Story: History of immigration

Ethnic diversity of MPs

As immigration has transformed New Zealand society, it has also transformed Parliament, particularly since the first MMP election in 1996. In 2020, MPs of Chinese, Cook Islands Māori, Eritrean, Indian, Iranian, Korean, Maldivian, Mexican, Samoan, Sri Lankan, and Tongan descent were elected, including two people from refugee backgrounds. This graph shows the increasing number of Māori, Pacific Peoples and other non-Pākehā MPs in Parliament from 1996-2020.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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Sources: Statistics New Zealand and New Zealand Parliament

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'History of immigration - Multi-cultural New Zealand: 1991 onwards', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/graph/47383/ethnic-diversity-of-mps (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Aug 2015