Samoan People in New Zealand

• In 2001, 67 percent of Samoan people (with a language) were able to hold an everyday conversation in Samoan – the same proportion as in 1996.
• A higher proportion of the overseas-born Samoan population was able to speak Samoan (92 percent of those with a language) than the New Zealand-born Samoan population (48 percent of those with a language). This pattern held across all age groups, as shown in figure 2.1.
• The proportion of the New Zealand-born Samoan population able to speak Samoan in 2001 was unchanged from 1996 (48 percent of those with a language).
• New Zealand-born Samoan people in the younger age groups were more likely to be able to speak Samoan than their older counterparts, as figure 2.1 illustrates. Among the New Zealand-born population, the 20–24 year age group was the most likely to be able to speak Samoan (54 percent) in 2001.

English

• English is the most widely spoken language among the Samoan population. The proportion of Samoan people not able to speak English decreased from 14 percent (of those with a language) in 1996 to 10 percent in 2001.
• In 2001, the majority (84 percent) of Samoan people unable to speak English were born overseas. Of those born overseas and unable to speak English, over half (55 percent) had been in New Zealand for more than 10 years.
• Almost three-quarters (74 percent) of Samoan people who could not speak English were over 20 years of age in 2001.