Māori Australians

Māori Australians (Māori: ngā tangata Māori i Ahitereiria) are Australians of Māori heritage. The Māori presence in Australia dates back to the 19th century when Māori travelled to Sydney to trade, acquire new technology, and learn new ideas. The Māori population in Australia remained marginal until the 1960s. During the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, thousands of Māori emigrated from New Zealand to pursue employment opportunities in blue collar occupations such as shearing, construction, manufacturing, and mining. In 2013, there were approximately 140,000–170,000 people with Māori ancestry living in Australia. Māori Australians constitute Australia's largest Polynesian ethnic group.

History

19th century

There was no known prehistoric contact between Australian Aboriginal people and New Zealand Māori, although the Polynesian ancestors of Māori were accomplished navigators, who did establish short-lived settlements on Norfolk Island. The first Māori known to have visited Australia travelled to Sydney (then known as Port Jackson, or Poihākena in Māori) in 1793. Ngahuruhuru and Tuki Tahua from the Bay of Islands were taken against their will by Governor Philip Gidley King to Norfolk Island, in an attempt to teach flax-weaving to the convicts there, and then to Port Jackson. They remained as guests of Governor King before returning to the Bay of Islands.