The Howick branch of the NZ Society of Genealogists were all abuzz over the links last Saturday. I thought, though, that unless you paid a hefty sub to Ancestry.com, they were fairly well inaccessibly short of a trip to the central library.
Then, yesterday, I attended a talk by Helen Wong at said central library on Chinese New Year past and present (great talk, by the way). Helen asked if I'd heard of the links, I repeated my belief re the subs etc., and was told that no, there was a limited access for free online via the Aussie site for Ancestry.com.
And then she sent me the links, which is wonderful. Thanks, Helen!
New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981
"Electoral rolls are valuable “census substitutes” and they become even more important in countries like New Zealand where census records are not available. Electoral rolls were also published fairly consistently nationwide and can provide a useful way of tracking individuals over time and place. Over 20 million names have been indexed in this collection."
"Māori voter rolls for 1908 and Māori electoral rolls for 1919 are contained in this database. Those listed in the voter rolls are men and women of half or more Māori descent over 21 years of age. Because it was not compulsory for Māori to register before the 1908 election, this roll is a list of those who voted rather than those who registered as electors. In 1919 electoral rolls were compiled prior to the election to determine the names of all eligible individuals."
Canterbury, New Zealand, Provincial Rolls, 1868-1874
"Electoral rolls for Canterbury province, New Zealand years 1868 to 1874 are contained in this collection. The rolls were compiled during election years and include the names of individuals from each electoral district who were qualified to vote for the provincial superintendent and members of the provincial council."
New Zealand, Jury Lists, 1842-1862
"The jury lists were compiled from newspapers and do not necessarily represent a complete list of all persons who served as jurors in New Zealand from 1842 to 1863. The lists are organized by locality or province and year."
New Zealand, Maori Land Claims, 1858-1980
"As recorded by the New Zealand Parliament, this index contains Māori claims made for land from 1858 to 1980. Information listed includes claimant (person, group, or tribe), year of claim, description of claim, and additional notes. This database is not a comprehensive list of all Māori claims to the New Zealand Parliament for land. Only the petitions that were tabled are included. All claims or reports of claims by Māoris for land or land loss compensation are included, but no Pakeha (European) claims for Māori land are included. Petitions requesting changes to the Native Lands Act, those asking for an increase in rent, or those correspondences negotiating a land sale are also not included."
New Zealand Naturalisations, 1843-1981
"This database contains an index of persons who were naturalised or given citizenship in New Zealand from 1843 to 1981. New Zealand citizenship did not begin until 1949, but persons who were not born within the British Commonwealth and applied for naturalisation were given British citizenship prior to 1949."
Canterbury, New Zealand, Provincial Rolls, 1868-1874
"Electoral rolls for Canterbury province, New Zealand years 1868 to 1874 are contained in this collection. The rolls were compiled during election years and include the names of individuals from each electoral district who were qualified to vote for the provincial superintendent and members of the provincial council."
New Zealand, Jury Lists, 1842-1862
"The jury lists were compiled from newspapers and do not necessarily represent a complete list of all persons who served as jurors in New Zealand from 1842 to 1863. The lists are organized by locality or province and year."
New Zealand, Maori Land Claims, 1858-1980
"As recorded by the New Zealand Parliament, this index contains Māori claims made for land from 1858 to 1980. Information listed includes claimant (person, group, or tribe), year of claim, description of claim, and additional notes. This database is not a comprehensive list of all Māori claims to the New Zealand Parliament for land. Only the petitions that were tabled are included. All claims or reports of claims by Māoris for land or land loss compensation are included, but no Pakeha (European) claims for Māori land are included. Petitions requesting changes to the Native Lands Act, those asking for an increase in rent, or those correspondences negotiating a land sale are also not included."
New Zealand Naturalisations, 1843-1981
"This database contains an index of persons who were naturalised or given citizenship in New Zealand from 1843 to 1981. New Zealand citizenship did not begin until 1949, but persons who were not born within the British Commonwealth and applied for naturalisation were given British citizenship prior to 1949."
Thanks for this. I started with the NZ naturalisations which was disappointing as I got nothing other than the name I already knew. But the electoral rolls link was wonderful. Listed year after year for the same person/name, with electoral district. No longer will I slave over a series of microfiche in the library for electoral rolls!
ReplyDeleteHi Kiwi Nomad,
ReplyDeleteYes, the electoral roll database will be a boon. Okay, unless you have a subscription, you still can't see all the details of address or land descriptions, but those I can pick up off the fiche in the library -- without having to trawl through, say all the Auckland rolls for a certain year.