Māori descent in New Zealand

2018 & 2023 Census, number of people

The following information applies to all values in the table. Measure: Census usually resident population count, Region: Total New Zealand
Census year	Māori descent indicator	Number of people
2018	Māori descent	869,850
2018	No Māori descent	3,715,050
2018	Don't know	114,855
2023	Māori descent	978,246
2023	No Māori descent	3,873,726
2023	Don't know	141,951

Data Quality

Using this data

You can use this data confidently. Stats NZ rated it as very high quality. For more information, read about response rates below.

Stats NZ gives data an overall rating based on sources and coverage, consistency, and data quality.

Why am I seeing this?

This data is from the Census. The past two censuses had relatively low response rates, particularly for some areas of New Zealand and groups of people.

Where information was missing or unreadable, Stats NZ attempted to use data from a range of places such as previous censuses or administrative data that is collected by other government agencies. If that isn't available, Stats NZ use statistical models to predict what the missing data would have been. This is called imputation.

Subject matter

A person is of Māori descent if they are the descendants of a person who has Māori descent or ancestry (these terms are used synonymously). The term Māori descent is based on a genealogical or biological concept, rather than on cultural affiliation to the Māori ethnic group. The subject population for this question was the entire census usually resident population.

Response rates and final data sources

The response rate for this question from 2023 Census forms was 85.3%. A further 9.1% of the data come from responses to the previous Censuses. Administrative data made up 3.5% of the response while the remaining 2.0% of the data was derived from statistical imputation.

Definitions

Census usually resident population count of New Zealand: a count of all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night. It excludes overseas visitors and New Zealand residents who are temporarily overseas.

For more information

https://datainfoplus.stats.govt.nz/item/nz.govt.stats/7c1335e0-c2c7-4217-ac48-bfc7a68aea48?_ga=2.25981818.691197072.1716812466-1399521469.1678132138

Inclusions

Geographically the census includes the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and the Chatham Islands, plus largely uninhabited islands including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, Mayor Island, Motiti Island, White Island, Moutohora Island, Bounty Islands, Snares Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Island.

Changes to data collection/processing

A break in time series occurred between the 2013 and 2018 Censuses due to the adoption of a combined census model as a mitigation to lower-than-expected response rates in 2018. This model improved the enumeration of traditionally low responding age groups, such as young adults. The 2023 Census uses a combined model by design. The population counts show very high consistency with the 2018 Census, and less consistency with the 2013 Census due to the change in census model.

Data provided by

Stats NZ

Dataset name

Census: National and subnational usually resident population counts and dwelling counts 2023

Webpage:

https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2023-census-population-counts-by-ethnic-group-age-and-maori-descent-and-dwelling-counts/

How to find the data

At URL provided, select "2023 Census national and subnational usually resident population counts and dwelling counts" to download the file.

Import & extraction details

File as imported: Census: National and subnational usually resident population counts and dwelling counts 2023

From the dataset Census: National and subnational usually resident population counts and dwelling counts 2023, this data was extracted:

Sheet: Table 11
Range: C8:K64
Provided: 432 data points

This data forms the table Census - Māori descent indicator by region 2013–2023.

Dataset originally released on:

May 29, 2024

About this dataset

The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. It provides a snapshot of our society at a point in time and helps to tell the story of its social and economic change. The 2023 Census, held on Tuesday 7 March, was the 35th New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings. The first official census was run in 1851, and since 1877 there has been a census every five years, with only four exceptions.

Purpose of collection

Census information is used by government agencies, local authorities, businesses, community organisations, and the public for developing and implementing new policies, research, planning, and decision-making. It helps us make decisions about how to best use public funding, especially in areas of health, education, housing, and transport.
The census is also the primary source of information used for deciding the number of general and Māori electorates, along with data from the corresponding Māori Electoral Option.

Method of collection/Data provider

The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 89.1%. The remaining 10.9% of responses were sourced from administrative records.
Admin-enumerated records were added to the census file to count people who were missed.