Created by TheronShifflett
Last edited November 10, 2025
Punjabi New Zealanders
Panjābī Nīyūzīlaenḍar
Total population
34,227 (2018)
0.73% of the population[1]
Languages
Punjabi · Maori · English
Religion
79.7% Sikhism^
5.2% No religion
4.6% Hinduism
3.9% Islam
3.3% Christianity[2]
Related ethnic groups
Indian New Zealanders · Pakistani New Zealanders

^ Include other religions

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.[3]

According to the 2018 New Zealand census, there were 34,227 Punjabi-speaking individuals in the country.[1] Punjabi was the second most commonly spoken South Asian language in New Zealand after Hindi, and the 14th most common overall.[1]

New Zealand has a historical and growing Sikh community, most of whom originate from Punjab.[4][5] Punjabis were amongst the earliest immigrants from South Asia to arrive in New Zealand alongside the Gujaratis, during what was then the British Raj in the 1890s,[5][6] and some of them married local Māori women, whose offspring became known as Māori Indians.[7]

Notable Punjabi New Zealanders[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "2018 Census totals by topic – national highlights (updated)". Statistics New Zealand. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "2018 Census ethnic group summaries | Stats NZ".
  3. ↑ Singh, M.P. (17 December 2021). "Commemorative postage stamp released in New Zealand to mark Punjabi Language Week". SBS News. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Morris, Paul. "Diverse religions - Sikhs". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Indian communities". Teara. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "Early immigration". Teara. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Mayhew, W. R. (1977). Tuapeka: The Land and Its People. Clutha District, New Zealand: Capper Press.
  8. ↑ Singh, Manpreet K. (31 January 2017). "MP Kanwaljit Bakshi becomes Parliamentary Private Secretary in New Zealand". SBS News. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Patience and Persistence required for a stable democracy in Pakistan". PILDAT. 25 December 2004. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  10. ↑ "Christian Sportsmen who Represented Pakistan". The News Blog. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Template:DNZB
  12. ↑ "Amandeep Singh". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Bhupinder Singh". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  14. ↑ Template:DNZB
  15. ↑ "Ish Sodhi tries his hand at Punjabi commentary for ICC". Tribune India. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Sukhi Turner: Politician by choice, Punjabi at heart, Kiwi by nature". The Tribune. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Jagt Singh". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2024-10-14.

Further reading[edit | edit source]

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

Template:Punjabi diaspora Template:Ancestry of New Zealand people

Template:Overseas Pakistani