Ngāpuhi remains the largest iwi for people of Māori descent; nearly a quarter of all Māori live in the Auckland region; and over a fifth of Māori can hold a conversation in te reo Māori.

These are some of the findings from the 2013 Census which were released in December. 2013 Census QuickStats about Māori, a report released by Statistics New Zealand, reveals the top line statistics about the Māori population of New Zealand. Statistics relating to population, age and sex, location, iwi affiliation, te reo Māori, education, work and income and the number of children born are covered in the report.

“One in seven people usually living in New Zealand in 2013 belong to the Māori ethnic group,” 2013 Census General Manager Sarah Minson said. “What we know is that the Māori population is growing, is youthful although getting older, and there has been a significant shift in better education outcomes than at the last census, seven years ago.”

There were 598,605 people of Māori ethnicity living in New Zealand on census night in 2013, which is 33,276 (5.9 percent) more than at the 2006 Census. By comparison, the total New Zealand population grew 5.3 percent (214,101 people). The number of Māori aged under 15 years continued to grow. However, as a proportion of the total Māori population, this group decreased slightly since 2006. The largest increase in the Māori population since 2006 was in the working-age group of 15–64 years (particularly those aged 30–64 years) followed by those aged 65 years and over.

More Māori are achieving formal qualifications at university. Over 36,000 Māori stated a bachelor’s degree or higher as their highest qualification at the 2013 Census – a more than 50 percent increase since 2006.

Statistics New Zealand is set to release more information relating to iwi in February 2014. To get a copy of 2013 Census QuickStats about Māori you can download it from the Statistics New Zealand website http://stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/qstats-about-Māori-english-mr.aspx. Alternatively contact them by email: info@stats.govt.nz or phone: 0508 525 525 (toll-free in New Zealand) +64 4 931 4600 (outside New Zealand).

Māori are counted in two ways in the New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings: through ethnicity and through Māori descent. 2013 Census QuickStats about Māori covers both of these measures. Ethnicity and descent are different concepts – ethnicity refers to cultural affiliation, while descent is about ancestry. The snapshot of the results here was compiled largely using information about Māori ethnicity.

In 2013:

598,605 people identified with the Māori ethnic group

668,724 people were of Māori descent.

The Māori ethnic group population has increased by 163,758 people (almost 40 percent) in the past 22 years, up from 434,847 in 1991 to 598,605 in 2013.

Iwi	2006 Census 1	2013 Census 1	% change
Ngāpuhi	122,211	125,601	2.8
Ngāti Porou	71,910	71,049	-1.2
Ngāi Tahu	49,185	54,819	11.5
Waikato	33,429	40,083	19.9
Ngāti Tūwharetoa	34,674	35,874	3.5
Ngāti Maniapoto	33,627	35,358	5.1
Tūhoe	32,670	34,890	6.8
Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa	20,982	21,060	0.4
Te Arawa	23,316	19,719	-15.4
Ngāti Kahungunu, region unspecified	18,459	18,285	-0.9
Total Māori who identified with an iwi	512,325	535,941	4.6

1. Based on the Statistics NZ iwi classification. Source: Statistics New Zealand

In 2013, the largest iwi for people of Māori descent was Ngāpuhi, with 125,601 people. Since 2006, the number of people of Māori descent stating Ngāpuhi as their iwi increased by 3,390 people (2.8 percent).

The second-largest iwi in 2013 for people of Māori descent was Ngāti Porou, with 71,049 people – a decrease of 1.2 percent from 2006.

Of the South Island iwi, Ngāi Tahu was by far the largest, with a count of 54,819 people of Māori descent. This compares with 49,185 people in 2006. Ngāi Tahu is also the third-largest iwi overall in 2013.

A total of 110,928 people of Māori descent did not know their iwi. This is an increase of 8.4 percent compared with 2006, and a 0.8 percent decrease since 2001

Note: Ngāti Kahungunu is listed in this table as individual tai whenua. However, the combined tai whenua and region unspecified count for Ngāti Kahungunu is