- There were 4,143,279 people in New Zealand on census night, an increase of 322,530 (8.4 percent) since the 2001 Census.
- There were 4,027,947 people who usually live (usual residents) in New Zealand on census night.
- The number of overseas visitors in New Zealand on census night almost doubled in the 10 years between 1996 and 2006 – increasing from 63,243 to reach 115,332.
Population Counts
1996, 2001 and 2006 Censuses |
| |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
| Usual residents |
3,618,303 |
3,737,277 |
4,027,947 |
| Overseas visitors |
63,243 |
83,472 |
115,332 |
| Total census night population |
3,681,546 |
3,820,749 |
4,143,279 |
Note: The census night population is the count of all people in New Zealand on census night. It includes overseas visitors, but excludes residents who were temporarily overseas on census night.
Usual residents elsewhere in New Zealand on census night
- On census night, the proportion of people who usually lived in another city or district (territorial authority) varied from place to place. In five cities or districts, over 10 percent of people who were in that place on census night usually lived elsewhere in New Zealand. These were Chatham Islands Territory (15.2 percent), Mackenzie District (14.3 percent), Queenstown-Lakes District (11.9 percent), Thames-Coromandel District (10.4 percent) and Ruapehu District (10.2 percent).
- Waitakere City had the lowest proportion of people who usually lived elsewhere in New Zealand (2.1 percent).
Overseas visitors
- Overseas visitors were most likely to be found in popular tourist destinations. The district with the highest proportion of overseas visitors was Queenstown-Lakes, where 1 in every 4 people (25.5 percent) counted on census night usually lived overseas. Three other districts recorded more than 1 in every 5 people as an overseas visitor on census night. They were Mackenzie (24.5 percent), Kaikoura (22.1 percent) and Westland (21.6 percent) districts.