Fewer babies and migration 'fell off a cliff' during Covid-19 have contributed to slower population growth in New Zealand, the first Census results released today show.
The census, conducted in early 2023, estimated New Zealand's official population at just under 5 million, at 4,999,923.
Nearly a million people (one in five) are of Māori descent.
The total number is slightly lower than estimates of 5.34 million because it does not include people from New Zealand during the census, those who did not complete the census, and those who have been born or moved to New Zealand since then.
Overall, New Zealand's population has grown by about 295,000 since 2018.
New Zealanders as a whole are now more diverse than ever.
Those who identify as European or Pākehā make up 59.1 percent, Māori 15.5 percent, Pasifika 7.7 percent, people of Asian ethnicity 15.1 percent, and people from other backgrounds including Middle Eastern, Latin -American and African, make up 2.6 percent.
The difference between the proportion of Māori and that of Māori whakapapa is that not all people of Māori descent identified Māori as their primary ethnic background.
The population continues to gradually age: the average age is now 38.1 years, compared to 37.4 years in 2018.
Stats NZ chief analyst Rosemary Goodyear said after “unusually high growth” between the 2013 and 2018 censuses, the growth rate had almost halved, from 10.8 percent to 6.3 percent.
“Migration has fallen off a cliff with Covid… but we have also had lower fertility rates.”
The places that are growing the fastest
All regions in New Zealand grew, but some surprising locations are outpacing the rest of the population.
One in three Kiwis still call themselves Aucklanders, but the country's largest city is among the slowest growing regions, with population growth of 5.4 percent.
Instead, some of the regions around Auckland were among the fastest growing locations, including Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland.
Tasman – bordering Nelson – saw the fastest growth of all, with its population increasing by 10.3 per cent.
The fastest growing council areas include Queenstown-Lakes and Selwyn, both of which Goodyear said had experienced “phenomenal growth”.
The Covid era between censuses had been “an extraordinary period” and the impact it had had on New Zealand's population was beginning to become clear where people chose to live, she said.
“People go to places that are on the edge of cities or have scenic values.”
Census 2023 included questions on gender diversity for the first time, which will help quantify New Zealand's rainbow community.
However, the results of those questions will not be released until October this year.
Further data from the Census, including people's transport habits, income and household size, and access to technology, will be released gradually this year and 2025.
The previous 2018 census came under fire after it focused heavily on encouraging people to complete the census online, resulting in lower-than-usual completion rates and undercounts of vulnerable populations, including Māori.
The iwi counts were of such poor quality that they were withheld.
For the last Census, Stats NZ extended the length of time people could complete their Census forms and organized 1400 'assisted completion' events.
The agency says an estimated 99 percent of New Zealand's total population is included in this census, with 97 percent of Māori.
The Māori ancestry data released today has been simultaneously published on the iwi Māori data platform Te Whata.
The full data released today can be viewed at Stats NZ's Census website.