Organisations and religion
South African community groups sprang up in the 1990s. Clubs offered a forum for dealing with homesickness and other issues – many migrants had suffered heavy financial losses because of the unfavourable exchange rate. Some held concerns for family left behind, unable to afford the flight out. Springbok Radio, which played on Sundays in Auckland, helped people maintain a sense of identity.
Springbok or Kiwi?
A young Tauranga father muses on his national identity:
‘You're confused, like I think if South Africa and New Zealand would go to war against each other, I would jump the fences and be a South African again, but I think I expect my children to be New Zealanders and fight on the New Zealanders’ side, because that is who they are. Ja, it is a little bit confusing, you don't know where you are.’ 1
The South African Charity Trust NZ is based in Auckland. Some South African immigrants speak Afrikaans, a language that developed among the mainly Dutch settlers who moved to South Africa in the 17th century. The Afrikaans Club of New Zealand operated until 2012. From 2001 to 2018 New Zealand’s Afrikaans-speaking community surged by over 65% to 36,966 people.
Supporters' groups like the South African Supporters Club NZ maintain links between immigrants. There are also South African clubs some New Zealand secondary schools.
In 2018 over three-quarters of South Africans had religious affiliations. In Auckland there were several Afrikaans churches offering regular services on the North Shore. A North Shore library established an Afrikaans bookshelf and featured Afrikaans story-telling sessions. South African Jews made a significant contribution to Auckland’s Jewish community.
Cuisine
The immigrants introduced Kiwis to their own version of the barbeque – the braaivleis. To cater for those missing the homeland cuisine, Auret and Annie Vorster opened their St Heliers shop Zebra Zu in 1995. A Howick butchery, Beef on the Beach, also began making biltong (dried meat) and boerewors (South African sausage) in the mid-1990s. By 2024 there were at least 40 dedicated South African shops and cafés in the country, with supermarkets also stocking authentic produce.
In May 2024, thousands of people flocked to Silo Park in Auckland for the Africa Day festival, soaking up traditional African cuisine, music and art.
Sports
Keen sportspeople such as netballer Irene van Dyk began to make their mark on courts and playing fields around the country. They welcomed the chance for a new life in a country where they were not constantly fearing for their safety.