Auckland Family History Expo 2026

Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October
King's College, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland

Join family historians, genealogists, researchers, libraries, archives, museums and heritage organisations from across New Zealand and beyond for 2½ days of family history inspiration, learning and discovery.

The Auckland Family History Expo is open to everyone, and most of the weekend is free to attend. Hosted by the New Zealand Society of Genealogists, you do not need to be a member to attend. Whether you are taking your very first steps into family history or are an experienced researcher, you'll find opportunities to learn, connect and be inspired.

Meet experts from genealogy societies, archives, libraries, software providers, DNA organisations and heritage groups who can help you advance your research and connect you with resources relevant to your own family history interests.

Whether your research focuses on New Zealand, the Pacific, UK, Europe, Asia or elsewhere, you'll find opportunities to learn new skills, discover new sources and make valuable connections.

Discover your past. Connect with your community. Share your story.

A very warm welcome to all!

The Auckland Family History Expo - part of this year's Auckland Heritage Festival

Please note that bookings for accommodation, Friday night Welcome Event and Saturday night Expo dinner closes on Wednesday 23 September.

Friday 1pm-4pm: Pre-Expo Masterclass - $50

Fiona Brooker: Mapping Our Stories

Learn how to turn your family history research into an interactive visual journey using Google Maps. In this hands-on workshop, participants will create their own custom family history map while learning how to plot ancestral homes, migration routes, cemeteries, and other meaningful locations connected to their research.
Participants should bring a laptop and have access to a Google account for the practical mapping activities.

Fiona Brooker is a New Zealand-based professional genealogist and founder of Memories in Time. She helps individuals and families research their ancestry, interpret DNA results, and preserve their discoveries for future generations. Fiona regularly presents practical sessions on genealogy research, DNA analysis, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Limited seats available.

Friday 5pm-8pm: Welcome Event - $55

Bookings close Wednesday 23 September.

The Expo officially opens with a welcoming event bringing together attendees, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors from across the family history community.
5pm: Meet and greet - Hospitality, beverages and canapés (platters).

6pm: Keynote Address - Professor Paul Moon: Ways of Seeing the Past

How do our ideas about the past take shape? What is the importance of stories in history, and what is the role of nostalgia and utopianism as ways of dealing with history? Often, we feel certain about the facts of the past, but we often process those facts in particular ways.  This presentation will explore that process. 

Professor Paul Moon is a Professor of History at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the author of numerous books on New Zealand colonial history. His research and writing have explored a wide range of topics relating to New Zealand's past, with a particular focus on the colonial period, historical memory, and the ways history is interpreted and understood.

7pm: Panel Discussion: Family History Traditions Across Communities

How do different cultures approach family history, genealogy and the preservation of ancestral knowledge?
Join our panellists to discuss and learn.

Master of Ceremonies Te Radar, panellists include:

• Fiona Brooker, Memories in Time "The Genealogist who loves to teach"

• Dr. Phoebe Li, professional historian of the Chinese diaspora

• Mihi Henare, (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), Poukōkiri Rangahau Māori (Senior Librarian, Māori Research Specialist), Auckland Libraries

• Salā Marie Young, NZ-Samoan academic and entrepreneur

The panel will explore diverse perspectives on family history within Māori, Pākehā, Pacific, Chinese and migrant communities, discussing traditions, challenges and the importance of passing stories from one generation to the next.

8.30am-5.30pm : attend for free!

Optional: register to go in the draw for fabulous prizes from our family of sponsors.

On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can enjoy FREE access to:

• Two keynote presentations

• Three concurrent streams of talks

• A dedicated stream of hands-on workshops

• An extensive exhibitor hall with experts on hand to assist you with your research

• Fabulous raffle tickets with awesome prizes on offer from our sponsors and other awesome donors: DNA kits to website subscriptions, archival supplies to membership subscriptions and more.

While weekend activities are free to attend, we encourage advance registration to help us plan seating, facilities and catering.

Topics covered: Family history | genealogy | whakapapa; New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, military, Methodology, DNA, AI, and much much more.

5.30pm-7pm: 90 min workshop $30

Using Family Book Creator with Family Tree Maker with Jean Tennant

Jean Tennent is a retired nurse based in Hamilton, New Zealand. A passionate family historian, Jean embarked on a personal mission in retirement to uncover the identity of her grandmother's biological parents. Through the use of a pre-adoption birth certificate and detailed DNA analysis, she successfully identified her grandmother's most likely father, with the DNA evidence providing strong support for her conclusions.

Drawing on this research journey, Jean wrote a book Using Family Tree Maker (FTM) and Family Book Creator (FBC), a plugin developed by MacKiev. In the book, she explains key genetic genealogy concepts such as centimorgans and ethnicity estimates, and shares the research methods that guided her investigation.

Keen to help others develop their family history skills, Jean enjoys sharing the knowledge and practical experience she has gained through hands-on learning. She presents as an independent user of these software tools and has no affiliation with MacKiev, the developer of Family Tree Maker and Family Book Creator.

Jean looks forward to meeting fellow researchers and sharing her genealogical journey.

7pm-9pm - Expo dinner - $50

Join speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and fellow researchers for a relaxed sit-down buffet dinner in the dining room at Kings College.

Bookings close Wednesday 23 September. Limited places.

8.30am-4.30pm: attend for free!

Optional: register to go in the draw for fabulous prizes from our family of sponsors.

On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can enjoy FREE access to:

• Two keynote presentations

• Three concurrent streams of talks

• A dedicated stream of hands-on workshops

• An extensive exhibitor hall with experts on hand to assist you with your research

• Fabulous raffle tickets with awesome prizes on offer from our sponsors and other awesome donors: DNA kits to website subscriptions, archival supplies to membership subscriptions and more.

While weekend activities are free to attend, we encourage advance registration to help us plan seating, facilities and catering.

Topics covered: Family history | genealogy | whakapapa; New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, military, Methodology, DNA, AI, and much much more.

Read the speakers' biographies over on the New Zealand Society of Genealogists event page - but don't forget to come back!

• Ancestry

• Auckland Council Archives

• Auckland Libraries

• Auckland Philatelic Society

• Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust

• FamilySearch

• Family Tree Maker

• Mentis

• MyHeritage

• National Army Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand

• New Zealand Fencible Society

• New Zealand Micrographic Services

• New Zealand Society of Genealogists—including interest groups: England, Māori, Pacific Islands, Scotland, Ireland, Asian, the Genealogical Computing Group and NZSG Online DNA Interest Group

• PublishMe

• Scottish Clans Association - Auckland

• The Book Bindery

• Wales New Zealand Family History Society

The sale of raffle tickets helps fund the Expo while giving attendees the opportunity to experience many of the services and products generously provided by our donors.

Prizes include everything from DNA kits and genealogy website subscriptions to society memberships, family history software, archival supplies, and museum passes and plenty more.

Our generous raffle donors so far

• Ancestry

• Chinese Poll Tax Trust

• Conservation Supplies

• FamilyTreeDNA

• Family Tree Maker

• Family Tree (UK magazine)

• Jean Tennent

• Kippenberger Library/National Army Museum

• Memories in Time

• MyHeritage

• National Library of New Zealand

• New Zealand Fencibles

• New Zealand Society of Genealogists

• - English Interest Group of NZSG

• - Genealogical Computing Group

• - North Shore Branch of NZSG

• Roots Magic

• NZDF Personnel Archives, Trentham

• The Hug Collection

• Your DNA Guide

• Vaulted Travel

• Wales New Zealand Family History Society

Our sincere thanks to all of our raffle prize donors for their generous support.

Thank you to our sponsors without whom this Expo would not be possible:

We’re incredibly grateful to Ancestry, Auckland Council Libraries, FamilySearch, Family Tree Maker, MyHeritage, The National Army Museum, the Genealogical Computing Group, New Zealand Micrographics Services, Te Kuiti Branch NZSG, Thames Branch NZSG and Waihi Branch NZSG for their amazing support of this year's Expo.

A limited number of accommodation rooms are available at King's College for attendees travelling from outside Auckland, as well as local attendees. Priority will be given to exhibitors and speakers, so if you require accommodation, we encourage you to book as soon as possible.

Bookings close Wednesday 23 September.

Accommodation Options

All beds are single beds.

A small number of rooms are arranged in pairs around a shared bathroom and contain either one or two beds. Rooms with two beds will be allocated to couples or attendees who wish to share.

All other rooms are private, with shared bathroom, shower, and toilet facilities.

If you would like to share a room with a specific person, both individuals must register separately and indicate this request in the Questions at Checkout section when booking.

Security

Security is a high priority at King's College. Security staff are stationed at the entrance and conduct patrols 24 hours a day. Residential houses are locked at all times and accessed via keypad entry. Please note, however, that individual bedroom doors do not have locks.

Costs

Friday and Saturday nights: NZ$320 per person

This package includes:

• Accommodation for Friday and Saturday nights

• Breakfast

• Entry to the Friday Evening Welcome Event

• Entry to the Saturday Evening Expo Dinner

Optional Thursday night accommodation: Additional NZ$110 per person

• Total cost for three nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday): NZ$430

• Thursday evening dinner is not included.

Airport Transfers

Airport pick-up can be arranged.
Please email AFHEAccommodation@genealogy.org.nz with your estimated time of arrival (ETA).

Important

If you are booking accommodation, please do not purchase separate tickets for the Friday Welcome Event or the Saturday Expo Dinner, as both are already included in the accommodation package.

Please note that check-out is by 8.00 am on Sunday, as students will be returning to the college later that day.

For further accommodation enquiries, please contact AFHEAccommodation@genealogy.org.nz.

We recommend booking sooner rather than later, as room numbers are limited.

Campervans and Caravans

A limited number of parking sites are available for attendees wishing to bring their own accommodation.

Please note:

• Vehicles must be fully self-contained

• Vehicles must be solar-powered, as there is no access to electricity

• Certified vehicles must display a current blue or green self-containment certification card or sticker on the windscreen

A nominal charge of $25 applies for campervan or caravan parking for the weekend.

Kings College, Ōtāhuhu is about 500m from Middlemore train station; and on great bus routes.