Malaysian New Zealanders

Malaysian New Zealanders

Total population
(14,547 (2006))
Regions with significant populations
South Island
Languages
New Zealand English, Malaysian English, Malaysian Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay
Religion
Buddhism, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Various ethnic groups of Malaysia

Malaysian New Zealanders are New Zealand citizens and residents who are of Malaysian descent or Malaysian-born immigrants. As of 2006, approximately 14,547 Malaysian-born people lived in New Zealand.

History

During the British colonial period, 42 people born in 1916 on the Straits Settlements (of which is now called Malaysia and Singapore) became the first residents of New Zealand. Most of them were the ethnic Malays and Chinese. In 1986, there were 3,480 Malaysian in New Zealand which later increased to 14,547 in 2006. Of this total, only 3,540 were Malays while the most are the Malaysian Chinese. Due to racial riots emerging in Malaysia in 1969, it encouraged more students from the ethnic Chinese to seek education in New Zealand. Following the riots, Malaysian Government introduced affirmative action policies to help the Bumiputera (mainly the Malays and indigenous people) to achieve more economic quality than the Chinese. Preferential university entry for Bumiputera made it harder for the ethnic Chinese to enter Malaysian institutions of higher learning, that is why many Malaysian Chinese preferred to move and study in New Zealand universities rather than in their own country.

See also

• Islam in New Zealand
• Malaysia–New Zealand relations
• Military history of New Zealand in Malaysia