New Zealand Obituaries - FamilySearch Historical Records

New Zealand

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes obituaries for the years 1844 to 1963.

Obituaries are a prime source for finding detailed family information. This collection contains obituaries and death notices from various New Zealand newspapers including the New Zealand Herald and the New Zealand Star.

Sample Image
Obituaries and death notices may contain the following information:
 * Name of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Age at death
 * Residence at death
 * Burial date
 * Burial place
 * Birth place
 * Birth date
 * Spouse
 * Parents
 * Children
 * Other relatives

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching it is helpful to know: 
 * Your ancestor’s name.
 * Residence of your ancestor
 * Approximate death date

To search the collection by name:

Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the obituaries with the same name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life. Check for the different names in the obituaries.
 * Even though these obituaries are indexed, the index may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Surname Range" which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:
 * Use the estimated age at death to calculate a birth year.
 * Some obituaries list “survivors.” This is a list of relatives of the deceased who were still living. Use these relationships to extend your family tree.
 * Use the death date to locate a death certificate.
 * Use the burial date or place to locate sexton’s records or to find a grave marker for your ancestor.
 * If biographical material is included in the obituary, search for records about your ancestor in the places mentioned in the obituary.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the obituaries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember, your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * If your ancestor used multiple names throughout their life, look for all their names.
 * A “survivors” list in an obituary may not include all living relatives.
 * Information in an obituary should be verified with other sources if possible. Sometimes the person who wrote the obituary had faulty or incomplete information.
 * Check available newspapers for several days before and after the death of your ancestor.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citation:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: