I was only involved in this query right at the very beginning when we had no idea of dates or locations of the original marriage mentioned - in addition, assuming it was in the British Isles!
Can I say I think you 2 have done some amazing work and uncovered so much information. I had no clue just how complicated New Zealand research could be with the traditional Maori names.
I am SO impressed by all your hard work and the outcomes.
Greetings.
By way of an explanation while New Zealand was very quick to adopt civil registration legislation in the 1850's, prior to that date B D & M recordings were only as good as the newly NZ created churches kept and saved records.
Missionaries wrote detailed reports back to their supporters but as Maori had no writtren language it was the phonetic spelling by the German, French, and other european pioneers that we have to go by.
With Maori, the first big written family genealogy recordings came about through our lengthy Maori Land Court records, followed by the first voting rights, and then the
compulsory requirement for Maori Civil B D & M registrations about 1905 [from memory]
Therefore for those of us researching pioneers etc, spellings in print did not become standardised until post WW1.
Very simplified I know, but an indication how tough it can be.
Alan.
