New Zealand is one of the most recently inhabited land masses in the world, giving it a unique heritage and history. If you have New Zealand ancestry, learning about your ancestors and where they come from can help you foster a sense of self and belonging as you discover your ancestors and learn more about where they come from. In this guide, we will offer a brief overview of New Zealand’s history, tips on starting your own family tree, and a comprehensive list of resources to aid you in your search for New Zealand ancestors.
A Brief History of New Zealand
Learning about a place's history will help you understand the family heritage of its inhabitants. Some are surprised to learn the exact arrival of humans in New Zealand is still up for debate. The Māori people are believed to have arrived around 1400 AD, less than a century before Columbus made his most famous voyage. Written records don’t go back that far, but don't let that frustrate you. If you do have Māori heritage, chances are your ancestors came from East Polynesia by waka. Learning about their histories and cultures can go a long way to helping you understand your own heritage.
Māori Culture
The original inhabitants of New Zealand were the indigenous Polynesian people known as the Māori, who settled on the land around 500 years ago. They are believed to have migrated from other Polynesian islands in the South Pacific, possibly including the Cook Islands, Tahiti, or the Society Islands.
For around 500 years, the Māori people were the sole occupants of the land now known as New Zealand, allowing their culture and language to develop free of outside influences. Hundreds of unique tribes formed, alongside a rich culture with legends known as pūrākau, rhythmic dances and singing known as kapa haka, communal meetings, and various artforms.
European explorers later arrived in the 1700s, leading to waves of immigration to New Zealand in the 1800s. Written records became much more common around this time, making it easier to explore your family’s history and origins. European arrival also molded the future of New Zealand, with English becoming a dominant language, increased trade leading to more cultural assimilation, and more.
Is D. Raven the same person as Daniel Raven, Apothecary, of Hatfield Peverel, Essex? Probably so. But how and why did this certificate become part of the records of the Auckland Hospital Board? Such are the questions and discoveries that arise while researching family history.
How Can I Find My New Zealand Ancestry?
If you’re interested in exploring your New Zealand ancestry, it can be daunting to get going. Start with what you know: yourself and your parents or living relatives. Record everything you know—birth certificates, family photos, family heirlooms, dates, names, events, and so on. Try asking family members for help! They may have invaluable information, records, photos, and more to contribute.
Build a Family Tree
As you gain momentum, keeping a family tree can help you track and organize everything you’ve learned. A family tree is a diagram which shows the relationships between people in a family, between multiple generations. Highlighting a person’s lineage in this way can help you find ancestors you didn’t know they had, as well as learn more about your family history in general. This guide will help you start a free FamilySearch family tree.
Browse Free Genealogical Records
Once you’ve laid out everything you know, it’s time to start digging into recorded information about your New Zealand ancestry. Online databases such as those offered by FamilySearch offer free genealogical records from censuses, marriage records, death records, birth records, obituaries, and more. This information can help you fill gaps in knowledge and piece together clues to help you find new relatives in your family tree.
Again, start by searching for what you know, such as a name, date, location, or event. Once you find one of the ancestors you know, you can often find information that leads you to more ancestors. For example, a census record will often tell you who else lived with the person and how they were related, or a marriage certificate will often give you a spouse or maiden name to search for.
From there, you can start piecing together your family. As you go, track everything you’ve gathered in your family tree. In the end, you’ll have an incredible snapshot of your family’s history, from life events to place of origin. You may even be able to find photos and stories shared by other people with shared ancestors.
What Resources Are Available for Finding My New Zealand Ancestors?
As you start searching for your New Zealand ancestry, there are tons of online resources that can help you along the way. Online records, family trees, and more are available at your disposal.
New Zealand Ancestry Records and Tools
Genealogical records are an essential part of finding your ancestors. These websites have records and guides that can help you find your New Zealand ancestry:
- New Zealand Record Catalog: FamilySearch hosts thousands of New Zealand genealogical records, all available for free.
- The Wilson Collection: The Wilson collection represents a work of passion, with over 40 years worth of transcribed records from New Zealand.
- FamilySearch Family Tree: The FamilySearch family tree is a unique resource with one open family tree compiled by contributors from around the world. With it, you can find the research other people have already done.
- New Zealand History: This New Zealand government page compiled a range of resources to guide New Zealanders on their family history journeys.
- FamilySearch Wiki Guides: FamilySearch compiled a vast list of resources to help you with New Zealand genealogy.
- New Zealand Family History Guide: This helpful guide was put together by the New Zealand National Library.
- New Zealand Society of Genealogists: This society offers a community gathered together for one purpose: tracing New Zealand ancestry.
- Australia and New Zealand Records: FindMyPast.com has a collection of records available from Australia and New Zealand.
- New Zealand Research Page: Ancestry.com also offers a collection of New Zealand records and genealogies.
Often, using multiple resources together can yield the best results. Each record list or website offers unique tools and information to help you find your family, but together, you have a vast array of information available.
Register with FamilySearch and Discover Your New Zealand Ancestors Today!
Creating an account with FamilySearch is free and gives you access to the world’s largest genealogy archive. Build your family tree complete with information from our database of records with ease. Learn about your New Zealand ancestry, and create an account today!
Learn More about New Zealand
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
