Story: Taupori Māori – Māori population change

Māori population, 1841–2013

Click on the key at the top of the graph for a close-up view of the period 1840–1901; click on the key again to restore the full graph.

The introduction of European diseases such as influenza had a devastating impact on the Māori population in the 19th century. As the graph shows, the number of Māori almost halved between 1841 and 1896 but began to recover after this time and by 2013 it stood at just under 600,000. The big increases after 1981 were partly due to natural increase, but also due to more people identifying as Māori.

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Source: Ian Pool, Te iwi Māori: a New Zealand population, past, present and projected. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1991; Statistics New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Ian Pool and Tahu Kukutai, 'Taupori Māori – Māori population change - Population changes, 1769–1840', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/31311/maori-population-1841-2013 (accessed 29 March 2024)

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