Story: Taupori Māori – Māori population change

Māori population in Australia (1st of 2)

Formerly, being Māori was firmly connected to being New Zealand-born and bred. However, since 1990 an international Māori diaspora has arisen. This is concentrated in Australia, where the promise of higher living standards have lured many. In the 2016 Australian census just over 142,000 people recorded Māori ancestry – about one in six of all New Zealand and Australian Māori. 

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Sources: Jeremy Lowe, The Australian Maori population: Nga Maori ki Ahitereria: a demographic analysis based on 1986 Australian and New Zealand census data. Wellington: New Zealand Planning Council, 1990; R. Bedford and I. Pool, ‘Flirting with Zelinsky in Aotearoa/New Zealand: a Maori mobility transition.’ In Population mobility and indigenous peoples in Australasia and North America, edited by John Taylor and Martin Bell. London: Routledge, 2004, pp. 44–74; Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Census

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Ian Pool and Tahu Kukutai, 'Taupori Māori – Māori population change - Beyond the demographic transition, 1970–21st century', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/graph/31331/maori-population-in-australia (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Ian Pool and Tahu Kukutai, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 27 Sep 2018