Greek New Zealanders (, Ellinozilandoí) are New Zealand citizens and residents who are of full or partial Greek ancestry; either those who immigrated to or were born in New Zealand. Large concentrations of the community are to be found in Wellington, and to a lesser extent Christchurch and Auckland. Smaller communities of Greeks reside in Palmerston North, Wanganui, Dunedin, Hamilton, Nelson and Napier. Many Greek New Zealanders maintain their Greek identity through the observation of Greek customs and traditions, and their adherence to their Greek Orthodox (Christian) faith, whilst also assimilating into New Zealand society.
The number of people reporting their ethnicity as Greek in New Zealand was 2,478 in the March 2013 census. An estimated 10,000 New Zealanders have Greek Ancestry.
In the modern era, many Greeks came by way of Australia to New Zealand, coming in waves during the 1950s and 60s. The vast majority of these migrants came to Wellington. Suburbs that became Greek strongholds include Mount Victoria, Strathmore Park, Miramar, Island Bay, Moera, Plimmerton, and Berhampore. Berhampore is where the local Greek football team, Wellington Olympic AFC, is based. Wellington Olympic is one of many local clubs formed by European immigrants during the 20th century.
As per the 2018 census, 2,475 New Zealanders identified themselves as Greeks, with 39.3% declaring solely with the Greek ethnicity.
Migration The vast majority of the Greeks immigrating to New Zealand came from the western prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania, the Ionian Sea islands of Ithaca and Kephalonia, and from the island of Lesbos which is located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. Smaller numbers have come from Macedonia, Epirus, Attica, the Peloponnese, Crete, Romania and Cyprus. Chain migration has been popular.
The first Greek immigrants It is believed that the first Greek in New Zealand was a Mr Constas, an officer in the merchant navy from Sparta, Laconia, which is situated in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. He arrived in New Zealand in 1798 aboard a Dutch-flagged merchant ship, which later sank in Dunedin. He died in Dunedin in 1840 – the year the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.
In 1832, Captain Economou arrived in New Zealand on a Dutch or British ship. He stayed in New Zealand and married a Māori woman. He assisted his father-in-law at the Treaty of Waitangi.
Seaman Nicolas Demetriou Mangos from Syros arrived in New Zealand in 1844. He was 17 years old and jumped ship because his Dutch captain was reportedly cruel. He was sheltered by an Irish family, and later he married their daughter.
The earliest Greek presence recorded in the New Zealand census was in 1874, when forty men and one woman were reported. Nikolas Fernandos (or Mantzaris) from the island of Ithaca is considered the first known immigrant to New Zealand. Between 1890 and 1914, Greek immigrants established themselves as fishermen, street hawkers, confectioners, and restaurateurs in Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin. Relatives of these early immigrants were encouraged to join them in New Zealand, setting up chain migration from poverty-stricken towns and villages. By 1936 there were 82 Greece born people living in Wellington with other immigrants residing in New Plymouth, Feilding, Palmerston North, Dannevirke, Napier, Hastings, Ashburton, Temuka, Timaru, Waimate and Oamaru.
War refugees Greeks immigrated to New Zealand for a better life following World War II and the Greek Civil War, fought from 1946 to 1949. New Zealand, a member of the International Refugee Organization, assisted 1026 ethnic Greeks from Romania to settle in NZ in 1951. The displaced persons arrived in Wellington in May, August, and December 1951 on the SS GOYA from Piraeus, Greece. Although most arrivals were placed in jobs in Wellington, some were sent around the country to work in hydroelectric construction and heavy industry, where there was a shortage of labour. A commemorative plaque was unveiled on the Wellington waterfront in 2012, close to where the SS GOYA docked in 1951.
John Vakidis' acclaimed New Zealand play 'Tzigane' explores the Greek-Romanian refugee experience of emigrating and living in New Zealand.
The "Golden Age"
A big influx of Greek immigration took place in the 1950s and 1960s due to economic and political problems in Greece. More than seven million Greeks emigrated from Greece during this period, mainly to the United States, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and New Zealand. Amongst those immigrating to New Zealand during this period were 267 young women who arrived between 1962 and 1964 through a New Zealand government scheme to provide domestic staff for hospitals, schools, and hotels. The New Zealand Greek community's population peaked in the mid-1960s, with an estimated 5000–6000 Greeks, including New Zealand-born descendants.
Greek Cypriots Most Greek Cypriots arrived in the late 1930s and after WWII between 1948 and 1960. Some Greek Cypriot refugees displaced from the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus arrived following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Greek Cypriots have their own community hall and community association, but are full and active members of the Greek Community.
Recent arrivals Just under 100 Greeks have been granted New Zealand residency in the last 17 years. After 2010, due to the economic crisis in Greece there is a new migratory flow of Greeks to New Zealand.
Dual citizenship Several Greek New Zealanders hold both New Zealand and Greek passports. Greek citizenship is acquired by birth by all persons born in Greece, and all persons born with at least one parent who is a registered Greek citizen. Any person who is ethnically Greek born outside Greece may become a Greek citizen through naturalization, providing they can prove a parent or grandparent was born as a national of Greece.
Greek communities The largest concentration of Greek people resides in the country's capital city, Wellington. It is estimated that 65 percent of all Greek New Zealanders live there. The inner-city suburb of Mount Victoria developed a distinct Greek character after World War II as Greek immigrants clustered together for community support. Today, the eastern suburb of Miramar is the city's main Greek enclave, with significant numbers also residing in Hataitai and Seatoun. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Embassy of Greece are both located in Wellington.
Smaller communities exist in Christchurch, Auckland, and Napier/Hastings. Greek Orthodox churches exist in all these centres.
Many Greek New Zealanders enjoy the riches of two cultures – maintaining Greek cultural customs whilst integrating into the Kiwi way of life.
It has been estimated that about 50 percent of marriages of Greek persons are now mixed. It is common for the wedding to take place in the Greek Orthodox Church with the non-Greek non-Christian partner becoming baptised before the marriage.
Employment Many Greek immigrants established food businesses such as restaurants, grill-rooms and fish and chips shops. Zisis Blades' book Wellington's Hellenic Mile: The Greek Shops of Twentieth Century Wellington documents the many Greek shops of 20th century Wellington. Today many Greeks are tertiary educated – professionals, public servants, tradespeople and business owners.
The Greek Orthodox Church The Greek Orthodox faith plays a central part in the cultural life of many Greek New Zealanders. From 1924 New Zealand was part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand. Until the 1940s when a church was built in Wellington, the all-important sacraments of baptism and marriage could only be performed when a priest visited from Australia. In 1970, New Zealand became a separate diocese with its own archbishop. The distinctive Byzantine-syle domed Greek Orthodox Church – The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on Hania Street (formerly Lloyd Street) in Mount Victoria, Wellington was consecrated in 1970 by Metropolitan Dionysios Psiachas (dec), the first Archbishop of the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand. The current Metropolitan of New Zealand, Bishop Erithron Amfilochios Tsoukos was elected in 2005 and elevated the church on Hania Street to cathedral status. The Holy Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of New Zealand oversees ten churches in New Zealand including the Holy Archangels Monastery which was built in 2009, east of Levin.
Greek organisations The Panhellenic Club on Marion Street in Wellingtom was the first Greek club, established in 1927. It then moved to Wakefield Street.
Today the largest and most active organisation is the Greek Orthodox Community of Wellington and Suburbs. The incorporated society, established in 1945, is governed by an elected executive which manages the Greek Community Centre on Hania Street in Mount Victoria, Wellington. The Community Centre consists of The Greek Orthodox Cathedral – The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the Parthenon Building which houses a functions hall and classrooms, and an adjacent apartment building with meeting rooms. Other cities and regions have active community associations as well, namely, Christchurch, Auckland, the Hutt Valley and Palmerston North.
Greek organisations representing different regional or national sub-groups have helped sustain the culture. In Wellington there are a number of associations whose membership is based on regional origin: namely Macedonia, Crete, Ithaca, Lesbos and Alto-akarnania.
The Hellenic New Zealand Congress was formed in 1994 with the aim to foster better understanding, goodwill and friendly relations between the Hellenic communities and all New Zealanders through the support and promotion of Greek culture, traditions, history and language. Membership is welcomed from all Greeks and New Zealanders.
Greek language A 1990 study by Maria Verivaki of Greek language ability amongst Greek New Zealanders found that more than half of the community claimed a high level of ability for understanding and speaking Greek with the order of proficiency being: understanding, speaking, reading, writing. There was a decreasing proficiency across each succeeding generation across the four language skills. The study also found a higher level of proficiency for those who visited Greece, attended church or attended Greek language school. The study concluded that exposure to the Greek language seems to be the key to language maintenance in the Greek community of New Zealand.
The Greek Orthodox Community of Wellington has been providing Greek language lessons for children for over 50 years, and more recently for teenagers and adults. The Greek Government generously provides a qualified teacher from Greece, who teaches alongside local Greek people at the Greek community school. Many Greek New Zealanders have installed cable television in their homes, with which they can receive Greek-language news and entertainment channels, in this way strengthening their Greek language skills.
Cultural activities The different Greek communities, associations, clubs and families enjoy socialising by engaging in social activities that include Greek food and music. Non-Greek New Zealanders enjoy partaking and have come to appreciate the Greek culture through Greek Community organised cultural and fundraising events including:
the commemoration of Greek National days on 25 March and 28 October, and the Battle of Crete in May; the annual Greek Food Festival in Wellington; art exhibitions by Greek New Zealand artists; dance performances; concerts by local Greek musicians and visiting Greek musicians: George Dalaras (1997), Glykeria (2000), Nana Mouskouri (Farewell Tour, 2005), Vangelis Perpiniadis (1999), Stathis Aggelopoulos and Stelios Perpiniadis (2014).