.svg) | |
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 53,406[1] 1.07% of the total New Zealander population (2023) | |
| Languages | |
| New Zealand English •Punjabi Hindi •Urdu •Māori | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 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 populationas of 2023, forming the country's fastest-growing andfifth-largest religious group. New Zealand has the world'sthird-highest Sikh proportion behindCanada (2.1%) andIndia (1.7%). While there are Sikhs in all sixteenregions of New Zealand, over half of Sikhs lived inAuckland Region in 2018.
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. Between2013 and2018, the number of Sikhs grew by 113% from 19,191 to 40,908, making Sikhism the fastest-growing religion and on pace to eclipseIslam andBuddhism by2023 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]
Small numbers ofSikh immigrants fromPunjab 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 SikhGurdwara opened in 1977.[10]
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The first identifiable Sikhs to arrive in New Zealand were two brothers -Phuman Singh and Bir Singh Gill from theMoga district of Punjab. Bir Singh was a herbalist who married and lived amongst theMāori on theNorth Island.[11] A small wave of Sikhs arrived in New Zealand between 1890 and 1910; mostly immigrants fromPunjab.[4] Most Sikhs settled inWaikato,Auckland,Wellington, orChristchurch.
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 inHamilton in 1977 and another in 1986 inŌtāhuhu. 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.
| Region | 2023 | 2018 | 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Auckland | 28,401 | 1.71% | 23,832 | 1.52% | 11,712 | 0.83% |
| Waikato | 6,795 | 1.36% | 4,074 | 0.89% | 1,875 | 0.46% |
| Bay of Plenty | 6,324 | 1.89% | 4,842 | 1.57% | 2,748 | 1.03% |
| Canterbury | 4,842 | 0.74% | 2,973 | 0.5% | 621 | 0.12% |
| Wellington | 2,370 | 0.45% | 1,647 | 0.32% | 612 | 0.13% |
| Hawke's Bay | 1,650 | 0.94% | 1,347 | 0.81% | 783 | 0.52% |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 789 | 0.31% | 447 | 0.19% | 246 | 0.11% |
| Otago | 621 | 0.26% | 510 | 0.23% | 117 | 0.06% |
| Northland | 480 | 0.25% | 315 | 0.18% | 72 | 0.05% |
| Taranaki | 357 | 0.28% | 234 | 0.2% | 102 | 0.09% |
| Southland | 255 | 0.25% | 210 | 0.22% | 60 | 0.06% |
| Gisborne | 198 | 0.39% | 171 | 0.36% | 84 | 0.19% |
| Marlborough | 108 | 0.22% | 123 | 0.26% | 51 | 0.12% |
| Nelson | 105 | 0.2% | 102 | 0.2% | 39 | 0.08% |
| Tasman | 60 | 0.1% | 51 | 0.1% | 42 | 0.09% |
| West Coast | 45 | 0.13% | 33 | 0.1% | 24 | 0.07% |
 New Zealand | 53,406 | 1.07% | 40,908 | 0.87% | 19,191 | 0.45% |
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 theSikh Library inTakanini.[14]
This is a list of Gurdwaras in New Zealand.
| Name | Location | Region | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Begampura Gurdwara | 1/9 Vernon St, Papakura 2110 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib Papakura | 7/46 Broadway, Papakura 2110 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Jagat Guru Nanak Sahib | 29 Kilmarnock St, Riccarton, Christchurch 8011 | Canterbury | |
| Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur | 23 Bryant Rd, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3200 | Waikato | |
| Gurdwara Shri Fateh Sahib | Botanical Rd, West End, Palmerston North 4412 | Manawatu-Wanganui | |
| Gurdwara Shri Guru Ravidass Temple Hastings | 193 Havelock Nth Road, Hastings | Hawke's Bay | |
| Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Tauranga | 43 Burrows St, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112 | Bay of Plenty | |
| Gurdwara Singh Sabha Christchurch | 537 Ferry Rd, Woolston, Christchurch 8023 | Canterbury | |
| Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Darbar | 158 Kolmar Rd, Papatoetoe 2025 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Amardas Sahib Ji | 24 Ward Ave, Fenton Park, Rotorua 3010 | Bay of Plenty | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Patshahi 6 | 84 Lady Ruby Dr, Dannemora 2013 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib | 3034 Great North Rd, New Lynn 0600 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Otahuhu | 120 Princes St, Otahuhu 1062 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Ravidas Temple | 1998 Great S Rd, Bombay 2675 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji | 24 Dunnotar Rd, Papatoetoe 2025 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Takanini | 70 Takanini School Rd, Takanini 2112 | Auckland | |
| Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Tauranga | 322 Cheyne Rd, Pyes Pa 3112 | Bay of Plenty | |
| Hastings Gurdwara | 402 Eastbourne St E, Hastings 4122 | Hawke's Bay | |
| Linwood Gurdwara | 692 Gloucester St, Linwood, Christchurch 8062 | Canterbury | |
| Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar | 100 Great South Rd, Manurewa 2102 | Auckland | |
| New Zealand Sikh Society Hamilton | 6391 Te Rapa Rd, Horotiu 3288 | Waikato | |
| North Shore Gurdwara | 128 Sunnybrae Rd, Hillcrest 0627 | Auckland | |
| Palmerston North Gurdwara | 7 Amesbury St, Palmerston North 4410 | Manawatu-Wanganui | |
| Sri Guru Singh Sabha | 127 Shirley Rd, Papatoetoe 2025 | Auckland | |
| Wellington Gurudwara | 4-10 Vogel St, Naenae, Lower Hutt 5011 | Wellington | |
| Whangarei Gurudwara Sahib | 23 Water St, Whangarei 0110 | Northland |
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.
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".
