Tongan people in New Zealand
- In 2001, 86 percent of Tongan adults reported involvement in unpaid or voluntary activities in the four weeks preceding the census – either inside or outside the home. This work included household work, looking after a child or ill person, as well as working for a community group.
- Similar proportions of overseas-born and New Zealand-born Tongans were involved in unpaid work in 2001 (86 percent and 85 percent respectively).
- Tongan women were more likely to participate in nearly all categories of unpaid work than Tongan men, as figure 7.1 illustrates. An exception was voluntary work for an organisation, where the involvement of women was slightly lower than that of Tongan men (13 percent compared with 15 percent).
- Household work, including cooking, repairs and gardening, was the most common category of unpaid work. In 2001, 87 percent of Tongan women and 81 percent of Tongan men reported participating in these activities.
- Looking after a child in the home was the next most common category (51 percent of Tongan women and 41 percent of Tongan men), with the relatively young age structure of the Tongan population being a contributing factor.