Have you reached a “brick wall” in your genealogy research? Onsite genealogy research in New Zealand may just be the key to extending your Kiwi ancestry. We have genealogists in New Zealand who can help!
Challenges in New Zealand Genealogy Research
As a former British colony, genealogy research in New Zealand follows British recordkeeping traditions, with success primarily reliant on civil registration and/or church records (Anglican and other denominations). Some historical records are available online but many others must be ordered by our genealogists for a fee or accessed via a visit to an archive onsite. If your ancestors came to New Zealand as immigrants from somewhere else, it will usually be necessary to conduct research in New Zealand to learn of those earlier origins.
For those with indigenous Māori heritage, there are a large number of other additional resources as well (including native land court records, school records, and tribal books), most of which have not yet been digitized. Oral history is also an important tradition in Māori culture.
Our Team of Professional Genealogists Can Help
If you have Kiwi ancestry, our professionals can work to track down the town of origin of your ancestors and identify where the records for that place are currently kept and how to access them. For those areas that don’t have records available online or on microfilm, our onsite agents can visit that location to obtain any documents that are available.
Onsite Archive Access in New Zealand
Our onsite genealogy researchers have access to the following archives, repositories, and libraries in New Zealand to help track down the records you need to extend your Kiwi family history:
- Archives New Zealand
- Alexander Turnbull Library
- National Library of New Zealand
- Auckland City Archives
- Hamilton City Archives
- Wellington City Council Archives
- Christchurch City Council Archives
- Dunedin City Council Archives
- Auckland City Libraries
- Central Auckland Research Centre
- Christchurch City Libraries
- Dunedin City Library\
- Invercargill City Library
- H. P. Williams Memorial Library
- Gisborne Public Library
- Tamaki Paenga Hira
- Hocken Library
- Macmillan Brown Library
- University of Waikato Library
- University of Auckland Library
- New Zealand National Maritime Museum
- New Zealand Ship and Marine Society
- Army Museum Waiouru New Zealand
- Western Pacific Archives
- NZ Jewish Archives