QuickStats About Culture and Identity

New Zealander

• In the 2006 Census the New Zealander ethnic group totalled 429,429 people, and made up a large share of the 'Other Ethnicity' category, which totals 430,881 people. In 2001, and previous censuses, the New Zealander ethnic group was counted in the European category.
• Of those who identified themselves as New Zealanders, 12.9 percent also identified with at least one other ethnic group.
• Although the Auckland Region had the largest number of people (99,258) in the New Zealander ethnic group, South Island regions reported higher proportions overall. One in six people in the West Coast Region identified themselves as New Zealanders (16.7 percent), followed closely by Marlborough (16.2 percent), and Southland (15.7 percent) Regions.
• The distribution of the New Zealander ethnic group by age group differed from the population as a whole. There was a slightly lower proportion of people aged 0 to 14 years (19.0 percent) in the New Zealander ethnic group, compared with the total population (21.5 percent). The New Zealander ethnic group also had a higher proportion of people in the middle age groups (30 to 59 years) at 49.9 percent, compared with their proportion of New Zealand's total population (41.5 percent).
• The proportion of males and females in the New Zealander ethnic group was also different from the population as a whole, with more males than females identifying with this group.

Middle Eastern, Latin American and African

The Middle Eastern, Latin American and African grouping with 34,743 people totalled 0.9 percent of New Zealand's usually resident population.
Within the Middle Eastern, Latin American and African grouping, there were 17,514 people who identified with Middle Eastern ethnic groups, 6,657 people with Latin American groups, and 10,647 people with African groups.

Note: People can choose to identify with more than one ethnic group, therefore figures may not sum to totals.