New Zealand Immigration
The land we now call New Zealand remained uninhabited through 1250 AD. Polynesian explorers in the South Pacific settled there for the first time, serving as the geographical founding place for the Māori people. The Māori people lived alone for hundreds of years before the next immigrants arrived from Europe in the 1700s.
A History of New Zealand Immigration
Polynesian settlers were the earliest arrivals to the islands of the future country New Zealand. The culture and language of the indigenous Māori people suggest that their ancestors arrived from the Polynesian populations of the Cook Islands and Society islands.
Centuries later, more immigrants started arriving from Europe in 1769. Very few Europeans actually settled in that verdant land for nearly 100 years. Most passed through for trade and rest as they traveled to and from Australia.
That all changed in 1840 with the Treaty of Waitangi, making New Zealand a British colony. Within 20 years, the population of roughly 1,000 Europeans grew to over 100,000. And by 1870, the non-Māori population reached 250,000. Today, roughly 100,000 people still immigrate to New Zealand every year.
Where Do Most New Zealand Immigrants Come From?
New Zealand boasts a wide and varied population of immigrants with over 120 countries of origin. In recent years, most immigrants come from the United Kingdom, China, India, Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, Fiji, and Samoa.
Earlier immigrants primarily arrived from Europe, mostly from Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. Smaller groups came from Germany, Scandinavia, other European countries, and China. At around 60–70%, a majority of New Zealand’s citizens are ethnically European, around 16% are Māori, 6–15% are Asian, and 7% are Pacific Islanders.
What Percentage of New Zealand Are Immigrants?
New Zealand is home to 5,000,000 people, of whom around 73% were born there. The remaining 27% are immigrants. The largest groups come from the United Kingdom (4.5%), China (2.8%), and India (2.5%). All other countries of origin each make up less than 2% of the population.
New Zealand Diaspora
While thousands immigrate to New Zealand every year, New Zealand also sees a significant population who move away, or emigrate. An estimated 500,000–1,000,000 New Zealanders and their descendants live abroad, and 13–27% of New Zealand citizens are born internationally, more than most other countries.
Where Do People from New Zealand Emigrate To?
A vast majority of New Zealand natives move to Australia, with around 75–85% of New Zealand emigrants ending up there. It makes perfect sense as a destination because of its close proximity, cultural similarities, and shared language. Aside from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada are top destinations, along with other English-speaking nations.
Smaller groups of New Zealanders also move to other European countries, such as United Arab Emirates, Japan, Hong Kong, India, China, South Africa, and Brazil. However, these destinations represent a significantly smaller portion of the New Zealand diaspora.
How Can I Find My New Zealand Immigrant Ancestors?
If you have ancestors that immigrated to or emigrated from New Zealand, you might be curious to find out where they came from. It can take a bit of digging, but by tracing your family tree and genealogical records, you can often uncover fascinating details about who your family members were and their origins.
When looking for immigrant ancestors, start by tracing your family back as far as you can in your country. When you reach a dead end, try searching immigration records for surnames or specific family members around that time. This guide will help you get started.
If you find something that looks like a match, try confirming it by comparing records with your existing family tree. Naturalization records and passenger lists will often give you information that will help you learn more about your family members and their origins. From there, try connecting the dots with records from their place of origin.
Discovering your family roots is well worth the effort. It will help you feel more connected with your family and learn about your cultural heritage.
Can I Immigrate to New Zealand?
New Zealand immigration is alive and well today. In fact, the New Zealand government encourages it! And there are certainly many reasons to consider moving there.
Why New Zealand? From some of the most beautiful mountains in the world to beach life, you’ll find a wide variety of stunning landscapes. The culture also fosters a relaxed and balanced lifestyle alongside low crime rates.
Not to mention there’s a demand for skilled labor. Some skills in particular are needed in New Zealand, as there’s a shortage of those skills in the local population. If you work in education, engineering, construction, finance, or a number of other fields, chances are you’ll find work in New Zealand.
Visit the New Zealand website to learn about how you can start the process.
Learn More about New Zealand
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
