Freemasons

I am wanting to find out a bit more about the above mentioned Lodge because my great grandfather William Hitchcock belonged to the National Order of ODDFELLOWS Loyal Pioneer Lodge No. 936 A.D. Also I would like to know what N.G. written after his name means. An advertisement invitating members to attend a funeral of a member and advertisement in Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 121, 24 May 1887, Page , states "By order W. Hitchcock, N.G." William was a tailor by trade. Anything anyone can tell me about this Lodge would be most welcome.
Thanks

I am not sure about the "National Order of Oddfellows". To Me it sounds like a break away group from either the Independent Order of Oddfellows (which hails from the USA) or the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows ( which hails from England) or The Grand United Independent Order of Oddfellows (also from England). These were the main Oddfellows Orders. Today, the GUIOOF no longer is operating in New Zealand whilst the IOOF in New Zealand is on the verge of cklosure. The Manchester Unity Oddfellows seemto still be quite strong and arent showing signs of closing up yet.

Its interesting to note, that Fraternal Orders all seem to follow similar lines, with similar structures and officers.

Your Great Grandfather was N.G. of the Loyal Pioneer Lodge 936 which means of course that he was the Master of that Lodge, N.G. being the initials for "Noble Grand" which is the Oddfellows equaivalent to the Masonic "Worshipfull Master" or the Buffalo "Worthy Primo".

Your Great Grandfathers deputy would have used the initials VG or "Vice Grand". In Oddfellowship once one has been through the top chair in the Minor Lodge he becomes a PG, or Past Grand.

The name Loyal Pioneer sounds interesting. Perhaps it was the first lodge in New Zealand of the National Order of Oddfellows? The Number suggets that it is on an overseas roll. Perhaps the National Order of Oddfellows was from Australia? Usually, Manchester Unity Lodges use the term "Loyal" at the beginning of the lodge name, whilst the American IOOF use "Star" at the beginning of the lodge name. This is not always the case.
The Ladies Lodges of the American IOOF are known as Rebekahs, and the name Rebekah is used in the name of the lodge.

Oddfellowship Arrived here in New Zealand the early 1860s. In Otago the Australian and Californian Gold Miners brought Oddfellowship to the Otago Gold Fields. Dunedin being the location of the first Lodge, Pioneer No 1.

I believe that one of the Manchester Unity lodges in Nelson had originally been formed on one of the ships that brought settlers out here in the early 1860s. Can anyone confirm this?

The earliest record of an Oddfellows Lodge in Auckland which i have been able to find is a reference in a book on Colonial Auckland that mentions the Oddfellows Hall Built 1865. one wonders how long the lodge had been going for prior to the building of the Hall. Then in 1871, another Oddfellows Hall was built.

The old "Art Barn" in Pitt Street Auckland was an Oddfellows Hall home to the "Star of Auckland" Lodge IOOF. The R.A.O.B. Hall in Ponsonby was originally an IOOF Hall built in 1908 for the "Star of Eden Lodge No 54" (the Lodge of which was Originally formed in 1893 in Ponsonby)