After the initial discovery of New Zealand by James Cook in 1769, there was minimal immigration to the country by Europeans. However, once Edward Gibbon Wakefield established the New Zealand Company in 1839 with the aim of attracting settlers from England, numbers of people making a new life in New Zealand started to grow. The company wanted a variety of settlers from both upper and working class backgrounds. The company objective was to create a ‘slice of England’ in New Zealand with a similar class based system.
Settlers were offered paid passage with the option to buy land in the future. The principle was applied in many areas throughout New Zealand and worked well enough to attract a large number of new settlers.
The settlers, often known as Pakeha settlers, braved the three month sea journey from Britain to New Zealand to set up a new life. TheGenealogist give you the opportunity to explore further with the Roll of Early Settlers and Descendants records in our International Collection.
Within the records on TheGenealogist, records include Title, forename, surname, date of birth and date of death are provided for the individual, both for settlers and those subsequently born in New Zealand. The vessel and first place of residence are provided about the settlement.
Here we find the example of Octavius Hadfield, who became Bishop of Wellington. Born on the Isle of Wight before settling in New Zealand, The Reverend Hadfield was a peacemaker with the local Maori population as well as prominent critic of the New Zealand government in future years and supporter of Maori rights.
TheGenealogist also has an extensive range of early military records for New Zealand. From the 1840s, New Zealand was protected by a number of militia and volunteer forces, these units were set up after requests from settlers that they felt inadequately protected by the British Army. The main military units of New Zealand (until 1909) were:
TheGenealogist has a number of book and directory collections available to view that cover early business directories, telephone directories, storekeepers and traders, Roll of Honour, history of Methodism, almanacs and other publications.
He was a Member of Parliament in rural South Auckland and also part of the Colonial Defence Force (a cavalry unit of about 100 men)in the New Zealand Wars against the Maori tribes. He was killed in the major campaign of the invasion of Waikato in the North Island.
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