German New Zealanders (German: Deutsch-Neuseeländer) are New Zealand residents of ethnic German ancestry. The German community constitute one of the largest European ethnic groups in New Zealand, numbering 12,810 in the 2013 census.
The 2013 census counted 12,810 New Zealand residents who had ancestry from Germany. This number does not include people of German ancestry who selected their ancestry as simply "New Zealander". Today the number of New Zealanders with German ancestry is estimated to be approximately 200,000 (5% of the population). Many German New Zealanders anglicized their names during the 20th century due to the negative perception of Germans fostered by World War I and World War II.
In 2013, the German language was spoken at home by 36,642 persons in New Zealand. German is the ninth most widely spoken language in the country after English, Māori, Samoan, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, French, Cantonese, and Chinese (not further defined).
New Zealand has long been a popular destination for German backpacker tourists and students.
German New Zealand culture
The Goethe-Institut is active in New Zealand and there is a branch in Wellington.
Notable German New Zealanders
Michala Banas (born 1978), actress and singer
Morton W. Coutts (1904–2004), inventor
Russell Crowe (born 1964), actor
Christian Cullen (born 1976), rugby union footballer
Kim Dotcom (born 1974), internet entrepreneur, businessman, musician, and political party founder
Minnie Maria Dronke (1904–1987) actor, drama producer and teacher
Thomas Eichelbaum (born 1931), 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand
Willi Fels (1858–1946), merchant, collector and philanthropist
Carl Frank Fischer (year of birth unknown – 1893), doctor, homoeopath and viticulturist
Karl Fritsch (born 1963) contemporary jeweller
Richard Fuchs (1887–1947), composer and architect
Rudolf Gopas (1913–1983) artist and art teacher
Awen Guttenbeil (born 1976), rugby league footballer
Julius von Haast (1822–1887), geologist and founder of Canterbury Museum
Bendix Hallenstein (1835–1905) merchant, statesman, manufacturer, member of the New Zealand Parliament
Lewis Hotop (c. 1844–1922), pharmacist, politician and Arbor Day advocate
Gerhard Husheer (1864–1954), tobacco grower and processor, industrialist, philanthropist
Howard Kippenberger (1897–1957), major general
Charles Kelling (1818–1898), emigration agent, farmer and community leader
Fedor Kelling (1820–1909), member of the New Zealand Parliament; brother of Charles Kelling
Josh Kronfeld (born 1971), TV presenter and rugby union footballer
David Lange (1942–2005), 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand
Oscar Natzka (1912–1951), operatic singer
Arnold Nordmeyer (1901–1989), member of the New Zealand Parliament
William Ott (1872–1951), mayor
Victoria Schmidt, actress
Karl Urban (born 1972), actor
Johan Wohlers (1811–1885), Lutheran missionary
