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Immigration from the UK to New Zealand begins of course with the voyage of James Cook in HMS Endeavour, 1768. The following notes are based on a comprehensive general source of information about NZ; for details see New Zealand Ancient and Modern History.
About 20% of New Zealanders have Irish Ancestry. The first Irish in New Zealand appeared from the late 18th century onwards, often transient whalers, sealers, traders or convicts from New South Wales, Australia. Following the arrival of soldiers and their families who settled at Panmure, Howick, Onehunga and Otahuhu in Auckland between 1847-1852 many more Irish came during the Great Famine. In the 1860s gold digging also became a major incentive. Although New Zealand received fewer Irish than other countries, the Irish were a major source of the colony's inhabitants. They peaked at 12.8% of the population in 1867 and, in 1871, Westland (22.7%)and Auckland (14.1%) were the areas of greatest settlement. In the 1870s, nominated and assisted emigration encouraged a new wave of immigration, and women were especially needed to balance the sexes. Around half of all Irish emigrants were female.
About one quarter of Irish emigrants to New Zealand were Protestant. An Ulster settlement at Katikati, founded by George Vesey Stewart, was the largest deliberate settlement of Irish Protestants in New Zealand. Once assistance was dropped, so too did numbers of Irish emigrants, although those from the North continued to emigrate in substantial numbers.
Based on the Irish Registrar-General's records of 1876, most Irish emigrants sailing directly from Ireland, came from the provinces of Munster and Ulster. Clare, Antrim, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary were the dominant counties. Emigration from 1876-1920 inclusive, saw Clare and Antrim and Cork and Kerry swap positions. Between 1876-1890 Munster sent approximately five times the amount of emigrants as Connacht and Leinster, and Ulster sent four times the amount. If this direct migration was representative of the majority of Irish who found their way to New Zealand indirectly, via England or Australia, then New Zealand had a significant Munster Ulster bias.
The list of Irish immigrants includes the following names (for further information see list by Susan Timmins):
Annie Gough Strabane, Co. Tyrone 1866 on Bombay
Ellen Gough b. c.1840 Strabane, Co. 1866 on John Temperley
John Gough b. 1842 Strabane, Co. Tyrone 1867 Blue Jacket
Mary Gough b. c.1844 Strabane, Co. Tyrone 1866 JohnTemperley
Sarah Gough (nee McLarky) b. c.1845 Strabane, Co. d. c.1876 1867
Blue Jacket
New Zealand Ancient
and Modern History
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© Norman E. Gough 1996-2004
University of Wolverhampton UK
Page created 1996 by Last updated 29
April 2004