2001 Census Snapshot for Māori

March 2001 Highlights

For the census usually resident population count.

• 1 in 7 people (526,281) in New Zealand were of Māori ethnicity
• Nearly 9 in 10 people of Māori ethnicity live in the North Island
• Nearly 6 in 10 people of Māori ethnicity live in the four northern
         regions of Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty
• 1 in 6 people of Māori ethnicity live in rural areas
• The median age of people of Māori ethnicity is 22 years
• 1 in 4 people of Māori ethnicity speak the Māori language
• Nearly one half of Māori language speakers were aged under 25
         years
• 1 in 4 people of Māori ethnicity speak more than one language
• Over 1 in 3 people of Māori ethnicity in the Gisborne region speak
          the Māori language, with just under 1 in 3 in Bay of Plenty and
          Northland

(source Statistics New Zealand, 2002)

Languages Spoken in New Zealand in 2001

New Zealand is a culturally diverse nation representing a large number of different language groups. The table below shows the languages spoken in New Zealand with the greatest numbers of speakers; the number of Māori who speak them, and the number of speakers overall.

Languages Spoken in New Zealand