QuickStats About Pacific Peoples

Location

Two-thirds of Pacific peoples lived in the Auckland region

 Auckland continues to be the most common region for people of Pacific ethnicity to live in.

  • At the time of the 2006 Census, 67 percent of Pacific peoples (177,933 people) lived in the Auckland region. This is the same proportion as in 2001.

Wellington was the next most common region for Pacific peoples to live in at 13 percent.

Seven percent of Pacific peoples lived in the South Island.

Graph, Regional distribution of the pacific peoples ethnic group, 2006 Census.

One in three Pacific peoples lived in Manukau City

Of the cities and districts, Manukau City had the highest count of people of Pacific ethnicity (86,616 people).

  • One in three people of Pacific ethnicity lived in Manukau City.

The next highest counts were in:

  • Auckland City (50,166).
  • Waitakere City (26,823).
  • Porirua City (12,267).

Of the seven largest Pacific ethnic groups, Tokelauans were the only group who were most likely to live somewhere other than the Auckland region.

Tokelauans were most likely to live in the Wellington region, with just over half (51 percent) living in the Wellington region and 27 percent living in the Auckland region.

Manukau City was also the most common city or district in which to live for several of the Pacific peoples groups:

  • Tongan (36 percent).
  • Samoan (34 percent).
  • Niuean (34 percent).
  • Cook Islands Maori (33 percent).

Fijians, however, were most likely to live in Auckland City (20 percent), and Tuvaluans were most likely to live in Waitakere City (58 percent).

Porirua City was the most common city or district for people of Tokelauan ethnicity to live in, at 29 percent.