Damian McKenzie
Birth Name: Damian Sinclair McKenzie
Place of Birth: Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand
Date of Birth: 20 April, 1995
Ethnicity: Scottish, Welsh, English, Māori (almost one quarter), some Irish
Damian McKenzie is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays for the All Blacks.
Damian is the son of Moana and Brent McKenzie. His brother, Marty McKenzie, also plays professional rugby. Damian’s mother is of part Māori ancestry, from Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Tahinga iwi. Thus, Damian and his brother Marty have represented the Māori All Blacks team.
Damian’s paternal grandfather was the son of Eric McKenzie and Maud Violet Teresa Maguire. Eric was the son of John McKenzie and Naomi Elizabeth Duckett, who were from Urray, Scotland and Hellidon, Northamptonshire, England, respectively. Teresa was the daughter of Robert Maguire/McGuire, who was from Lanarkshire, Scotland; and of Mary Jane O’Neill, who likely had Irish ancestry.
Damian’s paternal grandmother was Phyllis Jean Rowlands (the daughter of William Rowlands and Emma Bowen Phillips). Phyllis’ family was from Breconshire, Wales.
Damian’s maternal grandfather is named Robert “Bob” Blair (who likely was the son of Leslie Blair and Annie Isabella Williams). Leslie was the son of Charles Robert Blair and Mary Elizabeth Watson Brown, who were of Scottish parentage. Annie was the daughter of Alexander Reginald Williams, whose father was from Tasmania, Australia and whose mother was from Kent, England; and of Annie McKenzie, whose parents were from Argyll and Lanarksire, Scotland, respectively.
Damian’s maternal grandmother was Priscilla Pirihira Thompson (the daughter of Martin Thompson and Ngahua Myra/Mara “Ginny” Chase). Ngahua was the daughter of Henare Chase, who was of Māori, of Ngāti Tuwharetoa, and one quarter European [Colonial American and English] descent; and of Miriama Te Pirihi Kaihote, who was of Māori and one quarter English ancestry, with roots in Cumberland. Damian’s third great-grandfather, James Alvin Shaw Chase, was a California-born whaler with Colonial American [English] roots going back to the early 1600s.
Sources: Genealogies of Damian McKenzie (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
https://www.familysearch.org
Damian’s paternal grandmother was Phyllis Jean Rowlands daughter of William Rowlands and Emma Bowen Phillips from Breconshire, Wales.
I think Bob’s parents were Leslie Blair and Annie Isabella Williams from Invercargill, NZ. They were parents to Brian Blair who is the deceased brother of Bob Blair.
Leslie Blair’s parents were Charles Robert Blair, son of David Melville Blair and Mary Ann Hunter both from Scotland, and of Mary Elizabeth Watson Brown, daughter of Alexander Brown and Christina McAulay also from Scotland.
Annie was the daughter of Alexander Reginald Williams and Annie McKenzie.
Alexander was the son of Arthur William Williams/Willis from Tasmania, Australia and Henrietta Maud Mary Luckhurst, from Kent, England.
Interesting, Arthur and Henrietta were married on the Chatham Islands in 1874.
I’m not sure. Martin Thompson could have had Māori ancestry. I know his birth year is 1920 from his death record but there’s no matching birth record for Martin Thompson.
Annie McKenzie was the daughter of Duncan McKenzie and Elizabeth McCallum from Argyll and Lanarksire, Scotland. Robert McGuire was from Lanarkshire and Mary Jane O’Neill was the daughter of Henry O’Neill and Mary who were probably Irish.
I would say Damian is Scottish, Welsh, English, less than a quarter Māori, and distant Irish
Ngahua’s surname was Chase. Ngahua Myra/Mara (Ginny) Chase daughter of Henare Chase and Miriama Te Pirihi Kaihote daughter of Te Pirihi Te Uhi Kaihote and Taraipine Ruihi Lewis who was the daughter of John Jack Lewis from Cumberland, England and Putanui Te Mano/Wano who was Māori.
Henare Chase was the son of Thomas Chase and Kewa Taukau Pine who was Māori of Ngāti Tuwharetoa from Moawhango, Northland, New Zealand.
Thomas Chase son of James Alvin Shaw Chase, a whaler from California and Naomi Paretuhara Tuatea, who was Māori from Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. James was the son of Dr William St Lucia Chase from Rhode Island, British Colonial America and Caroline Shaw from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.
Damian has distant Colonial American roots going back to 1630.