Punjabi New Zealanders Explained

Group:	Punjabi New Zealanders
Pop:	34,227 (2018) 0.73% of the population
Langs:	Punjabi English
Rels:	79.7% Sikhism 5.2% No religion 4.6% Hinduism 3.9% Islam 3.3% Christianity^[1]
Related:	Indian New Zealanders Pakistani New Zealanders
Footnotes:	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.^[2]

According to the 2018 New Zealand census, there were 34,227 Punjabi-speaking individuals in the country.^[3] Punjabi was the second most commonly spoken South Asian language in New Zealand after Hindi, and the 14th most common overall.^[3]

New Zealand has a historical and growing Sikh community, most of whom originate from Punjab.^[4] 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

• Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, National Party politician and former MP.^[8]
• Ashraf Choudhary, Labour Party politician and former MP.^[9]
• Billy Ibadulla, a Punjabi Christian and former Test cricketer for Pakistan, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1976.^[10]
• Abraham Salaman, a Punjabi Muslim merchant and herbalist who arrived in New Zealand in 1903.
• Amandeep Singh, first-class cricketer.^[11]
• Bhupinder Singh, first-class cricketer.^[12]
• Phomen Singh, confectioner who arrived in New Zealand in c. 1890.
• Ish Sodhi, New Zealand Test cricketer.^[13]
• Sukhi Turner, politician and former mayor of Dunedin.^[14]
• Jagt Singh, Indian New Zealand WWI soldier.^[15]

See also

• Indian New Zealanders
• Pakistani New Zealanders
• Sikhism in New Zealand

Further reading

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2018 Census ethnic group summaries | Stats NZ .
2. News: Commemorative postage stamp released in New Zealand to mark Punjabi Language Week. SBS News. 17 December 2021. 12 June 2022. M.P.. Singh.
3. Web site: 30 April 2020. 2018 Census totals by topic – national highlights (updated). 12 June 2022. Statistics New Zealand.
4. Web site: Morris . Paul . Diverse religions - Sikhs . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . 20 May 2019.
5. Web site: Indian communities. Teara. 1 March 2015. 13 June 2022.
6. Web site: Early immigration. Teara. 1 March 2015. 13 June 2022.
7. Book: Mayhew . W. R. . Tuapeka: The Land and Its People . 1977 . Capper Press . Clutha District, New Zealand.
8. News: MP Kanwaljit Bakshi becomes Parliamentary Private Secretary in New Zealand. SBS News. 31 January 2017. 12 June 2022. Manpreet K.. Singh.
9. Web site: Patience and Persistence required for a stable democracy in Pakistan. 25 December 2004. PILDAT. 7 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110615031605/http://www.pildat.org/eventsdel.asp?detid=65. 15 June 2011. dead.
10. Web site: Christian Sportsmen who Represented Pakistan. https://web.archive.org/web/20190524200458/http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2011/12/christian-sportsmen-who-represented-pakistan/. 24 May 2019. The News Blog. 28 December 2011.
11. Web site: Amandeep Singh. ESPNcricinfo. 12 June 2022.
12. Web site: Bhupinder Singh . 3 June 2016 . ESPNcricinfo.
13. News: Ish Sodhi tries his hand at Punjabi commentary for ICC. Tribune India. 5 November 2021. 12 June 2022.
14. News: Sukhi Turner: Politician by choice, Punjabi at heart, Kiwi by nature. 18 February 2020. The Tribune. 18 February 2020.
15. Web site: Jagt Singh . 2024-10-14 . Auckland War Memorial Museum . en.