- The Asian ethnic group was New Zealand's fourth largest major ethnic group after European, Māori, and Other Ethnicity, totalling 354,552 people (9.2 percent) in 2006.
- There was a high proportion of young adults in the Asian ethnic group, with 3 in 10 people (31.0 percent) aged between 15 and 29 years.
- Two-thirds of people (66.1 percent or 234,222 people) who identified with one or more Asian ethnic group(s) usually lived in the Auckland Region.
- Almost 1 in 5 people (18.9 percent or 234,222 people) in the Auckland Region identified with one or more Asian ethnic group(s), the highest proportion of all the regions.
Seven Largest Asian Ethnic Groups
2001–2006 Censuses |
Ethnic group
|
2001 count
|
2006 count
|
Percentage change
2001–2006 |
| Chinese |
105,057 |
147,570 |
40.5 |
| Indian |
62,190 |
104,583 |
68.2 |
| Korean |
19,026 |
30,792 |
61.8 |
| Filipino |
11,091 |
16,938 |
52.7 |
| Japanese |
10,023 |
11,910 |
18.8 |
| Sri Lankan |
7,011 |
8,310 |
18.5 |
| Cambodian |
5,268 |
6,918 |
31.3 |
Note: People can choose to identify with more than one ethnic group, therefore figures may not sum to totals.