Hungarian New Zealander
Encyclopedia
Hungarian New Zealanders are people who have migrated
from Hungary
to New Zealand
, and their descendants, if they choose to identify as such. Hungarian New Zealanders constitute a small minority of New Zealand's population. In the 2001 census in New Zealand, when asked to indicate their ethnic identity, 894 New Zealanders described themselves as "Hungarian", altogether 1,191 spoke Hungarian
and 987 stated they were born in Hungary. In 2006 1476 people spoke Hungarian.
in 1848 small groups arrived from Hungary, but also they travelled forward. In the 1860s there was a gold rush
in Otago
, again small groups arrived to New Zealand. One of them, Zsigmond Vékey, a lawyer became the journalist of Otago Daily Times
. Later he went back to Hungary. The first permanent settlers came between 1872 and 1876, and some people later in the 19th century.
, Southland
. He wrote letters to his home in Csongrád
, Hungary
. Because of this, in 1911 three other families (the Szivák, Kollát and Kókay families) joined him from the city. During the next two decades still some families followed them, altogether approximately 100 families. Some of their descendants became famous: in 1970 István Kókay's son, Stephen Kokay was chosen as the representative of the Waiau district on the Wallace County Council. One of his daughters is a biologist, named Dr Ilona Kokay, who teaches at the Otago University. His son Les Kokay is internationally recognised in music circles for his writings on Bob Dylan in ISIS magazine and other writings on Bob Dylan. He invented the ‘LesK’ cube (a 3x3x3 cube puzzle) and was the first to solve a ‘fairly hard’ tetra-cube puzzle. Mike Racz became a Guinness recorder
as the fastest oyster opener.
In the beginning of the Second World War 55 Hungarians arrived, right after the war still 62. In the beginning of the 1950s another 136 Hungarians arrived to New Zealand. The largest group of refugees from Hungary, 1099 people, arrived after the 1956 Revolution. Most of them was settled in the main centres of Auckland
, Wellington
and Christchurch
. One of them was Anna Porter
(born Anna Szigethy), the novelist, who later moved to Canada
. The fathers of Marton Csokas
and Nándor Tánczos
both were 1956-refugees. Tom Paulay, also a 1956-refugee, taught at the University of Canterbury
. Until 1970 still 290 Hungarians settled down in New Zealand.
, Wellington
, Christchurch
and Dunedin
. On 20 August 2006, Magyar Millennium Park was opened in Wellington, featuring an original Székely
gate.
There is a quarterly newspaper for the Hungarians, the Magyar Szó ("Hungarian Word").
There was a Hungarian football club, called Hungaria
, notable members were:
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and their descendants, if they choose to identify as such. Hungarian New Zealanders constitute a small minority of New Zealand's population. In the 2001 census in New Zealand, when asked to indicate their ethnic identity, 894 New Zealanders described themselves as "Hungarian", altogether 1,191 spoke Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and 987 stated they were born in Hungary. In 2006 1476 people spoke Hungarian.
19th century
Hungarians began to emigrate to New Zealand in the middle of the 19th century, but this was not a permanent settling. After the Hungarian RevolutionHungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
in 1848 small groups arrived from Hungary, but also they travelled forward. In the 1860s there was a gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, again small groups arrived to New Zealand. One of them, Zsigmond Vékey, a lawyer became the journalist of Otago Daily Times
Otago Daily Times
The Otago Daily Times is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand.-History:Originally styled The Otago Daily Times, the ODT was first published on November 15, 1861. It is New Zealand's oldest surviving daily newspaper - Christchurch's The Press, six months older, was a...
. Later he went back to Hungary. The first permanent settlers came between 1872 and 1876, and some people later in the 19th century.
20th century
In 1909 a certain man, named István Rácz arrived to TuatapereTuatapere
Tuatapere is a small rural town in Southland, New Zealand . It is located eight kilometres from the southern coast. The Waiau River flows through the town before reaching Te Waewae Bay, where it has its outflow into Foveaux Strait...
, Southland
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
. He wrote letters to his home in Csongrád
Csongrád
Csongrád is a town in Csongrád County in southern Hungary. Formerly, the city also had the alternate Slavic name of Černigrad, which, like the Hungarian version, means "Black Castle" or "Black Town".-History:...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Because of this, in 1911 three other families (the Szivák, Kollát and Kókay families) joined him from the city. During the next two decades still some families followed them, altogether approximately 100 families. Some of their descendants became famous: in 1970 István Kókay's son, Stephen Kokay was chosen as the representative of the Waiau district on the Wallace County Council. One of his daughters is a biologist, named Dr Ilona Kokay, who teaches at the Otago University. His son Les Kokay is internationally recognised in music circles for his writings on Bob Dylan in ISIS magazine and other writings on Bob Dylan. He invented the ‘LesK’ cube (a 3x3x3 cube puzzle) and was the first to solve a ‘fairly hard’ tetra-cube puzzle. Mike Racz became a Guinness recorder
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the fastest oyster opener.
In the beginning of the Second World War 55 Hungarians arrived, right after the war still 62. In the beginning of the 1950s another 136 Hungarians arrived to New Zealand. The largest group of refugees from Hungary, 1099 people, arrived after the 1956 Revolution. Most of them was settled in the main centres of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. One of them was Anna Porter
Anna Porter
Anna Maria Porter, OC, O.Ont is a Canadian publisher and novelist.Born Anna Szigethy in Budapest, she emigrated to New Zealand in 1956 to escape the Soviet presence in Hungary. She received a Bachelor degree and Master of Arts degree from the University of Canterbury. She started at McClelland &...
(born Anna Szigethy), the novelist, who later moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The fathers of Marton Csokas
Marton Csokas
-Early life:Csokas was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His mother, a nurse, is of Irish and Danish descent; his Hungarian-born father, also named Márton Csókás, worked as a mechanical engineer...
and Nándor Tánczos
Nandor Tanczos
Nándor Steven Tánczos , a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2008, represented the Green Party as a list MP. He briefly lost his seat in the 2005 General Election, but returned to Parliament following the sudden death of Rod Donald just prior to the first sitting of Parliament, as he...
both were 1956-refugees. Tom Paulay, also a 1956-refugee, taught at the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
. Until 1970 still 290 Hungarians settled down in New Zealand.
Hungarian culture in New Zealand
In the 1980s there was movement to create cultural associations. In 2006 such societies exist in four cities: AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. On 20 August 2006, Magyar Millennium Park was opened in Wellington, featuring an original Székely
Székely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
gate.
There is a quarterly newspaper for the Hungarians, the Magyar Szó ("Hungarian Word").
Famous Hungarian New Zealanders
- Marton CsokasMarton Csokas-Early life:Csokas was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His mother, a nurse, is of Irish and Danish descent; his Hungarian-born father, also named Márton Csókás, worked as a mechanical engineer...
- actor, played in the Lord of the Rings and in the Kingdom of HeavenKingdom of Heaven (film)Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic action film directed by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McKidd, Alexander Siddig, Ghassan Massoud, Edward Norton, Jon Finch, Michael Sheen and Liam...
. - Nándor TánczosNandor TanczosNándor Steven Tánczos , a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2008, represented the Green Party as a list MP. He briefly lost his seat in the 2005 General Election, but returned to Parliament following the sudden death of Rod Donald just prior to the first sitting of Parliament, as he...
- MP of the New Zealand Parliament - George BaloghyGeorge BaloghyGeorge Baloghy is a prominent New Zealand artist. He is a painter, preferring to paint with oil on canvas.He was born in 1950 in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to New Zealand in 1956 as a refugee. He was educated at St Peter's College, Auckland and at the University of Auckland from which he...
- artist, painter - Imre VallyonImre VallyonImre George Vallyon is a New Zealand based author in the Body, Mind & Spirit field. In 2008 he won the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Book Award for his four volume treatise “Heavens and Hells of the Mind”, which the judges described as “a remarkable and exhaustive work on human consciousness and...
- writer - Nick HorvathNick HorvathNick Horvath is a naturalised New Zealand professional basketball player, originally from the United States, currently playing for the NZL NBL team Manawatu Jets....
- naturalized basketball player
There was a Hungarian football club, called Hungaria
Wellington United
Wellington United AFC is an association football club in Wellington, New Zealand competing in the Capital Premier League.-Wellington Diamond United:Wellington Diamond United was the result of the merger of Diamond and Zealandia/Wellington United in 1968....
, notable members were:
- Imre Kiss
- Julius BeckJulius BeckJulius Beck is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Beck made a solitary official international appearance for New Zealand in a 0-4 loss to New Caledonia on 8 November 1967.-External links:...
- Istvan NemetIstvan NemetIstvan Nemet is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Nemet played four official A-international matches for New Zealand in 1967, the first three of which were at the Vietnam National Day Soccer Tournament...