Distribution of the population

Population size and growth Components of population change People born overseas Fertility Distribution of the population Ethnic composition of the population Age and sex structure of the population Households Housing tenure Families with children Official languages New Zealanders experiencing disability Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people

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Over three-quarters (76 per cent) of the population live in the North Island, and one-third (33 per cent) in the Auckland region.

Reflecting the impact of both internal and external migration, the population growth in the Auckland region accounted for just over half (52 per cent) of the total population growth between June 2007 and June 2008.

The Māori population is heavily concentrated in the North Island (87 per cent), but only 24 per cent of Māori lived in the Auckland region at the 2006 Census.

The New Zealand population is highly urbanised. At the 2006 Census, 86 per cent of the population was living in an urban area. This includes 72 per cent living in main urban areas (population of 30,000 or more), 6 per cent living in secondary urban areas (10,000–29,999) and 8 per cent living in minor urban areas (1,000–9,999).

There are marked ethnic differences in urbanisation, with the vast majority of Pacific peoples, Asian and Other ethnic groups living in main urban areas and very few in rural areas.

Table P2 Urban and rural residence (%), by ethnic group, 2006

	European	Māori	Pacific peoples	Asian	Other	Total
Main urban area (30,000+)	69	65	92	94	91	72
Secondary urban area (10,000–29,999)	7	7	3	2	2	6
Minor urban area (1,000–9,999)	9	13	2	2	3	8
Total urban	84	84	97	98	96	86
Rural	16	16	2	2	4	14
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2006 Census, unpublished data
Note: New Zealander is included in European; Middle Eastern, Latin American and African groups are included in Other

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