The ETHNIC classification used prior to this standard will be concorded to the revised ETHNIC05 classification.
This classification records whether a person is descended from a Mäori. It is a biological indicator and not an ethnic group indicator. A person may have Mäori descent but not indicate that they belong to the Mäori ethnic group. Also, some people indicate that they belong to the Mäori ethnic group but do not have Mäori ancestry.
This is a classification of iwi and is used to record iwi affiliation for those descended from Mäori.
There are currently no other countries measuring ethnicity in the same way as New Zealand. Other countries collect statistics on one or more of these related variables: nationality, ethnic origin, race, citizenship, immigrant status, country of birth, language, religion and ancestry. Definitions of these variables may differ from New Zealand use and will make data incomparable. For example, the United Kingdom uses the term ethnic group in its 2001 Census but asks respondents to give an answer based on colour. Fiji collects what appears to be ethnic group but it is described as ethnic origin and also as a person's racial origin.