The term Irish New Zealander (
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
: Gael-Nua-Shéalaigh) refers to
New Zealanders
New Zealanders ( mi, Tāngata Aotearoa), colloquially known as Kiwis (), are people associated with New Zealand, sharing a common history, culture, and language (New Zealand English). People of various ethnicities and national origins are citiz ...
of full or partial
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ancestry. This includes Irish immigrants as well as New Zealanders of Irish descent. The term makes no distinction concerning religion and encompasses both Catholic and Protestant (including
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
) immigrants and their descendants; nonetheless, the chief criterion of distinction between Irish immigrants, especially those who arrived in the nineteenth century, is religion.
Irish people have played a significant role in the history of New Zealand. The
Irish diaspora
The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland.
The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...
in the nineteenth century reached
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 ...
, with many Irish people immigrating to the country, predominantly to
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 ...
,
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
and the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
. With Irish immigration to New Zealand, the Irish people established Catholic churches and schools, especially in Auckland. Today, there are roughly 800,000 New Zealanders of Irish ancestry (approximately 15% of the total population). This is an estimated figure based on historical immigration patterns, with a much smaller proportion of the population self-identifying as Irish.
Irish culture
The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). It has ...
has influenced the wider
culture of New Zealand
The culture of New Zealand is a synthesis of home-grown and imported cultures. The country's earliest inhabitants brought with them customs and language from Polynesia, and during the centuries of isolation, developed their own Māori and Morio ...
.
The descendants of the Irish people and their culture have mixed with other
New Zealand European
European New Zealanders, also known by the Māori-language loanword Pākehā, are New Zealanders of European descent. Most European New Zealanders are of British and Irish ancestry, with significantly smaller percentages of other European anc ...
cultures to form modern-day New Zealand culture. However, unlike many Scottish settlers in
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
and
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
Irish settlers were more spread out across the country, resulting in visible Irish communities throughout New Zealand that began to mix with other communities. Job opportunities for Irish-born New Zealanders were limited as a result of anti-Irish bias. In the 1930s 40% of the
New Zealand Police Force
The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...
were of Irish ancestry. One of the main reasons the Irish immigrated to New Zealand was because of the
Great Famine and fear of yet another famine.
Irish culture in New Zealand
The Irish national public holiday,
St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in New Zealand with over 65 pubs around the country participating.
Irish immigration to New Zealand; 1840–1915
Some of the first Irish came with the royal New Zealand fencibles veterans of the British army given land for service. Around half of the whom were Irish Catholics. Until 1852 the Irish comprised just under 15% of New Zealand immigrants. A Dublin University Magazine described New Zealand as ‘the most recent, remotest, and least civilised of our colonies’; the voyage cost over four times that of crossing the Atlantic to America. Immigration from the region of
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
was common from 1840 towards 1852. The majority of Irish immigrants to New Zealand during the Irish diaspora that followed the
Irish Famine
The Great Famine ( ga, an Gorta Mór ), also known within Ireland as the Great Hunger or simply the Famine and outside Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a h ...
of 1845-1852 were indigenous Irish from Munster and indirect emigrants from Australia during the gold rushes. In the early twentieth century immigration from the region of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
increased. This "reflected the preference for Protestants among New Zealand immigration authorities". In order to make New Zealand more attractive as a place of settlement for migrants, "fudging" of statistics occurred emphasising homogeneity (using the phrase ‘98.5 percent British’). Place of birth was used to circumvent ethnicity, "in order to conceal the numbers of other population groups, particularly the Irish and Chinese"
Politics
Significant expressions of Irish culture came in public debate. The long struggles in Ireland for land reform, home rule rather than English rule, and eventually independence were a major concern of British politics throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many in New Zealand followed these debates and crises, and expressed their sympathies publicly. Occasionally it came in the form of civil disorder. There were 'shindies' between Irish Nationalists and Irish Unionist Orangemen at Ōkārito in 1865. In Christchurch on Boxing Day 1879, 30 Irishmen attacked an
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
procession with pick-handles, and in Timaru 150 men from Thomas O’Driscoll's Hibernian Hotel surrounded Irish Orangemen and prevented their procession. In 2013 the NZ Press Council (now the NZ Media Council) upheld a number of complaints that denigrated Irish identity in New Zealand.
[New Zealand Media Council
Te kaunihera ao pāpāho o Aotearoa, url= https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/charlie-smyth-against-the-press/ , title=CHARLIE SMYTH AGAINST THE PRESS, publisher= NZ Media Council , access-date= 2015-12-9]
Irish place names in New Zealand
There are some place names in New Zealand with connections to Ireland or Irish people, including:
*
Ardmore, after
Ardmore, County Waterford
Ardmore () is a seaside resort and fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland, not far from Youghal on the south coast of Ireland. It has a permanent population of around 430, that increases in the tourist season. It is believed to be the ol ...
*
Athenree, after
Athenree, County Tyrone
*
Ballance, after Irish-born Prime Minister
John Ballance
John Ballance (27 March 1839 – 27 April 1893) was an Irish-born New Zealand politician who was the 14th premier of New Zealand, from January 1891 to April 1893, the founder of the Liberal Party (the country's first organised political part ...
*
Bangor, after
Bangor, County Down
Bangor ( ; ) is a city and seaside resort in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to which it is linked ...
*
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, after
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
*
Bowentown, after Irish-born Governor
George Bowen
Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. Joy ...
*
Camla
Michigan Language Assessment (MLA), also known as the Cambridge–Michigan Language Assessment (CaMLA) and previously the "English Language Institute Testing and Certification Division at the University of Michigan", has been providing English l ...
, after
Camla, County Monaghan
*
Capleston, after Irish settler Patrick Quirk Caples
*
Cronadun
Cronadun is a small village located in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the east bank of the Inangahua River, near its junction with Boatmans Creek. SH 69 and the Stillwater–Westport Line railway pass ...
, after
Cronadun, County Donegal
*
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 Whangārei. ...
, after Irish settler Joseph Dargaville
*
Dromore
*
Dunsandel
Dunsandel is a small rural town in the Canterbury region of the South Island, New Zealand. The town is located on the Canterbury Plains just south of the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri and about 40 km south of Christchurch. Dunsandel is a ju ...
, after
Dunsandle Castle
Dunsandle Castle is a 15th-century castle near Athenry, County Galway, in Ireland.
History
Dunsandle Castle is referenced by Nolan, J.P. Galway Castles and Owners in 1574 Nolan, J.P. Galway Castles and Owners in 1574 (Barons of Kingestowne A ...
, Galway
*
Glasnevin, New Zealand, after
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
, Dublin
*
Glenavy, New Zealand
Glenavy is a small town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern extreme of the Canterbury region on the alluvial fan of the Waitaki River, three kilometres from the river's outflow into the Pacific Ocean.
Glenavy was n ...
, after
Glenavy, County Antrim
*
Glen Massey, after Irish-born Prime Minister
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
*
Hobsonville
Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010.
Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of the ...
, after Irish-born Governor
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...
*
Hurleyville, after a family of Irish settlers
*
Katikati
Katikati is a town in New Zealand (North Island) located on the Uretara Stream near a tidal inlet towards the northern end of Tauranga Harbour, 28 kilometres south of Waihi and 40 kilometres northwest of Tauranga. State Highway 2 passes through ...
, previously known as Waterford
*
Kerrytown, after
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
*
Killinchy
Killinchy () is a townland and small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is two miles inland from the western shores of Strangford Lough in the Borough of Ards and North Down. It is situated in the townland of the same name, the civil p ...
, after
Killinchy, County Down
*
Kingston, originally St Johns, after Irish-born police commissioner
St John Branigan St John Branigan (c.1824 – 11 September 1873) was a New Zealand police commissioner. He was born in King's County, Ireland on c.1824.
He was recruited from Victoria, Australia after being ''highly recommended'' by the government there to hea ...
*
Martinborough
Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of
The town ...
, after Irish settler
John Martin
*
Mauriceville, after Irish-born Minister of Immigration and Crown Lands
Sir George Maurice O'Rorke
*
Massey
Massey may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Massey, Ontario
* Massey Island, Nunavut
New Zealand
* Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb
United States
* Massey, Alabama
* Massey, Iowa
* Massey, Maryland
People
* Massey (surname)
Educati ...
, after Irish-born Prime Minister
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
*
Shannon, after Irish settler George Vance Shannon
*
Queenstown, after
Cobh
Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...
*
Westport, after
Westport, County Mayo
Westport (, historically anglicised as ''Cahernamart'') is a town in County Mayo in Ireland.Westport Before 1800 by Michael Kelly published in Cathair Na Mart 2019 It is at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on th ...
See also
*
European New Zealanders
European New Zealanders, also known by the Māori-language loanword Pākehā, are New Zealanders of European descent. Most European New Zealanders are of British and Irish ancestry, with significantly smaller percentages of other European anc ...
*
Europeans in Oceania
Age of Discovery, European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th century, starting with the Spanish people, Spanish (Crown of Castile, Castilian) landings and shipwrecks in the Mariana Islands, east of the Philippines. This was f ...
*
Ireland–New Zealand relations
*
Pākehā
Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...
*
immigration to New Zealand
Migration to New Zealand began with Polynesian settlement in New Zealand, then uninhabited, about 1250 to 1280. European migration provided a major influx following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Subsequent immigration has be ...
References
{{Immigration to New Zealand
European New Zealander