People of Otago

Which people can I find out about?

Here are some people related to Otago you could find out about:

Tips: These are just some examples of people you could research. You may have someone different you're interested in finding out about. Just use their name as your search terms in the resources below.

Local iwi:

• Kāi Tahu

Note: Iwi are listed in alphabetical order. This list was put together to the best of our knowledge. If there are any other iwi to be included, please let us know.

Otago resources

Here are some sources you could look at if you'd like to find out about individual people or groups of people from Otago.

Te Rūnanga o Ōtākau

This is the site of the Hapū at Ōtākau. It has information about their histories including biographies.

• Go to History and Stories.

• Select a subject you're interested in.

• Or go to Biographies for stories of Ōtākou Runaka Tūpuna.

He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds

This collection has been put together by Dunedin Public Libraries. It includes photos, documents, audio and more.

• Enter the name of a person or group of people as a keyword to search.

• Then select an item to find out more.

• Or, browse by selecting People or Groups.

• Choose a person or group to find related items.

Tips: Historical sources, like photographs, oral histories and more, can be useful for finding different perspectives on a topic. Keep in mind that they may not fairly show a wide range of views or experiences.

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

This museum is dedicated telling the stories of the people of Dunedin, New Zealand's first great city, and the surrounding area of Otago.

• Find the museum at 31 Queens Garden in Dunedin.

• Open daily 10am-5pm.

• The Research Centre is found at the museum and can be accessed during opening hours.

• You can research the past using OASES and digital sources from New Zealand and overseas. Look to the bottom of the Research Page to find other websites.

Otago Museum

The Otago Museum shares the cultural, natural and scientific stories of Dunedin, Ōtakau | Otago and Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Find the museum at 419 Great King Street.

• Open daily 10am-5pm.

• Find the Southern Land, Southern People Gallery on Level 2.

• Or go to the Tāngata Whenua Gallery on Level 1.

Otago Museum Online Collections

This is a collection of items the Otago Museum has made available online.

• Enter your keyword in the search bar.

• Select an item to find out more about it.

Tips: Before searching it can be useful to come up with a list of words to use. These are sometimes called keywords. They can be the name of a person, place, or event you are researching.

Clutha Heritage

This website comes from Clutha District Libraries and other Clutha community groups. It includes images, documents, video, audio and more.

• Enter a keyword in the search bar.

• Or browse by selecting a collection or type of resource eg images.

Hocken Snapshop

An online collection of photographs and more from the Hocken Library that focusses on Aotearoa's people and places.

• Enter the name of a person or group in the search bar and choose an item to take a closer look.

• Or browse by selecting a name or letter under Browse our collection.

Kareao

The Ngāi Tahu Archive which is made up of collections of tribal significance. This includes maps, photographs, biographies and audio-visual material.

• Enter a name or keyword into the search bar.

• Select an item to find out more.

• Or go to Biographies to browse.

• Choose a person and then find Click to read this document.

General New Zealand resources

These websites have good information about the history of New Zealand including Otago.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is an in depth guide to our environment, history, culture and society. It has a series of topic based sections. It is owned by the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so we know that the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Enter your keyword into the search box at the top of any page.

• Results will come from throughout the site and may include text and images.

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (DNZB)

This website has over 3,000 biographies of New Zealanders who have made their mark on this country. It does not include people who are alive. This site includes around 500 biographies that are in te reo Māori.

• Use the names of the people as search words to read about their lives and what they achieved, or

• you can do an Advanced Biographies Search which allows you to narrow down your search by region.

Tips: DNZB is part of Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand and belongs to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, so information is well-researched and reliable. You can tell this from their web address — they have .govt meaning they are from government organisations. They are also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

NZHistory

New Zealand History is a great website to use when searching for information about events, people and places in New Zealand's past. The website also belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage.

• Enter your keyword in the search box at the top of the page.

• Or, you can go to the People tab at the top of the page to browse biographies by Surname A-Z or Year of Birth.

DigitalNZ

DigitalNZ searches online resources from New Zealand libraries, museums, universities and government sites in one place. It groups results by the type of information and has lots of primary sources.

• Enter your keywords in the search box.

• Then select from the range of formats like images, videos, newspapers, articles or manuscripts.

• You can also filter by choosing from the red tabs such as decades and date range.

Tips: If your keyword doesn’t work, try thinking of other words you could use. Sometimes there are different names or spellings for words. Or they could have changed over time.

Books

Here are a few books about general Otago history for you to look for at your school or local library.

• Windows on a Chinese past by James Ng.

• Dunedin, New Zealand's first great city : the roots of some enduring business successes by Sean Brosnahan, Tania H Connelly, Margaret Anderson, and Otago Early Settlers' Museum.

• Harraways going for grain : 150 years of milling at Green Island, Dunedin by Rebecca Reid.

• Sons of the soil: Chinese Market Gardeners in New Zealand by Lily Lee.

• Ngai Tahu : a migration history : the Carrington text edited by A. Anderson and Te Maire Tau.

• Māori place-names of Otago : hundreds of hitherto unpublished names with numerous authentic traditions by Herries Beattie.

• The South Explored : an illustrated history of New Zealand's deep south by John Hall-Jones.

• Māori and Pakeha in North Otago by G. B. Stevenson.

More about Otago