Sikhism in New Zealand

Last updated

Sikhism in New Zealand Flag of New Zealand.svg
Khanda (Sikh Symbol).svg
Takanini Gurdwara 16 August 2020.jpg
Total population
53,406 [1]
1.07% of the total New Zealander population (2023)
Languages
New Zealand EnglishPunjabi
HindiUrduMāori
Related ethnic groups
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1991 2,061    
1996 2,817+36.7%
2001 5,199+84.6%
2006 9,507+82.9%
2013 19,191+101.9%
2018 40,908+113.2%
2023 53,406+30.6%
[2] [3]

New Zealander Sikhs number over 53,000 people and account for 1.1% of New Zealand's population as of 2023, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group. New Zealand has the world's third-largest Sikh proportion behind Canada (2.1%) and India (1.7%). While there are Sikhs in all sixteen regions of New Zealand, over half of Sikhs lived in Auckland Region in 2018.

Contents

The first Sikhs arrived in New Zealand in 1890, [4] but the Immigration Act of 1899 prevented any large-scale migration. [5] [6] In 1987, racial exclusion was scrapped and a race-neutral, points-based immigration system was introduced; [7] by 1991 there were 2,061 Sikhs in New Zealand. Between 2013 and 2018, the number of Sikhs grew by 113% from 19,191 to 40,908, making Sikhism the fastest-growing religion and on pace to eclipse Islam and Buddhism by 2023 at the time. [1] [8] However, the crackdown on student visas and low-skilled workers starting in 2017 stifled Sikh population growth. [9] Between 2018 and 2023, the New Zealander Sikh population grew by 31%, failing to eclipse Islam and Buddhism although remaining the fastest-growing religion. [1]

History

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. [10]

Sikh communities

Photograph of Indian troops (including Sikhs) in Nelson, New Zealand, ca.1901. Nelson Provincial Museum. Photograph of Indian troops (including Sikhs) in Nelson, New Zealand, ca.1901.jpg
Photograph of Indian troops (including Sikhs) in Nelson, New Zealand, ca.1901. Nelson Provincial Museum.

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. [11] A small wave of Sikhs arrived in New Zealand between 1890 and 1910; mostly immigrants from Punjab. [4] 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. [12]

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

Geographical Distribution of Sikhs in New Zealand as per 2018 Census Geographical Distribution of Sikhs in New Zealand as per 2018 Census.png
Geographical Distribution of Sikhs in New Zealand as per 2018 Census
Sikh New Zealanders by Region (2013-2023) [13]
Region 2023 2018 2013
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Auckland 28,40123,83211,712
Waikato 6,7954,0741,875
Bay of Plenty 6,3244,8422,748
Canterbury 4,8422,973621
Wellington 2,3701,647612
Hawke's Bay 1,6501,347783
Manawatū-Whanganui 789447246
Otago 621510117
Northland 48031572
Taranaki 357234102
Southland 25521060
Gisborne 19817184
Marlborough 10812351
Nelson 10510239
Tasman 605142
West Coast 453324
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand53,40640,90819,191

Gurdwaras


Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Temple, Auckland Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Temple, Auckland.jpg
Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Temple, Auckland
The first general meeting of the New Zealand Central Sikh Association on 18 September 2022 in Takanini. New Zealand Central Sikh Association 18-09-2022.jpg
The first general meeting of the New Zealand Central Sikh Association on 18 September 2022 in Takanini.


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 Library in Takanini. [14]

This is a list of Gurdwaras in New Zealand.

NameLocationRegion
Begampura Gurdwara1/9 Vernon St, Papakura 2110Auckland
Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib Papakura7/46 Broadway, Papakura 2110Auckland
Gurdwara Jagat Guru Nanak Sahib29 Kilmarnock St, Riccarton, Christchurch 8011Canterbury
Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur23 Bryant Rd, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3200Waikato
Gurdwara Shri Fateh SahibBotanical Rd, West End, Palmerston North 4412Manawatu-Wanganui
Gurdwara Shri Guru Ravidass Temple Hastings193 Havelock Nth Road, HastingsHawke's Bay
Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Tauranga43 Burrows St, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112Bay of Plenty
Gurdwara Singh Sabha Christchurch537 Ferry Rd, Woolston, Christchurch 8023Canterbury
Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Darbar158 Kolmar Rd, Papatoetoe 2025Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Guru Amardas Sahib Ji24 Ward Ave, Fenton Park, Rotorua 3010Bay of Plenty
Gurdwara Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Patshahi 684 Lady Ruby Dr, Dannemora 2013Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib3034 Great North Rd, New Lynn 0600Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Otahuhu120 Princes St, Otahuhu 1062Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Guru Ravidas Temple1998 Great S Rd, Bombay 2675Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji24 Dunnotar Rd, Papatoetoe 2025Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Takanini 70 Takanini School Rd, Takanini 2112Auckland
Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Tauranga322 Cheyne Rd, Pyes Pa 3112Bay of Plenty
Hastings Gurdwara402 Eastbourne St E, Hastings 4122Hawke's Bay
Linwood Gurdwara692 Gloucester St, Linwood, Christchurch 8062Canterbury
Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar100 Great South Rd, Manurewa 2102Auckland
New Zealand Sikh Society Hamilton6391 Te Rapa Rd, Horotiu 3288Waikato
North Shore Gurdwara128 Sunnybrae Rd, Hillcrest 0627Auckland
Palmerston North Gurdwara7 Amesbury St, Palmerston North 4410Manawatu-Wanganui
Sri Guru Singh Sabha127 Shirley Rd, Papatoetoe 2025Auckland
Wellington Gurudwara4-10 Vogel St, Naenae, Lower Hutt 5011Wellington
Whangarei Gurudwara Sahib23 Water St, Whangarei 0110Northland

Notable Sikhs

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in the United States</span> Religious community

American Sikhs form the country's sixth-largest religious group. While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, 70,697 Americans declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau cites the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey's estimate of the adult Sikh American population at 78,000. The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012. Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures; 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size. With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated at around 200,000–300,000 in 2021. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California (52%), New York (11%), and Washington (6%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in India</span> Overview of the presence and role of Sikhism in India

Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Canada</span> Religious community

Sikhism is the fourth-largest religious group in Canada, with nearly 800,000 adherents, or 2.1% of Canada's population, as of 2021. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. As of the 2021 Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in New Zealand</span>

New Zealand has no state religion and freedom of religion has been protected since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian New Zealanders</span> New Zealander citizens with Indian origin or descent

Indian New Zealanders or informally known as Kiwi Indians are people of Indian origin or descent who live in New Zealand. The term includes Indians born in New Zealand, as well as immigrants from India, Fiji, other regions of Asia, parts of Africa such as South Africa and East Africa, and from other parts of the world. The term Indian New Zealander applies to any New Zealander with one or both parents of Indian heritage. Although sometimes the Indo-Kiwi definition has been expanded to people with mixed racial parentage with one Indian parent or grandparent, this can be controversial as it generally tends to remove the ethnic heritage or identity of the foreign parent or grandparent, which may be seen as insensitive to those with mixed parentage, who tend to value both their Indian and non-Indian parents and grandparents.

Unlike the majority of Fiji's Indian population, who are descendants of Indian indentured labourers brought to Fiji between 1879 and 1916, most of the Sikhs came to Fiji as free immigrants. Most Sikhs established themselves as farmers. Sikhs also came to Fiji as policemen, teachers and preachers. In recent years large numbers of Sikhs have emigrated from Fiji, especially to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Sikhs in Fiji are generally referred to as Punjabis. Total population of sikhs in Fiji is around 3600. Discourse on the experiences and histories of Fijian Sikhs tends to subsume them under discourse framed in terms of other South Asian groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Australia</span> Religion in Australia

Australian Sikhs number over 210,000 people and account for 0.8% of Australia's population as of 2021, forming the country's fastest-growing and fifth-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Australia are found in Victoria, followed by New South Wales and Queensland.

Iraqi New Zealanders constitute a small population immigrants from Iraq and New Zealand-born people of Iraqi heritage or descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Italy</span> Religious minority in Italy

Italian Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after the United Kingdom (525,000) and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. It is estimated that there are 220,000 Sikhs in Italy, constituting 0.3% of the total Italian population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Canadians</span> Community of Canadians of Indian descent or with Indian citizenship

Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The term East Indian is sometimes used to avoid confusion with Indigenous groups. Categorically, Indian Canadians comprise a subgroup of South Asian Canadians which is a further subgroup of Asian Canadians. As of the 2021 census, Indians are the largest non-European ethnic group in the country and form the fastest growing national origin in Canada. Canada's census only counts citizens and permanent residents, and does not include non-permanent or temporary residents.

The Punjabi diaspora consists of the descendants of ethnic Punjabis who emigrated out of the Punjab region in the northern part of the South Asia to the rest of the world. Punjabis are one of the largest ethnic groups in both the Pakistani and Indian diasporas. The Punjabi diaspora numbers around the world has been given between 3 and 5 million, mainly concentrated in Britain, Canada, the United States, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

Sri Lankan New Zealanders, also known informally as “Sriwis”, are New Zealanders of Sri Lankan heritage living in New Zealand. This includes at least three Sri Lankan ethnic groups in New Zealand: the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamil and Burghers. Sri Lankans in New Zealand span over 140 years emigration. In 2013 there were 9,579 Sri Lankans in New Zealand and increased to 16,830 by 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Malaysia</span> Indian origin ethnic group

Malaysian Sikhs are known to be the fourth largest Malaysian Indian ethnic group. It is estimated that there are around 100,000 Sikhs in Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phomen Singh</span> Early Indian migrant to New Zealand (died 1935)

Phomen Singh, also known Phuman Singh and Phomen Singh Gill, was an Indian businessman. He was one of the earliest Indian migrants to New Zealand, where he founded a successful confectionery business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Asian Canadians in British Columbia</span> Ethnic group

The South Asian community in British Columbia was first established in 1897. The first immigrants originated from Punjab, British India, a northern region and state in modern-day India and Pakistan. Punjabis originally settled in rural British Columbia at the turn of the twentieth century, working in the forestry and agricultural industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Greater Vancouver</span> Religious community

Sikhism in Greater Vancouver is one of the main religions across the region, especially among the Indo-Canadian population. The Sikh community in Vancouver is the oldest, largest and most influential across Canada, having begun in the late 19th century.

The term Irish New Zealander refers to New Zealanders of full or partial Irish ancestry. This includes Irish immigrants as well as New Zealanders of Irish descent. The term makes no distinction concerning religion and encompasses both Catholic and Protestant immigrants and their descendants; nonetheless, the chief criterion of distinction between Irish immigrants, especially those who arrived in the nineteenth century, is religion.

Punjabi Canadians are Canadian citizens of Punjabi descent, numbering approximately 950,000 and accounting for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.

Buddhism is New Zealand's third-largest religion after Christianity and Hinduism standing at 1.5% of the population of New Zealand. Buddhism originates in Asia and was introduced to New Zealand by immigrants from East Asia.

Punjabi New Zealanders are New Zealanders who are of Punjabi descent. Their ancestry originates wholly or partially in the Punjab region of South Asia, constituting a subgroup of Indian New Zealanders and Pakistani New Zealanders.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Totals by topic for individuals, (NZ total), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Statistics New Zealand . Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  2. Table 28, 2006 Census Data – QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables Archived 2017-10-11 at the Wayback Machine .
  3. "2013 Census totals by topic". archive.stats.govt.nz.
  4. 1 2 McLeod, W. H. "Dictionary of New Zealand Biography". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. "1881–1914: restrictions on Chinese and others". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand .
  6. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1367/19th-century-indian-immigrants.{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. "Immigration Act 1987". New Zealand Legislation. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  8. "Sikhs in New Zealand have quadrupled in number since 2006". October 3, 2019. Sikhism is booming faster than any other major religion in New Zealand, having more than doubled its number of followers here since 2013 – and more than quadrupled since 2006. [...] About 41,000 Sikhs now live here, according to the latest census figures. Sikhism has fewer followers in New Zealand than Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. But if all five faiths keep growing (or shrinking) at the same rates they did between 2013 and 2018, Sikhs will overtake Buddhists and Muslims in population by the next census.
  9. "Sikhs in New Zealand have quadrupled in number since 2006". October 3, 2019. But Labour's crackdown on low-skilled migrants and those on student visas, in 2017, had a major impact on Sikh migrants, he said. And Dr Singh doesn't expect the religion will have doubled in size again by 2023, due to "the main avenues of entering the country being shut".
  10. Morris, Paul. "Diverse religions - Sikhs". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  11. "Our Communities: Punjabis – indiannewslink.co.nz". www.indiannewslink.co.nz. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. "Welcome to the NZSikh Society". Archived from the original on 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  13. "Religious affiliation, age, and gender for the census usually resident population count, (RC, TALB, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  14. Raman, Venkat (18 September 2022). "Sikhs create a national body to foster unity and representation". Indian Newslink. Retrieved 19 September 2022.

Further reading