People born overseas
Overseas-born people make up an increasing proportion of the
New Zealand population. At the time of the 2006 Census there were
879,500 overseas-born people living in New Zealand, making up 23
percent of the country’s population compared with 19 percent in 2001
and 17 percent in 1996.
The composition of New Zealand’s overseas-born population is
also changing, reflecting the changes in New Zealand’s immigration
patterns. The United Kingdom and Ireland – historically the major
sources of New Zealand’s immigrants – still account for the largest
share of New Zealand’s overseas-born population, but at 29 percent in
2006 this is considerably lower than the 1996 figure of 38 percent.
Over the same period there were also falls in the proportion of
overseas-born residents who were born in Australia, the Pacific Islands
and the other countries of North-West Europe.
The largest growth was in the North-East Asia category. This
was mainly because of an increase in the number of people born in the
People’s Republic of China from 19,500 to 78,100 between 1996 and 2006.
The Southern and Central Asia category also increased markedly,
reflecting a more-than-threefold increase in the Indian-born population
from 12,800 to 43,300. The largest proportionate increase was in the
sub-Saharan Africa group, largely the result of an almost fourfold
increase in the South African born population, from 11,300 to 41,700.
Table P1 Birthplaces of the
overseas-born population, 1996 and 2006
|
Census year |
|
1996 |
2006 |
Birthplace
|
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Australia |
54,711 |
9.0 |
62,742 |
7.1 |
Pacific Islands |
99,258 |
16.4 |
135,852 |
15.4 |
United Kingdom and Ireland |
230,049 |
38.0 |
251,688 |
28.6 |
North-West Europe |
39,168 |
6.5 |
44,103 |
5.0 |
Southern and Eastern Europe |
16,431 |
2.7 |
23,964 |
2.7 |
North Africa and the Middle East |
7,245 |
1.2 |
16,533 |
1.9 |
South-East Asia |
37,332 |
6.2 |
58,266 |
6.6 |
North-East Asia |
61,179 |
10.1 |
135,168 |
15.4 |
Southern and Central Asia |
19,410 |
3.2 |
57,699 |
6.6 |
The Americas |
22,629 |
3.7 |
34,383 |
3.9 |
Sub-Saharan Africa |
17,439 |
2.9 |
59,118 |
6.7 |
Total with overseas birthplace specified |
604,851 |
100.0 |
879,516 |
100.0 |
Source: Statistics New Zealand (2007e)
Table 7
Significant proportions of New Zealand’s immigrant population
are relatively recent arrivals in the country. In 2006, almost a third
(32 percent) of residents born overseas had lived here less than five
years, while a further 17 percent had lived here between five and nine
years.
New Zealand’s immigrant population is disproportionately
concentrated in the Auckland region. In 2006, over half (52 percent) of
the overseas-born population lived in Auckland, which was home to 32
percent of the country’s total population. People born in Pacific and
Asian countries had particularly high concentrations in Auckland (73
percent and 66 percent respectively). People who were born overseas
were under-represented in all other regions with the exception of
Wellington, which was home to 11 percent of both the overseas-born and
the total populations. |