Sikhism in New Zealand Sikhism in New Zealand The Sikh population in New Zealand more than doubled from 9,500 in the 2006 Census to 19,000 in the 2013 Census. Sikhism is currently the fourth largest non-Christian religion in New Zealand, behind Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Sikhism is a world religion with over 27 million followers worldwide, with majority of their population in Punjab, India. Indians started arriving in New Zealand at the end of the 19th century; most immigrants arrived from Punjab and Gujarat. Most Indians settled in Waikato, Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch. There is a significant history of many Punjabis being dairy farmers
Wellington Region originally settled the region knew it as "Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui", meaning "the head of Māui's fish". Legend recounts that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the tenth century. The region was settled by Europeans in 1839 by the New Zealand Company. Wellington became the capital of Wellington Province upon the creation of the province in 1853, until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on 1 Nov 1876. Wellington became capital of New Zealand in 1865, the third capital after Russell and Auckland. The region occupies the southern tip of the North