Ethnic profile

This section describes the ethnic distribution of the Aotearoa New Zealand population. Some ethnic groups are more vulnerable to environmental hazards. This vulnerability is primarily due to existing inequities and structural disadvantage. 

New Zealand has a diverse ethnic mix

Māori are the indigenous population of New Zealand and are tangata whenua. New Zealand also has a large migrant population, bringing a wide range of different ethnicities. More than a quarter of the New Zealand population was born overseas (28.8%).

In 2023, the New Zealand population included [1]:

• 67.8% European (3,383,700 people)
• 17.8% Māori (887,500 people)
• 17.3% Asian (861,600 people)
• 8.9% Pacific peoples (442,600 people)
• 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African (MELAA) (92,800 people). 

Note: Total response ethnic groups have been used (where everyone is included in every ethnic group they identify with) so percentages will add to more than 100%.  

Regional differences in ethnic groups

The Māori population is concentrated in the upper and central North Island.

In 2023, the majority of people identified as being Māori in the territorial authorities of Chatham Islands (68.6% of the population), Wairoa (68.5%), Ōpōtiki (66.2%), Kawerau (63.2%), and Gisborne (54.8%) (Figure 1). 

Figure 1: Māori population, by territorial authority, 2023 (% of the total population) 

In 2023, almost two in every three Pacific peoples in New Zealand lived in Auckland (275,100 Pacific peoples, 16.6% of the Auckland population).

Other territorial authorities with larger communities of Pacific peoples include Christchurch (16,700 people, 4.3% of the population), Porirua City (15,800 people, 26.5%),  Lower Hutt City (13,100 people, 12.2%), Hamilton City (11,900 people, 6.8%) and Wellington City (11,600 people, 5.7%) (Figure 2). 

Māori and Pacific populations have a younger age structure

Māori and Pacific peoples have a relatively high percentage of their population under 15 years of age. In 2023, 29.6% of Māori and 30.7% of Pacific peoples were aged 0–14 years old (Figure 3). 

Figure 3: Percentage of the population in each age group, by ethnic group, 2023

Māori and Pacific peoples may be more vulnerable to environmental hazards

Māori may be more vulnerable to environmental hazards, similar to indigenous populations in many other countries. Pacific peoples may also be more vulnerable environmental hazards in New Zealand than other ethnic groups.

Much of this difference is driven by inequities. These inequities include structural and systemic inequities, disadvantage leading to increased exposure to hazards, and vulnerability due to poor or inadequate policies to protect health.

For example, Māori and Pacific peoples experience:

• higher levels of exposure to environmental hazards, such as air pollution in urban environments, higher household crowding, and second-hand smoke exposure
• disproportionately low incomes, leading to less capacity to reduce exposure to environmental hazards and/or to respond to these hazards
• reliance on primary industries: the Māori economy is especially reliant on primary industries like farming, which are sensitive to climate change [2]
• higher levels of some chronic diseases, which can increase susceptibility to certain health impacts from environmental hazards.

Information about the data

Census usually resident population count, by ethnic group
Source: New Zealand 2023 Census of Population and Dwellings 

Definition: This data comes from the 2023 Census of Population and Dwellings. Stats NZ used a combined census model, using data from both census forms and alternative sources such as administrative data. For population data, see Stats NZ’s Aotearoa Data Explorer [1]. For more information on data quality of the 2023 Census, see Stats NZ https://www.stats.govt.nz/2023-census/.