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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
What Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is a free web reference covering all aspects of New Zealand life. It brings together almost 1,000 stories and around 25,000 images and other resources, as well as the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography with life stories of over 3,000 people. The full 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand is also available online, though its text has not been updated or corrected. Search spans Te Ara entries and the historic encyclopaedia, with results grouped into text, images and media, biographies, and 1966 Encyclopaedia material; it does not search Further Sources pages. The site presents accessible overviews for general readers, supported by research and links to more in-depth sources. Māori perspectives appear throughout, and stories with substantial Māori content are available in te reo Māori. Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage manages and updates the site. Text is generally licensed for non-commercial reuse with attribution; commercial reuse may require permission. Image and other non-text reuse depends on each item’s rights information. Existing stories may be revised, but new stories are not currently being commissioned.
Who it suits
Te Ara suits general readers, including people seeking accessible information about New Zealand life. Its biographies, historical reference material, and Māori-language stories may also serve readers with more specific interests.
What it does well
- Free web access to New Zealand reference material.
- Includes nearly 1,000 stories and around 25,000 resources.
- Biography collection covers over 3,000 people.
- Search results are divided into content categories.
- Stories with substantial Māori content are available in te reo Māori.
What to know first
- Search does not cover Further Sources pages.
- The 1966 encyclopaedia text has not been updated or corrected.
- New stories are not currently being commissioned.
- Image and other media reuse depends on item-specific rights.
Getting started
- Open https://teara.govt.nz/ in a web browser.
- Search Te Ara entries or the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand.
- Browse the result categories for text, images and media, biographies, or 1966 encyclopaedia material.
- Use citation tools or educator resources as needed.
Verdict
Te Ara brings contemporary reference stories, biographies, media, and a historic encyclopaedia together in one web resource. Check individual rights information before reusing images or other non-text material.
Questions
Does Te Ara cost anything?
Te Ara is free to use on the web.
What does Te Ara cover?
It covers all aspects of New Zealand life and includes biographies, images, other resources, and the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand.
Does search include every page?
Search covers Te Ara entries and the 1966 encyclopaedia, but not Further Sources pages.
Can I reuse its text and images?
Text is generally licensed for non-commercial reuse with attribution; commercial reuse may require permission. Image and other non-text rights depend on the individual item.
Who manages Te Ara?
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage manages and updates the site.
Does the site include Māori-language content?
Māori perspectives appear throughout, and stories with substantial Māori content are available in te reo Māori.
Facts from Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand's own pages
- Audience
- Te Ara’s history page says many users were New Zealand school students, with visitors from almost every country on Earth. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Biographies
- The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography is part of Te Ara and includes online biographies and te reo Māori versions of biographies about Māori subjects. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Commercial reuse
- Commercial reuse of material licensed under the non-commercial licence may require specific permission from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Contact support
- Te Ara welcomes feedback by email and lists a Wellington postal address, telephone number and Video Relay Service option for contact. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Content currency
- Te Ara says it is not currently commissioning new stories, though existing stories may be updated or revised. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Coverage
- Te Ara is a comprehensive guide to New Zealand’s peoples, natural environment, history, culture, economy, institutions and society. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Feedback
- Te Ara welcomes feedback by email and asks people reporting a page issue to provide its URL or title. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2001 · teara.govt.nz, 28 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Wellington, New Zealand · teara.govt.nz, 28 Sept 2026
- Historical reference
- The 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand is available online as part of Te Ara. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Historic encyclopedia
- Te Ara includes the full text of the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, which the site says has not been updated or corrected. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Image reuse
- Te Ara and the Ministry do not hold copyright for all images and other non-text items, so users should check the item-specific reuse information. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Media rights
- Te Ara does not hold copyright to all images and other non-text materials, so reuse permissions depend on the item’s rights information. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Māori content
- The Māori perspective appears throughout the sections, and stories with substantial Māori content are available in te reo Māori. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Operator
- Te Ara is managed and updated by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage in Wellington, New Zealand. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Publisher
- Te Ara is managed and updated by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- RSS
- RSS feeds may be reused without further permission if reproduced accurately, attributed to TeAra.govt.nz and not used misleadingly. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Search
- The site provides search for stories, images and other resources. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Search limit
- The search engine does not search the Further Sources pages. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Social media
- Te Ara’s history page says the site used Flickr, Twitter and Facebook to interact with users. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Stories and resources
- The site has almost 1,000 stories and around 25,000 images and other resources. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Text licence
- Unless otherwise stated, text is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0 New Zealand for non-commercial reuse with attribution. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
- Text reuse
- Unless otherwise stated, text is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand; commercial use may be requested. · teara.govt.nz, 4 Oct 2026
- Use case
- Te Ara describes its entries as accessible overviews for a general audience, supported by research and links to more in-depth sources. · teara.govt.nz, 5 Oct 2026
Where Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand stands on Freedom251
- Online Encyclopedias#22 of 31