Croatian New Zealanders
Ethnic group / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Croatian New Zealanders refers to New Zealand citizens of Croatian descent. It is estimated that over 100,000 New Zealanders have Croatian ancestry.[2] There are 2,550 people who declared their nationality as Croats in the 2006 New Zealand census.[1] The majority of these are located primarily in and around Auckland and Northland with small numbers in and around Canterbury and Southland.[3]
Total population | |
---|---|
2,550[1] – 100,000 (est.)[2] | |
Languages | |
New Zealand English, Croatian | |
Religion | |
predominantly Roman Catholic |
The (generally neutral but sometimes mildly derogatory) term Dally or Dallie (short for Dalmatian) is often used in New Zealand to refer to people of Croatian descent.[4] The term has been wholeheartedly adopted by Croatian New Zealanders, among them the Auckland-based Dalmatian Cultural Society.[5] Founded in 1930, it is New Zealand's longest-surviving Croatian cultural organisation. A further neutral term, Tarara (literally, "fast talkers"), is used to refer to people of mixed Croatian–Māori heritage.[6]