Danish New Zealanders are

New Zealanders New Zealanders ( mi, Tāngata Aotearoa), colloquially known as Kiwis (), are people associated with New Zealand, sharing a common history, culture, and language (New Zealand English). People of various ethnicities and national origins are citiz ...

with full or partial

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

ancestry. The majority of these people are part of the Danish diaspora.

History

There is a small Danish community in New Zealand, descended from a group of early settlers who came to clear thick North Island bush in the middle years of the 19th century and stayed to found settlements including Dannevirke and

Norsewood Norsewood is a small rural settlement in the Tararua District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is situated east of the Ruahine Mountain range and is located 20 kilometres northeast of Dannevirke. Geography T ...

. High-ranking Danish churchman, Bishop

Ditlev Gothard Monrad Ditlev Gothard Monrad (24 November 1811 – 28 March 1887) was a Danish politician and bishop, and a founding father of Danish constitutional democracy; he also led the country as Council President in its huge defeat during the Second Schles ...

, who had been Danish Prime Minister during the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. ...

, left Denmark as a result of the war and settled with his family in Karere near

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

in 1866, where he set up the first dairy plant in the region. Monrad returned to Denmark in 1869, but other members of his family stayed in New Zealand. He left behind his collection of art now housed at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Those who stayed cleared the bush in the area, and their efforts helped convince

Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime mi ...

that they were suitable in character to become part of his planned 'Great Public Works' scheme of the 1870s.

Isaac Featherston Isaac Earl Featherston (21 March 1813 – 19 June 1876) was a New Zealand politician, and was known for his advocacy for the establishment of New Zealand self-government, and the importance of the provincial governments. Early life and family ...

went to Scandinavia in 1870 to attract settlers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The first settlers from this initiative arrived in 1871 and settled in the bush between Palmerston North and Foxton. Other Danes came to the

Seventy Mile Bush The Seventy Mile Bush was a heavily forested area of New Zealand extending from Wairarapa to Central Hawkes Bay and out to that coast. It was cleared and settled by Scandinavians, assisted immigrants in the 1870s. On arrival they walked from the ...

area in 1872 and founded the town which retains the Danish name of Dannevirke, commemorating the

Danevirke The Danevirke or Danework (modern Danish spelling: ''Dannevirke''; in Old Norse; ''Danavirki'', in German; ''Danewerk'', literally meaning '' earthwork of the Danes'') is a system of Danish fortifications in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. This his ...

in Slesvig. The other town created by the Danes was

. Both those towns were named by the government. New Zealand has encouraged immigration of temporary workers from Denmark.

Culture

When the Danes immigrated to New Zealand, they brought with them their language, festivals, food and culture and assimilated to New Zealand society, such as by learning English. There is the Danish Society Inc. in Auckland which promotes Danish history, culture and language within New Zealand. There is also the Danish Societies in the upper North Island, which includes the Danish Society, Hamilton and the Danish Society, Auckland which hosts festivals and run a newsletter.

Notable Danish New Zealanders

History

Culture

Notable Danish New Zealanders

See also

References

Further reading