Distribution of the population
Over three-quarters (76 percent) of the population live in the North Island, and nearly a third (32 percent) in the Auckland Region.
Reflecting the impact of migration, the population growth in the Auckland
Region accounted for just over two-thirds (68 percent) of the total population
growth over the period between the 1996 and 2001 censuses.
The Māori population is heavily concentrated in the North
Island (88 percent), but only 24 percent of Māori live in the Auckland Region.
The New Zealand population is highly urbanised. At the 2001 Census, 86 percent of the population
were living in an urban area. This includes 71 percent living in main urban
areas (population of 30,000 or more), 6 percent living in secondary urban
areas (10,000–29,999) and 8 percent living in minor urban areas (1,000–9,999).
There are marked ethnic differences in urbanisation, with the vast majority
of Pacific, Asian and Other ethnic groups living in main urban areas and very
few in rural areas.
Table P1 Urban and rural residence (%), by ethnic group, 2001
| |
European |
Māori |
Pacific |
Asian |
Other |
Total |
| Main urban area (30,000+) |
69 |
64 |
92 |
94 |
92 |
71 |
| Secondary urban area
(10,000–29,999) |
7 |
7 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
| Minor urban area (1,000–9,999) |
9 |
13 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
| Total urban |
84 |
84 |
98 |
98 |
97 |
86 |
| Rural |
16 |
16 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
14 |
| Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
Source: Statistics. New Zealand, 2001 Census, Ethnic Groups, Table 5a
|
