List of people from Dunedin facts for kids

The city of Dunedin in New Zealand is known for many famous people. Some were born there, while others came to Dunedin to study at the University of Otago.

Creative Arts and Culture

Visual Artists

Dunedin has been home to many talented artists.

• John Buckland Wright was an illustrator and engraver.
• H. Septimus Power, an Australian war artist, was born in Dunedin in 1877.
• Cartoonist Colin Wilson and caricature artist Murray Webb are also from Dunedin.
• The famous Māori painter Ralph Hotere lived and worked in Port Chalmers, near Dunedin.
• Painters like Grahame Sydney, Jeffrey Harris, and Claire Beynon all live in Dunedin today.
• Pete Wheeler, another painter, lived in Dunedin for several years.
• Frances Hodgkins (1869–1947), one of New Zealand's most celebrated painters, was born in Dunedin. She trained at the Dunedin School of Art.
• Alfred Henry O'Keeffe (1858–1941) was an important artist in the early 1900s.
• Other notable artists include Colin McCahon, Rodney Kennedy, and Ernest Heber Thompson.
• Children's book illustrator David Elliot lives in Port Chalmers.
• Famous architects like Francis Petre, Edmund Anscombe, and Robert Lawson lived and worked in Dunedin.
• Lindsay Daen was a sculptor.
• Shona McFarlane was an artist and journalist who wrote a book about Dunedin.
• Jan McLean is known for making dolls.
• Arthur George William Sparrow was a commercial artist and photographer.

Writers and Poets

Dunedin has inspired many writers and poets.

• Thomas Bracken, a poet from the late 1800s, wrote God Defend New Zealand, which is now the New Zealand National Anthem. He also first used the phrase "God's Own Country".
• Janet Frame (1924–2004), a very famous writer, was born and died in Dunedin.
• Writer James K. Baxter was born in Dunedin in 1926. He wrote many plays there in the 1960s.
• Playwright Roger Hall and short story writer O. E. Middleton are also from Dunedin.
• Brian Turner is a poet and a former international hockey player.
• Author Catherine Chidgey now lives in Dunedin.
• Writer and publisher A.H. Reed and writer Philip Temple have connections to the city.
• Christine Johnston is an author whose novel Blessed Art Thou Among Women won an award in 1990.
• John Sligo (1944–2010) was a prolific author born in Dunedin.
• Eileen Louise Soper wrote stories for children under the name Dot in the Otago Witness newspaper.

Actors and Performers

Dunedin has produced actors who have appeared in movies and TV shows.

• Bruce Allpress (1930–2020) was a New Zealand actor known for films like Came a Hot Friday and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
• Alan Dale is a New Zealand actor who has also been in many Australian and U.S. TV shows.
• Bridget Armstrong, born in 1937, is an actress.

Musicians

Dunedin is famous for its music scene, especially the "Dunedin sound."

• Pianist Arthur Alexander (1891–1969) was born in Dunedin.
• Music teacher Jennie Macandrew (1866–1949) was also born there.
• Many top New Zealand bands from the 1980s and early 1990s started in Dunedin. This led to the unique "Dunedin sound" style of music.
• These bands include The Chills, The Clean, Straitjacket Fits, Sneaky Feelings, The 3Ds, Toy Love, and the Verlaines.
• Musicians like Martin Phillipps and David Kilgour are also part of this scene.
• The Noise rock band The Dead C formed in Dunedin in 1986.
• Netherworld Dancing Toys were active from 1982 to 1985.
• Rock band High Dependency Unit formed in Dunedin in 1994.
• Pat Kraus began his music career in Dunedin.
• Patricia Payne is an opera singer.
• Maaka Pohatu is a member of the Modern Māori Quartet.
• Millie Lovelock (born 1993 or 1994) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Leaders and Innovators

Business and Politics

Dunedin has been a hub for business and has produced important political figures.

• Many leading New Zealand companies started in Dunedin. Some well-known names include Arthur Barnett, Fletchers, Fisher and Paykel, Fulton Hogan, Hallensteins, RadioWorks, Wests, and Whitcoulls.
• Dave Cull was the Mayor of Dunedin from 2010 to 2019.
• Michael Cullen served as the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008.
• Pamela Tate was born in Dunedin and studied at the University of Otago. She became the Solicitor-General for Victoria, Australia, which is a top legal advisor to the government.
• Ethel Benjamin was New Zealand's first female lawyer.
• Mai Chen is a well-known lawyer.
• Bendix Hallenstein was an important businessman.

Science and Discovery

Dunedin has contributed to scientific advancements.

• George Smith Duncan was an engineer who worked on tramways and mining.
• Two founders of modern plastic surgery, Harold Gillies and Archibald McIndoe, were born in Dunedin in 1882 and 1900. Plastic surgery helps to repair or rebuild parts of the body.
• The popular email program Pegasus Mail was created by David Harris while he worked at the University of Otago.
• Michael Woodruff was a pioneer in organ transplantation, which is when doctors move an organ from one body to another.
• John Carew Eccles was a professor at the University of Otago from 1944 to 1951. He later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1963 for his work on how nerve impulses are sent. The Nobel Prize is a very prestigious award for major achievements.
• Political scientist Jim Flynn, who discovered the Flynn effect (a rise in IQ scores over time), is based at the University of Otago.
• Mathematician Alexander Aitken also has ties to Dunedin.

Sports Stars

Cricket Players

Dunedin has produced many international cricket players.

• Australian test cricket international Clarrie Grimmett.
• New Zealand test cricket internationals and Black Caps coaches Warren Lees and Glenn Turner.
• New Zealand test cricket captains Ken Rutherford and Bert Sutcliffe MBE.
• Jeff Wilson played both rugby and cricket for New Zealand.
• New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum grew up in South Dunedin.
• Pakistani test cricket international and TV commentator Billy Ibadulla.
• First-class cricketer John Cushen and Grant Cederwall.

Netball and Basketball Players

• New Zealand netball international and Silver Fern coach Lois Muir.
• Tall Blacks basketball captain Glen Denham.

Rugby Union Players

Many All Blacks (New Zealand's national rugby team) come from Dunedin.

• Tony Brown was an All Black first-five.
• Marc Ellis played for both the All Blacks (rugby union) and the Kiwis (rugby league).
• John Leslie played rugby for Scotland.
• All Black half-back Byron Kelleher.
• All Black full-back and coach Laurie Mains.
• All Black captains Anton Oliver and Taine Randell.
• Jeff Wilson played for both the All Blacks and the Black Caps (cricket).

Other Sports

• Olympic champion long jumper Yvette Corlett (née Williams).
• Olympic gold medalist in yachting and three-time America's Cup-winning captain Russell Coutts.
• Anna Grimaldi, a sprinter and long jumper, won a Paralympic gold medal in 2016.
• Greg Henderson is a former world champion and Olympian in track and road cycling.
• Duncan Laing is an internationally recognized swimming coach.
• Double Olympic champion swimmer Danyon Loader.
• World record-breaking middle-distance athlete Jack Lovelock.
• New Zealand hockey international Brian Turner (who is also an award-winning poet).
• New Zealand international golfer Greg Turner.
• New Zealand football internationals Andrew Boyens, Michael McGarry, Alex Stenhouse, and Steve Wooddin.
• World champion track cyclist Alison Shanks.

Military Heroes

• Sir Keith Park was a World War I air ace. He later became an Air Marshal and played a key role in defending London during World War II.
• Duncan Boyes, an English soldier who received the Victoria Cross (a very brave award) in 1864, was buried in Dunedin in 1869.
• Horace Robert Martineau, another English Victoria Cross recipient, was buried in Dunedin in 1916.
• Fraser Barron was a standout bomber pilot during World War II.

Other Notable People

• Surveyor and explorer John Turnbull Thomson lived in Dunedin.
• Rachel Armitage was a community leader and welfare worker. She was also the first woman to graduate with a BA from Oxford University.
• Presbyterian minister and social activist Rutherford Waddell spent his entire ministry in Dunedin.
• Mary Ronnie was the City Librarian and the first woman National Librarian in New Zealand, and in the world.
• Jean Stevenson was a leader for the YWCA in New Zealand and an advocate for women.