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 in 2013.
The only previous census asking Māori to indicate tribal affiliation – but not of multiple tribes – was in 1901.
- 1901 census: 1,549 (indicated as Ngatikahungunu in the census)
- 1991 census: 20,304
- 2001 census: 39,180
- 2006 census: 49,185
- 2013 census: 54,819
Major regional locations
- Canterbury: 15,375
- Auckland, 6,600
- Wellington: 5,565
- Otago: 5,328
- Southland: 5,028