New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

New Zealand

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Many people immigrated to New Zealand to form colonies and settle for a better life. From the 1840s until the 1970s, Britain was the main source for immigrants, and all ships carrying passengers in or out of any British port were required by law to present their passenger lists to the relevant port authorities. Other immigrants came from Western Europe, Polynesia, and Asia. Prior to 1900 there were various classes of immigrants, with the largest groups being the assisted immigrants and paying passengers.

New Zealand became multicultural due to the number of immigrants coming from other countries. Beginning in 1871 the New Zealand Government began to offer assisted passages to selected immigrants and others nominated by relatives. The migration of the 1870s was the most significant in New Zealand history.

In 1874 thousands of assisted immigrants arrived in New Zealand, forming the greatest level of migration ever. Almost half of the new immigrants came with government assistance. Three-quarters of these sailed directly from the United Kingdom. Because of economic difficulties in the later 19th century, assistance was finally terminated.

In 1891 New Zealand received the last small group of assisted migrants. However, assisted migration was restored in 1904 when the country's economy returned to prosperity, making it once more an attractive country to new immigrants. During the early 20th century one-third of the immigrants came from Australia and two-thirds from the United Kingdom.

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains immigrant registers from New Zealand, covering the period 1839 to 1973. Upon leaving a home country for New Zealand, all passengers in a ship were listed in a register book, and were then checked against that register upon entry into their port of destination. As a form of identification was required to embark on the ship, these immigration records are generally accurate. However, since they were normally handwritten by an officer, slight errors are not uncommon. The records are written or printed on prepared forms, tabular format, in bound volumes. Most registers are legible; however, some are faded or have some bleed-through, and so are a bit difficult to read.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Full name of each passenger
 * Adult or child
 * Male or female
 * Country of emigration
 * Port of Entry and date of arrival


 * Estimated age
 * Occupation
 * Total cost of passage and how paid
 * Name of ship and port of embarkation

Collection Content
This collection contains primarily New Zealand immigration passenger lists, although crew lists make up a significant portion as well. Approximately ten percent of the collection is a mixture of other travel-related documents, including goods manifests.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before beginning a search in these records, it is best to know the full name of the individual in question, as well as an approximate time range for the desired record. When entered into the search engine on the Collection Page, this information provides the quickest, most reliable path to finding the correct person. Of course, other information can be substituted as necessary.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record for future reference.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age to calculate an approximate year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Remember that the family structure reported in these passenger lists are a snapshot of the family at one moment in their lives. Other relations may have not traveled with the family, died previously, or were born afterwards
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Remember that individuals might not be listed with their immediate families, as they often migrated with neighbors, distant relatives, or other associates
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil or religious records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names
 * Note that some women reverted to their maiden name when their husband died, and therefore could possibly have traveled under their maiden name
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches
 * It is estimated that the majority of the British immigrants after arrival settled in provinces near their port of entry. Thus, a wider search in the provinces of Auckland, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Taranaki, Wellington, or Westland may prove fruitful, depending on which port the individual landed in

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in New Zealand.
 * New Zealand Record Finder
 * New Zealand Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

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