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Mary Ann Barnes was born in London, England, on 20 February 1836, the daughter of Susan Barnes and her husband, John Thomas Barnes, a carpenter. She arrived in New Zealand in 1859. At Onehunga on 9 May 1861, aged 25,…

Annie Robertson was born on 23 March 1844 at Bedwell Park near Essendon, Hertfordshire, England, the second daughter of David Robertson and his wife, Ann. Of Scottish parentage, David Robertson studied briefly for the…

Tui Alfreda Mayo was born on 13 January 1905 at Aorangi, Manawatu, the youngest of four daughters of Annie Honeyford and her husband, Alfred Richard Mayo, an orchardist and nurseryman. She was educated at Taonui School…

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…

Eliza Ellen (known as Ellen) Melville was born on 13 May 1882 at Tokatoka, Northern Wairoa, New Zealand, the third of seven children of Alexander Melville, a boatbuilder and farmer, and his wife, Eliza Annand Fogerty,…

Mary Jane Hebden was baptised on 11 December 1816, at Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire, England, the eldest child of Mary and William Hebden. Her father was, by family tradition, the squire of the village of Dacre Banks, in…

Audrey Ngaere Eberlet was born in New Plymouth on 17 March 1909, the only child of Francis Frederick William Eberlet, a clerk, and his wife, Harriett Reed. Audrey believed her father would have preferred a son, but he…

Wilhelmina Magdalene Stuart was born in Dunedin on 9 August 1895, the daughter of Wilhelmina Catherine Bohning, a tailoress, and her husband, Abraham Francis Stuart, a compositor for the Otago Daily Times. Always known…

Rosetta Lulah Leavy was born in July 1871 at San Francisco, USA, the daughter of Francesca Simon and her husband, Charles Maurice Leavy, a civil service commissioner for the state of California. Rosetta received a…

Sylvia Gytha de Lancey Chapman was born in Dunedin on 27 November 1896, the youngest of five children of Clara Jane Cook and her husband, Frederick Revans Chapman, a barrister, who in 1903 was to become the first New…

Pahikore Te Koeti Tūranga was born at Makawhio pā, south Westland, on 18 November 1883 to Rīpeka Tūtoko (also called Patiere Tūtoko) and Te Koeti Tūranga, both of Poutini Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Māmoe. He was baptised John…

Laura May Cook Ingram was born on 11 June 1912 in Murchison, the daughter of Garden Ingram, a Scot, and his wife, Flora Agnes Matilda Cook, from Riwaka. Her father was employed as a blacksmith, but the family later…

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…

Kathleen Gertrude Chitty was born at Kirikiriroa near Hamilton on 1 August 1886, the fourth of nine children of Alicia Wilhelmina de Vere Hunt and her husband, Walter Chitty, a farmer. Kathleen (Katie) was a pupil at St…

Meri Te Tai was of Ngāti Te Rēinga, Ngāti Manawa and Te Kaitūtae, three hapū of Te Rarawa. She is said to have been born on 22 May 1868, near Whakarapa (Panguru) on the Hokianga Harbour. She was the great-grandchild of…

Barbara Angus was one of New Zealand’s earliest woman diplomats, and its first female ambassador to head a bilateral post. Initially working as an historian, Angus joined the Department of External Affairs as a…

Grace Winifred Green was born in Christchurch on 13 February 1907, the daughter of Bridget Teresa Barrett, a city councillor and hospital board member, and her husband, William James Green, a grocer and prominent trade…

Sophia Lois Anthony was born on 12 August 1893 in Bondi, Sydney, Australia, the daughter of Stephen Anthony (formerly Nowinsky), a Polish draughtsman, and his wife, Clara Emma Ackland. She travelled to New Zealand in…

Barbara Weldon, who was to become one of the more colourful characters on the West Coast, was born in County Limerick, Ireland, probably between 1829 and 1837. By 1861 she was in Melbourne, Australia, where she made a…

Kathleen Mary Nunneley was born on 16 September 1872 at Little Bowden, Leicestershire, England, the daughter of John Alexander Nunneley, a wholesale grocer, and his wife, Kate Young. She began her tennis career at a…