Korean New Zealanders
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30,171 (2013) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Auckland | 21,984 |
| Canterbury | 3,336 |
| Waikato | 1,107 |
| Wellington | 960 |
| Bay of Plenty | 924 |
| Otago | 765 |
| Languages | |
| Korean, English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (70%); No religion (20%); Buddhism (5%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Koreans | |
Korean New Zealanders (Korean: 한국계 뉴질랜드인), also referred to informally as Korean Kiwis or Kowis, are New Zealand citizens and residents of Korean ancestry. The 2006 New Zealand census found 30,792 Koreans in the country, virtually all from South Korea, making them the third-largest Asian population there, and more than 0.75 per cent of the total population of New Zealand.
The Korean population in New Zealand has been strongly affected by New Zealand immigration policies. Until a policy change made in 1987, preference was given to English-speaking migrants, especially those from Commonwealth of Nations countries. In 1991 a new policy took effect in which potential migrants were ranked according to a points system based on factors such as education, occupation and wealth. This made it far easier for people from Korea and other Asian countries to migrate to New Zealand, and dramatically increased the number of Korean New Zealanders.
In 1986, there were only 426 Koreans in New Zealand; that had doubled to 903 in 1991, and their population growth accelerated throughout the first half of the 1990s; there were roughly 3,000 people of Korean descent in New Zealand in 1992, according to unofficial estimates, and by the time of the 1996 Census, their population had quadrupled to 12,657 individuals, making them the fastest-growing population group. Growth slowed after that, with only a further 50% increase in the Korean population by 2001.
72.8 percent or 21,981 people of all Koreans in New Zealand live in the Auckland region (with 70% of this group living on the North Shore), with a further 15% in the Canterbury region, 4% in the Waikato region, and 3% in Wellington. Half were under 24 years of age in 2001; one in three of those were unemployed, the highest among five Asian groups, reflecting the challenges they face in adapting to cultural differences.
Women outnumbered men in every age group besides 15 and under; the imbalance was most severe in the 25-39 age group, with only 71 men for every 100 women. This gender gap is mainly the result of the so-called astronaut family phenomenon, also seen among Chinese New Zealanders and Koreans in other countries, in which male heads of households who found their earning power decreased after emigration returned to their country of origin while their wives and children remained in the destination country. Although many heads of households qualified for New Zealand immigration due to their professional qualifications, they find only unskilled work is available to them due to their poor English skills. The high levels of unemployment among Koreans in New Zealand mean that their median personal income was only NZ$5,700, according to Department of Labour statistics.
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Wikipedia