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Hira Te Popo was the only son of Tāne Whirinaki. No record of his mother's name has been found. He was born into Te Whakatōhea of Ōpōtiki, a tribe which was trying to recover from the devastating raids of Ngāpuhi and…

Mavis Davidson was a significant New Zealand mountaineer, a field ecologist and an international authority on sika deer. She made several notable ascents, leading the first all-women ascent of Aoraki/Mount Cook in 1953…

Lydiard and his system The gregarious, dogmatic, hyperactive running coach Arthur Leslie Lydiard is one of the few New Zealand sportsmen to have influenced millions of people around the world. His system of training…

Colin Graham Scrimgeour was born at Wairoa on 30 January 1903, the son of John Graham Scrimgeour, a farmer, and his wife, Robina Maud Clunie. He left school at the age of 11 and unsuccessfully tried to enlist for…

Patrick Hodgens Hickey was born on a backblocks farm at the junction of the Wangapeka and Motueka rivers in Nelson, New Zealand, on 19 January 1882. He was the fourth of seven children of Irish Catholic immigrants…

From childhood, Augusta Wallace’s life was entwined with the law. She was the daughter, wife and mother of lawyers, had her own law practice, and became New Zealand’s first female district court judge in 1975. Despite…

Matiu Rata was a greatly respected and influential Minister of Māori Affairs and of Lands in the third Labour government, and progenitor of the Waitangi Tribunal and the Mana Motuhake movement. He spent much of his life…

Mira Szászy emerged from a humble upbringing to become one of the greatest Māori leaders and proponents of mana wāhine in the twentieth century. Throughout her life, Mira pushed for education, health and social reforms…

Charles Heaphy was born in London, England, probably in 1820, the youngest of five children. His father, Thomas Heaphy, was a professional watercolourist and miniaturist of considerable social prominence. Charles's…

Ian Athfield was an award-winning Wellington architect whose practice, Athfield Architects, designed distinctive and innovative houses that challenged suburban norms, as well as celebrated commercial, public and…

Evelyn Gertrude Brooke, usually called Eva, was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on 13 September 1879, the daughter of Thomas William Brooke, a carpenter, and his wife, Kate Theresa Coad. Her father died, probably in…

Henry Butler Cave was born in Wanganui on 10 October 1922, the son of Henry Bernard Cave and his wife, Gertrude Marion Allison. Bernard Cave farmed at Westmere, north of Wanganui. He was one of five brothers who played…

Annie Dowd was born on 24 May 1862 in County Kerry, Ireland, the daughter of Patrick Dowd, a buyer, and his wife, Elizabeth Foley. At the age of 16 she went to New Zealand as an assisted immigrant, listed as a general…

Silston Cory-Wright was born at Sigglesthorne Hall, Hornsea, Yorkshire, England, on 22 September 1888, the son of George Henry Cory Wright and his wife, Ellen Green Wade. He was registered by his father at birth as…

Kathleen Maisey Curtis, who later became Lady Rigg, was an exemplary scientist who specialised in mycology and botany and was a founder of plant pathology in New Zealand. She was an inspiration to women scientists who…

Grace Bracken was born in June 1805, at Midgley, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England, and was baptised on 9 August 1805 at Halifax. She was the fourth daughter of eight children of Grace Appleyard and her husband, Jonathan…

Ellen Leahy was born on 12 June 1870 to Bridget McNamara and her husband, Daniel Leahy, who farmed in the Waimea West district near Nelson, New Zealand. The family later moved to Blenheim where Ellen was educated by the…

Raymond Francis McIntyre was born at Christchurch, New Zealand, on 5 February 1879. He was the son of Canadian-born George McIntyre, a surveyor, and his wife, Julia Sophia Margaret Smith, a magistrate's daughter from…

David Miller, one of New Zealand’s leading scientists, shares with R. J. Tillyard the distinction of founding professional entomology in New Zealand. Their work was based on the contributions of several great amateurs.…

Kahupāke (Kahupaake) Rongonui, also known as Hāriata Whareiti and Kahupāke Potatau, was born in Tāmaki-makau-rau (the Auckland isthmus), probably in 1868 or 1869. She was a member of Te Akitai, a subtribe of Te Wai-o-…