German New Zealanders (german: Deutsch-Neuseeländer) are

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

residents of ethnic

German ancestry , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. They comprise a very large amount of New Zealanders in terms of heritage, with some 200,000 people from the country having at least partial German ancestry (approximately 5% of the population from an estimate in the 2000s). New Zealand's community of ethnic German immigrants constitute one of the largest recent European migrant groups in New Zealand, numbering 12,810 in the 2013 census. 36,642 New Zealanders spoke the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

at the 2013 census, making German the seventh-most-spoken language in New Zealand. Germans first began immigrating to New Zealand in the 1840s. Between 1843 and 1914 around 10,000 arrived, mainly from

northern Germany Northern Germany (german: link=no, Norddeutschland) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony an ...

, but also from

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, the

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...

and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. One of the first ethnic Germans to explore New Zealand was the mercenary Gustavus von Tempsky, who was killed in armed conflict during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...

. From the 1840s to the 1860s, German immigrants established several rural communities.

Ranzau Hope, previously known as Ranzau, is a small settlement south of Nelson, New Zealand, between Richmond and Wakefield. Hope began as a German settlement, founded by many of the families on the barque '' Skjold'', which left Hamburg on 21 April 18 ...

(now

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

) was one of several ethnic German settlements in the Tasman, where settlers planted orchards and vineyards. Puhoi, built by Bohemian Germans, was a settlement north of Auckland on the boundary with the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

n settlement of

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangāre ...

, with whom Germans competed for the

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, be ...

trade. Relationships with Germany were stained twice in the twentieth century, during both world wars and the New Zealand conquest of German Samoa. Today, New Zealand and Germany have a strong relationship, and there is frequent movement of people between each country for work, immigration and tourism. Many German immigrants, who today are mostly present in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, hold traditional

Christmas markets A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: '' Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chri ...

and language classes, as well as

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

Demography

The 2013 census counted 12,810 New Zealand residents who had ancestry from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. This number does not include people of German ancestry who selected their ancestry as simply "New Zealander". Today the number of New Zealanders with German ancestry is estimated to be approximately 200,000 (5% of the population). Many German New Zealanders anglicized their names during the 20th century due to the negative perception of Germans fostered by World War I and World War II. There were 16,818 people identifying as being part of the German ethnic group at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, making up 0.36% of New Zealand's population. This is an increase of 4,008 people (31.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 5,901 people (54.1%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. Some of the increase between the 2013 and 2018 census was due to

Statistics New Zealand Statistics New Zealand ( mi, Tatauranga Aotearoa), branded as Stats NZ, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the collection of statistics related to the economy, population and society of New Zealand. To this end, Stats ...

adding ethnicity data from other sources (previous censuses, administrative data, and imputation) to the 2018 census data to reduce the number of non-responses. There were 7,125 males and 9,693 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.735 males per female. The median age was 33.0 years, compared to 37.4 years for New Zealand as a whole; 3,273 people (19.5%) were aged under 15 years, 4,209 (25.0%) were 15 to 29, 8,067 (48.0%) were 30 to 64, and 1,269 (8.5%) were 65 or older.

Tourism

New Zealand has long been a popular destination for German backpacker tourists and students.

German New Zealand culture

The

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...

is active in New Zealand and there is a branch in Wellington.

Notable German New Zealanders

Michala Banas Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas (born 14 November 1978) is a New Zealand television actress and singer. Life and career Born in Wellington, New Zealand into a family of German descent, she starred in her first advert at only 18 months of age. ...

(born 1978), actress and singer *

Morton Coutts Morton William Coutts (7 February 1904 – 25 June 2004)''Obituary: ...

(1904–2004), inventor *

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

(born 1964), actor *

Christian Cullen Christian Mathias Cullen (born 12 February 1976) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later ...

(born 1976), rugby union footballer *

Kim Dotcom Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz; 21 January 1974), also known as Kimble and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, is a German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist who resides in Glenorchy, New Zealand. He first rose to fame in Germany in the 1990s ...

(born 1974), internet entrepreneur, businessman, musician, and political party founder *

Maria Dronke Minnie Maria Dronke (née Kronfeld, 17 July 1904 – 28 August 1987) was a New Zealand actor, drama producer and teacher. She was born Minnie Kronfeld in 1904 in Berlin, Germany, the daughter of Laura (Liebmann) and Salomon Kronfeld, a barr ...

(1904–1987) actor, drama producer and teacher *

Thomas Eichelbaum Sir Johann Thomas Eichelbaum (17 May 1931 – 31 October 2018) was a New Zealand jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand. Early life and family Eichelbaum was born in Königsberg, Germany, and his family emigrated to Wellin ...

(born 1931), 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand * Willi Fels (1858–1946), merchant, collector and philanthropist * Carl Fischer (died 1893), doctor, homoeopath and viticulturist *

Karl Fritsch Karl Fritsch (24 February 1864 – 17 January 1934) was an Austrian botany, botanist. He was born in Vienna and educated mainly at the University of Vienna, obtaining his PhD degree in 1886 and his Habilitation in 1890. In 1900 he moved to ...

(born 1963) contemporary jeweller *

Richard Fuchs Richard Fuchs (; 26 April 1887 – 22 September 1947) was a German composer and architect, the older brother of German national team Olympic football player Gottfried Fuchs. Life Fuchs was in the German Army (German Empire), German Army, and wa ...

(1887–1947), composer and architect * Rudolf Gopas (1913–1983) artist and art teacher *

Awen Guttenbeil Awen Guttenbeil (born 14 March 1976) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Since retiring after a playing career spanning fifteen years, he went on to work as a broadcaster for Sky Network Televisio ...

(born 1976), rugby league footballer *

Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...

(1822–1887), geologist and founder of Canterbury Museum *

Bendix Hallenstein Bendix Hallenstein (c. 24 January 1835 – 6 January 1905) was a German-born Jewish merchant, statesman, and manufacturer from Dunedin, New Zealand. He is best known for founding the retail clothing store Hallensteins, which still bears his name ...

(1835–1905) merchant, statesman, manufacturer, member of the New Zealand Parliament * Lewis Hotop ( 1844–1922), pharmacist, politician and Arbor Day advocate * Gerhard Husheer (1864–1954), tobacco grower and processor, industrialist, philanthropist *

Howard Kippenberger Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957), known as "Kip", was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served in the First and Second World Wars. Born in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, Kippe ...

(1897–1957), major general * Charles Kelling (1818–1898), emigration agent, farmer and community leader *

Fedor Kelling John Fedor Augustus Kelling, JP (11 February 1820 – 24 October 1909), known as Fedor Kelling, was a 19th-century Member of the New Zealand Parliament, representing Nelson. A leader of a group of immigrants from Germany, he also served as the ...

(1820–1909), member of the New Zealand Parliament; brother of Charles Kelling *

Josh Kronfeld Joshua Adrian Kronfeld (born 20 June 1971) is a TV presenter and a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand at international level and Otago, the Highlanders and Leicester at first-class level. During his international career, K ...

(born 1971), TV presenter and rugby union footballer *

David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...

(1942–2005), 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand * Oscar Natzka (1912–1951), operatic singer *

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance (1957–1960) and later as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition ...

(1901–1989), member of the New Zealand Parliament * William Ott (1872–1951), 28th Mayor of Invercargill *

Eve Poole Eve Poole (born Eva Auerbach; 29 December 1924 – 26 December 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as Mayor of Invercargill from 1983 until her death in 1992. She was the first woman and Jew to hold this position. Early life Poole w ...

(1924–1992), 41st Mayor of Invercargill *

Victoria Schmidt Victoria Schmidt is a New Zealand theater, film and television actress. She is most known for her role as ''Aaliyah'' in '' Sione's Wedding'' (2006). She is also a playwright. Biography Schmidt was born and raised in South Auckland, New Zealand ...

, actress * Gustavus von Tempsky (1828–1868), adventurer and soldier *

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film '' Ghost Ship''. Since ...

(born 1972), actor * George William von Zedlitz (1871-1949), Professor of Modern Languages at Victoria University of Wellington (then called Victoria College) *

Johan Wohlers John (or Johan) Frederick Henry Wohlers (originally Johann Friedrich Heinrich Wohlers, 1 October 1811 – 7 May 1885) was a Lutheranism, Lutheran missionary from Germany who lived for 41 years on Ruapuke Island, a small island in New Zealand's far ...

(1811–1885), Lutheran missionary

References

External links