People of Hawke's Bay

Which people can I learn about?

Here are some people related to Hawke's Bay 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:

• Ngāi Te Ohuake

• Ngāi Tūhoe

• Ngāti Hineuru

• Ngāti Kahungunu

• Ngāti Pāhauwera

• Ngāti Rongomaiwahine

• Ngāti Ruapani

• Ngāti Whitikaupeka

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.

Hawke's Bay resources

Use these collections and websites from the Hawke's Bay to find out about historic people.

Ngāti Kahungunu

This is the official website for Ngāti Kahungunu and includes links to the environment, culture, events, and its people.

• Use the tab Our People to find out about the different hapu and governance.

Ngāi Tūhoe

This is the official website of Ngāi Tūhoe and includes links to Te Uru Taumatua, Te Urewera, history, and its people.

• Use the Being Tūhoe tab to find out about the history, people, rohe, and iwi registration.

Tips: Tribal websites use .iwi.nz, .maori.nz, .co.nz or .com.nz in their web address. Iwi websites help to keep tribal members in touch. They usually have tribal news, a list of tribal marae, history of the iwi, Treaty of Waitangi settlements, iwi language revitalisation, and projects undertaken.

Knowledge Bank

Overseen by the Hawke's Bay Digital Archives Trust, Knowledge Bank is a digital record of Hawke's Bay and its people. The collection includes oral history, as well as images, film, video, private collections, and newspaper articles.

• Use the search bar to enter your keywords.

• Double quotes can be used to search for exact names or phrases eg "George Lowe".

• If you want to look for an entry about a specific person, select the people box in the search bar.

Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.

MTG Hawke's Bay Online Collection

This is an online collection that has over 30,000 objects. You can search this site to find out about people who have played a significant, or interesting, role in the history of Hawke's Bay.

• Use the search bar to enter your keywords.

• Use the Person tab to display objects made by this person, or with this person as a subject.

Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Usually it’s better to leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg George Lowe. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.

Central Hawke's Bay District Library Archives

This is the Recollect collection for Central Hawke's Bay Libraries. It has photos, books, articles, and audio clips of the local area.

• Enter the name of a person or group of people in the search bar.

• You can filter results by Format eg audio or image.

• Select an item to view it and find out more.

MTG Hawke's Bay | Tai Ahuriri

MTG Hawke's Bay is home to the region's taonga and other treasures. The collection started in 1859 and includes archives of Hawke's Bay history.

• Explore Visit to find out when the museum is open and how to find it.

General New Zealand resources

These websites have information about people in New Zealand Aotearoa, including Hawke's Bay.

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. DNZB is part of Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand and also belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage.

• 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 to browse for biographies by region.

NZHistory

This is a great website for information about New Zealand Aotearoa. If we go to the bottom of the page we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Enter the name of a person or group of people to find articles.

• Or select Biographies further down the home page.

• Enter 'Hawke's Bay' in the search bar to browse biographies of people who were born, lived, or had something to do with Hawke's Bay.

Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about New Zealand Aotearoa. If we go down to the bottom of the page we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Go to the section on Māori New Zealanders.

• Then select Iwi for information on tribes like Ngāti Kahungunu.

• Or you can search using a name for a keyword.

Te Kāhui Māngai | Directory of Iwi and Māori Organisations

Te Kāhui Māngai is owned by Te Puni Kōkiri Ministry of Māori Development. Use the website to find basic information about iwi, hapū, and marae.

• Use Iwi by Map or Iwi by Local Authority to find Hawke's Bay.

• This will lead you to iwi recognised by the Crown, their rohe, and other useful information.

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa

Stats NZ is New Zealand's official data agency that collects information about people and organisations through censuses and surveys.

• Search for Hawke's Bay to find information on the population demographics, ethnicity, culture, identity, age, and migration to and from this area.

Tips: We like sites that are from government or other reputable organisations, because we can trust the information. You can sometimes tell these sites by their web address – they might have .gov or .edu in their address – or by looking at their About us or Contact pages.

NZ On Screen

This is an online showcase of New Zealand television, film, and music videos. It is especially useful for NZ history questions that need primary sources.

• Enter 'Hawke's Bay' or 'Napier' in the search bar

• Go down the page to Profiles to view videos of other famous people from this region.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Books

Look for books about Hawke's Bay in your school library or local library. Your local librarian and elders in the community such as grandparents or kaumatua (elders in Māori society) would be the best people to help you with your research about your local history.

Here are a few titles to help you begin your search:

• The history of Hawke's Bay by Matthew Wright

• The one day war: the battle of Omarunui 1866 by John Battersby

• The Māori history and place names of Hawke's Bay by J.D.H. Buchanan

• The way we were. Hawke's Bay/East Coast by Valerie Davies

• The legend of Te Mata O Rongokako the sleeping giant by Annelisa Ferguson and Sophie Blokker

• Te pakiwaitara o Cape Kidnappers = The story of Cape Kidnappers by Patrick Sherratt and Sophie Blokker

More about Hawke's Bay