Welsh New Zealanders refers to
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 ...
-born people who trace their ancestry back to
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
or
Welsh people
The Welsh ( cy, Cymry) are an ethnic group native to Wales. "Welsh people" applies to those who were born in Wales ( cy, Cymru) and to those who have Welsh ancestry, perceiving themselves or being perceived as sharing a cultural heritage and ...
who emigrated to New Zealand and became naturalised citizens.
The Welsh, unlike other migrant groups from the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, are not as numerous as their
Welsh Australian
Welsh Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in Wales.
Number of Welsh Australians
According to the 2006 Australian census 25,317 Australian residents were born in Wales, while 113,242 (0.44%) claimed Welsh ancestry, e ...
counterparts. However, their contribution was notable. Most Welshmen who arrived in New Zealand were
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and
coal miners
People have worked as coal miners for centuries, but they became increasingly important during the Industrial revolution when coal was burnt on a large scale to fuel stationary and locomotive engines and heat buildings. Owing to coal's strategic ro ...
.
Welsh place names in New Zealand
Some of the Welsh-derived place names in New Zealand include:
Brynavon, Northland
Brynderwyn
Brynderwyn is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is located at the junction of SH1 and SH12 between Whangarei and Wellsford, and a narrowing of the North Auckland Peninsula between Bream Bay and the upper branches of the Kaipara Harbo ...
, Northland
Bryndwr
Bryndwr ( ; ) is a suburb in the north-west of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Development
Bryndwr, meaning 'hillside by water' (from ''Bryn'' "hillside" + ''dŵr'' "by water"), and probably named for the slopes beside the Wairarapa and Waimairi str ...
, Christchurch
Cambrians, Otago - Named after the Welsh prospectors.
Cardiff, Taranaki - Named after
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
in
Glamorganshire
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
.
Carnarvon, now
Himatangi
Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal sett ...
Hawarden, Canterbury - Named after
Hawarden Castle in
Flintshire
, settlement_type = County
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, image_flag =
, image_shield = Arms of Flint ...
.
Lake Pembroke, now
Wanaka
Marchwiel, Canterbury - Named after
Marchwiel
Marchwiel ( cy, Marchwiail) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
It is about 2 miles south-east of Wrexham city on the A525 road towards Bangor-on-Dee. The community has an area of 1,488 hectares and a population of 1,4 ...
in
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
.
Milford Sound
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top t ...
- Originally Milford Haven, it was named by the Welsh navigator
John Grono after
Milford Haven in
Pembrokeshire.
Morgans Valley, Christchurch - Named after a Welsh settler.
Pembroke, Taranaki - Named after
Pembroke in Pembrokeshire.
Picton, Marlborough - Named after Welsh General Sir Thomas Picton.
Welshmans Creek, Southland - Named after a Welsh prospector.
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 ...
*
Europeans in Oceania
European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th century, starting with the Spanish ( Castilian) landings and shipwrecks in the Mariana Islands, east of the Philippines. This was followed by the Portuguese landing and settling tem ...
*
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 ...
*
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 Z ...
References
{{British diaspora
European New Zealander
Immigration to New Zealand
*
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 ...