Membership

The Waitaki Society of Genealogists is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, documenting, and sharing the stories of Waitaki families throughout history. In turn, our expert volunteers, professional research services, and comprehensive resources help our members become Waitaki family history experts in their own right. Member support is what makes our work possible.

You can attend our meetings or email us to get more information about the Waitaki Society of Genealogists. Here are the details:

• Meetings: Held at 7:30 PM on the third Monday of each month from February to November at the Waitaki Archive, 60 Thames St, Oamaru. (Steward Street door)

• Email: ☞ Click Here ☜

Membership includes:

• Entry to monthly meetings, These gatherings are a great opportunity to connect with fellow genealogy enthusiasts, share discoveries, and learn from expert speakers.

• Branch research afternoons: Join genealogists Beryl and Campbell on monthly research days. Together, they can help with any genealogy inquiries. DNA and genealogy-related technology help is also available.

• Members receive the latest monthly Waitaki Society of Genealogists newsletter via email, featuring up-to-date information on events and updates. You can view past newsletters here.

• Waitaki Archive provides members with free personal enquiries. For non-members, a fee of $10 applies.*

• Get help with family research challenges or start your journey with guidance from seasoned genealogists and local researchers.

• The Branch’s Library offers an extensive collection of computer holdings, CD-ROMs, microfiche, and books for reference.

• Access to the latest Family Tree and New Zealand Genealogist Magazine 

• Member-Only Loan Computers: Gain exclusive access to family notices from the past 25 years, published in the Oamaru Mail and the Otago Daily Times. These notices have been meticulously clipped, pasted, and digitized for your convenience.

  • • • Oamaru Mail: indexes from 1941 to 1997 then 1999 to 2017 are available

      • Otago Daily Times: 1998, then from 2000 to 2021 are available.

• Members have access to a professional Czur Book Scanner, which offers a range of capabilities to enhance your genealogical research. With this scanner, you can:

  • • • Digitize fragile documents and books without damaging them.

      • Convert scanned images into editable text using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology.

      • Create high-quality digital archives of historical records.

      • Share and preserve rare materials by creating digital copies.

      • Enhance and restore old photographs for better clarity and detail.

Waitaki Society of Genealogists Inc – Code of Ethics

The Waitaki Society of Genealogists Inc (a branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists) acknowledges that collecting, preserving, and sharing information about individuals—both living and deceased—is central to the study of family history.

As responsible genealogists, members and staff of the Waitaki Society will act with respect for the law, for cultural values, and for the sensitivities of individuals and families, and therefore undertake to always:

• Inform themselves of current legal principles, including those concerning copyright and personal privacy, using all reasonable means available;

• Respect the rights of copyright holders by reproducing or sharing any part of their works only with permission, or as legally permitted under fair use provisions of copyright law;

• Be sensitive to the impact that revelations about criminal, immoral, or otherwise sensitive family history may have on living relatives and descendants;

• Seek explicit consent from living individuals before sharing personal information about them more widely;

• Advise individuals who share family information about how it may be used and record any restrictions they request, ensuring these conditions are honoured;

• Respect privacy rights, acknowledging that even publicly available information may have limits on how it can be used, published, or distributed;

• Respect the cultural values of tangata whenua, acknowledging and upholding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

This Code of Ethics is based on the Australian Federation of Family History Organisations Inc. (AFFHO) Code and has been adapted for use by the New Zealand Society of Genealogists and, in turn, by the Waitaki Society of Genealogists Inc.