English New Zealanders

English New Zealanders are New Zealanders of English descent, or English-born people currently living in New Zealand. After British explorer James Cook arrived in New Zealand in 1769, many non-Polynesians began to visit and settle New Zealand, in particular, whalers, sealers, and ex-convicts from Australia, often of British (including English) ancestry. After New Zealand became a colony of Britain in 1840, the country began to receive thousands of immigrants, with over 90% of them being from Britain and Ireland, with about half of them coming from England.

Of New Zealand's English immigrants, most of them predominately originated from the south-west counties of Cornwall and Devon, with significant numbers also coming from England's southeast of London and Kent. As of the early 21st century, it is estimated that at least 80% of New Zealanders have some British ancestry, which especially includes English given that at least half of immigrants that came from the United Kingdom were English. What this demonstrates is that out of a population of 5 million, around 2 million people in New Zealand are of English ancestry, likely making the English diaspora one of, if not the largest ethnic group in the country.

Due to British colonisation, and the large numbers of English immigrants from the 19th century, English culture and language has had a profound impact on New Zealand society. For instance, English is by far the predominant and most widely spoken language in the country, with approximately 4.4 million speakers (c. 95% of the population) as of the 2018 census. Also, based on the same census, England has remained as the most common place where immigrants to New Zealand come from.