NZ Census records and orphans

[suemillie]

Hi all

I have just read an article on the NZ census records where orphans of a family are noted separately.  I believe the Turnbull Library has some records however not sure if they have proven useful for research purposes. Has anyone had any experience in finding these records? 

The reason I am interested is that my father was in an orphanage from c. 1918 - 1933 in Palmerston North and his parents are unknown.  However I have two possibilities so wondered if I were to search these people that an orphan - or three - might be mentioned in their records?  I also thought that names were not recorded in the census records but seems they may have been.  However I could just search the address possibly to see the number of people registered in the hope that an orphan was also mentioned?

Thanks
Sue

[spades]

Hi Sue,

Can you tell us the name of the article you're referring to (or post the link), please?

Personal information collected from New Zealand census records have not been kept so are not available. Only statistical information was published.

Instead genealogists researching individuals in New Zealand have to reply on electoral rolls and school records supplemented by newspaper records.

Do you know the name of the orphanage? Or might he have been a resident of an Industrial School?

Spades

[suemillie]

Hi Spades

https://natlib.govt.nz/records/21798910

I was sent this article by a researcher so thought I would look into it further.  Yes I know the orphange - no records found -  and no he was not in an industrial school.  Been down all those roads and hit brick walls unfortuantley.

Sue

[TwiggyTree]

This sure looks interesting, especially as we have always believed there have been no censuses.

[jorose]

That is only a reference to the statistical report made by the government after the census - the data was collected, it just wasn't kept. Presumably part of the report was to do with how many orphaned children there were.

[suemillie]

Thank you all for your replies - I should have known it was to good to be true!
Sue