Current research
Irish in Aotearoa New Zealand
The Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies is proud to have been selected by the Embassy of Ireland, New Zealand to lead a research project on the Irish in New Zealand.
The lead investigator is Professor Sonja Tiernan, Eamon Cleary Chair of Irish Studies and co-director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago. The project is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland.
The results published in December 2020, Irish in Aotearoa: Mapping the Irish Community and People of Irish heritage in New Zealand, including a foreword by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins is available to download.
This is the first national project which aims to record the number of Irish born, people of Irish heritage and with an affinity for Ireland living in New Zealand. The project also engages with a selection of Irish community groups in New Zealand.
An interactive map of New Zealand has been designed to accompany the research report. The map includes data for Irish population figures for each region of the country. It is possible to customise your own search relating to the Irish in New Zealand to identify detailed figures according to occupation, income, age and gender for individual regions.
It is hoped that these report findings will inspire further research into shared connections between New Zealand and Ireland.
Mapping the Irish Community and People of Irish Heritage in New Zealand