Researching Your New Zealand Ancestors

The Wilson Collection was launched in 2021 and is one of New Zealand's newest index sites. It contains a unique collection of contributions, including a marriage place index. Join Michelle as she takes us on a tour of this free, invaluable resource for New Zealand research. https://wilsoncollection.co.nz/

Taking a deeper dive into other resources to extend your New Zealand family history research.

Learn about 19th and 20th century sources for finding your ancestors' arrival in New Zealand.

Changes in Britain post the 1776 War of Independence, along with Capt James Cook’s mapping of New Zealand (1769) and New South Wales (1770), led to convicts and marines being sent to Botany Bay in 1787. So began British migration to the Southern Seas. Factors driving various waves of migration (economic, political, family ties, adventure) will be discussed, along with the effects the British Diasporas had on the Aboriginal and Māori Communities and their environment. Tips on tracing those missing down-under branches of your tree will also be covered.

Birth, Marriage and Death information provides the bones of our family history skeleton from which we hang the rest of our research about a person. Learn more about the New Zealand records that give your research structure.

Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau Pākehā. The history of migration and settlement of Polynesia can make Māori/Polynesian atDNA test results extra challenging to interpret. Learn how the results of a Big Y test from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) can help untangle the multiple connections with your atDNA matches...

Add some more detail to your New Zealand Family History by checking four more sources for your research: Military records, NZ Electoral Rolls, The Suffrage Petition and the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.

The ANZACs were young men from Australia and New Zealand who answered the call in World War One. Using a variety of records, it is generally possible to trace their service and find out the answer to “What did you do in the war?”

You've checked the New Zealand births, deaths and marriages, now where? Covering cemetery, probate, newspaper and immigration records for tracing your family with New Zealand links.