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One of New Zealand’s most prolific and widely published poets, William Kendrick Smithyman was born on 9 October 1922 in Te Kopuru, a milling town near Dargaville, Northland. He was the only child of William Kendrick…

Frederick Tuckett was born at Frenchay, near Bristol, England, on 27 August 1807. He was the fifth and youngest son of Phillip Debell Tuckett, a woollen manufacturer, and his wife, Elizabeth Curtis. His parents were…

Lauris Edmond was 51 when she began to publish poetry, and quickly won attention as a voice that was both mature and fresh. Identified at first with the 1970s upsurge of poetry by women, she was later recognised for her…

Robert FitzRoy was born at Ampton Hall, Suffolk, England, on 5 July 1805. Through both parents he was connected with the upper echelons of the aristocracy. His father, Lord Charles FitzRoy, was a son of Augustus Henry,…

Archibald McColl Learmond Baxter was born at Saddle Hill, Otago, New Zealand, on 13 December 1881, one of eight children of John Baxter, a farm labourer, and his wife, Mary McColl. Both the Baxters and the McColls were…

Hīria Kokoro Tiratahi was born, according to family information, on 3 June 1870, possibly at Tuahiwi in Canterbury. Her father was Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Māmoe chief Hēnare Kokoro Tiratahi of Waipōpō, near Temuka, and her…

William Whitehouse Collins was born at Harborne, Staffordshire, England, on 4 September 1853, the son of Joseph Collins, a die-sinker, and his wife, Elleanor Whitehouse. William inherited advanced ideas from his…

William Herbert Guthrie-Smith was born William Herbert Smith in Scotland, at Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, on 13 March 1862. He was the eldest child of John Guthrie Smith, a wealthy insurance broker, and his wife, Anne…

Himiona Tūpākihi Kāmira, sometimes known as Tākou, was born in 1880 at Reena in north-western Hokianga. He was to live there, or at Mātihetihe, on the coast south of Mitimiti, most of his life. His father, Tūpākihi…

Pinepine Te Rika was born probably in 1857 or 1858 at Rāhitiroa, an old settlement of Ngāti Kuri just east of Te Waiiti, in the Bay of Plenty. Her father was Te Rika Te Wheura (sometimes known as Te Mīkaera Te Rika or…

John Holland Baker was born on 4 December 1841 at Chilcomb, Hampshire, England, one of 10 children of Catherine Mathias and her husband, Thomas Fielding Baker, an Anglican clergyman. He was raised by his grandmother for…

Karetai was the son of Te Ihutakura and Kakatuaheka, and thus was descended from the tribal ancestor Tahupōtiki through Te Ruahikihiki on his father's side and through Tūteahunga on his mother's side. He was born in the…

John Dobrée Pascoe was born at Christchurch on 26 September 1908, the elder of twin sons of Effie Denham and her husband, Guy Dobrée Pascoe, a prominent solicitor. After primary education at Sumner School, John attended…

Abel Janszoon Tasman was born, probably in 1602 or 1603, at Lutjegast, Groningen, the United Provinces of the Netherlands (the Dutch Republic). His first wife was Claesgie Heyndrix, with whom he had a daughter named…

John Williamson was born probably on 25 August 1815 at Newry, County Down, Ireland. His parentage is unknown. Probably educated at one of Newry's three National schools, he served a printer's apprenticeship. Probably in…

Frederic Alonzo Carrington was born in Chelmsford, Essex, England, and baptised there on 26 July 1808. He was the third son of Elizabeth Peters and her husband, William Henry Carrington, Royal Marine barrack master at…

John Kinder was born on 17 September 1819 at London, England, the oldest surviving child of Thomas Kinder, a wealthy merchant, and his second wife, Fanny Pickworth. John's interest in art began early when he took walks…

Leslie Hutchins pioneered tourism in Fiordland in the 1950s, before the full potential of New Zealand’s tourist industry was recognised. His venture grew into one of New Zealand’s largest tourist enterprises. ‘Fiordland…

Te Horetā, also known as Te Taniwha, was a leader of Ngāti Whanaunga, one of the Marutūāhu confederation of Hauraki Gulf and Coromandel Peninsula tribes. The names of his parents are not recorded. He may have been born…

Work and relationships Barry Crump was one of New Zealand’s most popular writers. In total, his novels sold more than a million copies domestically, equating to one book sold for every four New Zealanders. He was also…