Stats NZ released the first data from the 2023 Census today – census usually resident population, Māori descent, age, ethnicity, and dwelling counts at a national level, regional council level, and territorial authority (cities and districts), and Auckland local board level.

Top line statistics* for the Southland region include:

• The census usually resident population totalled 100,143 in 2023 (up 2.7 percent since the 2018 Census).
• 19,470 people of Māori descent were counted in the 2023 Census, accounting for 19.4 percent of the regional population. The Māori descent population increased 12.5 percent between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses.
• For the proportions of people by ethnic group in Southland in 2023:
• 84.1 percent were European
• 16.8 percent were Māori
• 3.3 percent were Pacific peoples
• 7.1 percent were Asian
• 1.0 percent were Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA)
• 1.5 percent were Other ethnicity.

Note: Ethnic group is a self-determined affiliation, with people identifying as belonging to one or more ethnicities. Māori counts are measured in two ways in the census. Māori descent is based on whakapapa, while ethnicity is a self-determined cultural affiliation.

• The median age of people living in Southland in 2023 was 40.4 years, compared with 39.8 years in 2018.
• 46,761 dwellings were counted in the census (an increase of 4.6 percent since 2018).

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