News & Events

The commemorative board to the ships Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gifford 1842 arrivals has been blown away in a storm that hit Auckland on 11th August 2019.

The 80th Annual General Meeting of the NZ Founders Society was held in Auckland on Saturday 15th June 2019.

Auckland Branch members gathered for the February meeting with Paddy Bayley (National president) and Carolyn Adams (National Secretary) in attendance.

Auckland Branch had the fulfilment of a two year dream occur on the 27^thJanuary with the unveiling of a commemorative board on Queen’s Wharf, Auckland, to mark the 175^thanniversary of the first organised arrival of settlers aboard the vessels “Jane Gifford” and “Duchess of Argyle”, to Auckland, on 9^thOctober 1842. 

The Barque Blenheim set sail from Greenock, Scotland on the 25^th of August 1840 with 197 Scots, most in family groups, arriving in Port Nicholson [Wellington] at Kaiwharawhara on the 27^th of December 1840.

To mark this 175 years of settlement in New Zealand arrangements are in place to hold dinners In Auckland on the 22^nd & Wanganui on the 25^th of August to mark the Blenheim’s departure, and a picnic at Kaiwharawhara Park in Wellington on the 27^th of December 2015 to mark the arrival.