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Sikhism in New Zealand

Sikhism in New Zealand

Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar SahibinTakanini, Auckland Region
Total population
40,908[1] 0.88% of the total New Zealander population (2018)
Languages
New Zealand English • Punjabi Hindi • Urdu • Māori
Related ethnic groups
American Sikhs Australian Sikhs British Sikhs Canadian Sikhs

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New Zealander Sikhs number over 40,000 people and account for 0.9% of New Zealand's population as of 2018, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group.

History[edit]

Small numbers of Sikh immigrants from Punjab settled in New Zealand from the late 1800s. Large-scale Sikh immigration began after changes to immigration policies in the 1980s. The New Zealand Sikh Society was established in 1964 and first Sikh Gurdwara opened in 1977.^[4]

Sikh communities[edit]

The first identifiable Sikhs to arrive in New Zealand were two brothers - Phuman Singh and Bir Singh Gill from the Moga district of Punjab. Bir Singh was a herbalist who married and lived amongst the Māori on the North Island.^[5] A small wave of Sikhs arrived in New Zealand between 1890 and 1910; mostly immigrants from Punjab.^[6] Most Sikhs settled in Waikato, Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch.

There is a significant history of many Sikhs being dairy farmers throughout New Zealand,^{[citation needed]} many of them being great pioneers. The majority are in the Waikato region and have been there for many generations. Much hard work was undertaken in terms of clearing scrub and tea trees to convert to farmland in the early years. Embracing the Māori culture was also an important aspect. Many of these farmers are well respected within and outside the community for the significant contribution they have made.

With the Sikh community in New Zealand increasing, the New Zealand Sikh Society was developed in 1964, and the first gurdwara was built in Hamilton in 1977 and another in 1986 in Ōtāhuhu. With the increasing number of Sikhs in New Zealand, an increasing number of gurdwaras have been established across the country.^[7]

The number of people affiliating with the Sikh religion more than quadrupled since 2006. Papatoetoe in Auckland is considered to be the area with the most Sikhs in New Zealand and it has three sikh Gurudwaras in the suburb.

Demographics[edit]

Sikh New Zealanders by Region (2018)

Region	2018 New Zealand census[8]
	Pop.	%
Auckland	23,832	1.52%
Bay of Plenty	4,842	1.57%
Waikato	4,074	0.89%
Canterbury	2,973	0.5%
Wellington	1,647	0.32%
Hawke's Bay	1,347	0.81%
Otago	510	0.23%
Manawatū-Whanganui	447	0.19%
Northland	315	0.18%
Taranaki	234	0.2%
Southland	210	0.22%
Gisborne	171	0.36%
Marlborough	123	0.26%
Nelson	102	0.2%
Tasman	51	0.1%
West Coast	33	0.1%
New Zealand	40,908	0.87%

Gurdwaras[edit]

The New Zealand Central Sikh Association, a centralised representative Sikh body comprising 25 Gurdwaras and various other organisation from across New Zealand was officially formed on 18 September 2022 at the Sikh LibraryinTakanini.^[9]

This is a list of Gurdwaras in New Zealand.

Notable Sikhs[edit]

• Ish Sodhi – Cricketer for New Zealand National Team
• Kanwal Singh Bakshi – Former National PartyMP
• Parmjeet Parmar - ACT MP
• Kharag Singh - Labour candidate for MP
• Sukhi Turner – Former mayor of Dunedin
• Bhupinder Singh - Former Cricketer for Auckland cricket team
• Amandeep Singh - Former Cricketer for Canterbury Wizards
• Phomen Singh- Early Sikh migrant to New Zealand (circa 1890)

See also[edit]

• Religion in New Zealand
• Sikhism in Australia
• Sikhism in Canada
• Sikhism in the United Kingdom
• Sikhism in the United States
• Sikhism in Italy
• Sikhism in Fiji
• Sikh diaspora
• Sikhism by country
• Punjabi New Zealanders

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• McLeod, W. H. (1986). Punjabis in New Zealand: A History of Punjabi Migration, 1890-1940. Guru Nanak Dev University.