Top-10 Most Famous Gisborne People
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 6
For a city of around 40,000 people tucked away on New Zealand’s East Coast, Gisborne has produced a surprisingly impressive list of world-class achievers.
This is, after all, a place better known for sunshine, surfboards, chardonnay and arguing about whether Wainui or Midway is the better beach.
Yet somehow Gisborne has also produced an internationally celebrated opera star, a Fields Medal-winning mathematician, a heavyweight boxer, a Victoria Cross recipient, one of New Zealand’s greatest writers, a scholar whose books are read around the world and the man who built New Zealand’s cinema empire.
Not bad for a city that many Aucklanders still think requires a passport to visit.
Here are our picks for the ten most famous Gisborne people.
Kiri Te Kanawa
If Gisborne had a celebrity hall of fame, Dame Kiri would probably get the biggest room.
Born in Gisborne in 1944, Kiri Te Kanawa became one of the world’s leading opera singers, performing at the most prestigious venues on earth.
Her performance at the wedding of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981 was watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
That’s a long way from Childers Road.
2. Āpirana Ngata
Some people leave a mark on a town.
Āpirana Ngata left a mark on a nation.
Lawyer, politician, scholar and cultural leader, Ngata was one of the most influential New Zealanders of the twentieth century. His work helped preserve and strengthen Māori culture, language and identity during a period of enormous change.
His legacy continues to shape New Zealand today.
3. Witi Ihimaera
Most authors dream of writing a successful novel.
Witi Ihimaera wrote The Whale Rider.
The book became an international bestseller and later one of New Zealand’s most successful films, introducing audiences around the world to stories rooted in the East Coast.
4. Anne Salmond
If there were an Olympic event for understanding New Zealand’s history, Dame Anne Salmond would probably be carrying the flag.
The internationally respected historian and anthropologist has spent decades helping New Zealanders better understand the relationships between Māori and Europeans during the country’s formative years.
She has written some of the most important books ever produced on New Zealand history.
5. Margaret Moth
Margaret Moth may be the bravest person on this list.
The CNN photojournalist reported from some of the world’s most dangerous war zones, documenting conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
She survived being shot by a sniper in Sarajevo and returned to work after recovering.
Hollywood eventually made a feature film inspired by her extraordinary life.
6. Vaughan Jones
Let’s be honest.
Most people can explain rugby better than advanced mathematics.
That makes Vaughan Jones all the more remarkable.
Born in Gisborne, Jones went on to win the Fields Medal, often described as the Nobel Prize of mathematics.
In mathematical circles, that’s roughly equivalent to winning the Rugby World Cup, the America’s Cup and Dancing With The Stars all at once.
7. Robert Kerridge
If you’ve ever watched a movie in New Zealand, there’s a good chance Robert Kerridge helped make it happen.
Born in Gisborne in 1892, Kerridge built one of New Zealand’s largest cinema and entertainment empires.
At its peak, the Kerridge organisation operated cinemas across the country and became one of the most influential businesses in New Zealand entertainment.
Long before streaming services, Netflix recommendations and arguing about what to watch on a Friday night, generations of New Zealanders simply went to the pictures.
Very often, they went to a Kerridge cinema.
For decades, his name was synonymous with movie-going in New Zealand.
Not bad for a Gisborne boy who ended up shaping how an entire nation spent its evenings.
8. Tom Heeney
Before New Zealand had rugby superstars, it had Tom Heeney.
Born in Gisborne, Heeney fought his way to a world heavyweight title fight against Gene Tunney in New York in 1928.
At the time, he was one of the most famous sportspeople in the Southern Hemisphere.
Not bad for a bloke from a town where people still complain if they have to wait more than five minutes for a coffee.
9. Wi Pere
Businessman, politician, community leader and advocate, Wi Pere was one of the most influential Māori figures of the nineteenth century.
His name remains familiar throughout the East Coast and his contributions helped shape the region’s political and economic development.
Many local roads, schools and landmarks still carry his name today.
10. Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu
Few New Zealand military figures are held in higher regard.
Ngarimu became the first Māori recipient of the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth’s highest military decoration for bravery.
His actions during the Second World War became part of New Zealand military history and his courage remains legendary.
While most people on this list became famous through talent, achievement or public life, Ngarimu became famous through extraordinary courage.
That is a different kind of greatness.
The Gisborne Bench
Every great sports team has talented players who narrowly miss selection.
Gisborne’s “unlucky not to make the top ten” list is remarkably strong:
George Henare – actor and performer
Aron Baynes – NBA player and Olympic basketball representative
Jackie Clarke – singer, actor and entertainer
Clarke Gayford – television presenter and public figure
Meng Foon – businessman, former mayor and Race Relations Commissioner
George Bridge – All Black and international rugby star
Cory Hutchings – world champion surf lifesaver
In many New Zealand towns, any one of these people would comfortably make the top ten.
In Gisborne, they end up on the bench.
The remarkable thing about this list is not that these people became famous.
It’s that so many of them emerged from the same small city on New Zealand’s eastern edge.
Opera stages in London.
Battlefields in North Africa.
Television screens around the world.
Parliament.
Universities.
Boxing rings.
Cinema chains.
Film adaptations.
Mathematical breakthroughs.
The paths are wildly different, but they all begin in the same place.
Not bad for a city that most of the country still insists on calling “Gizzy”.
