View source for New Zealanders

{{Short description|People of New Zealand}}
{{Hatnote|For a specific analysis of the population of New Zealand, see [[Demographics of New Zealand]].}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = New Zealanders
| image            = 
| image_caption    = 
| flag             = Flag of New Zealand.svg
| flag_caption     = [[Flag of New Zealand|Flag]]
| pop              = {{circa|5.3 million}}
[[File:Map of the New Zealand Diaspora in the World.svg|center|frameless|260x260px]]
| popplace         = {{NZL}}
| region1          = {{NZL}}
| pop1             = 
| region2          = {{AUS}}
| pop2             = 640,770
| ref2             = <ref name="Australia">{{cite web |url= http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/17nz.htm |title=Fact Sheet 17 – New Zealanders in Australia |author=Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection |date=2 January 2014 |access-date=14 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212131912/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/17nz.htm|archive-date=12 February 2014}}</ref>{{efn|As of the [[2021 Australian census|2021 census]], 530,491 Australians were born in New Zealand (2.1% of the Australian population),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/birthplace |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 September 2025 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327161223/https://profile.id.com.au/australia/birthplace |url-status=dead }}</ref> while 203,507 (0.8%) claimed New Zealand ancestry (with an additional 170,060 (0.7%) claiming [[Māori people|Māori]] ancestry).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/ancestry/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 September 2025 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101104815/https://profile.id.com.au/australia/ancestry |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
| region3          = {{GBR}}
| pop3             = 58,286
| ref3             = <ref name="The diaspora">{{cite web|url= http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2004/04-13/02.htm#_toc2|title= New Zealand's Diaspora and Overseas-born Population: The diaspora|author= John Bryant and David Law|date= September 2004|work= New Zealand Treasury|access-date= 10 August 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180206072515/http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2004/04-13/02.htm/#_toc2|archive-date= 6 February 2018}}</ref>
| region4          = {{USA}}
| pop4             = 22,872
| ref4             = <ref name="The diaspora"/>
| region5          = {{CAN}}
| pop5             = 17,485
| ref5             = <ref>{{cite web|title=Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth and citizenship: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810030201|website=Statistics Canada|date = 7 May 2021|publisher=Statistics Canada Statistique Canada|access-date=3 January 2023}}</ref>
| region6          = {{NED}}
| pop6             = 4,260
| ref6             = <ref name="The diaspora"/>
| region7          = {{UAE}}
| pop7             = 4,000
| ref7             = <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091106/NATIONAL/711059864/1023/rss|title= From F1 to Fifa, the show rolls on|author= Matthew Chung|date= 6 November 2009|work= The National|access-date= 11 August 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140222010201/http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20091106%2FNATIONAL%2F711059864%2F1023%2Frss|archive-date= 22 February 2014}}</ref>
| region8          = {{JPN}}
| pop8             = 3,146
| ref8             = <ref name="The diaspora"/>
| region9          = {{HKG}}
| pop9             = 3,000
| ref9             = <ref>{{cite web|title=Living in Hong Kong|url=https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/north-asia/hong-kong-sar/new-zealand-consulate-general/living-in-hong-kong/|publisher=New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade|access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>
| region10         = {{DEU}}
| pop10            = 2,631
| ref10            = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1221/umfrage/anzahl-der-auslaender-in-deutschland-nach-herkunftsland/ |title=Anzahl der Ausländer in Deutschland nach Herkunftsland (Stand: 31. Dezember 2014) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung.html?nn=68748 |title=Pressemitteilungen – Ausländische Bevölkerung – Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) |language=de|publisher=Destatis.de |date=29 March 2016 |access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>
| region11         = {{IRL}}
| pop11            = 2,195
| ref11            = <ref name="The diaspora"/>
| region12         = {{FRA}}
| pop12            = 1,400
| ref12            = <ref name="Présentation de la Nouvelle-Zélande">{{cite web|author=Erwin Dopf |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/nouvelle-zelande/relations-bilaterales/|title=Présentation de la Nouvelle-Zélande, Relations bilatérales |publisher=diplomatie.gouv.fr |access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref>
| region13         = {{BRA}}
| pop13            = 1,394
| ref13            = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Imigrantes internacionais registrados no Brasil|url=https://www.nepo.unicamp.br/observatorio/bancointerativo/numeros-imigracao-internacional/sincre-sismigra/|access-date=20 August 2021|website=www.nepo.unicamp.br}}</ref>
| languages        = [[New Zealand English|English]]{{·}}[[Māori language]]{{·}}[[Languages of New Zealand|Other minority languages]]
| religions        = Plurality: [[Irreligion in New Zealand|Irreligious]]<br />
Minority: [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christianity]] ([[Anglican]], [[Protestantism]], [[Roman Catholic]]ism)<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/new-zealand-culture/new-zealand-culture-religion|title=New Zealand - Religion |date=January 2023 }}</ref><br /> and [[Religion in New Zealand|other minority religions]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/2018-Census-totals-by-topic/Download-data/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights.xlsx|title= 2018 Census totals by topic|publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]|format=[[Microsoft Excel]] spreadsheet|access-date=20 August 2022}}</ref>
| related_groups   = [[Australians]], [[Britons]]
}}

'''New Zealanders''', also known colloquially<ref name="early"/> as '''Kiwis''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.polynesianpride.co/why-are-new-zealanders-called-kiwis/|title=Why Are New Zealanders Called Kiwis? A Detailed Exploration|first=Amelia|last=Bennett|date=25 September 2024|access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> are the [[citizen]]s, [[Tax residence|residents]], and individuals associated with the country of [[New Zealand]], sharing a common [[History of New Zealand|history]], [[Culture of New Zealand|culture]], and language ([[New Zealand English]]). People of various ethnicities and national origins are citizens of New Zealand, governed by [[New Zealand nationality law|its nationality law]].

Originally composed solely of the indigenous [[Māori people|Māori]], the [[Demographics of New Zealand|ethnic makeup of the population]] has been dominated since the 19th century by [[European New Zealanders|New Zealanders of European descent]], mainly of [[English New Zealanders|English]], [[Scottish New Zealanders|Scottish]], [[Welsh New Zealanders|Welsh]] and [[Irish New Zealanders|Irish]] ancestry, with smaller percentages of other European and [[Middle East]]ern ancestries such as [[Greek New Zealanders|Greek]], [[Turkish New Zealanders|Turkish]], [[Italian New Zealanders|Italian]] and other groups such as [[Arab New Zealanders|Arab]], [[German New Zealanders|German]], [[Dutch New Zealanders|Dutch]], [[Scandinavia]]n, [[South Slavs|South Slavic]] and [[History of the Jews in New Zealand|Jewish]], with Western European groups predominating. Today, the ethnic makeup of the New Zealand population is undergoing a process of change, with new waves of [[Immigration to New Zealand|immigration]], higher birth rates and increasing [[interracial marriage]] resulting in the New Zealand population of Māori, [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]], [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]] and [[multiracial]] descent growing at a higher rate than those of solely European descent, with such groups projected to make up a larger proportion of the population in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/ethnic-pop-projections-issues-and-trends.aspx|title= Ethnic Population Projections: Issues and Trends|author= Gillian Smeith and Kim Dunstan|date= June 2004|work= Statistics New Zealand|access-date=10 August 2010}}</ref> New Zealand has an estimated resident population of around {{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y|showtitle|showref|(as of |).}} Over one million New Zealanders recorded in the [[2013 New Zealand census]] were born overseas, and by 2021 over a quarter of New Zealanders are estimated to be foreign born.<ref>{{cite web|title=Number of overseas-born tops 1 million, 2013 Census shows|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/qstats-culture-identity-nz-mr.aspx|publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]|access-date=30 July 2017|language=en-nz|date=15 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730211921/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/qstats-culture-identity-nz-mr.aspx|archive-date=30 July 2017}}</ref> Rapidly increasing ethnic groups vary from being well-established, such as [[Indian New Zealanders|Indians]] and [[Chinese New Zealanders|Chinese]], to nascent ones such as [[African New Zealanders]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Walrond|first=Carl|title=Africans|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/africans|access-date=3 April 2021|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|date=2015|language=en-NZ}}</ref>

While most New Zealanders are resident in New Zealand, there is also a significant [[diaspora]], estimated at around 750,000. Of these, about 640,800 lived in [[Australia]] ({{as of|2014|alt=a June 2013 estimate}}),<ref name="Australia"/> which was equivalent to {{percentage|650000|{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|2014}}|0}} of the resident population of New Zealand. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are heavily concentrated in other [[Anglosphere|English-speaking countries]], specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere.<ref name="The diaspora"/> New Zealanders have had a cultural influence on a global scale, through [[Cinema of New Zealand|film]], [[Languages of New Zealand|language]], [[Māori culture|te ao Māori]], [[New Zealand art|art]], [[List of New Zealand scientists|science]], [[Music of New Zealand|music]] and technology, and founded the modern [[women's suffrage]] and [[Anti-nuclear movement|anti-nuclear]] movements. Technological and scientific achievements of New Zealanders stem back to the earliest [[Polynesian navigation|Polynesian navigators]], who used sophisticated astral methods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vermillion |first=Stephanie |title=Polynesia's master voyagers who navigate by nature |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210726-polynesias-master-voyagers-who-navigate-by-nature |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=www.bbc.com |date=27 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Modern [[trench warfare]] is often argued to have originated in New Zealand among Māori in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ruapekapeka |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/ruapekapeka |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref> New Zealanders also pioneered [[nuclear physics]] ([[Ernest Rutherford]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ernest Rutherford {{!}} Accomplishments, Atomic Theory, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest-Rutherford |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> the [[Women's suffrage|women's suffrage movement]] ([[Kate Sheppard]]), modern Western conceptions of [[gender identity]] ([[John Money]]'')'' and [[plastic surgery]] ([[Harold Gillies]]).<ref name="Yeo Society2">{{cite web |date=28 August 2008 |title=Walter Ernest O'Neil Yeo – One of the first people to undergo Plastic Surgery |url=http://www.yeosociety.com/biographies/Walteryeo-plasticsurgery.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807111421/http://www.yeosociety.com/biographies/Walteryeo-plasticsurgery.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=7 August 2009 |publisher=The Yeo Society}}</ref>

New Zealand culture is a predominantly [[Western culture]], influenced by the unique environment and geographic isolation of the islands, and the cultural input of the Māori and the various waves of multiethnic migration which followed the British colonisation of New Zealand. A colloquial name for a New Zealander is a ''[[Kiwi (nickname)|Kiwi]]'' ({{IPAc-en|k|iː|w|iː}}).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Definition of 'kiwi' |encyclopedia=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/kiwi |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Gary Morley |date=24 June 2010 |title=Kiwis hope to take flight at World Cup |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/06/21/world.cup.new.zealand/index.html#fbid=eZaW38-DA87&wom=false |access-date=11 August 2010 |work=CNN}}</ref><ref name="early">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Kiwi and people: early history |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kiwi/4 |access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref>
==Etymology==
Historically 'New Zealander' was used as a term exclusively for the indigenous Māori and Europeans would refer to themselves as British or their respective home country.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carpenter |first1=Samuel |title=Te Whānau Wiremu ki Aotearoa: How the Williams' story has shaped Christianity, Culture, and Nation in Aotearoa, New Zealand. |pages=36–50|doi=10.3316/informit.516848635977393 |journal=Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice|volume=30|issue=1|publisher=Laidlaw College|issn=2230-5963 |date=June 2023|doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopaedia|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/the-new-zealanders/|title=The New Zealanders|first1=Jock|last1=Phillips|date=4 March 2009|encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}</ref>

==Ethnic origins==
{{Main|List of ethnic origins of New Zealanders}}
{{See also|New Zealand census}}
{| class="wikitable" font-size:80%;" style="float:left"
! colspan="4"|1961 New Zealand census<ref name="cicred.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c37.pdf|title=The Population of New Zealand|quote=TOTAL POPULATION BY ETHNIC ORIGIN 1916–1971 The New Zealand population can broadly be classified, according to ethnic origin, into three main groups: Europeans, Maoris and "others"|page=53|date=1974|website=cicred|access-date=20 April 2023|archive-date=4 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104220034/http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c37.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan011140.pdf|title=Total and Mäori Populations 1858–2001 Censuses of Population and Dwellings|website=Statistics New Zealand|access-date=20 April 2023|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020812/http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan011140.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! Ethnic group
! Population
! colspan="4"|% of New Zealand population
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[European New Zealanders|European]]||style="text-align:right"|2,216,886
|align=right| {{bartable|91.8||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Māori people|Māori]]||style="text-align:right"|167,086
|align=right| {{bartable|6.9||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| Other||style="text-align:right"|31,012
|align=right| {{bartable|1.3||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| '''Total'''||style="text-align:right"|'''2,414,984'''
|align=right| {{bartable|100.0||2||background:midnightblue}}
|-
! colspan="4"|2023 New Zealand census<ref name="stats.govt.nz">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/census-results-reflect-aotearoa-new-zealands-diversity/|title=Census results reflect Aotearoa New Zealand's diversity|date=3 October 2024|access-date=28 June 2025|website=stats.govt.nz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531125035/https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/census-results-reflect-aotearoa-new-zealands-diversity/|archive-date=31 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! Ethnic group
! Population
! colspan="4"|% of New Zealand population
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| European||style="text-align:right"|3,099,858
|align=right| {{bartable|62.1||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"|Māori||style="text-align:right"|887,493
|align=right| {{bartable|17.8||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]]||style="text-align:right"|571,131
|align=right| {{bartable|11.4||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pacific Islander]]||style="text-align:right"|405,069
|align=right| {{bartable|8.1||2||background:royalblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| Other||style="text-align:right"|30,372
|align=right| {{bartable|0.6||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| '''Total'''||style="text-align:right"|'''4,993,923'''
|align=right| {{bartable|100.0||2||background:midnightblue}}
|}
{{Clear}}

The table above shows the broad ethnic composition of the New Zealand population at the 1961 census compared to that from the most recent data of the 2023 census. People of [[European ethnic groups|European]] descent constituted the majority of the 4.9 million people living in New Zealand, with 3,099,858 or 62.1% of the population in the [[2023 New Zealand census]].<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/> Those of full or part-Māori ancestry comprise 17.8% of New Zealanders. The residual "others" ethnic group consists largely of Asians and Pacific Islanders.<ref name="cicred.org"/>
[[File:ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Wellington Cenotaph - Flickr - NZ Defence Force (2).jpg|thumb|Crowd at an [[Anzac Day]] Dawn Service at [[Wellington Cenotaph]], 2011]]

===Māori===
{{Main|Māori people}}
[[File:Maoris - Carving Publicity Caption Maori girls pose with a Teko Teko at Whakarewarewa Model Village, Rotorua Photographer R Anderson.jpg|thumb|Two Māori women, {{circa|1970}}]]
The [[Māori people]] are most likely descended from people who emigrated from [[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]] to [[Melanesia]] and then travelled east through to the [[Society Islands]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Wilmshurst | first1 = J. M. | last2 = Hunt | first2 = T. L. | last3 = Lipo | first3 = C. P. | last4 = Anderson | first4 = A. J. | title = High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1015876108 | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | volume = 108 | issue = 5 | year = 2010 | pages = 1815–20 | pmid =  21187404| pmc = 3033267| bibcode = 2011PNAS..108.1815W | doi-access = free }}</ref> After a pause of 70 to 265 years, a new wave of exploration led to the discovery and settlement of New Zealand in about AD 1250–1300,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/when-was-new-zealand-first-settled/1 |title=When was New Zealand first settled? – The date debate |encyclopedia= Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Irwin |first=Geoff |author2= Walrond, Carl  |date=4 March 2009 |access-date= 14 February 2010}}</ref> making New Zealand one of the most recently settled major landmasses. Some researchers have suggested an earlier wave of arrivals dating to as early as AD 50–150; these people then either died out or left the islands.<ref name="MeinSmith6">Mein Smith (2005), pg 6.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/10289/2690/1/Lowe%202008%20Polynesian%20settlement%20guidebook.pdf |title=Guidebook for Pre-conference North Island Field Trip A1 'Ashes and Issues' (28–30 November 2008). Australian and New Zealand 4th Joint Soils Conference, Massey University, Palmerston North (1–5 December 2008) |pages=142–147 |publisher=New Zealand Society of Soil Science |last=Lowe |first=David J. |editor-last=Lowe |editor-first=David J. |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-473-14476-0 |access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref><ref name="Sutton1">Sutton ''et al.'' (2008), pg 109. "This paper ... affirms the Long Chronology [first settlement up to 2000 years BP], recognizing it as the most plausible hypothesis."</ref>

Over the following centuries, the Polynesian settlers developed into a distinct culture now known as [[Māori culture|Māori]]. The population was divided into [[iwi]] (tribes) and [[hapū]] (subtribes) which would cooperate, compete and fight with each other. At some point, a group of Māori migrated to the [[Chatham Islands]] where they developed their distinct [[Moriori]] culture.<ref name=Clark123>Clark (1994) pg 123–135</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/moriori/4 |title= The impact of new arrivals |encyclopedia= Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Davis |first=Denise |date=11 September 2007 |access-date= 30 April 2010}}</ref>

Due to New Zealand's geographic isolation, 500 years passed before the next phase of settlement, the arrival of Europeans. Only then did the indigenous inhabitants need to distinguish themselves from the new arrivals, using the term "Māori" which means "normal" or "ordinary".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Hare |first1=McLintock, Alexander |last2=Gully |first2=John Sidney |title= The Word 'Maori' |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/maori-pakeha-pakeha-maori |encyclopedia= An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |access-date=5 May 2017 |language=en |date=1966}}</ref>
[[File:Ihaia Te Kirikumara.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Īhāia Te Kirikūmara]], a Māori [[rangatira]]]]

Between the mid-1840s through to the 1860s, disputes over questionable land purchases led to the [[New Zealand Wars]], which resulted in large tracts of tribal land being confiscated by the colonial government. Settlements such as [[Parihaka]] in Taranaki have become almost legendary because of injustices done there.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parihaka Attack|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/parihaka|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date=5 May 2017}}</ref> With the loss of much of their land coupled with high fatality rate due to introduced diseases and epidemics, Māori went into a period of decline, and in the late 19th century, it was believed that the Māori population would cease to exist as a separate race and would be assimilated into the European population.

Despite this, the predicted decline did not occur, and numbers recovered. Despite a high degree of intermarriage between Māori and European populations, Māori were able to retain their cultural identity, and in the 1960s and 1970s, [[:wikt:Maoridom|Māoridom]] underwent a cultural revival.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Māori – Urbanisation and renaissance|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-5|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=5 May 2017|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Maori children - Contemporary ethnographic presentation of Maori.jpg|thumb|Contemporary ethnographic presentation of Māori children]]
The Māori population has seen stability in the 21st century. In the 2013 Census, 598,602 people identified as being part of the Māori ethnic group, accounting for 14.9%<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/> of the New Zealand population, while 668,724 people (17.5%) claimed Māori descent.<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/> 278,199 people identified as of sole Māori ethnicity, while 291,015 identified as of both European and Māori ethnicity (with or without a third ethnicity), due to a high rate of [[miscegenation|intermarriage]] between the two cultures.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8028 |title= Ethnic group (detailed single and combination) by age group and sex, for the census usually resident population count, 2013|publisher= Statistics New Zealand |access-date= 16 August 2014}}</ref> Under the Maori Affairs Amendment Act 1974, a Māori is defined as "a person of the Māori race of New Zealand; and includes any descendant of such a person", replacing an earlier legal application based on an arbitrarily defined "degree of Maori{{sic}} blood".<ref>{{cite web |title=Maori Affairs Amendment Act 1974 (1974 No 73) |url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/maaa19741974n73232/ |website=www.nzlii.org |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref>

According to the 2006 census, the largest iwi by population is [[Ngāpuhi]] (125,601), followed by [[Ngāti Porou]] (71,049), [[Ngāi Tahu]] (54,819) and [[Waikato (iwi)|Waikato]] (40,083). However, over 110,000 people of Māori descent in the 2013 census could not identify their iwi.<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/> Outside of New Zealand, a large Māori population exists in Australia, estimated at 155,000 in 2011.<ref name=Hamer>{{citation |author=Hamer, Paul |year=2012 |title=Māori in Australia: An Update from the 2011 Australian census and the 2011 New Zealand General Election | ssrn=2167613 }}</ref> The Māori Party has suggested a special seat should be created in the New Zealand parliament representing Māori in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1385989/2556418.xhtml |title=Sharples suggests Maori seat in Australia |publisher=Television New Zealand|date=1 October 2007 |access-date=9 January 2011}}</ref> Smaller communities also exist in the United Kingdom (approx. 8,000), the United States (up to 3,500) and Canada (approx. 1,000).<ref name=Walrond>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Walrond |first=Carl |title= Māori overseas |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori-overseas |date=4 March 2009 |access-date=7 December 2010}}</ref><ref name=uscb>New Zealand-born figures from the 2000 U.S. Census; maximum figure represents sum of "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" and people of mixed race. United States Census Bureau (2003).''{{cite web|url= https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/stp-159/stp159-new_zealand.pdf |title=Census 2000 Foreign-Born Profiles (STP-159): Country of Birth: New Zealand }}&nbsp;{{small|(103&nbsp;KB)}}''. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau.</ref>

The most common region this group lived in was [[Auckland Region]] (23.9 percent or 142,770 people). They are the second-largest ethnic group in New Zealand, after European New Zealanders. In addition, more than 120,000 Māori live in Australia. 
The [[Māori language]] (known as ''Te Reo Māori'') is still spoken to some extent by about a fifth of all Māori, representing 3% of the total population. Many New Zealanders regularly use Māori words and expressions, such as "''[[kia ora]]''", while speaking English. Māori are active in all spheres of New Zealand culture and society, with independent representation in areas such as media, politics (such as [[Māori electorates]]), and sport.

===European===
{{Main|European New Zealanders|Pākehā}}
[[File:Orewa College student Anzac Day parade.jpg|thumb|New Zealand school-students of European descent]] 
Most European New Zealanders have [[British people|British]] and/or [[Irish people|Irish]] ancestry, with smaller percentages of other European ancestries such as [[Germans]], [[Polish people|Poles]] (historically noted as "Germans" due to [[Partitions of Poland]]), [[French people|French]], [[Dutch people|Dutch]], [[Scandinavia]]n and [[South Slavs]].<ref>Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/en New Zealand Peoples] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080720062539/http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/en |date=20 July 2008 }}</ref> In 1961, the census showed that 91.8% of New Zealanders self-identified as being of European descent, down from 95% in 1926.<ref name="cicred.org"/>

The [[Māori-language]] loanword ''Pākehā'' came into use to refer to European New Zealanders, although some European New Zealanders reject this appellation.<ref>{{Cite news | first = Tapu | last = Misa | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10371473 | title = Ethnic Census status tells the whole truth | newspaper = New Zealand Herald | date = 8 March 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120209090135/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10371473 | archive-date = 9 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Draft Report of a Review of the Official Ethnicity Statistical Standard: Proposals to Address the 'New Zealander' Response Issue|date= April 2009|url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/browse-categories/people-and-communities/households/review-ethnicity/draft-reportof-reviewo-official-ethnicity-standard.pdf|publisher= Statistics New Zealand|access-date= 18 January 2011|archive-date= 2 November 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111102073859/http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/browse-categories/people-and-communities/households/review-ethnicity/draft-reportof-reviewo-official-ethnicity-standard.pdf|url-status= dead}}</ref> Twenty-first century New Zealanders increasingly use the word "Pākehā" to refer to all non-Polynesian New Zealanders.<ref name="Pakeha">{{cite web| url= http://maorinews.com/writings/papers/other/pakeha.htm |title= 'Pakeha', Its Origin and Meaning |last= Ranford |first= Jodie |quote= Originally the Pakeha were the early European settlers, however, today 'Pakeha' is used to describe any peoples of non-Maori or non-Polynesian heritage. [...] It is merely a means by which the peoples of Aotearoa differentiate between the indigenous peoples and the early European Settlers, or the Maori and the other, irrelevant of race, colour, ethnicity, and culture. |access-date= 20 February 2008 |publisher= Māori News}}</ref>

The first Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were the Dutch explorer [[Abel Tasman|Abel Janszoon Tasman]] and his crew in 1642.<ref name="MeinSmith23">Mein Smith (2005), pg 23.</ref> Māori killed several of the crew, and no more Europeans went to New Zealand until British explorer [[James Cook]]'s voyage of 1768–71.<ref name="MeinSmith23"/> Cook reached New Zealand in 1769 and mapped almost the entire coastline. Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by numerous European and North American [[History of whaling|whaling]], [[Seal hunting|sealing]], exploring and trading ships. They traded European food and goods, especially metal tools and weapons, for Māori timber, food, artefacts and water. On occasion, Europeans and Māori traded goods for sex.<ref name=King122>King (2003) pg 122.</ref> Some early European arrivals integrated closely with the indigenous Māori people and became known as [[Pākehā Māori]]. [[James Belich (historian)|James Belich]] characterises many of the very early European settlers as forerunners of a "[[crew]] culture" – as distinct from the majority of later European immigrants.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Belich
 | first1 = James
 | author-link1 = James Belich (historian)
 | year = 1996
 | title = Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders From Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-9YhYJKBgQ8C
 | location = Auckland
 | publisher = Penguin
 | publication-date = 2007
 | isbn = 978-1-74228-822-2
 | access-date = 19 August 2019
| quote = Old New Zealand did not finally fade away until the early twentieth century, but in the half-century before this it was largely transformed into what a later chapter will call 'crew culture'. This culture differed sharply from mainstream Pakeha society, shared many of the characteristics of the Old New Zealand Tasmen, and was their heir. But it tended more to miners and navvies than whalers and sealers; was much larger; worked more in tandem with mainstream Pakeha; and from the 1860s was increasingly disconnected from its old Maori partner.
}}
</ref>

[[File:Treatyofwaitangi.jpg|thumb|upright|left| Māori and the British representatives signed the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] in 1840.]]
The [[Treaty of Waitangi]] was first signed in the [[Bay of Islands]] on 6 February 1840.<ref name="timeline">[https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/milestones Political and constitutional timeline], New Zealand History online, Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Updated 6 December 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2010.</ref> Confusion and disagreement continue to surround the Treaty. However, most New Zealanders still regard "the Treaty" as marking New Zealand's foundation as a nation.

In response to attempts by the [[New Zealand Company]] to establish a separate colony in Wellington, and mindful of French claims in [[Akaroa Harbour|Akaroa]], Hobson, appointed as Lieutenant-Governor on 14 January 1840, declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May 1840. He published two proclamations published in the ''[[New Zealand Advertiser and Bay Of Islands Gazette]]'' issue of 19 June 1840. One "assert[s] on the grounds of Discovery, the Sovereign Rights of Her Majesty over the Southern Islands of New Zealand, commonly called 'The Middle Island' ([[South Island]]) and 'Stewart's Island' ([[Stewart Island / Rakiura]]); and the Island, commonly called 'The Northern Island', having been ceded Sovereignty to Her Majesty". The second proclamation expanded on how sovereignty over the "Northern Island" had been ceded under the treaty signed that February.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZABIG18400619.1.1&e=-------10--1----1-all | title= New Zealand Advertiser and Bay Of Islands Gazette | date = 19 June 1840 | publisher= Hocken Library | access-date= 22 April 2010 }}</ref>

Following the formalising of sovereignty, an organised and structured flow of migrants from Great Britain and Ireland began, and by 1860 more than 100,000 British and Irish settlers lived throughout New Zealand. The [[Otago Association]] actively recruited settlers from Scotland, generating a definite Scottish influence in [[Murihiku]], while the [[Canterbury Association]] recruited settlers from the south of England, giving a definite English influence to the [[Canterbury, New Zealand|"Canterbury Settlement"]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/4|title= History of Immigration – 1840 – 1852|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}</ref> By 1870 the non-Māori population reached over 250,000.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/5|title=History of Immigration – 1853 – 1870|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}</ref>

Other settlers came from Germany, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe as well as from China and the [[Indian subcontinent]], but British and Irish settlers made up the vast majority, and did so for the next 150 years.<ref name="early"/>

Between 1881 and the 1920s, the [[New Zealand Parliament]] passed legislation that intended to limit Asiatic migration to New Zealand, and prevented Asians from naturalising.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/ImmigrationRegulation/2/en|title=1881–1914: restrictions on Chinese and others|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|access-date=11 August 2010|archive-date=24 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724165549/http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/ImmigrationRegulation/2/en|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In particular, the New Zealand government levied a poll tax on Chinese immigrants up until the 1930s, when Japan went to war with China. New Zealand finally abolished the poll tax in 1944.
An influx of Jewish refugees from central Europe came in the 1930s.
Many of the persons of Polish origin in New Zealand arrived as orphans from Eastern Poland via Siberia and Iran in 1944 during World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1095/polish-orphans |title= Polish Orphans — Refugees |via= Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |quote=The photo shows some of them on board the General G. Randall on the day they arrived. |date=16 November 2012}}</ref>

==== Post-WWII European immigration ====
[[File:Edmund Hillary, c. 1953, autograph removed.jpg|thumb|upright|New Zealand explorer and mountaineer [[Edmund Hillary]], an esteemed national figure]]

With the agencies of the [[United Nations]] dealing with humanitarian efforts following the [[World War II|Second World War]], New Zealand accepted about 5,000 refugees and displaced persons from Europe, and more than 1,100 [[Hungarians]] between 1956 and 1959 (see ''[[Refugees in New Zealand]]'').<ref>{{cite web |date=1 May 2018 |title=The 1950s – Overview |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-1950s/overview |access-date=9 February 2023 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |language=en}}</ref> The post-WWII immigration included more persons from [[Greeks in New Zealand|Greece]], [[Italian New Zealander|Italy]], [[Polish New Zealander|Poland]] and the former [[Yugoslavia]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/4|title= History of Immigration – 1840 – 1852|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand}}</ref>

New Zealand limited immigration to those who would meet a labour shortage in New Zealand. To encourage those to come, the Government introduced free and assisted passages in 1947, a schema expanded by the [[First National Government of New Zealand|First National Government]] in 1950.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} However, when it became clear that not enough skilled migrants would come from the British Isles alone, recruitment began in Northern European countries. New Zealand signed a bilateral agreement for skilled migrants with the Netherlands, and a large number of Dutch immigrants arrived in New Zealand. Others came in the 1950s from Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Austria to meet needs in specialised occupations.
By the 1960s, the policy of excluding people based on nationality yielded a population overwhelmingly European in origin. By the mid-1960s, a desire for cheap unskilled labour led to ethnic diversification.

===Asian===
{{Main|Asian New Zealanders}}
[[File:Lion dancers at the Auckland lantern festival 2010.jpg|thumb|Lion dancers perform at Auckland's [[Lantern Festival]].]]
In the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]], people with Asian ancestry made up 11.8% of the population. [[Chinese New Zealander|Chinese]] remained the largest Asian ethnic group in 2013 (171,411 people); [[Indian New Zealander|Indian]] was the second-largest (155,178 people) and [[Filipino New Zealander|Filipino]] a distant third (40,350 people).<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/>

There have been people of Asian ethnicity living in New Zealand from the early days of European settlement, albeit in very small numbers. Many Chinese men were encouraged to temporarily move to [[Otago]] during the [[Otago gold rush|gold rushes]] of the late 1800s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Māori and Chinese miners {{!}} Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/gold-and-gold-mining/page-10 |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref> but the [[New Zealand head tax|poll tax]] from 1881-1930s kept numbers low. Some came directly from [[Guangzhou]] and others via goldfields in Australia and America.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} A small population of these groups remained and settled permanently.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} A century later, the number of people of Asian ethnicities increased after changes to immigration laws. 

===Pacific Islanders===
{{Main|Pasifika New Zealanders}}
[[File:Cook Islands dancers at Auckland's Pacifica festival 3a.jpg|thumb|[[Cook Islands]] dancers at Auckland's [[Pasifika Festival]]]]
In the 1950s and 1960s, New Zealand encouraged migrants from the South Pacific.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Pacific Islands and New Zealand|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/pacific-islands-and-new-zealand|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=5 May 2017|language=en}}</ref> The country had a large demand for unskilled labour in the manufacturing sector. As long as this demand continued, migrants were encouraged by the government to come from the South Pacific, and stayed longer than their visas allowed. However, when the boom times stopped, some blamed the migrants for the economic downturn affecting the country, and many of those people suffered from the [[Dawn Raids (New Zealand)|dawn raids]] from 1974.<ref>{{cite book |last=Anae |first=Melanie|editor-first=Mallon |editor-last=Sean |title=Tangata O Le Moana: New Zealand and the People of the Pacific|publisher=Te Papa Press |year=2012 |pages=227–30 |chapter=Overstayers, Dawn Raids and the Polynesian Panthers |isbn=978-1-877385-72-8}}</ref><ref name="Dawn Raids">{{cite AV media |people=Damon Fepulea'I, Rachel Jean, Tarx Morrison |year=2005 |title=''Dawn Raids'' |url=http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/dawn-raids-2005 |format= documentary |publisher=[[Television New Zealand]], Isola Publications }}</ref>

===Middle Eastern, Latin American and African===
{{Main|Middle Eastern New Zealanders|African New Zealanders}}
This component was 1.2% of the total population in the 2013 census.<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/> The Latin American ethnic group almost doubled in size between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, increasing from 6,654 people to 13,182. A more recent component comprises refugees and other settlers from Africa and the Middle East, most recently from Somalia. While there had been previous settlers from the Middle East, such as Syrians, people from Equatorial Africa have been very few in the past. 
* Middle Eastern ethnic group – 20,406
* African ethnic group – 13,464

===Others===
In 2013, 67,752 people or 1.7% self-identified with one or more ethnicities ''other than'' European, Māori, Pacific, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African. The vast majority of these people, 65,973 people, identified only as 'New Zealander'.<ref name="stats.govt.nz"/><ref>[http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/data-tables/tables-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=24388&tabname=Culturaldiversity# 2013 Census tables about a place: New Zealand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325222338/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/data-tables/tables-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=24388&tabname=Culturaldiversity |date=25 March 2016 }} Ethnic groups of people in New Zealand</ref>

==Race and ethnic relations==
{{See also|Structural discrimination in New Zealand|Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements}}
[[File:Waitangi Day 1973.jpg|thumb|upright|Prime Minister [[Norman Kirk]] walks hand in hand with a Māori boy, [[Waitangi Day]] 1973.]]
After 1840, many issues to do with [[sovereignty]] and land ownership remained unresolved and, for a long time, invisible while Māori lived in rural communities. When Māori and Pākehā (Europeans) began living in closer proximity, the belief that the country had "the best race relations in the world" was tested. The first Race Relations Concilitator was appointed in 1971 to help combat racial discrimination among New Zealanders.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=The people of New Zealand|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/society/page-1|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>

Agitation regarding [[Treaty of Waitangi]] violations intensified in the 1970s. The [[Waitangi Tribunal]] was set up in 1975 to consider alleged breaches, and in 1984 was empowered to look back to 1840.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the Waitangi Tribunal|url=https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/about-waitangi-tribunal/|website=waitangitribunal.govt.nz|publisher=Waitangi Tribunal|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en-NZ|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205135341/https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/about-waitangi-tribunal/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In general, New Zealanders of European descent consider themselves to be mostly free of racial prejudice, perceiving the country to be a more inclusive society, a notion that has been challenged especially by members of ethnic minority groups. According to research published in 2018, which analysed New Zealand adults' reported experience of racism over a 10-year period, reported recent racist experiences were highest among Asian participants followed by Māori and Pacific peoples, with Europeans reporting the lowest experience of racism.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=Ricci B. |last2=Stanley |first2=James |last3=Cormack |first3=Donna M. |title=Racism and health in New Zealand: Prevalence over time and associations between recent experience of racism and health and wellbeing measures using national survey data |journal=PLOS ONE |date=3 May 2018 |volume=13 |issue=5 |article-number=e0196476 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0196476|pmid=29723240 |pmc=5933753 |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1396476H |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Further|Culture of New Zealand}}

New Zealand culture is essentially a [[Western culture]] influenced by the unique environment and geographic isolation of the islands, and the cultural input of the Māori and the various waves of multiethnic migration which followed the British colonisation of New Zealand. British settlers brought a legal, political, and economic system that has flourished, along with the British system of [[agriculture in New Zealand|agriculture]] that has transformed the landscape.

[[File:Coloured illustration of Anzac troops after the fighting at Gallipoli during World War I (5681735081).jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration of [[Anzac]] troops after the fighting at [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]] during the First World War]]

The development of a New Zealand identity and national character, separate from the British colonial identity, is most often linked with the period surrounding the First World War, which gave rise to the concept of the [[Anzac spirit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Spirit of ANZAC|url=https://anzacday.org.au/spirit-of-anzac|publisher=ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee|access-date=28 June 2017|date=26 November 2015}}</ref> However, cultural links between New Zealand and Great Britain are maintained by a common language, sustained immigration from the UK, and the fact that many young New Zealanders spend time in Britain on "[[overseas experience]]", known as "OE".<ref>{{cite web|title=Make your overseas experience relevant to New Zealand|url=https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/work-in-nz/finding-work/job-interviews/make-your-overseas-experience-relevant|website=newzealandnow.govt.nz|publisher=New Zealand Immigration|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> New Zealanders also identify closely with [[Australians]], as a result of the two nations' shared historical, cultural and geographic characteristics.<ref name="Australians">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Australia and New Zealand – Common culture|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/australia-and-new-zealand/page-5|encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Maori dancers.jpg|thumb|left|A Māori war dance, called a [[haka]]]]
The New Zealand government promotes Māori culture by supporting Māori-language schools, having visible Māori language in government departments and literature, incorporating traditional Māori welcomes ([[pōwhiri]]) at government functions and state school award programs,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Haerewa|first1=Ngarangi|title=Māori Culture: What Is A Pōwhiri?|url=https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/maori-culture-what-is-a-powhiri/|website=Culture Trip|date=17 August 2016|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-date=5 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905050859/https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/maori-culture-what-is-a-powhiri/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and having Māori run the welfare services targeted at their people.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gray|first1=Mel|last2=Coates|first2=John|last3=Bird|first3=Michael Yellow|title=Indigenous Social Work Around the World: Towards Culturally Relevant Education and Practice|date=2008|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-4838-3|page=114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-uldFd2WMVoC&pg=PA114|language=en}}</ref>

New Zealanders may speak with a distinctive [[New Zealand English|New Zealand accent]].


===National personifications===
{{See also|National symbols of New Zealand}}
[[File:Palmerston NZ Boer War Memorial closer.jpg|upright|thumb|A statue of ''[[Zealandia (personification)|Zealandia]]'' as a [[Second Boer War]] memorial in Palmerston]]

''[[Zealandia (personification)|Zealandia]]'' was a [[national personification]] of New Zealand and New Zealanders used primarily in the early 1900s. In her stereotypical form, Zealandia appears as a woman of European descent who is dressed in flowing robes (or gown).<ref name="Wolfe">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/zealandia-mother-of-the-nation/|last=Wolfe|first=Richard|title=Zealandia – mother of the nation?|issue=23|date=July–September 1994|magazine=[[New Zealand Geographic]]|location=Auckland|access-date=5 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="Glover">[[Denis Glover|Denis James Matthews Glover]], [http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/zealandia/1 "A National Symbol?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020123749/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/zealandia/1 |date=20 October 2012 }} in ''[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]]'' ([[Alexander Hare McLintock|A. H. McLintock]] ed, 1966). Retrieved on 5 June 2017.</ref> She is similar in dress and appearance to [[Britannia]] (the female personification of Britain), who is said to be the mother of Zealandia.<ref name="Glover"/>

As a rhetorical evocation of a New Zealand national identity,<ref name="Wolfe"/> Zealandia appeared on [[postage stamp]]s, posters, cartoons, [[war memorial]]s, and New Zealand government publications most commonly during the first half of the 20th century. The personification was a commonly used symbol of the [[New Zealand Centennial Exhibition]], which was held in [[Wellington]] in 1939 and 1940.<ref name="Wolfe" /> Two large Zealandia statues serve as war memorials that honour the casualties of the [[Second Boer War]]: one is in [[Waimate]] and the other is in [[Palmerston, New Zealand|Palmerston]].<ref name="Wolfe"/> Some smaller statues exist in museums and in private hands.

The female figure who appears on the left side of the [[coat of arms of New Zealand|national coat of arms]] has been identified as Zealandia<ref>[http://www.ngw.nl/int/nzl/nz-nat.htm National Arms of New Zealand] – Heraldry of the World. Last modified on 21 January 2016. Retrieved on 5 June 2017.</ref> (in a "cut down nightie").<ref name="Glover"/>

===Inventions===
[[Māori people|Māori]], and other Polynesians, have been credited by many historians as being the [[Polynesian navigation|world's foremost navigators]] prior to the [[Modern era|modern age]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-02-15 |title=Polynesia's Genius Navigators |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/polynesia-genius-navigators/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=PBS |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean? – Alan Tamayose and Shantell De Silva |url=https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-polynesian-wayfinders-navigate-the-pacific-ocean-alan-tamayose-and-shantell-de-silva |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=TED-Ed |language=en}}</ref> [[Polynesians]] made contact with nearly every island within the vast [[Polynesian Triangle]], inventing the [[catamaran]] and conceiving complex [[astronomy]] to help navigate the Pacific. The continuance of this knowledge after the immediate settlement of New Zealand is evident in the non-tangible [[Compass|360° compass]] developed and used by Māori long before European settlement. Māori compasses were divided into 32 different ''whare'', or houses, between north, south, east, and west. This helped navigators memorise upwards of 200 stars. [[Memorization|Memorisation]] was integral to Māori knowledge, which had no [[written language]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Te Kāpehu Whētu- The Māori Star Compass {{!}} by Education at Waitangi |url=https://www.waitangi.org.nz/learn-blog/matariki-in-the-maori-star-compass |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=www.waitangi.org.nz}}</ref> [[Oral tradition]] was maintained in New Zealand by [[guild]]s for centuries after Māori arrival, despite later colonial efforts to suppress it.

In the [[New Zealand Wars]] (1845–1872), the Māori developed elaborate trench and [[bunker]] systems as part of the already-existent fortified areas known as [[pā]], employing them successfully as early as the 1840s to withstand British artillery bombardments.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cowen |first=James |title=The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period (1845–1864) |publisher=R.E. Owen, Government Printer |year=1955 |volume=I |location=Wellington |chapter=Chapter 7: The Attack on Ohaeawai |chapter-url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cow01NewZ-c7.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 February 2008 |title=Early Maori military engineering skills to be honoured by New Zealand Professional Engineers |url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/2008/early-maori-military-engineering-skills-to-be-honoured-by-new-zealand-professional-engineers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202000402/http://doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/2008/early-maori-military-engineering-skills-to-be-honoured-by-new-zealand-professional-engineers/ |archive-date=2013-02-02 |access-date=2012-09-25 |publisher=New Zealand Department of Conservation}}</ref> These systems included firing trenches, communication trenches, [[tunnel]]s, and anti-artillery bunkers. The [[Ngāpuhi]] pā [[Ruapekapeka]] is often considered to be the most technologically impressive by historians, and was described in 2017 as "one of the most sophisticated military installations" the British Empire had ever tackled, by broadcaster [[Mihingarangi Forbes]] for [[Radio New Zealand|RNZ]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-25 |title=NZ WARS – The Stories of Ruapekapeka |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/nz-wars/story/2018619186/nz-wars-the-stories-of-ruapekapeka |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-25 |title=NZ WARS – The Stories of Ruapekapeka |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/nz-wars/story/2018619186/nz-wars-the-stories-of-ruapekapeka |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref> There has been an academic debate surrounding this since the 1980s, when in his book ''The New Zealand Wars,'' historian [[James Belich (historian)|James Belich]] claimed that Northern Māori had effectively invented trench warfare during the first stages of the New Zealand Wars. However, given that trenches of some form or another have always been present in human warfare, this conclusion has been contentious and criticised by other historians.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ruapekapeka {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/ruapekapeka |access-date=2019-08-07 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>

New Zealanders in the modern era have also been prolific innovators. [[Instant coffee]], today a [[Staple food|staple drink]] across the world, was first invented in [[Invercargill]] in 1890 by food chemist David Strang.<ref>{{cite web |year=1890 |title=First Annual Report |url=http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1890-I.2.3.2.1&e=-------10--1------0-- |work=Patents, Designs and Trade-marks |page=9 |location=New Zealand}}</ref> [[Kate Sheppard|Katherine Sheppard]], a [[suffragette]], is regarded as the mother of the modern women's suffrage movement. Her efforts within the Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand led to New Zealand becoming the first nation in the world to enact [[universal suffrage]].

Sexologist [[John Money]], recognised today as a contentious figure for his experiments regarding children and the [[David Reimer|David Reimer case]], was a pioneer of modern [[gender identity]] studies. Money's theory that gender is learnt has become outdated and even condemned,<ref name="Dr. Money And The Boy With No Penis">{{cite episode |url=https://www.documentarystorm.com/dr-money-and-the-boy-with-no-penis/ |title=Dr. Money and the Boy With No Penis |access-date=24 December 2010 |series=Horizon |season=41 |number=8 |date=4 November 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204095225/https://www.documentarystorm.com/dr-money-and-the-boy-with-no-penis/ |archive-date=2021-02-04}}</ref> although his terms ''[[gender role]]'' and ''[[sexual orientation]]'' remain common in modern parlance. He also established the [[Johns Hopkins Gender Identity Clinic]], the first clinic in the United States to perform sexual reassignment surgeries.<ref name="John Money, Ph.D">{{cite journal |last1=Ehrhardt |first1=Anke A. |date=August 2007 |title=John Money, PhD |journal=The Journal of Sex Research |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=223–224 |doi=10.1080/00224490701580741 |jstor=20620298 |pmid=3050136 |s2cid=147344556}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Tosh |first=Jemma |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRcWBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 |title=Perverse Psychology: The pathologization of sexual violence and transgenderism |date=25 July 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-63544-4 |language=en}}</ref> Surgeon and [[Otorhinolaryngology|otolaryngologist]] [[Harold Gillies]] is regarded as the father of modern [[plastic surgery]], which he pioneered on soldiers physically dismembered beyond regular care during the [[World War I|First World War]].<ref name="Yeo Society2"/><ref>[https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/birth-plastic-surgery The birth of plastic surgery] [[National Army Museum]] website</ref>

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of New Zealand}}
English ([[New Zealand English]]) is the dominant language spoken by New Zealanders, and a ''de facto'' official language of New Zealand. According to the [[2013 New Zealand census]],<ref name="2013table28">https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?tm=occupation%2C%202023%20census&pg=0&hc%5bSociety%5d=2023%20Census&hc%5bCensus%20year%5d=2023&snb=4&vw=tb&df%5bds%5d=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df%5bid%5d=CEN23_TBT_004&df%5bag%5d=STATSNZ&df%5bvs%5d=1.0&dq=raTotal%2Bra00000%2Bra10100%2Bra10101%2Bra10102%2Bra10103%2Bra10104%2Bra10105%2Bra10199%2Bra20000%2Bra20100%2Bra20102%2Bra20103%2Bra20199%2Bra20201%2Bra20301%2Bra20302%2Bra20400%2Bra20401%2Bra20402%2Bra20403%2Bra20499%2Bra20500%2Bra20502%2Bra20503%2Bra20599%2Bra20600%2Bra20601%2Bra20602%2Bra20603%2Bra20604%2Bra20605%2Bra20606%2Bra20699%2Bra20700%2Bra20701%2Bra20799%2Bra20801%2Bra20802%2Bra20803%2Bra20804%2Bra20901%2Bra21001%2Bra21101%2Bra21200%2Bra21201%2Bra21202%2Bra21203%2Bra21299%2Bra21300%2Bra21301%2Bra21302%2Bra21303%2Bra21304%2Bra21305%2Bra21399%2Bra21400%2Bra21401%2Bra21402%2Bra21403%2Bra21404%2Bra21405%2Bra21406%2Bra21407%2Bra21408%2Bra21409%2Bra21410%2Bra21411%2Bra21412%2Bra21413%2Bra21414%2Bra21415%2Bra21416%2Bra21417%2Bra21499%2Bra21501%2Bra21502%2Bra21503%2Bra21504%2Bra21505%2Bra21506%2Bra21507%2Bra21600%2Bra21701%2Bra21801%2Bra21802%2Bra29901%2Bra29902%2Bra29903%2Bra29905%2Bra29906%2Bra29908%2Bra29909%2Bra29910%2Bra29911%2Bra29999%2Bra30100%2Bra30101%2Bra30102%2Bra30103%2Bra30199%2Bra40100%2Bra40101%2Bra40102%2Bra40103%2Bra40104%2Bra40199%2Bra50100%2Bra50101%2Bra50102%2Bra50103%2Bra60000%2Bra60101%2Bra60201%2Bra60901%2Bra60999%2Bra70000%2Bra70101%2Bra70200%2Bra70201%2Bra70202%2Bra70203%2Bra70204%2Bra70205%2Bra70299%2Bra70301%2Bra70401%2Bra70901%2Bra70999%2Bra80000%2Bra80101%2Bra80200%2Bra80201%2Bra80202%2Bra80299%2Bra80301%2Bra80400%2Bra80401%2Bra80402%2Bra80403%2Bra80499%2Bra80601%2Bra80701%2Bra80702%2Bra80801%2Bra80901%2Bra81001%2Bra81101%2Bra81102%2Bra81103%2Bra81104%2Bra81105%2Bra81106%2Bra81107%2Bra81108%2Bra81109%2Bra81110%2Bra81111%2Bra81199%2Bra95555%2BraTS%2Bra94444%2Bra97777%2Bra98888%2Bra99999.2018%2B2023&ly%5brw%5d=CEN23_TBT_IND_001&ly%5bcl%5d=CEN23_YEAR_001&to%5bTIME%5d=false</ref> 96.1% of New Zealanders spoke English. The country's ''[[de jure]]'' [[official language]]s are [[Māori language|Māori]] (Te Reo) and [[New Zealand Sign Language]] (NZSL). Other languages spoken include [[Mandarin Chinese]], [[Hindi]], and [[Samoan language|Samoan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/resources/our-languages-o-tatou-reo/languages-in-nz/|date=19 June 2023|access-date=28 June 2025|title=Top 25 Languages in New Zealand|website=ethniccommunities.govt.nz}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in New Zealand}}
Before [[History of New Zealand|European colonisation]] the religion of the indigenous Māori population was [[Religion of Māori people|animistic]], but the subsequent efforts of [[missionaries]] such as [[Samuel Marsden]] resulted in many Māori converting to Christianity.

As of the 2023 census, New Zealand has become a [[Postchristianity|postchristian]] nation, with only 32.3% of respondents identifying as such.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burrows |first=Matt |date=26 October 2024 |title=Losing our religion: Why God, church and Christianity are fading in New Zealand |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/losing-our-religion-why-god-church-and-christianity-are-fading-in-new-zealand/75OW3BVW5JHLVJ6XZZXQJLVODQ/ |access-date=28 June 2025 |website=nzherald.co.nz}}</ref> However, regular [[church attendance]] is probably closer to 15%.<ref name="bibleengagement">{{cite book | last = Opie | first = Stephen | title = Bible Engagement in New Zealand: Survey of Attitudes and Behaviour | page = 4 | publisher = Bible Society of New Zealand | date = June 2008 | url = http://biblesociety.org.nz/mediafiles/bible-society-research-2008.pdf | access-date = 29 May 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100526105617/http://biblesociety.org.nz/mediafiles/bible-society-research-2008.pdf | archive-date = 26 May 2010 }}</ref> 

Religious affiliation has been collected in the [[New Zealand census]] since [[1851 New Zealand census|1851]]. One of the many complications in interpreting religious affiliation data in New Zealand is the large proportion who object to answering the question, roughly 173,000 in 2013. Most reporting of percentages is based on the total number of responses, rather than the total population.

===Cuisine===
{{main|New Zealand cuisine}}

==See also==
{{Portal|New Zealand}}
* [[Kiwi (nickname)]]
* [[Demographics of New Zealand]]
* [[Lists of New Zealanders]]
* [[List of prime ministers of New Zealand]]
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|People of New Zealand}}
* [http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/pacific_peoples/pacific-progress-demography/age.aspx Demographics of New Zealand's Pacific Population]—[[Statistics New Zealand]]
* [http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/population_clock.aspx Population clock]—Statistics New Zealand

{{New Zealand topics}}
{{Ancestry of New Zealand people}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand people| ]]