Contributors to 'What's Your Story?'
One of the goals of the encyclopedia project has been to find ways of involving the community in the building of Te Ara. So in the summer of 2003/4 we invited people to send in stories about their voyage to New Zealand, or about an ancestor’s voyage.
We received a huge response from people around New Zealand with some 250 people sending in contributions. In the end we were only able to choose 27 stories to use on the site. However we wish to acknowledge all those who contributed, so we have listed the names of the contributors, the travellers concerned and the date and place of origin.
If you would like to contact any of the contributors to discover more about a particular traveller, email TeAra@mch.govt.nz
| Contributor | Traveller(s) | Country of Origin | Date of Departure |
| Esther Brydon | Peter and Anne (née Bird) Flinn | Ireland | 1818 |
| Tunisia Shepherd | James Shepherd | England (via Aus) | 1821 |
| Marilyn Collins-Dawson | William Nicholas | Wales | 1828 |
| Joan D Stables | John and Ann (née Simpson) Pringle, 2 children | Scotland | 1831 |
| Jackie Langsford | William Williams | England | 1834 |
| Coralie Reid | Samuel and Sarah Mills | Britain (via Aus) | 1837 |
| Ann Young | Alexander Yule and Elizabeth Watson, three children | Scotland | 1839 |
| Clarkeson James | Thomas Nicholson Clarkson | England | 1839 |
| E.J.M. Jones | Robert MacLeod | Scotland | 1839 |
| Lois Burfield | John Brown and Elizabeth Reading, with 2 children | England | 1839 |
| Margaret A Roberts | Charles Stitchbury and Anne Turner | England | 1839 |
| Victoria Hornbrook | Major Alfred Hornbrook | England | 1839 |
| Ann Young | William Young | Australia | 1840 |
| Helene Connor | John George Cooke | England | 1841 |
| Karen Harrison | John and Sarah Bell, daughter Margaret | England | 1841 |
| Margaret A Roberts | William Morgan Phillips | England | 1841 |
| Neville Salibury | Elizabeth Horlock Smith, 2 sons | England | 1841 |
| William Billing | William and Eliza Billing, 1 daughter | England | 1841 |
| Harry Best | Charles and Anne Best, 1 child | England | 1842 |
| Victoria Hornbrook | William Hornbrook | England | 1842 |
| Dr Melville Brookfield | Arthur Guyon Purchas | Britain | 1846 |
| Neville Hoy | Peter Levy | Ireland | 1846 |
| Ian McMillan | James (died at sea) and Mary Gatland, 4 children | Unstated | 1847 |
| Lucy Marshall | Hephzibah Lawry, née Forsaith | England | 1847 |
| Beth Harris | Peter and Janet McLaren | Scotland | 1849 |
| Patricia Ann Duff | Sarah Ann Rayns and Charles Thomas Hodges | England | 1849 |
| Alison Vallance | Alexander and Isabella McGregor | Scotland | 1850 |
| Brian Carrell | George and Mary Cooper | England | 1850 |
| Stuart Vogel | William George and Susannah Chaney | England | 1850 |
| B.E. Mayo | Maurice Mayo, with 2 brothers and 1 sister | England | 1851 |
| Dr Melville Brookfield | Fred MP Brookfield | Britain | 1851 |
| E.J.M. Jones | Charles and James Matthew | Scotland | 1851 |
| Ted Denne | William Henry Denne | Unstated | 1851 |
| Ellwood W. Armstrong | George Henry Cheverton | Isle of Wight | 1852 |
| N. Margaret Franklin | Tamberin Joseph Campbell & Elizabeth Alexander Cunnabel | Canada | 1852 |
| Dr Melville Brookfield | Rev William Will and Louisa Wishart | Britain | 1853 |
| Neville Salibury | John Park Salisbury | England (via Aus) | 1853 |
| Alison Da Prato | Gersham and Elizabeth Curtis | Canada | 1854 |
| Loris E Matthew | Emilius LeRoy | Britain | 1854 |
| Lyndall Hancock | John Reid | Scotland | 1854 |
| Lucy Marshall | Ann Buchanan, née Burk | England | 1855 |
| Ted Denne | Emblin Hughes, née Blunden | Unstated | 1856 |
| Hazel Bamford | John Bown | England | 1857 |
| Jennifer Settle | Mary Eleanor and John Henry Beale | England | 1857 |
| Stuart Vogel | Martha Allen | England | 1857 |
| Wyn Meads | Alexander & Flora Stuart | Nova Scotia | 1857 |
| Wyn Meads | Choan & Euphemia Stuart | Nova Scotia | 1857 |
| Ben Kemp | F.A. Krull | Germany | 1858 |
| I.H. Main | John Main | Scotland | 1858 |
| Lynda Murchison | George Westrall, with parents and two brothers | England | 1858 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | William and Ann Walker, five children | England | 1858 |
| Mary Raymond | Captain and Mrs Fraser and family | England | 1858 |
| Stuart Vogel | Johann Conrad Vogel | Germany | 1858 |
| Alan Poletti | Anna Maria Lafranchi (née Zala) | Switzerland | 1859 |
| Alan Poletti | Antonio Teorodo Bronz | Switzerland | 1859 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Joseph and Emma Painter | England | 1859 |
| Theo Thomas | George Thomas | England | 1859 |
| Valerie Edwards | John Fry | England | 1859 |
| Dorothy Bower | Dr Francis Wemyss and Sarah Ann (née Oates) Irvine | Scotland | 1860 |
| I.C. Hughes | Caroline Brown | England | 1860 |
| I.C. Hughes | John and Jane Boyd | England | 1860 |
| Malcolm MacDonald | George MacDonald | Scotland (via Aus) | 1860 |
| Robin Grover | Henry Butler Stoney | Ireland | 1860 |
| Unknown | George Elisha & Amelia Page Chipman, 3 children | Nova Scotia | 1860 |
| Jan Myers | James Cullens | Scotland (via Aus) | 1861 |
| Lucy Marshall | Elizabeth Spencer, née Berridge | England | 1861 |
| Patricia Ann Duff | Cornelia Lavinia Lucretia Virgina Bompiani | England | 1861 |
| S Richards | John Knox Hagan (Hagen) | Ireland (via Australia) | 1861 |
| Brian Carrell | Bridget Ruane | Ireland | 1862 |
| Joan Suckling | Charles Duggan, Ann Bryan | England | 1862 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | George Brien and Elizabeth (née Reid), two boys | Ireland | 1862 |
| Annie Irving | James and Mary Johnston, 4 children | Scotland | 1863 |
| Judith & Merv Cranefield | William and Marion Scott, 7 children | Scotland | 1863 |
| Judith & Merv Cranefield | William Cranefield | England (via Aus) | 1863 |
| Lois Farrow | Jesse & Jane (née Dunkley) Prestidge, 6 children | England | 1863 |
| Lucy Marshall | Jessie Marshall, née Hogg | Scotland | 1863 |
| Margaret A Roberts | William Jones Roberts | England | 1863 |
| S.L. Hughes | Edwin Glanville | England | 1863 |
| Shirley Peters | John Thomas Beese, three sisters | Wales | 1863 |
| Ted Denne | Thomas Edward Goodwin | Unstated | 1863 |
| Alan Poletti | John King | Scotland | 1864 |
| Alan Poletti | Mary Craig (née King) | Scotland | 1864 |
| Hyacinth Henderson | Henry and Margaret (née Fairgrave) Henderson | Scotland | 1864 |
| Jeanette Harris | Bridget Flynn | Ireland | 1864 |
| Noeline Adams | William & Elizabeth Foote, 8 children | Newfoundland | 1864 |
| Valerie Hearn | Patrick and Mary (née Barry) Guiniven | Ireland | 1864 |
| Annette Rich | John and Mary Smith, and 1 son born at sea | Ireland | 1865 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Thomas Brien | Ireland | 1865 |
| Robyn Allen | Paulina Nesbitt | Germany | 1865 |
| Charles Purcell | William London Purcell | Born at sea (England) | 1867 |
| Lynda Murchison | John Murchison | Scotland | 1867 |
| Theo Thomas | Charles Alexander Michie | Canada | 1867 |
| Hyacinth Henderson | Archibald and Isabella (née Eagle) MacPherson | Scotland | 1868 |
| Ralph Levinson | Mr Levinson's great great grandparents, 4 children | Unstated | 1868 |
| S.L. Hughes | Elizabeth Glanvill (née Banbury) | England | 1868 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Isabella Brien | Ireland | 1869 |
| Noel Kennedy | James Kennedy | England | 1869 |
| C.S. Ramlose | Andres Carl Christian Ramlose | Denmark | 1870 |
| E.J.M. Jones | Jane Anderson, née Owen | England | 1870 |
| Jean Fraser | James Fraser | Scotland | 1870 |
| Jean Fraser | Laurence, Robert, Magnus, Daniel (probably Fraser) | Scotland | 1870 |
| Alice Gemming | James Henry Fenton | Ireland | 1871 |
| Marie Davidson | Robert Johnston | Scotland | 1872 |
| Joy Tagney | William and Mary-Ann Philpott | England | 1873 |
| Lois Stead | William and Mary Ann Stevenson, 2 daughters | England | 1873 |
| Brian Carrell | John and Talitha Carrell/Carroll/Carrel | England | 1874 |
| Gwenda Holmes | Phillip and Rachel Hellyer, 9 children | England | 1874 |
| Isla Greenstreet | Nathan and Catherine Mary Mines | England | 1874 |
| J.J. McNab | Lawrence Arcus | Unstated | 1874 |
| Joan Suckling | George Frederick & Hester Spooner, 4 children | England | 1874 |
| Judith & Merv Cranefield | Joseph and Mary Ann South | England | 1874 |
| Katherine Harper | Pierre Louis Guillard | France | 1874 |
| Malcolm MacDonald | Charles Joen Johannson | Sweden | 1874 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Stephen and Anne Smith | England | 1874 |
| Marion Cullen | George and Mary Coggins | England | 1874 |
| Maureen Massey | The Laurences, with 3 children | England | 1874 |
| Mavis Donnelly | John James and Thomas Walker | England | 1874 |
| Noline Johnson | Emma (née Gostick) and John Wood, 7 children | Unstated | 1874 |
| Val Petrie | Frances and Henry Millier | Unstated | 1874 |
| Bill Manktelow | William and Arabella (née Watts) Manktelow, with 5 children | England | 1875 |
| Donald Lamont | Jeremiah and Mary Mahoney Nolan | Ireland | 1875 |
| Keith Moody | John George Moody | England | 1875 |
| Keith Newman | William and Ellen Newman, with 2 children | England | 1875 |
| Raeanne Smith | Petronilla Nilsson | Sweden | 1875 |
| Tunisia Shepherd | David Frederick and Ann (née Johnson) Panther, 4 children | England | 1875 |
| Alice Gemming | Alice Gilmore | Ireland | 1876 |
| I.C. Hughes | Charles Brown | England | 1876 |
| Warren Nash | Martin James Nash | Ireland | 1876 |
| Alan Richardson | James and Mary Meston | Scotland | 1878 |
| David Eddy | William Henry and Richard Eddy, with wives and children | England | 1878 |
| Di Monkley | Anna Goose (Gosse), parents, brother and sister | England | 1878 |
| L. R. Smith | Thomas Masters | England | 1878 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Henry David Stevens | England | 1879 |
| Margaret O'Donnell | Irwin and Margaret Jane O'Donnell, five children | Ireland | 1879 |
| Mary A Tagg | John William Milnes | England | 1879 |
| Sheila Aronson | Cornelius Bracken (surname unconfirmed) | Ireland | 1880 |
| Annette Rich | Henry and Charity (née Barnaby) Smith, with children | England | 1881 |
| Karen Wilson | Letitia Richardson | Scotland (via Aus) | 1882 |
| Bess Aston | Charles Salter and Elizabeth (née Long) Beer | England | 1883 |
| Dorothy Bower | John and Mary Ann Strickland | England | 1883 |
| Geoffrey William Barlow | Peter William and Mary Clementine Barlow, six children | England | 1883 |
| Rosalind W.M Percy | Jane (née Harris) and Charles Simpson | England | 1884 |
| Eric C Strickett | George James Strickett and Harriet Louise Page | England | 1885 |
| Fay Goodhew | Daniel Cotterill | England | 1885 |
| Pat Shanks | Daniel Hill and daughter | England | 1886 |
| Noline Johnson | Charles and Mary Ann Yeatman, 5 children | England | 1887 |
| Alan Poletti | Giovanni 'John' Poletti | Italy | 1891 |
| G.W. Lisle | Frank and Marion (née Chantrell) Lisle | England | 1891 |
| Harold Chong | Wong Cheung Kin | China | 1891 |
| I.C. Hughes | Nigel Charles Russell Hughes | England (via Aus) | 1895 |
| S.L. Hughes | Charles James and Carry Louisa Morris | England | 1897 |
| Nicola Puharich | Marin Djikovich | Dalmatia | 1899 |
| Charin Singh | Genda Singh | India (via ME & Europe) | 1905 |
| Donald Lamont | Archibald Lamont | Scotland | 1905 |
| Nicola Puharich | Jacov Vodanovich | Dalmatia | 1907 |
| Priscilla Ferguson | Joseph Wolfgang Hegglin, brothers Karl & Peter | Switzerland | 1907 |
| Lois Farrow | John Greenfield | Scotland | 1908 |
| S.L. Hughes | Edwin (Ted) Charles Glanville | England | 1909 |
| Doreen Blundell | Ross & Margaret Tait, 10 children | Scotland | 1910 |
| Lucy Marshall | George and Nellie Ardrey | Ireland | 1913 |
| Priscilla Ferguson | Josepha Meienberg | Switzerland | 1914 |
| Joan Suckling | Sydney George Northey | Australia | 1916 |
| Judy McKenzie | Nina and Gerry Gordon | Unstated (likely Eng) | 1918 |
| Muriel McLauchlan | George and Kate Broughton, 4 children | England | 1920 |
| Mary Fieldsend | Henry Richard Collingwood Fieldsend | England | 1924 |
| Mary Fieldsend | Kathleen Millicent Johnson | England | 1926 |
| Nicola Puharich | Ane Djikovich | Dalmatia | 1929 |
| Sonya Vessey | Sonya Vessey and family | Lebanon | 1932 |
| Vernéen Wilson | Vernéen Wilson and family | India | 1935 |
| Jackie Broun | Barney Goodman | England | 1936 |
| Miriam Downey | George Elias Saliba Ataya | Lebanon | 1937 |
| Margaret Becroft | Margaret Becroft and family | England | 1939 |
| Ray Grossman | Ray Grossman | Austria (via Eng, Aus) | 1939 |
| Elva Lynch | Sarah Higgins, with father, 2 brothers and 1 sister | England | 1941 |
| N.W Groom | N.W. Groom | England | 1945 |
| Rufus Wallingford | Rufus Wallingford and parents | England | 1946 |
| Allan Armstrong | Allan Armstrong and parents | England | 1947 |
| Barbara Hewkin | Barbara Hewkin and husband | England | 1947 |
| John Ewen | John Ewen and father | England | 1947 |
| Wynne Kershaw | Wynne Kershaw and husband (unnamed New Zealander) | England | 1947 |
| Charles Crawford | Charles Crawford | England | 1948 |
| Charles Crawford | Jean Crawford, 2 daughters | England | 1948 |
| Colin Law | Wilfred & Alice law, 2 sons (inc Colin) | Britain | 1948 |
| Frank Thum | Frank Thum | Czech Republic | 1948 |
| Sheila Freer | Sheila Freer (née Turner) and family | England | 1948 |
| Chris Rickards | Dennis & Eveline Rickards, 4 children | England | 1949 |
| Jan Kokason | Jan Kokason and family | Unstated | 1949 |
| Jean Rogers | Jean Rogers and family | England | 1949 |
| Rachel Schusser | Rachel and Franz Schusser | England | 1949 |
| Richard Haxton | Richard Haxton | England | 1950 |
| Anthony van Rooyen | Anthony & May van Rooyen, 3 children | Netherlands | 1951 |
| Anton Gazenbeek | Mr & Mrs Gazenbeek | Holland | 1951 |
| Carol Grant | Carol and Tom Grant, 2 children | England | 1951 |
| Jannie van Hees | Jannie van Hees, parents, 3 siblings | Netherlands | 1951 |
| Allynne Woods | Allynne Woods | England | 1952 |
| John McCarthy | John McCarthy | England | 1952 |
| Len Avison | Len and Audrey Avison | England | 1952 |
| Mary Brackenbury | Mary Brackenbury | England | 1952 |
| Rune Holmberg | Rune Holmberg | Sweden | 1952 |
| Sylvia Beveridge | Sylvia Beveridge, mother, sister | England | 1952 |
| W.G. Chandler | W.G. Chandler | England | 1952 |
| Andrew Young | Andrew & Nan Young, son Alan | Scotland | 1953 |
| Barbara Miller | Barbara Miller and husband | Scotland | 1953 |
| Deborah Garrett | Deborah Garrett, parents, brother | South Africa | 1954 |
| Elaine Fisher | George & Elizabeth Smith, 4 children (inc Elaine) | England | 1955 |
| Joan Wittingham | Joan and Dick Wittingham | England | 1955 |
| Les Hough | Les Hough | England | 1955 |
| Sue Grant | Sue Grant, mother, sister, step-father | England | 1955 |
| Chris Hough | Chris Hough, and 4 children | England | 1956 |
| Jean Whyte | Jean Whyte and parents | England (?) (via Canada | 1956 |
| John Webb | John Webb and parents | Britain | 1956 |
| Ken Burridge | Ken and Irene Burridge | Britain | 1956 |
| Alison Lloyd Davies | Alison Lloyd Davies, parents, younger sister | Gold Coast (Ghana) | 1957 |
| Margaret Bray | Ken and Margaret Bray | Britain (via Aus) | 1957 |
| Mavis Boyd | Mavis Boyd | Australia (via Eng, Canada | 1957 |
| A Bowker | A Bowker | Scotland | 1958 |
| David Arrowsmith | David Arrowsmith, parents, sister, brother | England | 1958 |
| Sarah Smith | Sarah Smith, parents, sister | England | 1958 |
| Tina van der Velden | Tina ven der Velden | Netherlands | 1958 |
| Dini Ariaans | Dini Ariaans, parents, sister Ria | Holland | 1959 |
| Elizabeth Trevelyan | John and Elizabeth Trevelyan | Britain | 1959 |
| James Morrison | James Morrison and family | Scotland | 1959 |
| Patricia Farrow | Henry & Ivy Goddard, daughter Patricia | England | 1959 |
| Elsie Jones | Elsie Jones | England | 1960 |
| John Fletcher | John Fletcher, parents, 3 brothers | Australia | 1960 |
| Stan Woods | Stan Woods | Ireland | 1960 |
| Leo Eilliman | Leo Eilliman, mother, brother | Ireland | 1963 |
| Patricia Andis | Patricia Andis (née Reynolds) | England | 1963 |
| L.J. Rhodes | Mr & Mrs L.J. Rhodes | England | 1964 |
| Barry Newman | Rene and Joan Newman, son Barry | England | 1965 |
| Peter Farrell | Peter Farrell | England | 1965 |
| Jenny Gray | George Gray | England | 1966 |
| Margaret Manning | Margaret Manning | England | 1966 |
| Andres Katz | Andres Katz and family | Chile | 1967 |
| Erika Currie | Erika Currie | Switzerland | 1967 |
| Peter Fowler | Peter Fowler | England | 1967 |
| Rochelle Wilson | Rochelle Wilson and family | England | 1967 |
| Tina Morgan | Tina Morgan and family | England | 1967 |
| Jo Bascombe | Jo Bascombe, parents | England | 1970 |
| Pratima D Nand | Sachendra Kumar Nand | Fiji | 1970 |
| M.J. Sharpe | M.J. & Jean Sharpe, 2 sons | UK | 1971 |
| Anjum Rahman | Anjum Rahman and family | India | 1972 |
| Fred Young | Fred Young | Scotland (via India) | 1972 |
| A.R. Mason | Alan Mason, 2 sons | England | 1973 |
| Ann Bain | Ann Bain and family | Unstated | 1973 |
| Brian Gerard Rea | Brian & Joan Rea, 2 children | Ireland | 1974 |
| Marshall Walker | Unstated, but probably Marshall Walker | Scotland | 1981 |
| Achmad Esau | Achmad Esau | South Africa | 1998 |
| Jane Handley | Jane Handley | England | 1998 |
| Rafik Salama | Rafik Salama | Egypt | 1999 |
| John Ling | John Ling | Malaysia | 2003 |
| C.S. Ramlose | Anna Charlotte Sophie Christiansen | Netherlands | Unstated |
| Coral Beadle | CWS Beadle, wife, daughter Coral, son | Unstated | Unstated |
| Mr Lonefeild | Conrad Deihl | Germany | Unstated |
| Nicola Puharich | William Moloney | Tasmania | Unstated |
| Patricia Ann Duff | John Samuel Presland | England (via Aus) | Unstated |