Story: Ngāi Tahu
Page 10 – Facts and figures
Iwi (tribal) identification
In the New Zealand censuses since 1991, residents of Māori descent were asked to indicate the tribe to which they were affiliated. The figures below show the number who indicated Ngāi Tahu (including those who indicated more than one tribe), and the regions where they were found in the greatest numbers.
The only previous census asking Māori to indicate tribal affiliation – but not of multiple tribes – was that of 1901.
- 1901 census: 1,549 (indicated as Ngatikahungunu in the census)
- 1991 census: 20,304
- 2001 census: 39,180
- 2006 census: 49,185
Major regional locations
- Canterbury: 13,683
- Auckland, 5,739
- Wellington: 4,944
- Otago: 4,680
- Southland: 4,632
