealand.  My 3x great Grandfather, Archibald Hird’s brother immigrated to New Zealand.  His name was Thomas Herd-251..  I have been in touch with a member of this family several years ago.p

---

Grateful for all you do for Wikitree NZ content Val you do a great job !

Answer 7

My first emigrant family arrived in January 1840 to the shores of what became Petone, among the first of the Wakefield settlers from Kent to New Zealand. Over the next 40 or so years, the rest of my family came from Scotland and Ireland, sometimes via the nearby colonies in what is now called Australia.

I have added my pedigree family and many of the branches to WikiTree, some of whom ended up in North America as well as "down under". I do many New Zealand profiles as well as those from several other countries. Currently I am adding women who are part of the "150 women in 150 words" published by our Royal Society for its 150th anniversary. I also add women who signed our Suffrage Petitions in 1892 and 1893.

Our Kiwi Crew work hard adding profiles to the tree and improving those who are there. We show the true WikiTree spirit in our collaboration.

Comments

My second cousin 5 times removed, Ann (Stone) Prebble (Stone-7824), born in Kent, sailed  to New Zealand in 1839 with her new husband, child, and stepchildren on the Aurora, arriving in early 1840.  Which ship were your ancestors on?

She died in 1879, in Prebbleton, founded by her family.

Their story is told in much greater detail here https://dcaldlan.com/the-whitehead-family/james-stephen-whitehead-1796-1838-and-ann-marie-stone-1803-1879/

---

The Oriental which was the first of the ships to leave England. But it was delayed en route, so arrived after the second ship, the Aurora.

---

In envy those whose connections go so far back. 
My earliest known immigrant wasn't until the early 1900s.  Last I heard, a granddaughter of that line was still living, now in her 90s.  She (that cousin) also has Tongan ancestry, as well as the usual mix of Scottish and English. 

Answer 8

Indeed I do. See Pierson-1215 tree. All of my great grandparents arrived here from various locations - Melbourne, Australia; Cairo, NewYork (emigrated to Long Island from Yorkshire or Olney); London, Wigton, Cumbria, Macclesfield UK; From Herefordshire amd Monmouthshire, Wales; From County Antrim, Ireland. I have recently joined The Kiwi Crew and find the members friendly, exceptionally helpful and well-informed. As well as gradually making improvements to family Profiles I have worked on some family profiles for other people who have made requests and added profiles for notable people about whom I have resources and a particular interest.I don't feel competent enough to join any "Thons".

Answer 9

I am 5th generation kiwi. All my grandparents were born in NZ and some great grandparents. Most came from England including Guernsey Island and  one family from Denmark. I have been interested in what was happening in their countries that made them come to NZ. The first arrived in 1840 in Wellington and moved to Auckland as they thought Auckland would become the capital. I have discovered many interesting stories. Currently getting some new stories from my 93yr old Aunt. Last of that generation left.

Answer 10

Yes I have several NZ relatives, 2 1st cousins 1x removed, who emigrated from Wiltshire, England in the late 1950s, one with a husband and I believe the other cousin married in New Zealand. They are both now deceased. They lived in Christchurch.

Their cousins emigrated to Australia in the late 1960s and if I remember correctly a child of one of these cousins married someone with Māori ancestry.

I don't know anything much about the New Zealand relatives, though the Australian branch might have more information.

Answer 11

Yep. Some of my Spaulding ancestors from Tasmania moved to NZ while it was still part of New South Wales.

Mangamahu (Wellington) and Whakatane areas.

I also lived there for a while, owning a house in Wairoa which is sadly flooded and cut off at the present time.

Answer 12

Kiwi through and through here. Sixth generation on at least one line. Working on NZ profiles most days of the week. Part of Kiwi Crew. :-)

Answer 13

Yes I also am a kiwi. More so on my father's side whose first ancestors arrived in Petone on the Gertrude in 1841. My mother's side arrived in the early 1900s to the West Coast from Australia. I am also part of the kiwi crew.

Answer 14

Yes, 4th generation Kiwi, all grandparents born in NZ, and 5 great grandparents, a 6th emigrated at 3 mths old.

 One great-grandparent was born at Rangatata Island where his father was the ferryman, the family moved to Mt Somers and were miners and farmers, most other branches also farmers, although the founder of the Keast branch a miner who got assisted passage as a farmer then worked as a tunneller on the Port Hills tunnel.

Other related family branches were in the Taranaki in the 1840s, the farm that was the site of at least one battle finally sold outside the family about 20 years ago.

 Others were part of the Otago goldrush.

 Now uncountable numbers of cousins, including Maori branches, Pasifika, and various Asian nationalities, some have even recolonised England.

I even had dinner with a 13th Cornish descended cousin last night.

Answer 15

I am 5th generation kiwi. All my grandparents were born in NZ and some great grandparents. They came from Denmark, England, Guernsey, Ireland, Scotland and Wales many did not have an easy trip to get here. I am a member of the New Zealand project which is actually not 'dormant', in fact far from it, but is merely leaderless. Currently pretty much run by committee via Discord. 

I am site manager for 1545 profiles on Wikitree, made up not only my own expanded and extended, growing family tree, but that of  friends and other connections.

As a member of the New Zealand project and "The Kiwi Crew" I have also been focused lately on working on and connecting profiles of those women who signed the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition. New Zealand women were the first in world to get the vote thanks to these amazing strong pioneering women. 

Comments

My uncle is a retired history professor, and did some work on family history, where he identified several women of the family who signed the Women's Suffrage Petition.

---

Have they been added to Wikitree yet?

Answer 16

I am in the Kiwi Crew. Tried to join the New Zealand Project last year but got nowhere so gave up.

My father was adopted but his male line ancestors are German, his female line Irish. My Mother's male line is English, her female line Irish and supposedly going back to Mary Anne Walsh who married Lord Rossmore Warner William Westenra. However, in all the profiles on other sites, nowhere is there any documentation to prove this. Research still in progress.

My parents are dead, my Mum died aged 85 July 2022. I have 4 brothers and a sister still living in New Zealand.

I am living in Australia now and have been researching my fiancee's family and upgrading/adding sources to unassociated family profiles. I will get back to New Zealand profiles sometime soon.

Comments

I’ve just awarded your badge, Rich. Welcome to the NZ Project. So sorry it has taken so long.

---

Thank you so much Fiona, I now feel complete 

Answer 17

No, but I have a mate who's a Kiwi. I keep mentioning WT to him and he says he has a bunch of family info that he needs to sort and should join. But he never does. At least not yet. I keep working on him about it.

Answer 18

I love Wiki Connections! I'm in Iowa in the U.S. and, thanks to Connections and the work done by others, found an Aotearoa connection.  Hohepine Te Wake Cooper, one of the most influential Maori leaders of the modern era, is a 6th cousin 3x removed. Yes, that's a stretch, but the fun of connections is in finding unexpected family. My 4th cousin a few times removed, Wm Hoard, was on a New England whaler when he jumped ship in Aotearea and married Te Oki Mahu, a Maori woman.  Their granddaughter was Hohepine.  An interesting association is that noted American Pilgrims John Alden and Priscilla Mullins were among Hohepine's 7th great grandparents. Nga mihi.

Answer 19

My great uncle (2nd great uncle) Daniel Inwood, moved from England to Canterbury, New Zealand in 1850.  His brothers joined him later. They operated a flour mill:

"They diverted a branch of the Waihi River near Temuka, and a Mill was operated there by their eldest brother Robert who had emigrated in 1867 with his wife and eleven children, he was later instrumental in raising money for the building of the Church of England Church in Temuka, and for a short time he was editor of the Evening Telegraph."

Answer 20

My grandmother had several siblings, aunts and uncles who moved out to NZ.  It makes me want to visit.  When my cousin went there as a child, there was a gathering of 50 or so relations.