Hinduism in New Zealand

New Zealand Hindus

Jeetan Patel, New Zealand Cricketer of Indian Descent.
Total population
90,018 (2013)
2.02% of the New Zealand Population
Regions with significant populations
Auckland · Wellington · Hamilton · Tauranga
Languages
English · Hindi · Punjabi · Gujarati · Tamil · Indian Languages

Hinduism is one of the fastest growing religions in New Zealand. The number of Hindus grew from 26,000 in 1996 to 39,627 in 2001. The number of Hindus in New Zealand gradually increased in the 1990's with the Immigration Act 1987, the Immigration Amendment Act 1991 and India's Economic Liberalisation in 1991. This eased immigration laws for Indians wanting to live in New Zealand, which doubled the number of Hindus in 10 years.[1]


Historical population
YearPop.±%
1991 17,661—    
1996 25,293+43.2%
2001 39,627+56.7%
2006 64,557+62.9%
2013 90,018+39.4%

Part of a series on
Hinduism by country


Historical Growth in New Zealand

In the 1991 Census, surging migration as a result of the Immigration Act 1987 made the number of Hindus surpass 17,000.[2][3] The 2006 census showed the number of Hindus to be 64,557, an increase of 61.8% from the previous census in 2001.[4] The number of Hindus in New Zealand then slowed as a result of the Great Recession and the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, which as a result moved the Census date from 2011 to 2013.[5] The recently conducted 2013 Census showed the Hindu population made up slightly over 2% of the population, with 90,018 adherents. This increased their share of the population by 0.5%.


Temples

Auckland

The Bharatiya Mandir is located in Balmoral and contains Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Rama and Goddess Seeta, and Lord Hanuman.

There is a Tamil-style Thirumurugan Temple in Ellerslie. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan, Goddess Rajarajeswari Amman, Lord Bhairava and the Navagrahas (nine planets).

The Sri Ganesh Temple is located in Papakura. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Lord Kamakshi, Lord Kartikeya (Murugan)and Parvati (Shakti).

There is also a Radha-Krishna Temple in Eden Terrace and a Ram Krishna Temple in Papatoetoe.

The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation runs a Swaminarayan Temple in Auckland. The main Deities are Ghanshyam Maharaj, Nar Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna Dev and Ram Parivar as well as Kul Devs of the local community.

Wellington

Wellington Hindus can worship at the Kurinji Kumaran Temple in Newlands. It has Deities of Lord Ganesh, Lord Murugan and Lord Shiva (as Nataraja)and many more.

The Wellington Indian Association run a North Indian style Temple with Deities of Lord Rama, Goddess Seeta and Lakshmana, Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna, Goddess Durga, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman.[6]

Other locations

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness also has a presence in New Zealand, running temples in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. The Auckland temple is located out of the city, and is built in the Vedic style with a tower over the main shrine.

The International Society of Krishna Consciousness run programs at the university Clubs and Socieites Centre.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/immigration-regulation/page-5
  2. ↑ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10837744
  3. ↑ http://www.aen.org.nz/journal/2/2/AENJ.2.2.Nachowitz.pdf
  4. ↑ More Hindu temples to come up in New Zealand Hindustan Times - April 20, 2007
  5. ↑ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708648
  6. ↑

External links