This long established breed originated in the Friesland/Ost Friesland area in the north of Holland and Germany. In Europe it has been used either pure as a milking breed, as a crossing breed with other milking sheep breeds, or to improve fecundity and milk production in meat production breeds.

In December 1992 eleven pregnant ewes and four rams were imported into New Zealand from Sweden and entered a private quarantine station at Silverstream, near Dunedin. Thereafter a breeding programme was commenced using embryo transfer techniques, with only those animals derived from the embryo transfers eligible for release from quarantine.

The first release occurred in March 1996, with 40 rams being sold while the remaining animals were held back to expand the flock numbers. However, there were substantial sales of semen, with an estimated 50,000 ewes of various breeds being artificially inseminated.

In 1995, the first flock was registered with the NZSBA by Silverstream East Friesians and in 1996 several more flocks were registered and this has continued.