4.7 per cent of NZ population is of Indian origin: Census

The number of Indian-origin people has crossed the 200,000 mark in the latest Census, with 4.7 per cent of the country's population identifying as Indian-origin.

Indian factory workers sit at a table eating their packed lunches of curry and roti Source: Getty Images/Jessie Casson

When Jeet Suchdeva arrived in Australia some three decades ago, there were not many Indians in Auckland.

“In the 1990s, it used to be a pleasure to meet someone of Indian origin, especially outside Auckland,” says Jeet Suchdev who runs Bhartiya Samaj of Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust to help and support Indian migrants living in New Zealand.

According to the Census 2018, the Indian-origin people is the fourth largest ethnic group in New Zealand (221,916) behind European, Maori and Chinese.

4.7 per cent of the entire population of New Zealand has identified themselves as Indian-origin. In 2013 census, 155,000 people were of Indian origin.

Family using cell phone in backyard Source: Getty Images/Donald iain Smith

“Indians are everywhere now. They are in parliament, councils, public services and businesses too. Majority of Indians is settled in and around Auckland, but many are moving to other areas too,” Mr Suchdev told SBS Hindi.

New Zealand had a population of 4,699,755 in Mach 2018.

Jeet Suchdev of Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust, arrived in New Zealand over 30 years ago. Source: Supplied

Out of the total Indian-origin population of New Zealand, about 2.5 per cent (117,348) were born in India. In the previous census, this number was only 67,176.

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