Rosina Buckman (16 March 1881 – 31 December 1948) was a New Zealand soprano who became a prima donna during World War I and later a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music.

She was born in Blenheim, grew up mostly in the North Island and went to England when still a teenager to get a formal singing education from Charles Swinnerton Heap.

After her birth, her grandfather rode 50 miles (80 km) from his farm to Blenheim and requested that the baby girl be named Rosina, his sister, who also was a good singer.

Aged nine, the children were playing on a bed and one of her sisters landed on top of her; the doctors predicted she would not survive the night.

[3][5] The Graces were friends with Buckman's parents and they were travelling to England so that their two sons could receive training as piano tuners.

[2] Buckman did not have Heap long as her tutor as he died in June 1900; she moved to the school of music that belonged to the Birmingham and Midland Institute[a] and studied under George Breedon.

[3][9] By 28 March 1904, she gave her first concert in Auckland alongside the American baritone Hamilton Hodges; also involved was Clarice Buckman, her younger sister (then aged 12).

Both Melba and her lead tenor, John McCormack, encouraged Buckman to continue her career in England based on the high quality of her singing.

[3][16] During the war, she started recording and she produced an extensive catalogue covering arias, duets, ballads and concert songs.

[18] The Royal Opera House reopened in May 1919 and Buckman alternated with Melba performing as Mimì, the leading role in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème.

[3] Melba wrote about Buckman:[2] God has blessed her with a heavenly voice which with intelligence, experience and study has carried her through the bitter struggle of beginning to success and fame.

New Zealand may well be proud of her Queen of Song.On 24 December 1919 at St Mark's, Hamilton Terrace, London, Buckman married the leading tenor of the Beecham Opera Company, Maurice d'Oisly.

[3] In 1922, Buckman, d'Oisly, pianist Percy Kahn and cellist Adelina Leon travelled on the SS Ionic to an Australasian tour of 110 concerts.

[24] In April 1940, Buckman made a brief return to the stage when she appeared in a matinée gala at His Majesty's Theatre in London, in aid of comforts for New Zealand troops in World War II.

All the artists and authors involved in the performance, organised by actor Shayle Gardner, were born in New Zealand, and included David Low, Warwick Braithwaite, Hector Bolitho, Hugh Walpole, and Merton Hodge.

Their house was sold during World War II and taken over by the Royal Air Force; the area is now occupied by the Wylfa nuclear power station.

She told reporters about the rationale for buying the land: "Well, it was so that I could feel that although I have to live so far away, I actually do own a bit of New Zealand!

[5] After a serious illness, she died on 31 December 1948[d] at Battersea General Hospital in London,[28] and her funeral took place at St Marylebone Parish Church on 5 January 1949.