At the turn of the 20th century, Maori were reportedly a dying race. Disease and land loss had apparently taken their toll on the population with a drop from an estimated 100,000 Maori in 1840 to 45,000 in 1901.

The mid-20th century Mäori population was predominantly rural. Post WWII 1950, the Maori population was only 3% of New Zealand. A concerted political effort soon saw the largest migration of an indigenous population within a country in the world take place between the 1950s and 1970s to meet the industrial labour shortages being experienced at that time.

Maori populations continue to be predominantly urban. 48% of Maori live within the wider confines of Auckland - now the largest Polynesian City in the world.

In recent decades New Zealand has witnessed a rapid growth in the size of the Mäori population and it is anticipated that, by mid 2051, the Mäori population will have doubled in its current size to almost one million people, making up 22% of the population.

The Mäori population has a young age structure and it is likely to remain relatively young compared to the non-Mäori population over the next half-century.

Source: Statistics NZ