Story: Ngā tuakiri hōu – new Māori identities

Census questions

Click on the buttons above to see the changes in the ways Māori have been asked to define themselves in New Zealand's official census form. The 1916 form asked 'non-European' respondents to identify themselves by race. Māori respondents were asked to identify whether they were 'Maori' or 'Maori half-caste'. By 1976 the census form had been altered to give categories for 'full NZ Maori' and fractions of Māori ethnicity such as '1/8 Maori'. For the 2006 census, respondents were allowed to complete all questions in either English or Māori. They were asked to identify themselves as European, Māori, another ethnic group, or a combination of these.

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.

Source: Statistics New Zealand

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Rawiri Taonui, 'Ngā tuakiri hōu – new Māori identities - New terms for a new world', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/29826/census-questions (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Rawiri Taonui, published 5 May 2011, updated 1 Jun 2017