Family History
Discover your family’s history using online resources.
Family history events
Family History help drop-in sessions
Selected dates and times
Upper Riccarton & Shirley Libraries
Regular weekly sessions with someone from the New Zealand Society of Genealogists - Upper Riccarton on Wednesdays and Shirley on Saturdays.
Pou Kohikohinga in Residence: New Brighton Library
May 22nd | 9:00am - 1:00pm
Our Māori Collection Specialists will be onsite at New Brighton Library to answer any questions and provide Māori research advice.
DNA – Why test? A panel discussion with those who have
Jun 5th | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Join us for this unique event where we talk to library staff who have had their DNA tested for family history reasons.
Christchurch Family History Expo
Three days of family history fun - coming from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 August 2025 at Tūranga.
Register your interest in the Family History Expo
Share your email address if you'd like to receive updates and information on the Family History Expo in August 2025.
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Family History at Home
Explore family history resources you can use at home.
If you need help, ring, email or chat to our librarians, or you can even book a librarian to help you over the phone.
Family History at Home
Family history online sessions
Watch online sessions designed to help you with your family history research.
MyHeritage Library edition
Family history/genealogy resource including more than 6 billion historical records from around the world
Family History eMagazines & eBooks
Great articles and information about getting started with your family tree. Tips and tricks and all available from home.
Family history online sessions
Watch online sessions designed to help you with your family history research.
MyHeritage Library edition
Family history/genealogy resource including more than 6 billion historical records from around the world
Family History eMagazines & eBooks
Great articles and information about getting started with your family tree. Tips and tricks and all available from home.
Family History eResources
Ancestry Library Edition
Trace your family history. Includes records from U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Access on library computers.
Find My Past
A family history & genealogy website covering U.K., Ireland, Australia, N.Z., Canada, U.S., Papua New Guinea & the Pacific Islands.
Papers Past
Digitised NZ newspapers, periodicals, letters, diaries & parliamentary papers from 1839 to 1945. Coverage incl The Press from 1861 to 1989.
Christchurch Street and Place Names
Explore this resource that explains the origins of Christchurch street and place names.
Gale Primary Sources
Search a selection of newspaper and magazine archives, monographs all cross-searchable.
New Zealand Gazette Archive
Access issues of the New Zealand Gazette and related publications from 1841 to 2011.
The British Newspaper Archive
Offering online access to millions of pages of British and Irish newspapers from 1703-2003. In library use only.
Canterbury Stories
Canterbury Stories is our place for collecting and presenting online collections from our digitised archives, photographs and community.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Digital archive of full text and full image newspapers dating back to the 18th century.
MyHeritage Library edition
Family history/genealogy resource including more than 6 billion historical records from around the world
Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database
This database covers interments in Christchurch City Council managed cemeteries.
Featured posts
From the Cave Rock Hotel Sumner to Harper’s Bazaar
Family history research can take you down rabbit holes. Annette reveals recent trawling through baptism records led to model Pamela Minchin.
Meet the Locals - Florence Ethel Scapens
Joyce looks at the life of gifted violin prodigy Florence "Scapini" Scapens in this slice of Christchurch music history.
The young men of Singleton House
Kat looks at the lives and fortunes of four young 19th century men who at one point shared a home in Lyttelton.
Extra extra! Read all about it! British Newspaper Archives
Digitised newspaper archives are The Best. Katherine shows you how they make history and bygone society more easily accessible to us.
