NZ BDM Questions COMPLETE

[trish251]

A couple of dumb questions if Riley or another kind soul could please answer

1. I have found microfiche of NZ BDMs in our state library (Qld, Aust) , but they do not appear to be broken into quarters? They are indexed by year & just to confuse me, brides/grooms (for marriages) are indexed separately for each letter of the alphabet. Are there other indexes I should be looking for?

2. Are the Intention to Marry indexes / records available outside of NZ?

3. Could you direct me to a site showing the civil breakdown of NZ districts / areas / whatever. I have locations such as Matarua, Southland - what does the Southland mean? and Milton, Otago? Nothing I have, seems to mention North or South Is - is that unimportant?

Many thanks

Trish

[piedstilt]

Hi Trish,

Yes, Riley is definitely your man, but in the meantime I'll give my ten cents' worth.

NZ records are difficult, and yes, they are divided by sex, which is really frustrating since you have to look up one then the other ... If you know only one of the names, then it won't help you much to find the other. The upside is that the certificates are really helpful and often have masses of information, including details of how long people have been in NZ, who their parents were and where they came from etc. Worth ordering (for around NZ$26).

As far as I know Intention to Marry records are only available in NZ.

As for districts, could I suggest gently that that you get yourself an atlas - or at least Google a map of NZ? Southland and Otago are the two southernmost provinces of NZ (ie South Island). Also in the South Island are Canterbury, Westland/West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough - the rest are in the North!

Cheers,

Ros

[trish251]

Thank you so much Ros - I shall google around looking for maps - Province is obviously the word I was looking for!

Do you happen to have a web address as to where one can order the certificates? Are there any cheaper options, such as transcription services?

Thanks

Trish

[Emmeline]

Dear trish251 - If you type Varcoes Marriage Index NZ into Google this will bring you to the Family History section of the Christchurch Library (South Island ) where they have a  great amount of information which should be of interest to you.  Good Luck.

[trish251]

Many thanks Emmeline - I am having trouble finding the other half of some marriages - so this will help. The other information is very useful as well. I have only just discovered I have some NZ relatives (as you probably can gather) so am stumbling around your available information - At least it is somewhat closer than Scotland if I need to visit!

Trish

[Mk2_Zephyr]

Have to disagree, we have a great index system, far superior to most and also the greatest information available on certificates.

And also the best and most helpful researchers on this website.        

[Emmeline]

Dear trish251 - Glad to have been of help. Happy hunting with your Kiwi links.

[spades]

Hi Trish,

To answer your questions in order:

I have found microfiche of NZ BDMs in our state library (Qld, Aust) , but they do not appear to be broken into quarters? They are indexed by year & just to confuse me, brides/grooms (for marriages) are indexed separately for each letter of the alphabet. Are there other indexes I should be looking for?

No, you have copies of the same BDM microfiche available in NZ libraries, you lucky thing. However, what the library may not have are copies of the District Keys, booklets compiled and published by the NZ Society of Genealogists, which allow you to match the folio number reference against a name to the quarter of the year AND the place the event was registered. Ask the library if they have the District Keys. if they don't, suggest they purchase them from NZSG, as they are an excellent research adjunct to the microfiche. Just be aware, though, that there are no District Keys for marriages - the folios are not referenced to place. If you have any problems, post a query to me and I'll check the District Keys for you here.
 
2. Are the Intention to Marry indexes/records available outside of NZ?

I doubt it, as they are very big, heavy, and beautifully bound register books holding the original entries. I'm more than happy to search them for you, as they are here in Wellington, but as it's very time-consuming it helps a lot to provide the year and place, and also the likely month, to narrow the search. i find the best way to find the Intention to Marry (ITM) notice is to find the marriage record first, because they usually were registered in the same place a week apart.

3. Could you direct me to a site showing the civil breakdown of NZ districts / areas / whatever. I have locations such as Matarua, Southland - what does the Southland mean? and Milton, Otago? Nothing I have, seems to mention North or South Is - is that unimportant?

Piedstilt described the provinces best, but these URL's will help you:
http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/regions/
http://www.wises.co.nz/street_search.asp
http://www.nzs.com/region/
http://www.nzs.com/travel/maps/

Hope this answers your very astute questions.

Regards, riley

[trish251]

Many thanks to everyone for their very helpful answers to my questions. It makes my crossing the tasman somewhat easier to cope with.

MK2 - I agree about the helpfulness of the NZ folks here. I have yet to see your certificates - but compared to NSW Vic and QLD your indexes are fairly lousy. I have been spoilt with indexes containing parent names - makes it so easy to find complete families.

Riley
Thank you so much for your succinct answers. I shall check with the library re the district keys. The link given by Emmaline seems very useful & you may get many more queries from me!! - I shall try & find what I can before posting same. I shall also check your links - I'm somewhat amazed that I have not before looked at the geography/political divisions of NZ - seems rather remiss of me - given our close proximity. Obviously I need to visit!

many thanks

Trish