People of Southland

Which people can I learn about?

Here are some people related to Southland 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 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.

Southland resources

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

Invercargill Library Archives

Discover a wide range of historical records and digitised material. You can also listen to a selection of oral history extracts.

• Enter your keywords in the search bar.

• Use the Filters to get the results you want.

• Select an item to read or look at.

• Some items can only be accessed by contacting the archivist and going to the library.

Ngāi Tahu

This is the website of Ngāi Tahu. It has information about the history of the iwi.

• Select the Ngāi Tahu menu.

• Choose History.

Since Writing You Last

This website has letters written by soldiers from Southland who served in World War 1.

• Select the name of a soldier.

• Read a short biography of the soldier.

• Select the link to the soldier's letters.

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 Southland.

NZHistory

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

• Enter 'Southland' or 'Invercargill' in the search bar.

• Select from Articles and events, Images & media, Biographies or Women Together Search from the menu on the right.

• Select an item to read or look at.

• Or you could search for the name of a person or group of people.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara answers all questions about the people, environment, history, culture and society of New Zealand. There is a lot of information and pictures about Southland and Invercargill.

• Enter a keyword like a person, place or event in the search bar.

• Select stories or images from the menu on the left.

• Select an item to read or look at.

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.

Papers Past

Searchable collection of early NZ newspapers, letters, diaries and magazines digitised by the National Library and partners. Great site to use to find primary sources related to New Zealand.

• Select Newspapers, Magazines and Journals or Letters and Diaries from the menu.

• Enter your keywords into the search bar.

• Enter dates for the event if you know them.

• Select an item to look at.

DigitalNZ

This is a search site that focuses on Aotearoa New Zealand's history and brings together results from lots of different websites such as New Zealand libraries, museums, universities, and government sites all at once.

• Search using the name of a person or a group of people.

• Look at a range of videos, audio, articles and images, and more about your topic.

National Library of New Zealand

The National Library collects New Zealand's documentary taonga in words, sounds and pictures. They have content that is available online and some resources that can only be looked at in the library in Wellington.

We recommend starting off with a website search as this will search the National Library catalogue, the Alexander Turnbull catalogue, and more.

• Enter your keywords in the search bar.

• Use the Filters to get fewer results.

• Filter by Type if you're looking for images, audio, or books etc.

• The Availability filter lets you choose if you want items that are available online.

• Filter by Date for when things were published.

• You can also filter by Subject.

• Select an item to look at.

Books

Here are a few books about Southland for you to look for at your school or local library. Your local librarian is a great person to ask for the best books about your local area.

• Southland by Sally Jacobs

• Murihiku : a History of the South Island of New Zealand and the Islands Adjacent and Lying to the South, from 1642 to 1835 by Robert McNab

• Murihiku : the Southland story by Paul Sorrell

• Trucks : a vintage collection from the Bill Richardson Truck Museum,Invercargill, New Zealand by Robert W Dick, Bill Richardson Truck Museum

• Old Invercargill by M H Holcroft

• 150 years Invercargill, 1856-2006 by Lloyd Esler

More about Southland