New Zealand’s population is more ethnically diverse with Māori and Asian ethnic groups having the largest increases in the past five years, according to the first release of data from the 2023 Census.
Overall, the number of people counted in the Census was 4,933,923 – an extra 300,000 people compared to the last count.
Stats NZ said population growth slowed considerably between censuses due to a declining birth rate and the borders only recently re-opening at the time of the Census after Covid closures.
The census data shows a 12.5% increase in the number of people who identify as being of Māori descent. Nearly one in five or 978,246 of the population said they were of Māori descent.
The number of people who identify as Māori is 887,493 or 17.8% of the population, up 14.4% since 2018.
Stats NZ said population growth slowed considerably between censuses due to a declining birth rate and the borders only recently re-opening at the time of the Census after Covid closures. (Source: 1News)
Te Kahui Raraunga, the operational arm of the Data Iwi leaders group, said the growth in Māori descent population is a “transformative shift.”
“What the 2023 Census data shows us is that our Māori population is young, resilient, and rapidly growing,” said Kirikowhai Mikaere from Te Kahui Raraunga.
Auckland still has the largest Māori population and in the Gisborne region more than half the population were of Māori descent.
People identifying with Asian ethnicities made up 17.3% or 861,576, an increase of 153,978 people on the last Census.
The Census also shows three out of four New Zealanders live in the North Island.
Stats NZ said the North Island had the biggest population growth but the South Island had the fastest growth, with Selwyn and Queenstown the leading areas for population expansion.
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