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Afrikaans speakers in New Zealand jumped 32.7%: what it means for a South African family weighing the move

Tips · 2026-11-08 · 8 min read

Afrikaans speakers in New Zealand numbered 49,041 in the 2023 Census, up 32.7 percent from 2018. For a South African family weighing the move, that figure says one useful thing: you would not be arriving in an empty room. It says nothing about who will hire you or which visa you qualify for, and that is where the planning has to start.

This guide reads the official numbers plainly, compares them with the South African community in Australia, and then turns "there are people like us there" into a checklist you can act on from home.

What the census says about Afrikaans in New Zealand

Stats NZ reports that Afrikaans was one of the fastest-growing languages in New Zealand between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. The count rose by 12,075 people, to 49,041 speakers in 2023. You can read the release on the Stats NZ website.

The same release counts people by birthplace. In 2023 there were 95,577 people in New Zealand who were born in South Africa, up 33.9 percent from 71,382 in 2018. South Africa was the fifth most common overseas birthplace in Stats NZ's top-ten table.

Language and birthplace are two different questions on the census form, so the two numbers measure different groups and should not be added together or swapped for each other.

What a language count does and does not tell you

A growing language community is a real signal about everyday life. It suggests that a South African family can expect to meet people who share its language and background.

It is not a labour-market signal. The release figures above do not say which jobs these people hold, which towns they live in or how they were hired. Nothing in them tells you that a job is waiting for your trade, or that an employer will back your visa. Treat the census as context for the decision, not as evidence for it.

How this compares with Australia

If you are choosing between the two countries, the Australian Bureau of Statistics gives a fuller picture of the South African community across the Tasman. The 2021 Census QuickStats page counted 189,207 people in Australia born in South Africa, with a median age of 45.

• Of those, 28,327 (15.0%) arrived between 2016 and 2021.
• 143,432 (75.8%) were Australian citizens.
• The largest state counts were 49,740 in New South Wales, 49,699 in Queensland and 44,889 in Western Australia.
• Among employed people, 46,050 (35.5%) were Professionals and 14,292 (11.0%) were Technicians and Trades Workers.
• The median weekly personal income was $1,229.

The two countries use different census years, so compare the shape, not the totals: both communities are large, and both have grown through recent arrivals. If Australia is on your list too, our guide to the Skills in Demand (482) visa for South Africans covers that route.

Community helps you settle, the visa still needs an employer

For most South Africans, the realistic way to work in New Zealand starts with a job offer. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is for people with an offer from an accredited employer, who must send you a link to the online application form. Our AEWV guide for South Africans walks through the full route.

The official rules that sit behind the offer are specific:

• The job must be for at least 30 hours a week, with an approved job check, paid at least the market rate.
• You must show 2 years or more of relevant job experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, in the same field as the job.
• The visa costs from NZD $1540 and can run up to 5 years depending on the job.

A friendly Afrikaans-speaking neighbour in Hamilton or Christchurch can tell you what the supermarkets are like. They cannot give you an approved job check, and they cannot make an employer accredited.

Turn the community signal into a plan

1. Start with the employer. Search the accredited employer list by name or 13-digit New Zealand Business Number. The list is updated daily. Some accredited employers choose not to appear, so ask the employer directly if you cannot find them.
2. Read what the job offer must contain. Hours, pay and the approved job check should all be in writing before you spend money on documents. Our post on checking the employer first explains the order.
3. Match your trade or degree to the job. Your trade test certificate or qualification should sit in the same field as the role, and you should be able to show it.
4. Look at where the work is. The community map is only half the picture; see which sectors and regions are hiring, and browse the live community services jobs to see what employers who back visas are asking for.
5. Start the paperwork in the right order. Police clearance has a clock attached, so read why the six-month clock decides when you apply before ordering anything from SAPS.
6. Update your CV for New Zealand employers. A clear, local-style CV makes an employer's decision easier, and Build AI CV can help you structure one.

Know your rights and your costs

Everyone in New Zealand, including migrants, has the same minimum employment rights. From 1 April 2026 the adult minimum wage is $23.95 an hour before tax. Employees become entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid annual holidays after 12 months of continuous employment, and eligible employees get 10 days of paid sick leave each year.

New Zealand employers cannot charge you a fee for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. INZ will also decline an AEWV application if you or your agent offered or promised money to the employer in exchange for a job offer. Anyone who asks you to pay for an offer is breaking the rules, whatever language they speak to you in.

Community networks make it easy to trust a stranger who sounds familiar. Be careful with that instinct when money or documents are involved. By law, anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice must be licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless exempt, and its public register at the IAA website shows whether a person is currently licensed. You are not required to use an adviser at all.

Common mistakes

• Reading community size as job demand. A fast-growing language group does not mean your trade is in demand or that employers will sponsor you.
• Paying for an introduction. An offer that costs you money breaks the rules, and INZ will decline an application where money was offered for a job.
• Trusting a friend-of-a-friend adviser. Check the register first; a warm accent is not a licence.
• Assuming a temporary visa leads to residence. A temporary New Zealand visa does not carry a promise of residence, and scammers often overstate the odds.
• Mixing up the two Census counts. The 49,041 figure is speakers of Afrikaans; the 95,577 figure is people born in South Africa.
• Applying before the job is sorted. Documents ordered too early can expire before the application is ready.

Frequently asked questions

How many people speak Afrikaans in New Zealand?

Stats NZ reports 49,041 Afrikaans speakers in the 2023 Census, up 32.7 percent, or 12,075 people, since the 2018 Census. That makes Afrikaans one of the fastest-growing languages in the country over that period.

How many South Africa-born people live in New Zealand?

The 2023 Census counted 95,577 people born in South Africa, up 33.9 percent from 71,382 in 2018. South Africa was the fifth most common overseas birthplace in Stats NZ's top-ten table, so you will find a well-established community in most regions.

Does a big South African community make it easier to get a visa?

No. A visa decision turns on your own application: for the AEWV, an offer from an accredited employer with an approved job check, plus your skills and your character checks. The size of any community has no bearing on how Immigration New Zealand assesses you.

Can I work in New Zealand without a job offer?

The Accredited Employer Work Visa needs a job offer from an accredited employer, so it is not a route you can start without one. Read the official eligibility pages and our guide before paying for any assessment or document that assumes a different route.

Who can I trust for immigration advice?

Anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice must be licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless exempt. Check the public register before you share documents or pay anyone. You do not have to use an adviser, and INZ does not prioritise applications because one was used.

Key takeaways

• Afrikaans speakers in New Zealand reached 49,041 in 2023, up 32.7 percent since 2018.
• Community numbers help with settling in, but they do not replace an accredited employer and an approved job check.
• Check any employer on INZ's accredited list before you spend money on documents.
• Nobody can legally charge you for a New Zealand job offer.
• Use the public adviser register, and keep your own copies of every document.

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