Information sources
Information about the historical development of New Zealand's population is sourced from:
- census data
- secondary sources.
Census data
Census data provides the most comprehensive source for information on the historical development of the New Zealand population.
Census datasets
Pre 1976: available from published volumes, accessed either through Statistics New Zealand or from major libraries.
1976 onwards: census data is available electronically only from 1976.
Other census resources
Census dates
Dates for when the New Zealand Censuses of Population and Dwellings were held, published by Statistics New Zealand.
Census of Population and Dwellings questions
Summary of questions asked in New Zealand censuses from 1916 to 2001. Published by Statistics New Zealand.
Infoshare
Historical statistics on many topics including population. Access by subscription. A Statistics New Zealand online tool.
Demographic Trends
Statistics New Zealand annual reference reports that provide historical data on births, deaths, marriages, migration and other demographic information.
About census data
Definitions, resources and discussion of issues using census data.
Secondary sources
- New Zealand Official Yearbooks
- various annual or irregular reports from individual agencies
- Blue Books, parliamentary records, local survey data, parish records and historical registration records.
Issues with historical data
Limitations to historical data include:
- significant under-coverage of some groups (eg Māori were separately enumerated in early censuses)
- only published tables are available prior to 1976 (this limits what cross-tabulations are available as customised requests)
- subnational boundaries change (limiting the comparability of data for areas)
- collection methods, questionnaires and classification of data change between collection (definitions change across time)
- most historical data is only available on a de facto (ie where counted) basis rather than de jure (where they usually live).
References
Ballara A (1998). Iwi: The Dynamics of Māori Tribal Organisation from c 1769 to c 1945, Victoria University Press, Wellington.
Belich J (2002). Paradise Reforged: A history of the New Zealanders from the 1880s to the year 2000, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
Belich J (2002). Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the end of the Nineteenth Century, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
Carmichael G A and Dharmalingam A (2002). Populations of New Zealand and Australia at the Millennium, Australian Population Association, Canberra.
King M (2004). The Penguin History of New Zealand, Penguin Books, Auckland.
Pool I (1977). The Māori population of New Zealand 1769-1971, Auckland University Press/Oxford University Press, Auckland.
Pool I (1991). Te Iwi Māori, Auckland University Press, Auckland.
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