According to the
2001 UK Census, 58,286 New Zealand-born people were residing in the United Kingdom. The 2011 census recorded 57,076 people born in New Zealand residing in England, 1,292 in Wales, 3,632 in Scotland and 584 in Northern Ireland. The
Office for National Statistics estimates that, in 2015, the New Zealand-born population of the UK stood at around 59,000. Around 80 per cent of
New Zealanders have some British ancestry and an estimated 17 per cent are entitled to
British nationality by descent.
Distribution Every one of the top ten most popular places in Britain for New Zealand expatriates is in London,
Acton being home to 1,045 New Zealand-born people (representing 0.7 per cent of the local population), with
Hammersmith,
Brondesbury,
Hyde Park,
Cricklewood and
Fulham following.
Māori According to
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, at the start of the millennium, approximately 8,000 Māori resided in England alone (as opposed to the United Kingdom as a whole). Historically Māori have been known in the UK for their athletic prowess on the
rugby field as well as their various artistic skills. In the 1900s, Māori artistic performers toured the UK and some of them decided to stay.
Mākereti (Maggie) Papakura of is one example of an early Māori immigrant who came to the country touring with a troupe of performers; she married in 1912 and lived in the UK for the rest of her life. During
World War I, significant numbers of Māori troops came to the UK in order to help fight with the
British Army (at this period military service was one of the main reasons for Māori emigration). Many of these were actually housed in Papakura's Oxfordshire mansion. Later on in the 1950s, a small group of Māori residing in the British capital established the London Māori Club. The aim was to promote Māori culture through the performance of traditional songs and war dances. In 1971 the group renamed itself Māori Club. To this day the cultural group hosts weekly meetings, language classes and celebrations. ==Notable New Zealanders in Britain==