There is a huge historic line linking New Zealand and the UK. Thus, those two countries and nations have always felt the connection between them. After World War I, the migration from New Zealand to the UK experienced the major escalation, and thus many Kiwis settled down in Britain during this period.
Originally, James Cook was the sailor who found New Zealand and then dedicated the whole land to the UK. Since then the British colonization of New Zealand began. It should not be surprising that the Brits and Kiwis have a lot in common, especially since the mass migration of Kiwis to the UK.
Maori tribes originate from New Zealand. Those people were always considered to be physically strong and had some decent skills in Rugby games which have always been popular in the UK. Thus, many New Zealanders went to their second so-called “Home” to the UK in seeking better opportunities and active participation in different activities as well as in the sports activities.
During the first World War, many Kiwis went to the UK, in order to help Brits in the battle. After the war, many of those people stayed in the UK, and many of their family members also moved to the UK. This is why many British people have New Zealand origin, and on the opposite, many Kiwis have British origin. Even now, according to the official reports, over 60,000 Kiwis, who are still originally from New Zealand are settled in the UK.
Another very interesting thing is that, despite the fact that New Zealanders live all over the UK, including Scotland and Wales, most of them are located in some specific areas. If we look through the history of New Zealand and especially the political aspect, we will notice that the Prime Ministers and political officials are mostly of English and Scottish origin. It should also be mentioned that many Kiwis have some Jewish roots as well.
As mentioned before, New Zealanders who moved to the UK, live in specific places. This can happen due to several factors. First of all, it is no surprise that we all are seeking to find someone in common and someone familiar to us. Knowing that person of your origin lives in a certain area would definitely motivate a person to settle in the same area. This is what it’s called “scream of the blood”.
Kiwis in Bedford
You will be able to find many services and products that originate from New Zealand. One of those kinds is online casinos, which are very popular in both countries. Though, as Kiwis are famous for their free and entrepreneurial spirit, there are many companies based within the country, yet operating all over Europe, including the UK. This fact has contributed a lot to the popularity of NZ online casinos in the UK. Activities like online gambling have become very popular throughout the past years and the number of ever-increasing New Zealand-based online casinos has contributed a lot to the formation of gambling environments. According to reports, many of the Playamo New Zealand customers are Kiwis, who are based in the UK, and especially in Bedford.
Bedford is a small town near London. It is one of the calmest and safest areas to live in if you want to live near London. Bedford is located only 35 miles away from London, which makes trips and living or working in those two places very easy and comfortable. Also, Bedford is one of the towns, where you can find a lot of Kiwis. Apparently, while moving to the UK, many New Zealanders were looking for some similar to their native home. So far, Bedford seems to be one of the closest choices.
What is interesting is that New Zealand and Britain have a lot of things in common, including cultural elements and interests. This can be very much the influence of the colonization process and the number of British people visiting New Zealand at times. Though, the interests, the love towards sports, and the fields of education are all mostly in common.
While New Zealand is a relatively small country, compared to the UK, the biggest brain drain from New Zealand is still because of the massive opportunities available in the UK. Many young people move to the UK, in order to get a better education and then to find some better and higher paid jobs.
As mentioned before, many Kiwis live in Bedford, which is a relatively small town with way bigger opportunities. There are great working possibilities and a lot of sports teams, which are so appealing to the Kiwis. This is an essential part because most of the Kiwi communities can be found especially in those fields. Due to the fact that many Kiwis live in the UK, New Zealand has also influenced British markets overall.
Some other spots where you can find Kiwi communities are the bars and the sports centers. Those are some of the major places the Kiwis love to visit. The love for bars and entertainment is something that is very common between the British and the Kiwi people. Other than that, you can identify Kiwis and the whole community by the accent they all have, which is also the main differentiation between the British and New Zealand people.
Overall, besides the fact that Bedford is a very interesting town to visit which has many cultural elements present in it and many sightseeing to offer visitors, getting acquainted with the Kiwi community is another reason for visiting this small town, London.
