English New Zealanders Explained

Population:2 million (of full or partial ancestry)
Regions:Nation-wide
Languages:English
Religions:Christianity, Usually Anglican or other Protestant, Smaller Catholic Minority. Largely Irreligious
Related Groups:Pākehā

English New Zealanders are New Zealanders of English descent, or English-born people currently living in New Zealand. After British explorer James Cook arrived in New Zealand in 1769, many non-Polynesians began to visit and settle New Zealand, in particular, whalers, sealers, and ex-convicts from Australia, often of British (including English) ancestry.[1] After New Zealand became a colony of Britain in 1840, the country began to receive thousands of immigrants, with over 90% of them being from Britain and Ireland, with about half of them coming from England.[2] [3]

Early settlement

A 19th-century English company the "New Zealand Company" played a key role in the colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principles of systematic colonisation devised by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of a new-model English society in the southern hemisphere.[4]

Of New Zealand's English immigrants, most of them predominately originated from the south-west counties of Cornwall and Devon, with significant numbers also coming from England's southeast of London and Kent.[5]

Due to British colonisation, and the large numbers of English immigrants from the 19th century, English culture and language has had a profound impact on New Zealand society. For instance, English is by far the predominant and most widely spoken language in the country, with approximately 4.4 million speakers (c. 95% of the population) as of the 2018 census.[6] Also, based on the same census, England has remained as the most common place where immigrants to New Zealand come from.[6]

Legacy

As of the early 21st century, it is estimated that at least 80% of New Zealanders have some British ancestry,[7] which especially includes English given that at least half of immigrants that came from the United Kingdom were English. Over 50 per cent of New Zealand’s founding ethnic group were born in England as seen per the 1851 New Zealand census.What this demonstrates is that out of a population of 5 million, around 2 million people in New Zealand are of English ancestry, likely making the English diaspora one of, if not the largest ethnic group in the country.

Birthplace

YearEnglish-born
population
% of population
185113,48550.5[8]
186136,12836.5[9] [10]
187167,04426.1[11] [12]
1881119,22424.33[13] [14]
1901111,964 14.50[15]
1911133,81113.28[16]
1916140,99712.84[17]
1961154,869[18]
2001178,203-[19]
2006202,401[20]
2013215,5895.1[21]
2018210,9154.49[22]

Population

As of the 2018 New Zealand census, about 260,000 (8.3%) Europeans in the country stated that they were born in the United Kingdom, making the UK the most common place of origin for immigrants to New Zealand.[23] England in particular, has always been a significant source of immigration. This was very much the case in the 19th century, where emigration from England ranged from 64.7% in the 1840s, to 49.7% by the 1871 census.[24]

English culture in New Zealand

Some of the most popular sports in New Zealand such as cricket, netball, rugby union and league, are of English origin.[25]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Taonga. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. History of immigration. 2021-11-03. teara.govt.nz. en.
  2. Web site: Summary. 2021-11-03. nzhistory.govt.nz. en.
  3. Web site: Where did they come from?. 2021-11-03. nzhistory.govt.nz. en.
  4. Book: King, Michael. 2003. 171. The Penguin History of New Zealand . 978-1459623750.
  5. Web site: The English. 2021-11-03. nzhistory.govt.nz. en.
  6. Web site: September 23, 2019. 2018 Census totals by topic – national highlights. 2021-11-03. www.scoop.co.nz.
  7. Web site: 2008-05-14 . Country Profile: New Zealand . 2021-11-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080514220150/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-profiles/asia-oceania/new-zealand/?profile=intRelations&pg=4 . 14 May 2008 . dead.
  8. Book: Locating the English Diaspora 1500–2010. Tanja . Bueltmann. David. T. Gleeson. Don. MacRaild. 25 May 2012 . 152. 9781781387061 . 21 November 2022.
  9. Book: Loyalism and the Formation of the British World 1775–1914. Allan. Blackstock. Frank. O'Gorman. 2014 . 9781843839125 . 21 November 2022.
  10. Book: Locating the English Diaspora 1500-2010. Tanja . Bueltmann. David. T. Gleeson. Don. MacRaild. 25 May 2012 . 152. 9781781387061 . 21 November 2022.
  11. Book: Loyalism and the Formation of the British World 1775–1914. Allan. Blackstock. Frank. O'Gorman. 2014 . 9781843839125 . 21 November 2022.
  12. Book: Locating the English Diaspora 1500-2010. Tanja . Bueltmann. David. T. Gleeson. Don. MacRaild. 25 May 2012 . 152. 9781781387061 . 21 November 2022.
  13. Book: Loyalism and the Formation of the British World 1775–1914. Allan. Blackstock. Frank. O'Gorman. 2014 . 9781843839125 . 21 November 2022.
  14. Book: Locating the English Diaspora 1500-2010. Tanja . Bueltmann. David. T. Gleeson. Don. MacRaild. 25 May 2012 . 152. 9781781387061 . 21 November 2022.
  15. Web site: RESULTS OF A CENSUS OF THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND TAKEN FOR THE NIGHT OF THE 31ST MARCH, 1901. BIRTHPLACES OF THE PEOPLE. 21 November 2022.
  16. Web site: Results of a Census of the Dominion of New Zealand . . 30 December 1912 . 29 April 2017.
  17. https://www3.stats.govt.nz/historic_publications/1916-census/Report%20on%20Results%20of%20Census%201916/1916-report-results-census%20.html REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF A CENSUS OF THE POPULATION OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND
  18. Book: Locating the English Diaspora 1500–2010. Tanja . Bueltmann. David. T. Gleeson. Don. MacRaild. 25 May 2012 . 152. 9781781387061 . 21 November 2022.
  19. http://www.nbr.co.nz/sites/default/files/2013%20Census%20QuickStats%20about%20culture%20and%20identity.pdf Birthplace (detailed)(1)
  20. http://www.nbr.co.nz/sites/default/files/2013%20Census%20QuickStats%20about%20culture%20and%20identity.pdf Birthplace (detailed)(1)
  21. http://www.nbr.co.nz/sites/default/files/2013%20Census%20QuickStats%20about%20culture%20and%20identity.pdf Birthplace (detailed)(1)
  22. Web site: 2018 Census population and dwelling counts. Stats NZ. 23 Sep 2019. 5 January 2021. dmy-all.
  23. Web site: 2018 Census ethnic group summaries Stats NZ. 2022-02-07. www.stats.govt.nz.
  24. Web site: Where did they come from?. 2022-02-07. nzhistory.govt.nz. en.
  25. Web site: 2020-03-27. Top 5 Popular Sports In New Zealand Till Now Neo Prime Sport. 2022-02-07. en-US.