Te Ara

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is building a comprehensive guide to our peoples, natural environment, history, culture, economy and society.
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Whats the story

The encyclopedia contains over 600 stories arranged into sections

Government and Nation

Government and Nation
Politics, government and national identity...

Social Connections

Social Connections
Families, community organisations, religion, crime, health...

Economy and the City

Economy and the City
The economy, business, labour force, transport, urban life...

The Bush

The Bush
The land, plants, animals, forests, birds, insects...

Earth, Sea and Sky

Earth, Sea and Sky
Marine life, natural resources, geology, climate...

Settled Landscape

Settled Landscape
Clearing and farming the land, crops, stock, rural life...

Māori New Zealanders

Māori New Zealanders
Māori origins, voyages, iwi (tribes), European encounter, urban life...

New Zealand Peoples

New Zealand Peoples
The people who settled here...

Places

Places
Regions – natural environment, economy...

New Zealand in Brief

New Zealand in Brief
Snapshots of the nation, including its history, culture...

Daily Life
Coming 2012

Creativity
Coming 2013

The latest post on our blog is: Marking time Signposts, our blog

Just want a quick overview? Try New Zealand in Brief

Contribute to Te Ara by telling us your story on any subject in the encyclopedia Submit your story

Te Ara also contains over 3,000 biographies in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography

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Born on this day

Lopdell, Francis Cecil

1890–1960

Teacher, soldier, school inspector, teachers’ college principal, educational administrator

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Born on your birthday

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Take a trip back in time

In 1966 the first encyclopedia of New Zealand was published in three thick volumes

Recent additions to our Flickr pool

Do you have photos that we could use on Te Ara? Join our Flickr group

Sunrise near Lake Matheson - New ZealandStreets of Wellington - New ZealandOld house, Canterbury, New ZealandOld house, Canterbury, New ZealandUnnamed Creek, Paparoa RangeUnnamed Creek, Paparoa RangeOrewaWaiheke IslandOld house, Te Koura, Manawatu-Whanganui, New ZealandForest Stream, Brunner, West CoastForest Stream, Brunner, West Coast

‘Te ara’ in Māori means ‘the pathway’. We hope you enjoy your journey through Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand