NZ Woman’s Weekly Index

Scope and indexing conventions of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Index.

The aim of this index is to locate in the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, during its first phase from its inception in December 1932 through to December 1959, all identifiable New Zealanders mentioned in the text, including those overseas at the time.

Excluded are:
References to foreign embassy staff or more short term visitors to New Zealand
Lists of children who are new members of the Pixie Pages club, also copied work by children
Names which appear in advertisements
Adult noms de plume
Articles by staff with no New Zealand content
The information available comprises:
Magazine issue date – always
Page number – always
Record type (e.g. article, photo, poem, children’s page contribution, editorial) – always
Description such as a title or subheading from the original – usually
Creator (e.g. author, photographer, artist) – Social Columns, for instance, were anonymous or under pseudonymous bylines – so, sometimes
One or more names of the people mentioned in the text – often
Comment which may help to identify the people – sometimes.
Currently, microfilm versions of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly of the period are held at Auckland Libraries, Dunedin Public Libraries, the Alexander Turnbull and National libraries in Wellington, and Turitea library at Massey University, Palmerston North.

Indexing Conventions used:
Titles are used where full name information is not supplied. So subjects of research may be found with the honorifics Dr, Prof, Sir, Lady etc. The profusion of wartime and churchly ranks encouraged the labelling of most ministers of religion as Rev, and the omission of military ranks unless no other information about forenames was available.
Married women of this period were usually referred to as Mrs (Husband’s name). Usually only widows, or professional or artistic wives used their own forename in front of either their married or maiden surname.The Weekly’s example of printing maiden names has been followed using the term “nee” after the married version . While this may duplicate, or triplicate an individual, it can provide valuable information for researchers.
Where both Mr and Mrs were cited in an article, only the surname and male forename/initials have been referenced, and the title “Mr” excluded. Generally therefore, initialled names with no obvious gender labelling are male. Women in this database however are labelled as either Miss or Mrs where their own forename does not make their gender obvious. So both “Jones, Christine” or “Jones, Miss C” may appear and signify the same individual. “Jones, Miss” has been indexed only with further identifying information, because of its common status as a surname.
Magazine linkages of family members, such as siblings or marriage partners, have usually been retained as providing bonus information to genealogists, despite other entries being available for both.
The children’s records from the Pixie Pages are indexed as record type = Children’s Page. Their original contributions of a poem, drawing, article or letter etc, will be labelled as such in the Description field. Not all children’s contributions had titles. A large number of Children’s Page records concern answers to their letters.

Errors and corrections:
The creator of this database has made countless corrections to the published record, as users will find, with the purpose of reducing duplicate individuals listed. However, both magazine errors and indexer errors will have persisted. The indexer would be pleased to hear from researchers who can establish the duplicates that remain or who can correct spelling. Please contact: jaydayking@yahoo.co.nz

Missing Issues:
Issues not indexed because of unavailability are listed here.