New Zealand Americans

New Zealand Americans are Americans who have New Zealand ancestry. According to the 2010 surveys, there are 19,961 New Zealand Americans.[1] Most of them are of European descent, but some hundreds are of indigenous New Zealand descent. Some 925 of those New Zealand-Americans declared they were of Tokelauan origin.[2] The 2000 Census indicated also the existence of 1,994 people of Māori descent in US.[3]

Taking flight to North American Harvard at Onerahi Aerodrome, New Zealand 1961.
New Zealand Americans
Total population
19,961 (2010 American Community Survey)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and Washington
Languages
American English, New Zealand English, Māori
Related ethnic groups
Australian Americans · Oceanian Americans

History

Many New Zealanders came to the United States after World War II. A significant portion (although not the majority) of these immigrants were war brides, because they had married U.S. servicemen who were stationed in the Pacific theater during the war. Since the 1940s, the majority of New Zealanders who have settled in the United States came seeking higher education or employment, especially in work related to finance, import and export, and entertainment industries.

Some small communities of New Zealanders have been created in the Chicago area and in the Green Bay and Madison, Wisconsin areas.[4]

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

  • Knight, Judson. "New Zealander Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp. 289–299. Online
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