The New Zealand population is becoming more ethnically diverse.
While the European ethnic group category still has the largest share (80 percent), the number of people identifying as European increased by only 3 percent between 1991 and 2001. Over the same period, the number who identified as Māori increased by 21 percent, the Pacific peoples ethnic group increased by 39 percent, and the number of Asian people increased by 138 percent.
Table P2 Ethnic distribution of the population, 1991, 2001
| Ethnic group | 1991 | % | 2001 | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 2,783,025 | 83.2 | 2,868,009 | 80.0 |
| Māori | 434,847 | 13.0 | 526,281 | 14.7 |
| Pacific peoples | 167,070 | 5.0 | 231,801 | 6.5 |
| Asian | 99,756 | 3.0 | 237,459 | 6.6 |
| Other | 6,693 | 0.2 | 24,924 | 0.7 |
| Total with ethnicity specified | 3,345,813 | 104.3 | 3,586,731 | 108.5 |
Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2001
census, National Summary, Table 8
Note: The ethnic data in this table allows up to three responses per
person. Where a person reported more than one ethnic group, they have
been counted in each applicable group. Totals therefore do not add up
to 100 percent
In 2001, Māori made up 14.7 percent of the usually resident population compared with 13 percent in 1991. More people said they belonged to an Asian ethnic group than a Pacific peoples ethnic group in 2001 (6.6 percent, compared with 6.5 percent for Pacific peoples). Ethnic groups other than European, Māori, Asian or Pacific made up 0.7 percent of the population in 2001. By 2021, the Māori share of the population is projected to be 17 percent, the Pacific share 9 percent, and the Asian share 13 percent.
Ethnic diversity varies by age: among those under 25 years in 2001, 22 percent were Māori, 10 percent were Pacific peoples, 8 percent Asian and 1 percent other ethnic groups. Among those aged 65 and over, Māori made up 4 percent, Pacific people and Asians each made up 2 percent, and other ethnic groups 0.2 percent.
The number of people with multiple ethnic identities is increasing. In 2001, 91 percent of the population identified with one ethnic group, down from 95 percent in 1991. Having multiple ethnic identities is particularly common among Māori. Of those who said they belong to the Māori ethnic group in 2001, 44 percent identified with at least one other ethnic group. Younger people are far more likely to be identified with more than one ethnic group than older people. Birth registration data for 2001 shows that about one in five babies was identified with more than one ethnic group, compared to one in 10 mothers.5
The figures for the ethnic distribution used in this section are based on the number of people identifying with each ethnicity. Because people can identify with more than one ethnicity, the total number may be greater than the size of the population. Elsewhere in the report, the approach to measuring ethnicity varies with the data source used.
