Esmond Samuel de Beer, 1895–1990
One of the younger generation of Dunedin’s prominent and wealthy group of Jewish families, Esmond de Beer had a distinguished career as a scholar and editor in London. Though an expatriate, he continued to regard Dunedin as his home town and made generous gifts to cultural institutions in that city.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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Bendix Hallenstein, 1835–1905
A German Jew who came to New Zealand in 1863 via England and Australia, Bendix Hallenstein was successful in business, farming and public life. A chain of menswear stores still bears his name. He was a member of Dunedin’s extended group of related Jewish families.
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Henry Keesing, 1791–1879
Henry Keesing was born in Holland and had established himself as a merchant in London, before coming to New Zealand in 1842. He prospered as a trader, financier and property owner in Auckland, where he was a founding member of that city’s Hebrew congregation.
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Nathaniel William Levin, 1819–1903
Arriving in Wellington via Australia in 1841, Nathaniel Levin flourished as a shopkeeper, importer and land and shipping agent. He was active in Wellington’s Jewish congregation and became the first Jewish member of the Legislative Council.
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Joel Samuel Polack, 1807–1882
A London Jew whose travels brought him to New Zealand in 1831, Joel Polack established himself as a trader in Northland. But in 1850, after 18 years in New Zealand, he abandoned a business career in Auckland for pastures new in California.
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David Edward Theomin, 1852–1933
From an English Jewish family of Prussian origins, David Theomin came to New Zealand via Australia. He flourished financially in Dunedin, where he was one of a notable community of successful businessmen. His interest in culture was reflected in his fine home, Olveston, which remains a publicly owned site in Dunedin.
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Julius Vogel, 1835–1899
Brought up in a Jewish household in London, Julius Vogel came to New Zealand in 1861 after spending time in Victoria, Australia. He worked as a journalist before entering politics. He rose to become premier, and gave his name to an era of rapid development in the 1870s.
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Samuel Yates, 1829? –1900
From an English Jewish family, Samuel Yates first established himself in Northland as a storekeeper. With his Māori wife, he became a successful farmer and dealer of kauri gum, to the extent that he became known as ‘the King of the North’.
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