List of Famous people born in Taranaki Region, New Zealand

Kane Sinclair Barrett is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer. As former captain, domestically he represented Taranaki in the ITM Cup. Barrett made his Taranaki debut in 2010 and his strong performances saw him named in the Blues squad for the 2013 and 2014 Super Rugby seasons. He had international experience as well with the New Zealand Secondary Schools side.

Stanley Frank "Tiny" Hill was a New Zealand international rugby union player and selector. A lock and flanker, Hill represented Canterbury and Counties at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1955 to 1959. He played 19 matches for the All Blacks, two of which were as captain, including 11 internationals. After retiring as a player, Hill served as New Zealand Army and Canterbury selector, and as an All Black selector from 1981 to 1986.

Sir David John Graham, generally known as John Graham, was a New Zealand educator and rugby union player. He served as president of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) and was an All Black loose forward; he played 22 Tests between 1958 and 1964, including three as captain. He was headmaster of Auckland Grammar School from 1973 to 1993, New Zealand cricket team manager from 1997 to 1999, the University of Auckland Chancellor from 1999 to 2004, and was elected president of the NZRFU in April 2005.

Ian Barry Brickell was a New Zealand potter, writer, conservationist and founder of Driving Creek Railway.

Conrad Gerard Smith is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who played predominantly at centre. He captained the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and played for New Zealand from 2004 until 2015. He was a key member of New Zealand's 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup winning teams. Following the 2015 World Cup he retired from international rugby and took up a contract with Pau in France, before retiring in 2018.

Brian Leo Muller was a New Zealand rugby union player. A prop, Muller represented Taranaki at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1967 to 1971. He played 35 matches for the All Blacks including 14 internationals. He died on 12 December 2019 at the age of 77.

Michael Joseph Kelly FRS FREng is a New Zealand-British physicist. He is Professor of Solid State Electronics and Nanoscale Science in the Division of Electrical Engineering, University of Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1993 and won its Hughes Medal in 2006. He was formerly the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Communities and Local Government. He was elected in 1998 as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Derryn Nigel Hinch is an Australian media personality, politician, actor, journalist and published author, best known for his work on Melbourne radio and television. He served as a Senator for Victoria from 2016 to 2019.

Sir Ronald Syme, was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. Long associated with Oxford University, he is widely regarded as the 20th century's greatest historian of ancient Rome. His great work was The Roman Revolution (1939), a masterly and controversial analysis of Roman political life in the period following the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Ross Handley Brown was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played 16 test matches, most frequently in the first-five back position, for New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, from 1955 until 1962.