Recently our Australian cousins have all been encouraged to blog about their earliest piece of research about an Australian ancestor in celebration of Australia Day (see Shelley’s blog at Twigs of Yore)
We think this is a terrific idea and have noticed that it has provoked participation from loads of people.
Waitangi Day, on February 6, is our national day.
Its intent is to celebrate a bringing together of the peoples of New Zealand and its usually a family day. Often we spend it on the beach, or maybe have a barbecue with family and friends.
We'd like to invite you to write a blog - post the link to your blog in the discussion board on our Facebook page.
If you don't have a blog, perhaps post your story itself within this discussion board instead. Just click reply.
Write about:
* How different is our life from that of your early NZ ancestors? (settler or Maori)
* What stories can you tell us about their lives?
or
If you are first generation New Zealander or maybe a new Kiwi, perhaps you might like to tell us of your first impressions of New Zealand, and your experiences, of settling in here; and how Kiwi traditions and culture differs from your own.
If you are on Twitter, you can follow the hashtag #waitangiblog for updates and alerts.
Please join us, we’d be interested in hearing your stories!
Good luck with the challenge! I won't be able to participate as I don't have family in New Zealand but I hope this takes off for you like the Australia Day challenge did!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shelley for your good wishes. Love the interactivity of the internet and the tools that it brings that enable it! Such a buzz.
ReplyDeleteI have a 20th Century connection to New Zealand,so shall participate! Can we use the graphic above?
ReplyDeleteSure you can, just a free image I found on Google Images. Looking forward to reading your story . . . Thanks, Seonaid
ReplyDeleteI know this is a year later, but I hope you don't mind my responding here. The Facebook page has gone.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest NZ ancestor was my 3x great grandmother Elizabeth Walls who came out to NZ from Scotland on the Philip Laing in 1842 - one of the first ships to settle Dunedin and Otago.
Elizabeth was married to Thomas Robertson - she was his second Wife. She had not previously been married, but she did have a natural (Bastard) child back in Orkney, Scotland, a daughter named Elizabeth Simpson.
Miss Simpson was married in Edinburgh and she and her husband also travelled out to Dunedin around 1859. Ms Simpson's daughter - also called Elizabeth was born on the Otago Peninsula in 1865 and she was my great grandmother.