Croatian New Zealanders
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,550 - 100,000(est.) | |
| Languages | |
| New Zealand English, Croatian | |
| Religion | |
| predominantly Roman Catholic |
Croatian New Zealanders refers to New Zealand citizens of Croatian descent. There are 2,550 people who declared their nationality as Croats in the 2006 New Zealand census. The majority of these are located primarily in and around Auckland and Northland with small numbers in and around Canterbury and Southland. It is estimated that over 100,000 people have Croatian ancestry.
The earliest Croatian settlers in New Zealand date from the 1860s, largely arriving as sailors, gold miners, prospectors and pioneers. Following this, five significant influxes of Croats have arrived:
In July 2008, 800 people attended a celebration of 150 years of Croatian settlement in New Zealand hosted by Prime Minister Helen Clark and Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter.
James Belich - Historian
Stephen Jelicich - Founder of Jasmax/ JASMaD
Ivan Mercep - Founder of Jasmax/ JASMaD
Simon Mercep - radio and television presenter
Amelia Batistich - Author
Abby Erceg – NZ Football Ferns football player
Tony Laus - All Whites football player
Paul Urlovic - All Whites football player
Ivan Vicelich - All Whites football player
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Wikipedia