Korean New Zealanders
New Zealanders of Korean descent or ethnicity
Korean New Zealanders (Korean: 한국계 뉴질랜드인), also referred to informally as Korean Kiwis, Kokis or Kowis, are New Zealand citizens and residents of Korean ancestry. The 2018 New Zealand census found 35,664 Koreans in the country, virtually all from South Korea, making them the fourth-largest Asian population there, and more than 0.75 percent of the total population of New Zealand.
Migration history
The Korean population in New Zealand has been affected by New Zealand's immigration policies. Until a policy change in 1987, preference was given to English-speaking migrants, especially those from Commonwealth of Nations countries. In 1991, a new policy took effect in which potential migrants were ranked according to a points system based on factors such as education, occupation, and wealth. This made it far easier for people from Korea and other Asian countries to migrate to New Zealand, dramatically increasing the number of Korean New Zealanders.
In 1986, there were only 426 Koreans in New Zealand; that had doubled to 903 by 1991, and their population growth accelerated throughout the first half of the 1990s. There were roughly 3,000 people of Korean descent in New Zealand in 1992, according to unofficial estimates, and by the time of the 1996 Census, their population had quadrupled to 12,657 individuals, making them the fastest-growing population group. Growth slowed after that, with only a further 50% increase in the Korean population by 2001.
Demography
There were 35,664 people identifying as being part of the Korean ethnic group at the 2018 New Zealand census, making up 0.8% of New Zealand's population.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Korean New Zealanders” as new Zealanders of Korean descent or ethnicity. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as new Zealanders of Korean descent or ethnicity. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6431891. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2018, 1987, 1991 and 1986.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Korean New Zealanders”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Korean New Zealanders primary sources, Korean New Zealanders archive and Korean research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Korean New Zealanders”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Korean New Zealanders” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.