The names of the NZers who have biographies and photos, as at June 2011, at Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (DNZB). It is the foremost reference work on the lives of people who shaped this country’s history and culture from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries. It includes more than 3000 biographies, written by specialists and produced to a high standard by a team of researchers and editors. The DNZB’s 500 biographies on Maori subjects are also available in te reo Maori, which – together with the te reo sections of Te Ara – forms the largest Maori-language publishing programme yet undertaken.
The DNZB was originally published in five print volumes between 1990 and 2000, covering the lives of people who came to prominence before 1960 and died before 1998. All the biographies were released on a stand-alone website in 2001, and relaunched as part of Te Ara in 2010. Since that time the Dictionary has been solely digital. Fifteen new biographies were launched in 2010–11 and a new batch of 25 biographies of women were published in 2018 to celebrate 125 years of women’s suffrage. New batches of entries have been published twice yearly since 2019. Go to their link above for recent additions

Abbot-Ayton ~ Baber-Bell ~ Bellamy-Bragge

Braithwaite-Buxton ~ Cabot-Chapman/Taylor

Chapple-Copeland ~ Corban-Cussen ~ Dacre-Dyson

Eady-Eyre ~ Fabish-Fyffe ~ Gage-Guthrie/Smith

Haast-Hayes ~ Hayward-Hodgson ~ Hofmann-Hyde

Ihaka-Ivey ~ Jack-Jury ~ Kaaro-Kynnersley

La Trobe-Lyttleton ~ Maaka-Mann ~ Mannering-McCormick

McCullough-Merton ~ Messenger-Myers ~ Nahe-Nutsey

O'Brien-Otway ~ Paewai-Peters ~ Petersen-Pyke

Quaife ~ Radcliffe-Rigg ~ Rikihana-Rymill

Salaman-Sladden ~ Slattery-Syme ~ Taglicht-Te Rauparaha

Te Rei Hanataua-Tyree ~ Ulrich-Uru ~ Vaile-Vosseler

Waaka-Wynyard ~ Yate-Yue ~ Zedlitz-Zotov

C
Chapple, James Henry George
1865?1947
Salvation Army officer, Presbyterian minister, Unitarian minister, pacifist, controversialist

Chaseland, Thomas
1802/1803??1869
Sealer, whaler, pilot

Chaytor, Edward Walter Clervaux
1868?1939
Farmer, military leader

Cheeseman, Thomas Frederick
1845?1923
Botanist, museum director, teacher

Cheesman, Oswald Astley
1913?1985
Musician, music teacher, conductor, composer

Chemis, Annie
1862?1939
Homemaker, dairy worker, petitioner, charwoman

Cherrington, Te Paea
1877/1878??1937
No Nga Puhi; he wahine whai mana

Chevalier, Caroline
1832-1836??1917
Writer, traveller

Chevalier, Nicholas
1828?1902
Artist, traveller

Chew Chong
1827-1844??1920
Merchant, fungus exporter, butter manufacturer

Chilton, Charles
1860?1929
Teacher, zoologist, ophthalmic surgeon, university professor

Chitty, Ernest
1883?1948
Anglican clergyman, tutor, organist

Chiu Kwok-chun
1884?1957
Journalist, political reformer, newspaper editor, Baptist missioner, community leader

Christensen, Mads
1856?1929
Lutheran pastor

Christie, Hector
1881?1957
Lawyer, local politician, scouting leader

Christy, Hirini Whaanga
1883?1955
No Ngati Rakaipaaka, no Ngati Kahungunu; he kaiarahi Momona, he tangata mahi pamu, he kaiwhakamarama reo, he kaihautu hapori

Church, Hubert Newman Wigmore
1857?1932
Clerk, poet, novelist

Chute, Trevor
1816?1886
Soldier

Clare, Vernon Lawrence
1925?1998
Musician, cabaret owner, restaurateur, music teacher

Clark, Cora Mildred Maris
1885?1967
Hockey player and administrator, nurse

Clark, James McCosh
1833?1898
Businessman, mayor

Clark, Kate Emma
1847?1926
Community leader, artist, writer

Clark, Nada Hazel
1922?1964
Trade unionist

Clark, Russell Stuart Cedric
1905?1966
Artist, illustrator, sculptor, university lecturer

Clarke, George
1798?1875
Missionary, teacher, public servant, politician, judge

Clarke, Ian James
1931?1997
Rugby player, farmer, rugby administrator

Clayden, Arthur
1829?1899
Journalist, emigration agent

Clayton, William Henry
1823?1877
Architect

Cleary, Henry William
1859?1929
Catholic bishop, editor, army chaplain

Cleary, Timothy Patrick
1900?1962
Lawyer, judge

Cleghorn, George
1850?1902
Doctor

Clendon, James Reddy
1800?1872
Ship owner, merchant, consul, magistrate

Clere, Frederick de Jersey
1856?1952
Architect

Clifford, Annette Mary Eleanor Jane
1881?1968
Property owner

Clifford, Charles
1813?1893
Pastoralist, politician, businessman

Clinkard, George William
1893?1970
Public servant, trade commissioner

Clough, Abner
1840?1910
Farm worker, character

Coad, Nellie Euphemia
1883?1974
Teacher, community leader, writer

Coates, James Hugh Buchanan
1851?1935
Sportsman, banker

Coates, Joseph Gordon
1878?1943
Farmer, politician, soldier, prime minister

Cobham, Charles John Lyttelton
1909?1977
Governor general

Cochran, Joan Embury
1912?1995
Social reformer, sex educator, teacher

Cochrane, Ralph Alexander
1895?1977
Military aviator, air force leader

Cock, Joseph Henry
1855?1921
Shipping company manager, patron of the arts

Cockayne, Alfred Hyde
1880?1966
Botanist, agricultural scientist and administrator

Cockayne, Leonard
1855?1934
Teacher, horticulturist, botanist

Cohen, Mark
1849?1928
Journalist, newspaper editor, educationalist, social reformer

Cohen, Myra
1892?1959
Barber, dental assistant, entertainer, milliner

Colclough, Mary Ann
1836?1885
Feminist, social reformer

Coleman, Percy Roderick
1897?1965
Mechanic, motor-cycle racer, businessman, aviator

Colenso, Elizabeth
1821?1904
Missionary, teacher, translator

Colenso, William
1811?1899
Printer, missionary, explorer, naturalist, politician

Collier, Edith Marion
1885?1964
Artist

Collier, Jane Annie
1869?1955
Teacher of the blind, church worker

Collier, Jeanie
1791/1792??1861
Runholder

Collins, Tudor Washington
1898?1970
Seaman, bushman, photographer, businessman, farmer

Collins, William Whitehouse
1853?1923
Rationalist lecturer, politician

Collinson, Leopold Henry
1878?1954
Businessman, racehorse breeder and trainer, community leader

Combs, Frank Livingstone
1882?1960
Teacher, educationalist, editor

Compton, Eric Henry
1902?1982
Policeman, police commissioner, farmer

Condliffe, John Bell
1891?1981
Economist, university professor, economic consultant

Connon, Helen
1859/1860??1903
University graduate, school principal

Conolly, Edward Tennyson
1822?1908
Lawyer, politician, judge

Cook, Alfred Bramwell
1903?1994
Salvation Army leader, doctor

Cook, Arthur
1885?1943
Labourer, trade unionist

Cook, Charles Henry Herbert
1843?1910
University professor

Cook, Freda Mary
1896?1990
Community worker, socialist, feminist, peace activist, social
reformer, teacher

Cook, George Howe
1855?1941
No Nga Puhi; he kaipatu tohora

Cook, Herbert Francis
1859?1934
No Nga Puhi; he kaipatu tohora

Cook, James
1728?1779
Naval officer, cartographer, navigator, explorer

Cook, William Douglas
1884?1967
Farmer, arboriculturist

Cooke, Albert Edward
1901?1977
Rugby union and league player, shop assistant, mercer, motel manager

Cooke, Frederick Riley
1867?1930
Tailor, socialist, trade unionist

Cooper, Daniel Richard
1881?1923
Builder, book agent, health specialist, abortionist, convicted
murderer

Cooper, Martha Elizabeth
1893?1975
Health specialist

Cooper, Theophilus
1850?1925
Compositor, lawyer, judge

Cooper, Whina
1895?1994
No Te Rarawa; he wahine whai mana, he kaiwhakaako, he kaihokohoko, he poutoko iwi

Cooper, William Turakiuta
1885/1886??1949
No Ngati Kahungunu, no Ngati Rakaipaaka; he kaiwhakamarama reo, he apiha whakahaere whenua

Coory, Shirefie
1864/1865??1950
Businesswoman, matriarch

Copeland, Ivy Margaret
1888?1961
Artist and art teacher

Copland, James
1834?1902
Presbyterian minister, doctor, writer