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

D
Dacre, Ranulph
1797?1884
Naval seaman, timber trader, merchant

Dadelszen, Edward John von
1845?1922
Public administrator, statistician

Dahl, Carl Edvard Johan
1856?1929
Businessman, importer, vice consul, community leader

Daldy, Amey
1829??1920
Feminist, benefactor

Dallard, Berkeley Lionel Scudamore
1889?1983
Accountant, senior public servant, prison administrator

Dallas, Stanley
1926?1997
Recording engineer, radio technician

Dallimore, Arthur Henry
1873?1970
Pentecostal minister, British-Israelite

Dalrymple, Learmonth White
1827??1906
Educationalist

Daniels, Margaret Dorothy Louise
1916?1981
Ballet teacher and director

Dansey, Harry Delamere
1874?1942
No Ngati Tuwharetoa; he kaipukaha, he hoia, he kaitorangapu a-rohe

Dansey, Harry Delamere Barter
1920?1979
No Ngati Towharetoa, no Te Arawa; he kairipoata, he tangata tuhi pakiwaituhi, he kaituhi, he kaipaho, he kaitorangapu a-rohe, he kaiwhakawhanaunga a iwi

Dansey, Roger Ingram
1885?1938
No Ngati Tuwharetoa; he kaipukaha, he kaiwhakahaere hotera, he hoia, he kaimahi kawanatanga

Dargaville, Joseph McMullen
1837??1896
Banker, timber merchant, politician

Davenport, Arthur Egbert
1901?1973
Electrical engineer, electricity administrator

Davey, Arthur Henry
1878?1966
Master mariner

Davidson, Andrew McRae
1894?1982
Teacher, principal, welfare worker, educationalist

Davidson, James Wightman
1915?1973
Historian, constitutional adviser, university professor

Davidson, William Soltau
1846?1924
Shepherd, sheepbreeder, company manager

Davies, Dorothy Ida
1899?1987
Pianist, piano teacher

Davies, Richard Hutton
1861?1918
Farmer, surveyor, military leader

Davies, Sonja Margaret Loveday
1923?2005
Nurse, labour activist, women?s rights activist, politician, peace campaigner

Davies, Victor Caddy
1887?1977
Nurseryman, horticulturist

Davin, Daniel Marcus
1913?1990
Novelist, short-story writer, soldier, editor, publisher, critic

Davin, Winifred Kathleen Joan
1909?1995
Teacher, community worker, editor

Davis, Charles Oliver Bond
1817/1818??1887
Interpreter, writer, land purchase agent

Davis, Charles Richard
1895?1964
No Ngati Maniapoto; he kaihautu, he tangata ahu whenua, he parakimete, he kaihanga, he kaitatai whakapapa

Davis, Edward Charles
1887?1958
No Ngati Maniapoto; he kaihautu, he tangata ahu whenua, he tumu korero, he kaitatai whakapapa, he apotoro Ratana

Davis, Ernest Hyam
1872?1962
Brewer, anti-prohibitionist, local politician, company director, philanthropist

Davis, Rowland Robert Teape
1806/1807??1879
Labour reformer, hotel-keeper, politician

Davis-Goff, George Raymond
1905?1987
Sailor, military leader

Davy, Albert Ernest
1886?1959
Hairdresser, businessman, political organiser

Davy, Edwin
1850?1935
Military volunteer, sportsman

Dawson, Joseph Bernard
1883?1965
Gynaecologist

Dawson, Mary Elizabeth
1833?1924
Servant, farmer, environmentalist, nurse

Dawson, Pearl Howard
1887?1987
Veterinarian, hockey and cricket player, sports administrator

de Beer, Esmond Samuel
1895?1990
Scholar, editor, collector, bibliophile, philanthropist

de la Mare, Frederick Archibald
1877?1960
Lawyer, educationalist

De Lany, Dorothy May
1908?1970
Hotel worker, trade unionist

de Montalk, Joseph Wladislas Edmond Potocki
1836?1901
Language teacher, storekeeper

Dean, Williamina
1844?1895
Baby farmer, convicted murderer

Deans, Jane
1823?1911
Founding mother, community leader

Deans, John
1820?1854
Farmer, runholder

Deans, Robert George
1884?1908
Farmer, rugby player

Deans, William
1817??1851
Farmer, runholder

Dech, Gil
1897?1974
Pianist, recording director, conductor

Deck, James George
1807?1884
Soldier, hymn writer, preacher

Deem, Muriel Helen
1900?1955
Doctor, medical officer, Plunket medical adviser, university lecturer

Delamere, Monita Eru
1921?1993
No Te Whanau-a-Apanui, no Ngai Tahu; he tangata ahu whenua, he pou no te Hahi Ringatu, he kaiarahi hapori

Delamere, Paora Kīngi
1889?1981
No Te Whanau-a-Apanui, no Te Whakatohea; he kamura, he kaihanga poti, he tangata mahi pamu, he pou no te Hahi Ringatu

Delargey, Reginald John
1914?1979
Catholic bishop and cardinal

Dempster, Charles Stewart
1903?1974
Cricketer, businessman

Dennan, Rangitiaria
1897?1970
No Ngati Tarawhai; he wahine whai mana, he kura mahita, he kaiarahi turuhi

Denniston, Thomas
1821?1897
Farmer, newspaper editor

Denvir, John
1913?1973
Soldier, prisoner of war, partisan leader, taxi driver

Desmond, Arthur
fl. 1884?1894
Political activist, poet, newspaper editor, writer

Despard, Henry
1784/1785??1859
Soldier

Deste, Eileen Olive
1908?1986
Photographer

Devanny, Jean
1894?1962
Novelist, communist

Devine, Edward
1833?1908
Coach driver, hotel-keeper, barman

Diamond, Ann
1827-1831??1881
Hotel-keeper, storekeeper, midwife

Dickie, John
1875?1942
Presbyterian theologian, professor

Dickson, Mary Bernard
1810/1811??1895
Nun, nurse, teacher

Dieffenbach, Johann Karl Ernst
1811?1855
Explorer, naturalist, linguist, writer

Digby, Spencer Harry Gilbee
1901?1995
Photographer

Dignan, Patrick
1813/1814??1894
Businessman, politician

Dilworth, James
1815?1894
Farmer, investor, speculator, philanthropist

Dinnie, Walter
1850?1923
Police commissioner, private detective, land board chairman

Dix, Percy Reginald
1866?1917
Tea merchant, vaudeville company manager

Dobbie, Herbert Boucher
1852?1940
Engineering draughtsman, botanist, stationmaster, orchardist, writer

Dobson, Arthur Dudley
1841?1934
Engineer, surveyor, geologist, explorer

Dobson, Edward
1816/1817??1908
Engineer, surveyor, explorer, lecturer

Dohrmann, Elsie
1875?1909
Scholar, teacher, temperance campaigner

Doidge, Frederick Widdowson
1884?1954
Journalist, free-trade campaigner, politician, high commissioner

Domett, Alfred
1811?1887
Journalist, politician, public servant, premier, writer

Don, Alexander
1857?1934
Presbyterian minister, missionary, writer

Don, Frances May
1898?1965
Factory inspector, political activist, welfare worker

Don, Rachel
1866?1941
Church and community worker

Donald, Alexander Bell
1842?1922
Seaman, sailmaker, merchant, ship owner

Donald, James George
1898?1981
Rugby player, farmer

Donald, Janet
1819-1825??1892
Church leader

Donald, Quentin
1900?1965
Rugby player, farmer

Donaldson, Viva
1893?1970
Teacher, nurse, community leader, local politician

Donnelly, Airini
1854/1855??1909
No Ngati Kahungunu; he wahine whaimana, whaiwhenua

Donnelly, John
1821/1822??1904
Whaler, gold prospector

Doo, Thomas Wong
1903?1963
Merchant, interpreter, community leader

Doo, Unui
1873-1875??1940
Founding mother, storekeeper

Dore, John Benjamin Charles
1872?1945
Carrier, tourist operator, government agent, explorer, guide

Dougherty, Ellen
1844?1919
Nurse, hospital matron

Dougherty, Sarah
1817/1818??1898
Community leader, nurse, boarding house keeper, gardener

Douglas, Charles Edward
1840?1916
Explorer

Douglas, Francis Vernon
1910?1943?
Catholic priest and missionary

Douglas, Norman Vazey
1910?1985
Trade unionist, bookseller, politician

Dowgray, John
1873?1950
Coalminer, trade unionist, bank director

Downer, Arnold Fielder
1895?1984
Civil engineer, construction contractor, company director

Downes, Alexander Dalziel
1868?1950
Metalworker, rugby player, cricketer

Downes, Arthur Leonard
1895?1984
Soldier, clerk, salesman, policeman

Downes, Thomas William
1868?1938
Historian, ethnologist, river works supervisor

Dreaver, Mary Manson
1887?1961
Piano teacher, community worker, politician

Drennan, Alexander
1899?1971
Labourer, trade unionist, communist, watersider

Drew, Samuel Henry
1844?1901
Jeweller and watchmaker, naturalist

Dronke, Minnie Maria
1904?1987
Actor, drama producer and teacher

Drummond, Alison Edith Hilda
1903?1984
Farmer, writer, historian, editor

Drummond, David Archibald Victor Clive
1890?1978
Telegraphist, signalman, radio announcer and personality

Drummond, James Mackay
1869?1940
Journalist, naturalist, writer

Dry, Francis William
1891?1979
Geneticist, biologist, university lecturer, wool researcher

Du Faur, Emmeline Freda
1882?1935
Mountaineer

Duder, Albert
1856?1936
Mariner, harbourmaster

Duff, Oliver
1883?1967
Journalist, editor, writer, farmer

Duff, Roger Shepherd
1912?1978
Ethnologist, museum director

Duggan, Eileen May
1894?1972
Poet, writer

Duggan, Maurice Noel
1922?1974
Short-story writer, copywriter, company director

Duigan, John Evelyn
1883?1950
Military leader

Dumont d'Urville, Jules S?bastien C?sar
1790?1842
Explorer, cartographer, botanist, linguist, writer

Duncan, Arthur Donald Stuart
1875?1951
Golfer, businessman

Duncan, David
1832?1897
Blacksmith, manufacturing engineer

Duncan, James
1813?1907
Missionary, Presbyterian minister

Duncan, Peter
1838?1907
Blacksmith, manufacturing engineer

Dunningham, Archibald George William
1907?1996
Librarian

Durie, John Mason
1889?1971
No Ngati Kauwhata, no Rangitane; he kaihautu, he kaiwhiringa reo, he kaimahi kawanatanga, he tangata mahi pamu, he kaiarahi hapori

Dyson, Elizabeth Geertruida Agatha
1897?1951
Journalist, magazine editor