NZ Research

NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc. http://www.genealogy.org.nz/
Online Catalogue and Family Research Centre.
Getting started http://www.genealogy.org.nz/resources/researchnz.htmlNewspapers
Many older newspapers were not published daily and thus it is not too difficult to search all issues for a three-month period to find a birth notice. Many will contain parent’s names or state the birth of a child (name) to the wife of Mr. (name) of (location) on date.
Many NZSG branches, local historical groups and local museums have indexed their local papers. Check you local NZSG branch for these indexes.
Public libraries often hold local newspapers on microfiche or film. Many Maori newspapers published between 1842 and 1932 can now be searched on line at the Maori Niupepa Collection.
The Alexander Turnbull Biographical Index should be checked. This is available in many public libraries.Church Records
Check the Church, School and District History section of the NZSG library that will be available to NZSG members from March 2002.
Local church registers for many parts of NZ still exist and are available from the church, its archives or libraries and local branches of NZSG. They will give you dates and parent names and perhaps in some cases names of other family members.Intentions to Marry
The intentions to marry have been indexed by the names of both bride and groom up to 1880, and later dates can be checked using the indexes at Archives NZ, Wellington. These records often hold more information than a marriage certificate.School Records
The national NZSG School Records project is currently underway. These records often provide birth dates, parent or guardian name, last day at school and destination if the student was moving to a new location. Brothers and sisters are often in the same school roll, perhaps in sequential entries if they all enrolled together. The beginning of this index, up to 1940, is now on the NZSG Index. The next issue will have significantly improved coverage, around 3500 schools. This index is available only to NZSG members and observes a 60 year closure rule on availability of records.
Check with the local NZSG branch to see if they have indexed the records for the area that is being researched.
Perhaps you may find your nearest archives, library or school still retains copies of school rolls and will allow you to search them.NZ probates
Most NZ probates have been indexed. The indexes are available on the NZSG Index, some portions on microfiche, and in hardcopy form in many Archives NZ regional offices. The index identifies the date of the probate of the wills in New Zealand courts and are held by Archives New Zealand. Not all probate index records contain a death date, but often the will or other supporting documentation obtainable from Archives New Zealand will reveal more about the deceased person. You will be able to identify the full name, place of death, occupation, death date (if recorded), court, the probate number (to allow the documents to be found), the filed date (usually shortly after the death date), type (whether there is a will or the person died intestate), and where the documents can be viewed.Electoral Rolls
These often show all family members of voting age at an address. Search forward and backwards to other years once you have found your family.
The 1893 electoral roll. This was the first opportunity for women to vote and a very high percentage did. Their names, residence and occupation (for example "wife") are also shown. This index is on the NZSG Index.
Become a member: http://www.genealogy.org.nz/about/join.html
Special interest Groups within NZ: http://www.genealogy.org.nz/sig/index.html
Includes Australia, Channel Islands, Cornish, East Anglia, East India, European, Greater London, Irish, Hugenot, Isle of Man, Maori, Midlands/Northwest England, North America, North East England, Pacific islands, Scottish, Southern England, Welsh
Brides and Grooms Index: http://www.genealogy.org.nz/services/match.html
NZSG has a matching brides and grooms index. Once you know the Folio (reference) number and year for the marriage you will be able to find the marriage partner's name without needing to search hundreds of microfiche frames. Knowing both partners' names also makes other records easier to search eg, probates, burials, and electoral rolls. This, in turn, will identify more family information,