In line with national trends, the number of people in Bay of Plenty who identified with a religion in the census had dropped since 2006. In 2013, 7.7 per cent fewer people indicated a religious affiliation, and there was a 25.1 per cent increase in the number of people who checked the 'no religion' box.
In 2013, the largest iwi for Bay of Plenty people of Maori descent was the Te Arawa grouping, with 17,043 people, followed by Tuhoe, with 11,127 people.
Mr Meech said: "This local breakdown of census information is some of the most important, as it will help communities and service providers plan for the future."