Pacific Profiles - Cook Island Maori
Cook Island Maori - Religion
- In 2001, 77 percent of Cook Island Maori people reported an affiliation with a Christian religion. The most common religious affiliation was Presbyterian (43 percent of those with an affiliation), followed by Catholic (19 percent) and Latter-day Saints (6 percent).
- Higher proportions of Cook Island Maori people in older age groups reported having a religious affiliation than their younger counterparts, as figure 3.1 shows. In 2001, 94 percent of Cook Island Maori aged between 45 and 64 reported a religious affiliation, whereas the equivalent proportion for those aged between 25 and 34 years was 80 percent.
- Overseas-born Cook Island Maori were more likely to report a religious affiliation than New Zealand-born Cook Island Maori (93 percent and 75 percent respect-ively). The older age structure of the overseas-born population may be a contributing factor.
- In 2001, 21 percent of the Cook Island Maori population stated they had no religious affiliation. Among the Pacific population, the equivalent figure was 12 percent. By comparison, almost a third of the New Zealand population stated they had no religious affiliation in 2001.
