Norris Frank Davey, who would in adult life change his name to Frank Sargeson, was born in Hamilton on 23 March 1903, the second of four children. His father, Edwin John Davey, had taken over his father's general store…
Search
Tom Ah Chee was the driving force behind the Foodtown supermarket empire, which accelerated the societal shift from the era of local grocery stores to one of large-scale supermarket chains. The son of a successful…
Marti Friedlander was one of New Zealand’s most outstanding twentieth-century photographers. Her work was massively influential both in the development of photography as an artistic practice in New Zealand and in the…
There are no results for this search.
Eric Albert Johnson was born in Suva, Fiji, on 8 November 1908 to an Australian father, Frank Johnson, and his Fijian-born wife, Mary Lee; sometime in the 1940s Eric assumed the name Lee-Johnson. His ancestry was never…
Samuel Butler was born probably on 4 December 1835 at Langar Rectory, Nottinghamshire, England, and was baptised on 17 December 1835. He was the second child of the Reverend Thomas Butler and his wife, Fanny Worsley. He…
George Leslie Adkin was a self-taught scholar with the skills and integrity of a professional. Most of his working life he farmed with little profit or pleasure. His real interest was in geology and archaeology, and in…
Bill Haythornthwaite was a pioneer of commercial art and design, advertising and visual communications in New Zealand. His company, W. Haythorn-thwaite Ltd, best known for the posters it designed for Tasman Empire…
William Yate was born on 3 November 1802 and baptised in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England, the son of Betty and John Yate of the parish of St Mary Magdalene. He was brought up in Bridgnorth, and at the age of 14 was…
In the first 40 years of the twentieth century James Cowan was one of New Zealand's most widely read non-fiction writers. He wrote over 30 books and hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines, mainly about New…
Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, later known as Arnold Henry Nordmeyer, was born at Dunedin on 7 February 1901, the son of Arnold Nordmeyer, a German seaman who worked on a gold dredge at Alexandra, and his wife, Martha Dunn…
Robert Gilmour was born in Glasgow, Scotland, probably on 24 October 1831, the son of Robert Gilmour, a farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth Gemmell. Nothing is known of his life until he arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, in…
According to family information Jane Maria Richmond (known as Maria) was born at St Pancras, London, England, on 15 September 1824, the third child and only surviving daughter of Christopher Richmond, barrister of the…
Miriam Bridelia Cummings was born at Thames on 15 June 1879, one of eight children of Irish-born Matthew Cummings, a carpenter, and his Scottish wife, Annie Cunningham. The couple solved the problem of their different…
Margaret Mahy is New Zealand’s most celebrated writer for children and young adults. In a 55-year career she published more than 120 titles: novels, picture books, short stories, poems and educational texts, as well as…
Te Whakataupuka of Ngāi Tahu was born probably in Murihiku (the southern part of the South Island), late in the eighteenth century. His Ngāi Tahu grandfather, Te Hau-tapunui-o-Tū, was instrumental in securing peace…
The son of Christopher Richmond, a barrister, and his wife, Maria Wilson, James Crowe Richmond was born in London, England, on 22 September 1822. He was educated at the Hackney Grammar School; at Hove House, Brighton;…
Maharaia Winiata, commonly known as Maha, was born on 29 September 1912 at Ngāhina pā, near Rūātoki, in the eastern Bay of Plenty. His parents were Winiata Piahana and his wife, Te Ruakawhena Kohu, both of Ngāi…
Pāora Te Pōtangaroa was the son of Ngaehe, of Ngāti Kerei and Ngāti Te Whatuiāpiti, and Wiremu Te Pōtangaroa, a leader in the Mātaikona area of Wairarapa, of Te Ika-a-Papauma, a hapū of Ngāti Kahungunu. Through his…
Paul Holmes was New Zealand’s best-known and most influential late twentieth-century broadcaster, straddling the line between serious current affairs presenter and entertainer. He succeeded in the three mass media…
According to family information Henry Williams was born on 11 February 1792; he was baptised on 13 April at Gosport, Hampshire, England. He was the fifth child and third son of Thomas Williams, a lace manufacturer, and…