Italian New Zealanders
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Italian 3,795 (2013)) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Auckland, Wellington | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Prominently Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Italian Australians, Italian Americans, Italian Canadians, Italian Brazilians, Italian South Africans, Italian British, Italian Argentines |
Italian New Zealanders are New Zealanders of Italian descent or Italian-born people who reside in New Zealand. The 2013 Census counted 3,795 New Zealanders of Italian descent.
Italians live in all regions of New Zealand, with the two most common regions being the Auckland Region and the Wellington Region. 80.7 percent of Italian New Zealanders live in the main urban areas, populations of 30,000 or more. Most Italians live in the North Island (83.5 percent) and the rest in the South Island (16.4 percent). The population increased by 21.8 percent between 2006 and 2013. The 2006 Census had counted 3,114 New Zealanders of Italian descent.
As of the 2013 Census, 1,464 speak Italian at home. English is the most widely spoken language by Italian New Zealanders, with 95.9% being able to speak the language.
As of 2016, there were 3,217 registered Italian citizens (including those with dual citizenship) living in New Zealand according to the Italian constitutional referendum, 2016.
Italians have been arriving in New Zealand in a limited number since the last decades of the 18th century. The first Italian to set foot on New Zealand soil was Antonio Ponto, which occurred in 1769. Ponto was part of the crew on Captain James Cook's ship, the Endeavour. Nevertheless, it is only since 1860 that the country witnessed the arrival of a number of educated individuals who had left Italy for non-economic reasons, such as missionaries, musicians, artists, professionals and businesspeople. During the 1860s, friars from Italy arrived in New Zealand and they set up a Catholic mission for the Māoris. It was not successful and in 1873, the friars returned to Italy.
The number of Italians who arrived in New Zealand remained small during the whole of the nineteenth century. The voyage was costly and complex, as no direct shipping link existed between the two countries until the late 1890s. The length of the voyage was over two months before the opening of the Suez Canal. Italian migrants who intended to leave for New Zealand had to use German shipping lines that called at the ports of Genoa and Naples no more than once a month. Therefore, other overseas destinations such as the United States and the Latin American countries proved much more attractive, thus allowing the establishment of migration patterns more quickly and drawing far greater numbers. The New Zealand gold rush of the 1860s attracted a group of Italians to New Zealand. When the gold rush ended, some of the Italians returned home to their country, some migrated to Australia, while others look for work in the cities. During the 1870s, a new group of Italian migrants arrived, mostly single men from northern Italy, who later sent for other family members such as their wives and children in what is referred to as chain migration.
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Wikipedia