The Russian community in New Zealand has a long history. In June 1941, the New Zealand-Russian Society was established under the name "CLOSER RELATIONS," which focused on supporting the peoples of the USSR in their struggle against fascist invaders. In 1944, diplomatic relations were established between New Zealand and the USSR, which the society also facilitated.

Today, Russian-speaking life in Auckland is represented by many well-known centers that develop and support Russian cultural traditions. Among them are the newspaper "Nasha Gavani" edited by Alexander Zdor, a multilingual information line, a government service at the Citizen Advice Bureau with Russian-speaking consultants, the literary and dramatic studio of Vadim and Galina Ledogorov and their newspaper "Rodnik," the "U Samovara" theater, the "Premiera" choir studio, the "Russian Leisure" club, and the author song club.

By the end of 2009, the Russian diaspora in New Zealand numbered about 20,000 people, most of whom live in the northern part of the country, in the Auckland area. About 10,000 Russians live here, mainly employed in construction and the IT industry. Auckland is also home to a Russian theater, and a Russian cultural center operates in Christchurch. Traditional meeting places for the Russian diaspora remain Orthodox churches: the Church of Christ the Savior in Wellington, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Auckland, and the Church of St. Nicholas in Christchurch. In the 1990s and 2000s, Russian clubs organized by a new generation of emigrants appeared in New Zealand.