View source for European New Zealanders

{{Short description|New Zealanders of European descent}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = European New Zealanders
| flag             = {{flagicon|New Zealand}}
| native_name      = {{native name|mi|Pākehā}}
| pop              = '''3,383,742''' ([[2023 New Zealand census|2023 census]])<ref name=":022">{{Cite web |title=2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref><br />67.8% of New Zealand's population
| regions          = [[Regions of New Zealand|All regions of New Zealand]]
| languages        = Primarily [[New Zealand English|English]]
| religions        = Predominantly: [[Irreligious|Non-religious]]<br>Historicaly or Traditionally [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christianity]] ([[Anglicanism]], [[Roman Catholicism in New Zealand|Roman Catholicism]],  [[Presbyterianism]])
| related          = [[European Australians]], [[European Canadians]], [[European Americans]], [[White Argentines]], [[White Americans]], [[Uruguayan]], [[White Africans]], [[British people|British]] ([[English people|English]]{{·}}[[Scottish people|Scottish]]{{·}}[[Ulster Scots people|Ulster Scots]]{{·}}[[Welsh people|Welsh]]), [[Irish people|Irish]], [[Ethnic groups in Europe|other European peoples]]
}}

[[New Zealanders]] of [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]] descent are mostly of [[British people|British]] and [[Irish New Zealanders|Irish]] ancestry, with significantly smaller percentages of other European ancestries such as [[German New Zealanders|Germans]],  [[Polish New Zealanders|Poles]],{{efn|1=Historically noted as German due to [[Partitions of Poland]]}} [[French New Zealanders|French]], [[Dutch New Zealanders|Dutch]], [[Croatian New Zealanders|Croats]] and other [[South Slavs]], [[Greek New Zealanders|Greeks]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Greeks – the Hellenic community|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/greeks-the-hellenic-community/print |access-date=2021-04-03|website=teara.govt.nz}}</ref> and [[Scandinavian New Zealanders|Scandinavians]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Peoples |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/peoples |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref> European New Zealanders are also known by the [[Māori-language]] loanword ''[[Pākehā]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bruce Hill |url= http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/pakeha-not-a-negative-word-for-european-new-zealanders/1086038 |title="Pakeha" not a negative word for European New Zealanders|publisher=ABC Radio Australia|date=8 February 2013|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref>

[[Statistics New Zealand]] maintains the national classification standard for ethnicity. ''European'' is one of the six top-level ethnic groups, alongside [[Māori people|Māori]], Pacific ([[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]), [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]], Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA), and Other. Within the top-level European group are two second-level ethnic groups, ''New Zealand European'' and ''Other European''. New Zealand European consists of New Zealanders of European descent, while Other European consists of migrant European ethnic groups. Other Europeans also includes some people of [[European emigration|indirect European]] descent, including [[European Americans|Americans]], [[European Canadians|Canadians]], [[White South Africans|South Africans]] and [[European Australians|Australians]].<ref name="classification">{{cite web|date=June 2005|title=Classifications and related statistical standards – Ethnicity|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/methods/classifications-and-standards/classification-related-stats-standards/ethnicity.aspx#|access-date=13 November 2016|publisher=Statistics New Zealand}}</ref>

According to the [[2018 New Zealand census]], 3,372,708 people (70.2%) identified as European, with 3,013,440 people (64%) identifying as New Zealand European.<ref name="Results info">{{cite web|date=23 September 2019|title=2018 Census totals by topic – national highlights|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights|access-date=12 December 2019|website=Stats NZ|archive-date=23 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923102431/https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
{{See|History of New Zealand}}
{{See also|European settlers in New Zealand}}
[[File:William Allsworth - The emigrants - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Scottish Highland family preparing to embark for New Zealand in 1844]]

British [[James Cook|Captain James Cook]] sailed to New Zealand in 1769. Prior to him was Dutchman [[Abel Tasman]] in 1642.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A history of New Zealand 1769-1914 |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/history-of-new-zealand-1769-1914 |website=New Zealand History |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |access-date=2021-05-08}}</ref>  The establishment of British colonies in Australia from 1788 and the boom in whaling and sealing in the Southern Ocean brought many Europeans to the vicinity of New Zealand. Whalers and sealers were often itinerant and the first real settlers were missionaries and traders in the Bay of Islands area from 1809. Some of the early visitors stayed and lived with Māori tribes as [[Pākehā Māori]]. Often whalers and traders married Māori women of high status which served to cement trade and political alliances as well as bringing wealth and prestige to the tribe.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Kōrero: Intermarriage; Whārangi – Early intermarriage|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/mi/intermarriage/page-1|encyclopedia=Te Ara (The Encyclopedia of New Zealand)|date=13 July 2012|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> By 1830 there was a population of about 800 non-Māori which included a total of about 200 runaway convicts and seamen. The seamen often lived in New Zealand for a short time before joining another ship a few months later.

In 1839 there were 1100 Europeans living in the North Island. Violence against European shipping (mainly due to mutual cultural misunderstandings), the ongoing [[musket wars]] between Māori tribes (due to the recent relatively sudden introduction of firearms into the Māori world), cultural barriers and the lack of an established European law and order made settling in New Zealand a risky prospect. By the late 1830s the average missionary would claim that many Māori were nominally Christian; many of the Māori slaves that had been captured during the Musket Wars had been freed, and cannibalism had been largely stamped out. By this time many Māori, especially in the north, could read and write in their native language and to a lesser extent English.<ref name=Biggs447-1>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Biggs|first=Bruce Grandison |author-link=Bruce Biggs |editor-last=McLintock|editor-first=A. H. |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |year=1966|title=Sources for Maori legends |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/maori-myths-and-traditions |encyclopedia=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]] |location=Wellington |publisher=Government Printer |page=447 |access-date=11 June 2020 |via=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |language=en}}</ref>

===1840 onwards===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:right"
! colspan="6" | Europe-born population of New Zealand 1858–2013<br>% of total overseas born
|-
! Year
! colspan="2"| Born in Europe
! colspan="2"| Born in [[United Kingdom|UK]] & [[Ireland]]
! {{abbr|Refs|References}}
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1858|| style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" | || ||&nbsp;&nbsp;36,443|| ||<ref>{{cite web |title=Immigration chronology: selected events 1840-2008: Birthplaces of New Zealand’s population 1858–2006 |first= |last= |date=2008 |url= https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/research-papers/document/00PLSocRP08011/immigration-chronology-selected-events-1840-2008 |publisher=NZ Parliamentary Library |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1881|| style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" | || ||223,303||86.3% ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1961 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |265,660 ||78.4% ||227,459 ||67.2% ||<ref name="OSbirths">{{cite encyclopedia |title=New Zealanders of overseas birth, 1961–2013 |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/1996/new-zealanders-of-overseas-birth-1961-2013 |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |date=1 May 2015 |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1971 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |298,283 ||72.4% ||255,408||62.0% ||<ref name="OSbirths"/>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1981 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |298,251 ||66.1% ||257,589|| 57.1%||<ref name="OSbirths"/>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1986 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" | || ||255,756||53.0% ||<ref name="SegalElliott2010">{{cite book|last1=Bedford|first1=Richard D.|author2=Jacques Poot|editor1=Uma A. Segal|editor2=Doreen Elliott|editor3=Nazneen S. Mayadas|title=Immigration Worldwide: Policies, Practices, and Trends|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aaimTNHDzZYC&pg=PA266|access-date=3 November 2017|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-974167-0|page=266|chapter=New Zealand: Changing Tides in the South Pacific: Immigration to Aotearoa New Zealand}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1991 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |285,555 ||54.7% ||239,157||45.8% ||<ref name="OSbirths"/>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 1996 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" | ||||230,049 ||38.0%  ||<ref name="SegalElliott2010"/>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 2001 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |279,015 || 40.6% || 221,010||32.1% ||<ref name="OSbirths"/>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 2006 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" | || ||251,688 ||28.6%  ||<ref name="SegalElliott2010"/><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nbr.co.nz/sites/default/files/2013%20Census%20QuickStats%20about%20culture%20and%20identity.pdf |title=2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity |publisher=Statistics New Zealand |via=National Business Review Radio |date=2013|access-date=11 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160114200308/http://www.nbr.co.nz/sites/default/files/2013%20Census%20QuickStats%20about%20culture%20and%20identity.pdf |archive-date=14 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align: center;" | 2013 || style="text-align: left; padding-left: 10px;" |336,636 ||32.6% ||265,206||25.7%||<ref name="OSbirths"/>
|}
[[File:Canterbury province plaque Whitehall London.jpg|thumb|Plaque commemorating the first meeting of the [[Canterbury Association]] in [[Charing Cross]], London. The association would go on to found [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]], New Zealand, in 1850.]]

European migration has left a deep legacy on the social and political structures of New Zealand. Early visitors to New Zealand included whalers, sealers, missionaries, mariners, and merchants, attracted to natural resources in abundance. They came from the Australian colonies, Great Britain and Ireland, Germany (forming the next biggest immigrant group after the British and Irish),<ref>[http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/germans/page-1 Germans: First Arrivals] (from the [[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]])</ref> France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, and Canada.

In 1840 representatives of the British Crown signed the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] with 240 Māori chiefs throughout New Zealand, motivated by plans for a French colony at [[Akaroa]] and land purchases by the [[New Zealand Company]] in 1839. British [[sovereignty]] was then proclaimed over New Zealand in May 1840. Some would later argue that the proclamation of sovereignty was in direct conflict with the treaty, which in its Māori version had guaranteed sovereignty (''rangatiratanga'') to the Māori who signed it.<ref>{{cite web|title=Differences between the texts|url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/read-the-Treaty/differences-between-the-texts|website=NZ History|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage}}</ref> By the end of the 1850s the European and Māori populations were of a similar size as immigration and natural increase boosted European numbers.

Following the formalising of British sovereignty, the organised and structured flow of migrants from Great Britain and Ireland began. Government-chartered ships like the clipper [[Gananoque (ship)|Gananoque]] and the [[Glentanner (ship)|Glentanner]] carried immigrants to New Zealand. Typically clipper ships left British ports such as London and travelled south through the central Atlantic to about 43 degrees south to pick up the strong westerly winds that carried the clippers well south of South Africa and Australia. Ships would then head north once in the vicinity of New Zealand. The Glentanner migrant ship of 610 tonnes made two runs to New Zealand and several to Australia carrying 400 tonne of passengers and cargo. Travel time was about 3 to {{frac|3|1|2}} months to New Zealand. Cargo carried on the Glentanner for New Zealand included coal, slate, lead sheet, wine, beer, cart components, salt, soap and passengers' personal goods. On the 1857 passage the ship carried 163 official passengers, most of them government assisted. On the return trip the ship carried a wool cargo worth 45,000 pounds.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lansley |first=B. |year=2013 |title=The Wool Clipper Glentanner: New Zealand Immigration Ship 1857–1861 |location=Invercargill |publisher=Dornie Publishing |page=}}</ref>

In the 1860s discovery of gold started a gold rush in Otago. By 1860 more than 100,000 British and Irish settlers lived throughout New Zealand. The [[Otago Association]] actively recruited settlers from Scotland, creating a definite Scottish influence in that region, while the [[Canterbury Association]] recruited settlers from the south of England, creating a definite English influence over that region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-4|title=History of Immigration – 1840 – 1852}}</ref> In the 1860s most migrants settled in the South Island due to gold discoveries and the availability of flat grass-covered land for pastoral farming. The low number of Māori (about 2,000) and the absence of warfare gave the South Island many advantages. It was only when the New Zealand wars ended that the North Island again became an attractive destination.

In the 1870s the MP Julius Vogel borrowed millions of pounds from Britain to help fund capital development such as a nationwide rail system, lighthouses, ports and bridges, and encouraged mass migration from Britain. By 1870 the non-Māori population reached over 250,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-5|title=History of Immigration – 1853 – 1870}}</ref>
Other smaller groups of settlers came from Germany, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe as well as from China and India, but British and Irish settlers made up the vast majority, and did so for the next 150 years.

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of ethnic origins of New Zealanders}}
[[File:Euro NZ 2006 to 2018.gif|thumb|270px|European New Zealanders from 2006 to 2018]]
{| class="sort wikitable" font-size:95%;"
! colspan="9"| European New Zealanders by census<br>{{small|[[Statistics New Zealand]]}}
|-
! Year
! Population
! %
! {{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
! Year
! Population
! % 
! {{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
| 1851 ||&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;26,707|| – || <ref name="bueltmann1961">[https://books.google.com/books?id=7K4gCwAAQBAJ&dq=New+Zealand+census+1961+154%2C869&pg=PA152 Locating the English Diaspora, 1500–2010] edited by Tanja Bueltmann, David T. Gleeson, Don MacRaild</ref> ||1966||2,426,352||90.6 {{decrease}}||<ref name="cicred1916">{{cite book|url=http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c37.pdf|title=1974 World Population Year: The Population of New Zealand|publisher=Committee for International Co-ordination of National Research in Demography (CICRED)|date=1974|access-date=2 November 2017|page=53|postscript=: TABLE 3.11: Total Population by Ethnic Origin, 1916–1971}}</ref>
|-
| 1881||&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;489,933|| – ||<ref name="bueltmann1961"/>||1971||2,561,280||89.5 {{decrease}}||<ref name="cicred1916"/>
|-
|  1916||1,093,024||95.1||<ref name="Historical and statistical survey">[http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1946-I.2.5.3.12&l=mi&e=-------10--1------0-- Historical and statistical survey] (Page:18)</ref>||2001 ||2,871,432||80.06 {{decrease}}||<ref name="CanterburyCensus">{{cite web|url=http://ecan.govt.nz/about-us/population/Pages/culture-identity.aspx|title=Culture and identity: Ethnic identities in Canterbury Census 2001, 2006, 2013 Census|publisher=Environment Canterbury Regional Council|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025633/http://ecan.govt.nz/about-us/population/Pages/culture-identity.aspx|archive-date=17 November 2015|postscript=: see worksheets 1 and 2 for detailed report [XLS format]}}</ref>
|-
| 1921 ||1,209,243||95.1||<ref name="Historical and statistical survey"/>||2006 ||2,609,589||67.6 {{decrease}}||<ref name="CanterburyCensus"/>
|-
| 1926  ||1,338,167||95.0 {{decrease}}||<ref name="Historical and statistical survey"/>||2013 ||2,969,391||74.0||<ref name="CanterburyCensus"/>
|-
|  1936 ||1,484,508||94.3 {{decrease}}||<ref name="DPC1946">{{cite book|url=http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1946-I.2.5.3.12&l=mi&e=-------10--1------0--|title=Dominion Population Committee (Reports of the) (Mr. James Thorn, Chairman) Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1946|date=1946|page=2|via=National Library of New Zealand|access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref>||2018 ||3,297,864|| 70.2||<ref name="2018census">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-population-and-dwelling-counts|title=2018 Census population and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ|website=www.stats.govt.nz|access-date=2021-11-15}}</ref>
|-
| 1945 ||1,592,908||93.6 {{decrease}}||<ref name="DPC1946"/>|| 2023|| 3,383,742||  67.8 {{decrease}}|| <ref name=":022">{{Cite web |title=2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>
|-
| 1951 ||1,809,441||93.3 {{decrease}}||<ref name="DPC1946"/>|| || || ||
|-
| 1956 ||2,016,287||92.7 {{decrease}}||<ref name="DPC1946"/>|| || || ||
|-
| 1961  ||2,216,886||91.8 {{decrease}}||<ref name="cicred1916"/> || || || || 
|-
|}
[[File:European New Zealanders population pyramid in 2018.svg|thumb|249x249px|European New Zealanders population pyramid in 2018]]

There were 3,383,742 people identifying as being part of the European ethnic group at the [[2023 New Zealand census]], making up 67.8% of New Zealand's population.<ref name=":022">{{Cite web |title=2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref> This is an increase of 85,878 people (2.6%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 414,351 people (14.0%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. The median age was 41.7 years, compared with 38.1 years for New Zealand as a whole. 604,404 people (17.9%) were aged under 15 years, 612,864 (18.1%) were 15 to 29, 1,477,293 (43.7%) were 30 to 64, and 689,187 (20.4%) were 65 or older.<ref name=":023">{{Cite web |title=2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>

At the 2018 census, there were 1,614,807 males and 1,683,054 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.959 males per female.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Ethnic group (detailed total response – level 3) by age and sex, for the census usually resident population count, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (RC, TA, SA2, DHB). |url=http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8321 |access-date=2020-04-29 |website=nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>

In terms of population distribution, 2,401,983 (71.0%)  Europeans at the 2023 census lived in the [[North Island]] and 981,279 (29.0%) lived in the [[South Island]]. The [[Waimakariri District|Waimakariri district]] had the highest concentration of Europeans at 92.1%, followed by the [[Carterton, New Zealand|Carterton district]] (91.2%), the [[Tasman District|Tasman district]] and the [[Grey District|Grey district]] (both 90.7%). Europeans are a [[Majority minority|minority]] in three districts: the [[Auckland Region|Auckland region]] (49.8%), [[Ōpōtiki District|Ōpōtiki district]] (49.7%), and [[Wairoa District|Wairoa district]] (46.9%). Within Auckland, ten of the 21 local board areas have a minority European population: [[Ōtara-Papatoetoe]] (14.6%), [[Māngere-Ōtāhuhu]] (18.4%), [[Manurewa (local board area)|Manurewa]] (24.5%), [[Puketāpapa (local board area)|Puketāpapa]] (32.1%), [[Papakura (local board area)|Papakura]] (36.7%), [[Whau (local board area)|Whau]] (37.6%), [[Howick (local board area)|Howick]] (38.1%), [[Maungakiekie-Tāmaki]] (42.2%), [[Henderson-Massey]] (43.6%), and [[Upper Harbour Local Board|Upper Harbour]] (49.1%). <ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts {{!}} Stats NZ |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref>

The first general Census of New Zealand population was taken November–December 1851. Subsequent censuses were taken in 1858, 1861, 1864, 1867, 1871, 1874, 1878 and 1881 and thereafter at five-yearly intervals until 1926.<ref name="DPC1946" /> The table shows the ethnic composition of New Zealand population at each census since the early twentieth century. Europeans are still the largest ethnic group in New Zealand. Their proportion of the total New Zealand population has been decreasing gradually since the 1916 Census.<ref name="cicred1916" />

The 2006 Census counted 2,609,592 European New Zealanders. Most census reports do not separate European New Zealanders from the broader European ethnic category, which was the largest broad ethnic category in the 2006 Census. Europeans comprised 67.6 percent of respondents in 2006 compared with 80.1 percent in the 2001 census.<ref>Statistics New Zealand Highlights: [http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/ethnic-groups-in-new-zealand.aspx Ethnic groups in New Zealand]</ref>

The apparent drop in this figure was due to Statistics New Zealand's acceptance of 'New Zealander' as a distinct response to the ethnicity question and their placement of it within the "Other" ethnic category, along with an email campaign asking people to give it as their ethnicity in the 2006 Census.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Middleton | first = Julie | title = Email urges 'New Zealander' for Census  | work = [[New Zealand Herald]]  | publisher = APN Holdings NZ Limited  | date = 1 March 2006 | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10370546 | access-date = 3 October 2007 }}</ref>

In previous censuses, these responses were counted belonging to the European New Zealanders group,<ref name="QSCIEuro">[http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/european.aspx QuickStats About Culture and Identity: European] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124150608/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/culture-and-identity/european.aspx |date=24 January 2011 }}, Statistics New Zealand.</ref> and Statistics New Zealand plans to return to this approach for the 2011 Census.<ref>Statistics New Zealand. (2009). ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20090704143742/http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/213CBD4E-56C4-4419-85FC-5A1C010B7859/41187/DraftReportofaReviewoftheOfficialEthnicityStatisti.pdf Draft report of a review of the official ethnicity statistical standard: proposals to address issues relating to the ‘New Zealander’ response]''. Wellington: Statistics New Zealand. {{ISBN|978-0-478-31583-7}}. Accessed 27 April 2009.</ref> Eleven percent of respondents identified as New Zealanders in the 2006 Census (or as something similar, e.g. "Kiwi"),<ref>"A New Zealander response and like responses such as 'Kiwi' or 'NZer' are coded to a separate category, 'New Zealander', at level four in the Other Ethnicity group." [https://web.archive.org/web/20081119204004/http://www.stats.govt.nz/statistical-methods/classifications-and-related-statistical-standards/ethnicity/classification-coding-process.htm Classification and coding process], New Zealand Classification of Ethnicity 2005, [[Statistics New Zealand]]. Accessed 4 January 2008.</ref> well above the trend observed in previous censuses, and higher than the percentage seen in other surveys that year.<ref>{{cite press release | title =  Who responded as 'New Zealander'? | publisher = [[Statistics New Zealand]] | date = 3 August 2007  | url = http://www.stats.govt.nz/store/2007/08/profile-new-zealander-responses-2006-census-mr.htm  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080404233843/http://www.stats.govt.nz/store/2007/08/profile-new-zealander-responses-2006-census-mr.htm  | archive-date = 4 April 2008 | access-date = 3 October 2007 }}</ref>

In April 2009, Statistics New Zealand announced a review of their official ethnicity standard, citing this debate as a reason,<ref>{{cite press release|title=Feedback sought on ethnicity statistics|publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]|date=27 April 2009|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/media-releases/corporate-communications/feedback-sought-on-ethnicity-statistics-mr.htm|access-date=27 April 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and a draft report was released for public comment. In response, the ''New Zealand Herald'' opined that the decision to leave the question unchanged in 2011 and rely on public information efforts was "rather too hopeful", and advocated a return to something like the 1986 approach. This asked people which of several identities "apply to you", instead of the more recent question "What ethnic group do you belong to?"<ref name="NZ_Herald_10569914">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/census/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501043&objectid=10569914 |title=Editorial: A question to define who you are |date=2 May 2009 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=30 October 2011}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|+ Ethnic group (detailed) for usually resident population,<br>2001–13 Census<ref name="Census2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/infographic-culture-identity.aspx|title=2013 Census – Major ethnic groups in New Zealand|work=stats.govt.nz|date=29 January 2015|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2|Ethnicity !! colspan=3|Census
|-
! 2001!!2006!!2013
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| New Zealand European || 2,696,724 || 2,381,076 || 2,727,009
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| English || 35,082 || 44,202 || 38,916
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| British {{Abbr|nfd|not further defined}} || 16,572 || 27,192 || 36,024
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| South African {{Abbr|nec|not elsewhere classified}} || 14,913 || 21,609 || 28,656
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Dutch || 27,507 || 28,644 || 28,503
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| European {{Abbr|nfd|not further defined}} || 23,598 || 21,855 || 26,472
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Australian || 20,784 || 26,355 || 22,467
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Scottish || 13,782 || 15,039 || 14,412
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Irish || 11,706 || 12,651 || 14,193
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| German || 9,057 || 10,917 || 12,810
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| American || 8,472 || 10,806 || 12,339
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Russian || 3,141 || 4,836 || 5,979
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Canadian || 4,392 || 5,604 || 5,871
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| French || 3,513 || 3,816 || 4,593
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Italian || 2,955 || 3,117 || 3,798
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Welsh || 3,414 || 3,774 || 3,708
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Croatian || 2,505 || 2,550 || 2,673
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| European {{Abbr|nec|not elsewhere classified}} || 477 || 942 || 2,637
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Greek || 2,280 || 2,355 || 2,478
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Swiss || 2,346 || 2,313 || 2,388
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Polish || 1,956 || 1,965 || 2,163
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Spanish || 1,731 || 1,857 || 2,043
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Danish || 1,995 || 1,932 || 1,986
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Zimbabwean || {{n/a}} || 2,556 || 1,617
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Romanian || 522 || 1,554 || 1,452
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Swedish || 1,119 || 1,254 || 1,401
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Hungarian || 894 || 1,212 || 1,365
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Afrikaner || {{n/a}} || 1,341 || 1,197
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Czech || 600 || 756 || 1,083
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Serbian || 753 || 1,029 || 1,056
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Austrian || 891 || 993 || 1,029
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Other European || 9,906 || 9,669 || 9,207
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| '''Total Europeans''' || '''2,871,432''' || '''2,609,589''' || '''2,969,391'''
|}

*nfd – not further defined (insufficient data to classify the response further)
*nec – not elsewhere classified (no classification exists for the response)

== Alternative terms ==

===Pākehā===
{{Main|Pākehā}}
The term ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''), the etymology of which is unclear,<ref>{{cite web|author=Jodie Ranford |url= http://www.maorinews.com/writings/papers/other/pakeha.htm |title=Pakeha, its origin and meaning |publisher=Maorinews.com |date=24 September 1999 |access-date=25 December 2015}}</ref> is used interchangeably with ''European New Zealanders''. The 1996 census used the wording "New Zealand European (Pākehā)" in the ethnicity question, however the word ''Pākehā'' was subsequently removed after what Statistics New Zealand called a "significant adverse reaction" to its use to identify ethnicity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Final Report Review Official Ethnicity Statistical Standard 2009 |url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Census/2011-Census/final-report-review-official-ethnicity-statistical-standard-2009.pdf |website=stats.govt.nz |publisher=Statistics New Zealand|access-date=25 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130556/http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Census/2011-Census/final-report-review-official-ethnicity-statistical-standard-2009.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2013, the [[New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study]] carried out by the [[University of Auckland]] found no evidence that the word was derogatory; 14% of the overall respondents to the survey chose the option ''Pākehā'' to describe themselves with the remainder preferring ''New Zealander'', ''New Zealand European'' or ''Kiwi''.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/pakeha-not-a-dirty-word-survey/WS2O3CJCJYFITT5SICG2PM2IFM/ |date=5 February 2013 |title=Pakeha not a dirty word – survey |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2013/2013/02/05/Research-busts-myth-that-Pkeh-is-a-derogatory-term.html|date=5 February 2013|title=Research busts myth that "Pākehā" is a derogatory term |publisher=University of Auckland |access-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518035244/https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/news/news-2013/2013/02/05/Research-busts-myth-that-Pkeh-is-a-derogatory-term.html|archive-date=18 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Palagi===
{{Main|Palagi}}
The term ''Palagi'', pronounced Palangi, is Samoan in origin and is used in similar ways to ''Pākehā'', usually by people of Samoan or other Pacific Island descent.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

===British New Zealander===
{{Primary sources|section about British New Zealander|date=February 2013}}
{{see also|British people}}
Historically, a sense of 'Britishness' has figured prominently in the identity of many New Zealanders. As late as the 1950s it was common for New Zealanders to refer to themselves as British, such as when Prime Minister [[Keith Holyoake]] described [[Sir Edmund Hillary]]'s successful ascent of [[Mount Everest]] as "[putting] the British race and New Zealand on top of the world".<ref>Population Conference 1997, New Zealand: [https://web.archive.org/web/20001012133917/http://www.executive.govt.nz/96-99/minister/bradford/population/content/pnldis3c/pnld3c_1.htm Panel Discussion 3c – Population Change And International Linkages], Phillip Gibson, Chief Executive, Asia 2000 Foundation</ref> [[New Zealand passport|New Zealand passports]] described nationals as "British Subject and New Zealand Citizen" until 1974, when this was changed to "New Zealand Citizen".<ref>Carl Walrond. '[http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kiwis-overseas/page-3 Kiwis overseas – Staying in Britain]', Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13 April 2007.</ref>

While a broader "European" ethnic grouping predominates political discourse in New Zealand today, the vast majority of European New Zealanders are of full or partial British ancestry, and some continue to self-identity as such. Others see the term as better describing previous generations; for instance, journalist [[Colin James (journalist)|Colin James]] referred to "we ex-British New Zealanders" in a 2005 speech.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20061005231217/http://www.colinjames.co.nz/speeches_briefings/Sydney_Inst_05Feb03.htm The Pacific-ation of New Zealand]''. Colin James's speech to the Sydney Institute, 3 February 2005. Accessed 5 June 2007.</ref> Nonetheless, it remains a relatively uncontroversial descriptor of ethnic origin amongst the wider population.

==Politics==

===Colonial period===
As the earliest colonists of New Zealand, settlers from England and their descendants often held positions of power and made or helped make laws often because many had been involved in government back in England.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

===National founders===
{{multiple image
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 | header_align = center
 | header    = 
 | image1    = JamesBusbyNZ.jpg
 | width1    = 165
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 | caption1  = [[James Busby]].
 | image2    = WilliamHobsonGovNZ.jpg
 | width2    = 155
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 | caption2  = [[Captain William Hobson]].
 }}

The lineage of most of the [[List of national founders|national founders]] of New Zealand was [[British people|British]] (especially English) such as:
* [[James Busby]] (from Scotland with English and Scottish parents) drafted the [[Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand]] and, with William Hobson, co-authored the [[Treaty of Waitangi]].
* [[Captain William Hobson]] (from Waterford, Ireland) is the principal author of the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] and the first governor of New Zealand.
Various other founders of New Zealand have also been unofficially recognised: 
* [[Captain James Cook]], the Englishman who voyaged to, and claimed New Zealand for the Crown.
* [[Arthur Phillip|Captain Arthur Phillip]] (Englishman), first governor of [[New South Wales]], founder of the first colony with nominal authority over all of Australia east of the 135th meridian, including all of New Zealand bar the southernmost part of South Island.
* [[Sir George Grey]] (English and Irish parents), the third governor of New Zealand and the eleventh New Zealand prime minister.
* [[Henry Sewell]] (English parents), the first New Zealand prime minister.

==Culture==
{{Refimprove|section|date=July 2023}}
{{Main|New Zealand culture|Western culture|Pan-European identity}}
[[File:Bridge of Remembrance 056.JPG|270px|right|thumb|The [[Flag of New Zealand|New Zealand flag]] is raised in the [[Bridge of Remembrance]] during an [[Anzac Day]] parade in [[Christchurch]], New Zealand.]]

The culture of New Zealand is essentially a [[Western culture]] influenced by the unique geography of New Zealand, the diverse input of [[Māori people|Māori]] and other [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pacific people]], the [[Colonisation of New Zealand|British colonisation of New Zealand]] that began in 1840, and the various waves of multi-ethnic migration that followed.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCYBFltqHDEC&pg=PA4 |title=Science Education in International Contexts |isbn=9789460914270 |quote=New Zealand is a Western culture|last1=Cheng |first1=May M. H. |last2=So |first2=Winnie W. M. |date=23 October 2011 |publisher=Springer }}</ref> Evidence of a significant [[Anglo-Celtic]] heritage includes the predominance of the [[English language]], the [[common law]], the [[Westminster system]] of government, [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christianity]] ([[Anglicanism]]) as the once dominant religion, and the popularity of British sports such as [[Rugby union in New Zealand|rugby]] and [[Cricket in New Zealand|cricket]]; all of which are part of the heritage that has shaped modern New Zealand.

===Distinctive identity===
European settlement increased through the early decades of the 19th century, with numerous trading stations established, especially in the North. The experiences of European New Zealanders have endured in [[New Zealand music]], [[New Zealand cinema|cinema]] and [[New Zealand literature|literature]]. The early [[European settlers in New Zealand|European settlers]] and later organised settlers identified themselves as the nationality of their former nations—typically British. Historian [[Fiona Barker]] states, "New Zealanders saw their country as playing a special role as a loyal member of the British Empire, and for a long time New Zealand aspired to be a ‘Britain of the South’."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Barker |first1=Fiona |title=New Zealand identity – Understanding New Zealand national identity |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-identity/page-1 |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=13 August 2021 |date=June 2012}}</ref> However, by the mid-20th century a distinctive identity had cemented.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

[[Michael King (historian)|Michael King]], a leading writer and historian on {{Lang|mi|[[Pākehā]]|italic=no}} identity, discussed the concept of distinct European New Zealander practices and imaginations in his books:<ref name="King"/> ''Being Pākehā'' (1985) and ''Being Pākehā Now'' (1999), and the edited collection, ''Pakeha: The Quest for Identity in New Zealand'' (1991), conceptualising {{Lang|mi|Pākehā|italic=no}} as New Zealand's "second indigenous" culture.<ref name="King">{{cite web|title=The indigenous Pakeha: An interview with Michael King|url=https://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/project/item.php?id=118|website=Critical English Online|publisher=waikato.ac.n|access-date=12 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411101303/https://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/project/item.php?id=118|archive-date=11 April 2017}}</ref> By contrast, Māori art historian [[Jonathan Mane-Wheoki]] described Pākehā as "the people who define themselves by what they are not. Who want to forget their origins, their history, their cultural inheritance – who want Maori, likewise, to deny their origins so that we can all start off afresh."<ref name=Mane-Wheoki>{{Cite web |last=Mane-Wheoki |first=Jonathan |year=2000 |url=http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/icomceca2000/papers/Jonathan_Mane-Wheoki.pdf |title=From Zero to 360 degrees: Cultural Ownership in a Post-European Age |publisher=[[University of Canterbury]], [[International Council of Museums]], Council for Education and Cultural Action Conference, New Zealand, via the [[Christchurch Art Gallery]] website |access-date=5 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004071817/http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/icomceca2000/papers/Jonathan_Mane-Wheoki.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2006 |pages=10–11}}</ref>

Where {{Lang|mi|Pākehā|italic=no}} identity is located, commonly New Zealand [[kitsch]] and symbols from marketing such as the [[Chesdale Cheese]] men are used as signifiers,<ref name="Mane-Wheoki"/> and might more appropriately be called "[[Kiwiana]]".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Wilson |first1=John |title=Nation and government – Nationhood and identity |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/nation-and-government/page-9 |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=13 August 2021 |date=September 2016}}</ref>

===Language===
{{Main|New Zealand English}}
New Zealand English is one of New Zealand's official languages and is the [[First language|primary language]] of a majority of [[Demographics of New Zealand|the population]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Te Reo Māori: Māori Language {{!}} 100% Pure New Zealand |url=https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/maori-language/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207214058/https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/maori-language/ |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=Newzealand.com}}</ref>

New Zealand English began to diverge from [[British English]] after the English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Studying New Zealand English |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/english-language-in-new-zealand/page-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111000001/https://teara.govt.nz/en/english-language-in-new-zealand/page-2 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]}}</ref> The earliest form of New Zealand English was first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the [[Colony of New Zealand]]. These children were exposed to a great variety of [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]] dialectal regions of the [[British Isles]]. This first generation of children created a new dialect from the speech they heard around them that quickly developed into a distinct variety of English. New Zealand English blunted new settlers' patterns of speech into it.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=January 4, 2022 |title=Introduction to New Zealand English |url=https://public.oed.com/blog/introduction-to-new-zealand-english/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205123949/https://public.oed.com/blog/introduction-to-new-zealand-english/ |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]}}</ref> 

New Zealand English differs from other varieties of English in [[vocabulary]], [[accent (sociolinguistics)|accent]], [[pronunciation]], [[register (sociolinguistics)|register]], [[grammar]]<ref name=":1" /> and [[spelling]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lobdell |first=Sara |date=6 November 2017 |title=Spelling tips for New Zealand English {{!}} Study With New Zealand |url=https://blog.studywithnewzealand.govt.nz/category/lifestyle/spelling-tips-nz-english/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203024141/https://blog.studywithnewzealand.govt.nz/category/lifestyle/spelling-tips-nz-english/ |archive-date=December 3, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=[[Ministry of Education (New Zealand)|Study With New Zealand]]}}</ref>

Other than English, the most commonly spoken European languages in New Zealand are [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Statistics New Zealand|Stats NZ]] |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Most common languages spoken in New Zealand other than English |url=https://figure.nz/chart/wEZovDx96Qdumctk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523181015/https://figure.nz/chart/wEZovDx96Qdumctk |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=Figure.NZ}}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:ThomasBracken-NZ.JPG|thumb|right|165px|[[Thomas Bracken]] wrote the lyrics to [[God Defend New Zealand]].]]
Another area of cultural influence are New Zealand Patriotic songs:
*"'''[[God Defend New Zealand]]'''" is a [[national anthem]] of New Zealand - Created by the Irish-born composer [[Thomas Bracken]], the song was first performed in 1876, and was sung in New Zealand as a patriotic song. It has equal status with "[[God Save the King]]" but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used. It did not gain its status as an official anthem until 1977, following a petition to Parliament asking "God Defend New Zealand" to be made the national anthem in 1976.
*"'''[[God Save the King]]'''" (or "God Save the Queen")  - New Zealand's other official national anthem, and was the sole national anthem until 1977. "God Save the King/Queen" is also the national anthem of the United Kingdom and was adopted in 1745. It is now most often played only when [[Monarchy in New Zealand|the sovereign]], [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]] or other member of the Royal Family is present, or in other situations where a [[royal anthem]] would be used, or on some occasions such as [[Anzac Day]].<ref name="AnthemProtocol">{{cite web |url=http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-anthems/protocols |title=National anthems: Protocols |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |date=21 November 2014 |access-date=15 August 2015 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511022303/http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-anthems/protocols |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:NZL-wellington-beehive.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Beehive (New Zealand)|The Beehive]] is one of the most recognisable buildings in New Zealand, designed by [[Scottish people|Scottish]] architect [[Basil Spence]].]]
[[Scotland|Scottish]] [[architect]] Sir [[Basil Spence]] provided the original conceptual design of the Beehive in 1964. The detailed architectural design was undertaken by the New Zealand government architect [[Fergus Sheppard]], and structural design of the building was undertaken by the [[New Zealand Ministry of Works|Ministry of Works]].<ref name="NZHPT 9629">{{NZHPT|9629|Executive Wing (the Beehive)|19 July 2015}}</ref> The Beehive was built in stages between 1969 and 1979.<ref name="nzparliament">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/AboutParl/HstBldgs/Buildings/Beehive/5/c/a/5ca7931f15ad4180880ca18d0068e19c.htm |title=The Beehive – Executive Wing |work=[[New Zealand Parliament]] |date=31 October 2006 |access-date=25 January 2010}}</ref> W. M. Angus constructed the first stage - the podium, underground car park and basement for a national civil defence centre, and Gibson O'Connor constructed the ten floors of the remainder of the building.<ref name="History of Parliament’s buildings">{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=John E.|title=History of Parliament's buildings and grounds|url=http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/about-parliament/how-parliament-works/fact-sheets/00PlibJMPBG1/history-of-parliaments-buildings-and-grounds|publisher=[[New Zealand Parliament]]|access-date=19 July 2015|date=28 March 2012|archive-date=7 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607142724/http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/about-parliament/how-parliament-works/fact-sheets/00PlibJMPBG1/history-of-parliaments-buildings-and-grounds|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bellamy's]] restaurant moved into the building in the summer of 1975–76 and [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], [[Monarchy of New Zealand|Queen of New Zealand]], unveiled a plaque in the reception hall in February 1977. The Prime Minister, [[Robert Muldoon]], formally opened the building in May 1977. The government moved into the upper floors in 1979. The annex facing Museum Street was completed in 1981.<ref name="History of Parliament’s buildings" /> In July 2015, [[Heritage New Zealand]] declared the Beehive "of outstanding heritage significance for its central role in the governance of New Zealand".

Many of the more imposing structures in and around [[Dunedin]] and [[Christchurch]] were built in the latter part of the 19th century as a result of the economic boom following the [[Otago gold rush]]. A common style for these landmarks is the use of dark [[basalt]] blocks and facings of cream-coloured [[Oamaru stone]], a form of limestone mined at [[Weston, New Zealand|Weston]] in [[North Otago]]. Notable buildings in this style include [[Dunedin Railway Station]], the [[University of Otago Registry Building]], [[Christchurch Arts Centre]], [[Knox Church, Dunedin]], [[Christ Church Cathedral, Christchurch]], [[Christ's College, Christchurch]], [[Garrison Hall, Dunedin]], parts of the [[Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings]] and [[Otago Boys' High School]].{{cn|date=September 2022}}

===Cuisine===
Europeans have influenced [[New Zealand cuisine]]. Europeans introduced meats such beef, lamb, and pork, dairy such as cheese and milk, vegetables such as potatoes and carrots and sweet and savory puddings and pies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ancestraleating.org/blogs/asian-diets/the-foods-eaten-by-the-people-of-new-zealand|title=The foods eaten by the people of New Zealand}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/food/print|title=Food}}</ref>

==Place names in New Zealand of European origin==
{{See also|New Zealand place names}}
{{multiple image
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 | image1    = Wellington Panorama View.jpg
 | caption1  = [[Wellington]] – named after [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]. His title comes from the town of [[Wellington, Somerset|Wellington]], England. 
 | alt1      =
 | image2    = Dunedin Collage.jpg
 | caption2  = [[Dunedin]] – from ''Dùn Èideann'', the [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] name for [[Edinburgh]]. 
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There are many places in New Zealand named after people and places in Europe, especially the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Republic of Ireland]], and the [[Netherlands]] as a result of the many English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Dutch and other European settlers and [[explorer]]s. These include the name "New Zealand" itself, as described below, along with several notable cities and regions:

* '''New Zealand''' – In 1645 Dutch [[cartographers]] renamed the land ''Nova Zeelandia'' after the Dutch province of [[Zeeland]].<ref name="StatenLandt">{{cite web| url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/european-discovery-of-new-zealand/page-3 |title=Tasman's achievement |publisher=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |date=September 2007 |access-date=16 February 2008 |last=Wilson |first=John}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mackay|first=Duncan|year=1986|chapter=The Search For The Southern Land|editor-last=Fraser|editor-first= B|title=The New Zealand Book Of Events|location=Auckland|publisher=[[Methuen Publishing|Reed Methuen]]|pages=52–54}}</ref> British explorer [[James Cook]] subsequently [[anglicisation|anglicised]] the name to New Zealand.{{efn|1=Zeeland is spelt "Zealand" in English. New Zealand's name is not derived from the Danish island [[Zealand]].}}
* '''[[Auckland]]''' – Both the city and region, as well as the [[Auckland Province|former province]], are named after [[George Eden, Earl of Auckland]], whose title comes from the town of [[West Auckland, Durham|West Auckland]], in [[County Durham]], [[England]]
* '''[[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]]''' – the region, and [[Canterbury Province|former province]], are named after [[Canterbury, England]].
* '''[[Christchurch]]''' – the original name of the city, "Christ Church", was decided prior to the ships' arrival, at the Association's first meeting, on 27 March 1848. The exact basis for the name is not known. It has been suggested that it is named for [[Christchurch, Dorset|Christchurch]], in [[Dorset]], England; for [[Canterbury Cathedral]]; or in honour of [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]], [[Oxford]]. The last explanation is the one generally accepted.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cowie |first=D.J. |date=2 July 1934 |page=31 |title=How Christchurch Got Its Name: A Controverted Subject |journal=The New Zealand Railways Magazine |volume=9 |issue=4 |publisher=New Zealand Railways |oclc=52132159 |access-date=4 March 2011 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov09_04Rail-t1-body-d14.html}}</ref>
* '''[[Dunedin]]''' – comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the [[Scottish Gaelic]] name for [[Edinburgh]], the Scottish capital. 
* '''[[New Plymouth]]''' – named for [[Plymouth, Devon|Plymouth]], England 
* '''[[Wellington]]''' – Both the city and region, as well as the former province, are named after [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]], whose title comes from the town of [[Wellington, Somerset]], in [[England]].

Small pockets of settlers from other European countries add to the identity and place names of specific New Zealand regions, most notably the Scandinavian-inspired place names of [[Dannevirke]] and [[Norsewood]] in southern [[Hawke's Bay Region|Hawke's Bay]].

==Prime ministers==
{{further|List of prime ministers of New Zealand}}
{{Unsourced|section|date=February 2023}}
All of the ancestors of the 42 [[Prime Ministers of New Zealand|prime ministers of New Zealand]] were European and Anglo-Celtic ([[English people|English]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]], [[Northern Irish people|Northern Irish]], [[Welsh people|Welsh]], or [[Irish people|Irish]]). Some ancestors of three prime ministers did not originate from Britain or Ireland: some of the ancestors of David Lange were Germans, some of the ancestors of Julius Vogel and Francis Bell were European Jews, and some of John Key's ancestors were [[Jew]]ish [[Austrian people|Austrian]] migrants (his mother's side).
{{div col}}
# [[Henry Sewell]] (English)
# [[William Fox (politician)|William Fox]] (English)
# [[Edward Stafford (politician)|Edward Stafford]] (Scottish)
# [[Alfred Domett]] (English)
# [[Frederick Whitaker]] (English)
# [[Frederick Weld]] (English)
# [[George Waterhouse (politician)|George Waterhouse]] (Cornish)
# [[Julius Vogel]] (English-Jewish)
# [[Daniel Pollen]] (Irish)
# [[Harry Atkinson]] (English)
# [[George Grey]] (English, Irish)
# [[John Hall (New Zealand politician)|John Hall]] (English)
# [[Robert Stout]] (Scottish)
# [[John Ballance]] (Irish, Scotch-Irish)
# [[Richard Seddon]] (English)
# [[William Hall-Jones]] (English)
# [[Joseph Ward]] (Irish)
# [[Thomas Mackenzie]] (Scottish)
# [[William Massey]] (Scotch-Irish)
# [[Francis Bell (New Zealand politician)|Francis Bell]] (English-Jewish)
# [[Gordon Coates]] (English)
# [[George Forbes (New Zealand politician)|George Forbes]] (Scottish)
# [[Michael Joseph Savage]] (Irish)
# [[Peter Fraser (New Zealand politician)|Peter Fraser]] (Scottish)
# [[Sidney Holland]] (English)
# [[Keith Holyoake]] (English)
# [[Walter Nash]] (English)
# [[Jack Marshall]] (Scottish)
# [[Norman Kirk]] (Scottish)
# [[Bill Rowling]] (English)
# [[Robert Muldoon]] (Irish)
# [[David Lange]] (German, Welsh)
# [[Geoffrey Palmer (New Zealand politician)|Geoffrey Palmer]] (English)
# [[Mike Moore (New Zealand politician)|Mike Moore]] (English)
# [[Jim Bolger]] (Irish)
# [[Jenny Shipley]] (English)
# [[Helen Clark]] (Irish, Scottish)
# [[John Key]] (English, Austrian-Jewish)
# [[Bill English]] (Irish, English)
# [[Jacinda Ardern]] (English, Scottish)
# [[Chris Hipkins]] (English)
# [[Christopher Luxon]] (English, Irish) {{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Europe|New Zealand}}
* [[Pākehā]]
* [[Demographics of New Zealand]]
* [[Immigration to New Zealand]]
* [[Europeans in Oceania]]
* [[European Australians]]
* [[European Americans]]
* [[European Canadians]]
* [[Italian New Zealanders]]
* [[Greek New Zealanders]]
* [[Armenian New Zealanders]]
* [[European emigration]]

==Notes==
{{commons category|New Zealanders of European descent}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Immigration to New Zealand}}
{{White people}}

[[Category:European diaspora in New Zealand| ]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of European descent| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in New Zealand]]