Asians living in New Zealand outnumber Pacific Islanders: Census

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There are more Asians living in New Zealand than Pacific Islanders, according to initial findings from the 2001 Census.

Statistics New Zealand figures show that 240,000 people, or one in 15, were of Asian ethnicity, compared with 231,801 of Pacific Island ethnicity.

The Census showed that the number of Asians living in New Zealand had more than doubled between 1991 and 2001, and that the two-thirds of them lived in Auckland.

The Maori population stands at 526,281, or one in seven people.

While English was still the predominant language spoken, the number of multilingual people living in New Zealand had increased by 20 per cent since the 1996 Census, to 562,113, or nearly one in six.

Excluding children under five, one in 50 people did not speak English.

As for religion, almost one in four people did not specify a religious affiliation in the latest Census. In the 1901 Census, only one in 30 people did not give a religious affiliation.

- NZPA