Story by Carl Walrond

Main image: Solomon Island soccer player Batram Suri

Early migration

Most Pacific Islanders in New Zealand come from those islands which are closest, and those which New Zealand has at some stage administered. Because New Zealand was part of the British Empire, it was more difficult for people from Pacific islands with French or other non-British colonial histories to immigrate here.

Early arrivals included students from New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands and Vanuatu, brought in the 1850s by the Anglican missionary George Selwyn and schooled in Auckland. But these young scholars were exceptions; by 1916 there were only about 200 people from the Pacific Islands living in New Zealand.

Island groups and recent migration

Although there are hundreds of islands in the Pacific, most Pacific peoples in New Zealand come from just six islands or island groups – Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, Niue, Fiji and Tokelau.

But there are many other Pacific islands, and in 2018 there were more than 9,600 people born in these islands living in New Zealand. Most numerous among other them were Kiribati people, Tuvaluans, Tahitians, Papua New Guineans and Solomon Islanders.

Initially, Pacific Islanders often came as students or visited on temporary work permits. From the 1970s more people settled, forming communities mainly in the Auckland area. Community life meant that they could continue to speak their language and maintain their customs.