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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]
The (generally neutral but sometimes mildly derogatory) term Dally or Dallie (short for Dalmatian) was often used in New Zealand to refer to people of Croatian descent before Croatia gained independence in 1991.[4] Most people of Croatian descent are now referred to as Croatians, reflecting Croatia’s independence. The Dalmatian Cultural Society, founded in 1930 and based in Auckland, adopted Dalmatian in its name upon Croatia’s independence. Other Croatian cultural societies in New Zealand, including those in Auckland, Waikato, and Wellington, have recognized "Croatian" as the appropriate name to reflect the country's independence. A further neutral term, Tarara (literally, "fast talkers"), is used to refer to people of mixed Croatian–Māori heritage.[5]
History
The earliest Croatian settlers in New Zealand date from the 1860s, largely arriving as sailors and pioneers, and as gold miners and prospectors during the Otago gold rush. The first person born in New Zealand of Croatian descent was Leander Thomas Pavletich in 1864.[6] After the gold rush many moved to Northland attracted by kauri gum-digging, then a major source of income for Northland Māori and settlers.[7] These early Dalmatian settlers were also responsible in large part for establishing the New Zealand wine industry.[8] Forced off the kauri gumfields many moved into viticulture and winemaking instead, mainly in West Auckland around Kumeu, and in the Hawke's Bay region.[9][10] Croatian family names such as Selak, Nobilo, Šoljan, Babich and Delegat still feature amongst the names of New Zealand's notable wineries, and two of the largest in New Zealand, Montana Wines (now Brancott Estate) and Villa Maria Estates, were established in the mid-20th century respectively by Croatian New Zealanders Ivan Yukich and Sir George Fistonich.[10][4]
Croatian settlers have arrived in five main waves:[11]
5,000 between 1890 and 1914, prior to World War I.
1,600 during the 1920s before the onset of the Great Depression.
In July 2008, 800 people attended a celebration of 150 years of Croatian settlement in New Zealand hosted by Prime Minister Helen Clark and Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter.[2]
In October 2024, 24 New Zealand's rugby players of Croatian descent, led by Dave Jurlina, are planinng to visit Croatia, following the example of similar visits organized in the 1970s and 1908s.[12] The team will play in Zagreb, Split (two games) and Makarska, with one game against the Croatian national team.[12]
Nobilo family - Nikola Nobilo the founder of Nobilo wines.
Peter and Tyler Rakich. Founders of Dynasty Sports - Sports clothing brand. Sponsors of the NZ Rugby league team, NZ Warriors, Auckland City FC and Croatian rugby team. [18]
^Jelicich, Stephen (2008). From distant villages: the lives and times of Croatian settlers in New Zealand, 1858-1958. Auckland: Pharos Publications. ISBN 9780473130299.
^Mabbett, Jason (April 1998). "The Dalmatian influence on the New Zealand wine industry: 1895–1946". Journal of Wine Research. 9 (1): 15–25. doi:10.1080/09571269808718130. ISSN0957-1264.
