NZSG Branch - Hawke's Bay

Contact

Sonia Coom
Sonia Coom
12 Newbury Place
Taradale
Napier 4112

Phone: +64 021 2657464

Email: HawkesBay@genealogy.org.nz

Branch Library
The library is available for members to use at the monthly branch meetings or can be accessed by arrangement in advance. Visitors to the area are most welcome to attend the monthly branch meetings and view the branch library.

Research Help
The branch is willing to answer genealogical research enquiries. This is basically a postal service only. A donation to cover time spend should accompany the enquiry, along with a stamped self-addressed envelope. Enquiries by email however are accepted and findings released after the receipt of a donation by direct credit.

Biographical Records Index: The branch has a biographical collection into which some of their branch records have been indexed including births, deaths and a few marriages mostly extracted from cemetery records and local newspapers.

School Records: Not all local school records are held. Enquirers are welcome to contact the branch by email to find out if the school they are seeking is held. Some school jubilee books. The Hawke’s Bay Education Board records have all been sent to Archives New Zealand.

Church Records: The Hastings Wesleyan Methodist Church marriages have been transcribed through to about 1950 and have been added into the Hawke’s Bay Biographical Records Index. No other Methodist Church records are held for any other areas, nor are there any other church records for other denominations. Some church jubilee books.

Cemetery Records: All newer Napier cemeteries have their records online through the Napier City Council website. The Hastings cemeteries records are also on-line through the Hastings District Council website. The Old Napier Cemetery (ONC) is not online though enquiring through the council website to the sexton’s office usually has reasonably good results. Some ONC records can be found on Findagrave and Billiongraves. This following website has some early burials (1857 to 1870) - www.angelfire.com/bc/Vincina/Burial.html

Newspaper Indexes: There are no newspaper indexes held by the Branch. Some local newspapers can be found on the National Library’s Paperspast website. Some of the local newspapers have been microfilmed and are available at the Hastings and Napier Public Libraries.

Other Resources
Funeral Service Sheet Collection: This is a very small collection containing just over 300 sheets. Further sheets can be found on the Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank website.

Ship Name Card Index (old) containing the ship name that members ancestors arrived in NZ on.

List of Ships that arrived into Napier in the late 1800s (incomplete).

Passenger Lists: Some lists for early passengers into Napier. Many can be found on the internet.

Hawke’s Bay Photo News publication (1958-1967): A card index is held but these can be found online on the Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank website.

Informal Groups
A DNA Workshop is held every alternative month along with a Hands-on Genealogy Computer Workshop. Both are held on the first Saturday of the month at Stoneycroft House from 1.30pm to 3pm. There is a small door charge for both. A free genealogy helpdesk is held every last Thursday of the month at the Taradale Library, White Street, from 9.30am to noon from February to November.