Welcome to Clan MacLennan New Zealand. Our Clan genealogy pages for New Zealand have probably the best coverage of any region in the world – with roots going back to Scotland and elsewhere. The evidence for the work include official record citations, certificates, headstones and much more. We have good coverage of the McLennans who migrated from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to Waipu (and surrounds). Access to the on-line Clan database is available simply by joining the Clan association – please click on “Membership application” on this page.
We attend Highland Gatherings in different parts of NZ, our Facebook page is a place to connect with other Clan members.
A free Clan travel guide is available as an eBook from the Genealogy section of this website – click on “Scotland Travel Guide” – Genealogy
Upcoming events:
Webinar series – Finding your Scottish Ancestors
Isolation buster! Register now!
The first of our fortnightly Webinars hosted by Clan Genealogist Bruce McLennan – “Finding Your Scottish Ancestors: ScotlandsPeople – introduction and a few tricks” will be on Tuesday 16 June. The same meeting will be held in three time zones:
Australasia – WAIPU ROOM (14:00 Auckland time)
Europe – KINTAIL ROOM (10:00 British Summer time)
Americas – CAPE BRETON ROOM (19:55 Canada Atlantic Daylight time)
To attend, you will need to REGISTER and be approved for each meeting. Invitations have already been sent out for the first meeting. If you would like to join the meeting, but did not receive an invitation, please email famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
Future meetings are:
30 June 2020 – Introduction to the Clan Records
14 July 2020 – Tips for using the Clan Records
28 July 2020 – Where did my ancestors live?
11 August 2020 – Migrations – North America & Australasia
Saturday 25 January 2020 – 156th Turakina Highland Games – meet us at our tent – More at www.turakinahighlandgames.co.nz
Saturday 8 February 2020 – 27th Paeroa Highland Games & Tattoo – meet us at our tent – More at www.paeroahighlandgames.co.nz
15 February 2020 – Wellington Pipe band competition
Join us:
- assist clanfolk to better understand their heritage and
- to assist each other to research family ancestors.
NO ONE IS TOO OLD OR TOO YOUNG TO JOIN !!
Instagram: clanmaclennan_nz
Tag: #clanmaclennan_nz
Contacts:
General:
Email: info-nz@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
Genealogy:
Email: famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
Clan MacLennan Tartan & Crested Goods for sale:
Visit Ross McClennan’s Scots Corner: www.scotscorner.co.nz
Some New Zealand McLennans:
Professor Ian McLennan – www.otago.ac.nz
Chris McLennan Photography – www.cmphoto.co.nz/
Edward Duncan McLennan – Killed at Gallipoli – see also Clan database record for Edward Duncan
Duncan McLennan and family memorials at Papakura – see also Clan database record for Duncan McLennan 1810-1898
Stewart Bell McLennan – see also Clan database record for Stewart Bell McLennan
Andrew McLennan – musician, singer, and songwriter – see Clan database records for Andrew McLennan
Recent events:
1 Jan 2020 Waipu Games
26 Jan 2019 – 155th Turakina Highland Games – join us at or tent and parade (More information – www.turakinahighlandgames.co.nz/ )
July 2018 – Worldwide Clan Gathering, Inverness, Scotland – 2018 Gathering
28th January 2017 – 153rd Turakina Highland Games – come and meet us at our Clan tent. Join us in the Clans March at 12.30 am. (more at www.turakinahighlandgames.co.nz )
11th February 2017, 9am to 9pm – Paeroa Highland Games & Tattoo – at the Paeroa Domain – come and meet us at our Clan tent (more at www.paeroahighlandgames.co.nz ) – join us in the Parade at 11.00 am.
30 January 2016 – 152nd Turakina Highland Games – come and meet us at our Clan tent (more at www.turakinahighlandgames.co.nz )
Finding your Scottish Ancestors 2 – Tuesday, June 30 – REGISTER NOW!
The second of our fortnightly Webinars “Finding Your Scottish Ancestors 2: Using the Clan Records” will be on Tuesday 30 June. This free Webinar will help you access and take advantage of the extensive Clan Genealogy resources. To attend, you will need to REGISTER and be approved.
The same meeting will be held in three time zones:
Australasia – WAIPU ROOM (14:00 Auckland time)
Europe – KINTAIL ROOM (10:00 British Summer time)
Americas – CAPE BRETON ROOM (19:55 Canada Atlantic Daylight time)
As the same meeting will be held in three time zones, you may attend any of the meetings. if you live in (say) Vancouver or LA and choose to attend the WAIPU meeting, it will be on the Monday evening for you (“-day”).
Members of Clan MacLennan associations, database users, and others who have attended the first Webinar, should already have received a personal invitation for this second Webinar.
Only those who REGISTER will be able to enter the meeting room. If you did not receive an invitation but would like to join this second Webinar, please write to famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
ASK A COUSIN OR FRIEND
If you know of anyone else who might like to be invited, please let us have their name and email address so we can send them a SEPARATE invitation.
Registrations will close one day before the meeting.
Clan MacLennan Genealogy
www.clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/genealogy
- includes link to the free e-book: A Guide to MacLennan Places across Scotland
Webinar Registrations close Monday!
The first of our fortnightly Webinars hosted by Clan Genealogist Bruce McLennan - “Finding Your Scottish Ancestors: ScotlandsPeople - introduction and a few tricks” will be on Tuesday 16 June. Registrations close Monday. To attend, you will need to REGISTER and be approved for each meeting.
The same meeting will be held in three time zones:
Australasia – WAIPU ROOM (14:00 Auckland time)
Europe – KINTAIL ROOM (10:00 British Summer time)
Americas – CAPE BRETON ROOM (19:55 Canada Atlantic Daylight time)
Invitations have already been sent out for the first meeting. If you would like to join the meeting, but did not receive an invitation, please email famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
Future meetings will be:
30 June 2020 - Introduction to the Clan Records
14 July 2020 - Tips for using the Clan Records
28 July 2020 - Where did my ancestors live?
11 August 2020 - Migrations – North America & Australasia
Isolation buster! REGISTER NOW!
The first of our fortnightly Webinars hosted by Clan Genealogist Bruce McLennan - “Finding Your Scottish Ancestors: ScotlandsPeople - introduction and a few tricks” will be on Tuesday 16 June.
The same meeting will be held in three time zones:
Australasia – WAIPU ROOM (14:00 Auckland time)
Europe – KINTAIL ROOM (10:00 British Summer time)
Americas – CAPE BRETON ROOM (19:55 Canada Atlantic Daylight time)
To attend, you will need to REGISTER and be approved for each meeting. Invitations have already been sent out for the first meeting. If you would like to join the meeting, but did not receive an invitation, please email famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com
Future meetings are:
30 June 2020 -Introduction to the Clan Records
14 July 2020 - Tips for using the Clan Records
28 July 2020 - Where did my ancestors live?
11 August 2020 - Migrations – North America & Australasia
Photo: Registry House aka ScotlandsPeople House, Edinburgh
Hold that date! ... Fortnightly Webinars
With the current social distancing many of our members have taken the opportunity to get into finding their Scottish ancestors.
From Tuesday 16 June 2020 we will hold a series of Zoom Webinars – each fortnight – to help you get into researching your ancestors. Each session will comprise a 20 minute talk, followed by Q&A.
Dates and topics:-
16 June 2020 - Using ScotlandsPeople - introduction, tips & tricks
30 June 2020 - Intro to the Clan Records
14 July 2020 - Tips for using the Clan Records
28 July 2020 - Where did my ancestors live?
11 August 2020 - Migrations – North America & Australasia
The same session will be repeated in three time zones:
WAIPU ROOM – Australasia
KINTAIL ROOM – Europe
CAPE BRETON ROOM – Americas
- You can attend the meeting in another time zone if that suits you better.
Email famhist@clanmaclennan-worldwide.com in the next week to receive an invitation setting out the meeting times, meeting ID, etc.
ACTIONS:
1) Note in your diary to check you receive meeting ID etc
2) Please let us know if you have a friend who might like to be invited – send their email address
3) In the next week or so, please send in questions you think others might like to hear covered in the sessions and/or future sessions
Clan MacLennan Genealogy
www.clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/genealogy
- includes link to the free e-book: A Guide to MacLennan Places across Scotland
Photo: McLennan graves at Waipu Cove (BAMcL)
Rugby newsCongratulations to Hamish McLennan on his appointment as chairman-elect of Rugby Australia.
In announcing the appointment, RA said Hamish had been “earmarked as a future addition to the board after being interviewed earlier this year... “
Hamish brings significant experience to this challenging position. As a former chief executive of Channel Ten he played a key role in negotiating a deal for the BIg Bash League on Channel Ten and also spent two years as an executive at News Corp. During his time at Ten, RA says, the Big Bash League became one of the most-watched sporting competitions in Australia and McLennan said rule changes and other initiatives could help Super Rugby become more TV friendly.
Hamish said "From a broadcast perspective that was a very short, sharp season, very family orientated, it was in prime time, there was consistency of viewing and it nothing like the Tests He said. "Most doubters I spoke to or traditionalists recognised after the first season quite compelling viewing. Rugby can be a great television sport so we just need to think along those lines about good audience engagement.
"I think the most tangible opportunity is to look at Super Rugby and the domestic competition and see how we can create a differentiated product for broadcasters. I'd look at rule changes, scrum clocks and there's lots of ideas floating around. "That will give us a bit of an opportunity to reconnect with broadcast partners and also audience." (Rugby Australia)
Like so many other McLennans who migrated to Australia, he traces his origins to the beautiful Strathconon glen in the central Scottish Highlands. Hugh McLennan (ID number i5792 in the Clan Records), aged 13, in 1853 migrated to Melbourne on the “Ida” with his parents and a younger brother and sister.
Hamish says his top priority is to reunite a "divided rugby community" as he prepares to officially join the board next month.
Photo: Hamish McLennan (left) with then Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland and former Channel Nine chief David Gygnell announcing the 2013 cricket rights deal. Photo: Rugby Australia / Getty Images
History re-published on Clan Genealogy -
Murdoch McLennan (ID i1441) was born in the district of Lochalsh about 1830 - the son of Kenneth McLennan and Flora Mackay. They have many descendants around NZ - including "Buck" Shelford MBE.
As part of a project to move all of our Clan Histories to a new flipbook platform, "The History of the McLennans and Dewars of New Zealand 1858-1978" is now available with simpler, smoother delivery. Just go to clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/genealogy/ and click on "Histories" to find the book.
Or go to Murdoch's page and find the book under media towards the end - clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I4441&tree=tree101
In 1858 Murdoch migrated to Dunedin on the "Palmyra". On board also was his future wife Mary Dewar. They married in 1862 and together they successfully settled a district in South Otago - as a result, many landmarks there bear the McLennan name or those of their children.
To use the new Histories you will need to have recently logged on to Clan Genealogy.
Post in Scotland Facebook group ...🧬 Have you ever thought about getting your DNA tested? 🔬
Lockdown could be the ideal time to get a proper DNA test done that could trace your MacLennan family back hundreds of years!
Our Clan has a DNA Project hosted at the world leading laboratory in surname testing, Family Tree DNA (“FTDNA”) – based in Texas. This is the only company that provides state of the art testing along with a relational database to make connections.
As well as ordering direct from Family Tree DNA, orders can be placed through its representative in Edinburgh, YourScottishAncestry. Many of us met Ali Macdonald at our last Clan Gathering in Inverness. He is also available to help you understand the results when they come back!
The Y chromosome (of men) changes very little over hundreds, even thousands, of years. However there are enough changes to make it useful for identifying how you are connected to other members of the Clan. The project also takes autosomal results and has 90 members. However, only 30 of these are male MacLennans. The MacRae project has 590 participants – we need your DNA!
No need to put off testing any longer – visit www.clanmaclennan-worldwide.com/dna/ to get your kit mailed to you - today!
⭐️ Thanks to Bruce McLennan for this post 👍🏻
Message from the Lord Lyon
The Celebration of the 700th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath
Greetings from Edinburgh on this spring day albeit that we are affected by the pandemic which is playing such a critical role in all our lives worldwide. On 6 April 2020 we are celebrating the 700th Anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath. This document was signed at Arbroath Abbey which is just a few miles from my home and the ruins of which I have walked round on many occasions.
The Declaration is one of the most significant documents that emerged from Mediaeval Europe. It is a document that is marked by learning and scholarship and for the 14th century provides an argument for the self determination of the Scottish people. It changed constitutional thinking – such that our King was required to rule in the best interests of his people who, through the Declaration, kept a right to Depose the king.
This fundamental principle in constitutional law of the power of the people remains even to today and applies in all democratic states to Monarch and State Leader alike.
Throughout the centuries this principle was drawn on by many including the Committee who drafted the American Declaration of Independence. Today we all celebrate the living Scotland whether here at home or abroad and acknowledge the influence this Declaration has had and further celebrate our Scottish heritage. One simple fact that highlights the influence of the living Scotland is shown in the life of Australia that there is a celebration of Tartan Day on the 1 July and the number of prominent people who were of Scottish descent who forged your wonderful nation.
Happy 700th Anniversary celebrations of the Declaration of Arbroath and Happy Tartan Day.
Lyon
Dr Joseph J Morrow,
CBE, QC, LLD, FRSE.
Right Honourable Lord Lyon, King of Arms