Māori electorate populations are younger

24 June 2014

All seven Māori electorates have younger populations than the general electorates – the youngest population being in Hauraki-Waikato, with a median age of 23.4 years – according to the latest 2013 Census figures released by Statistics New Zealand today.

As well as showing the age, ethnicity, and education levels within Māori electorates, 2013 Census electorate tables capture a variety of personal, family, and household information. They show that Te Tai Tonga electorate had the highest median personal income, of $26,800. Waiariki had the lowest, at $21,700.

“Māori are a young population group, so the personal income figures are not surprising, as generally younger people have lower incomes than older people,” General Manager 2013 Census Gareth Meech said.

Tāmaki Makaurau recorded the highest proportion of people with a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or higher, at 14.5 percent, while Ikaroa-Rāwhiti had the lowest proportion, at 8.1 percent.

In the Waiariki electorate, 1 in 4 people of Māori descent spoke te reo Māori, while in the Te Tai Tonga electorate the rate was 1 in 8.

The Māori electorate information is based on the Māori descent census usually resident population count and will be different from other published information based on Māori ethnicity.

The tables use the 2014 electorate boundaries, which the Electoral Commission released in April 2014. (See 2014 electorate boundaries – key changes.)

The Māori electorates are:

1. Hauraki-Waikato (parts of the Auckland and Waikato regions – includes Hamilton and Papakura)
2. Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (east and south of the North Island – includes Gisborne, Wairoa, Napier, Hastings, Masterton, and Hutt Valley)
3. Tāmaki Makaurau (equivalent to greater Auckland excluding Papakura)
4. Te Tai Hauāuru (western North Island – includes Taranaki and Manawatu-Wanganui regions)
5. Te Tai Tokerau (northernmost electorate – includes Whangarei and North and West Auckland)
6. Te Tai Tonga (all of South Island, nearby islands, and large parts of Wellington)
7. Waiariki (includes Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua, and Taupo)

For more information about these statistics: Visit 2013 Census electorate tables

ENDS

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