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 Manawatū-Whanganui region include:

• The census usually resident population totalled 251,412 in 2023 (up 5.3 percent since the 2018 Census).
• 68,640 people of Māori descent were counted in the 2023 Census, accounting for 27.3 percent of the regional population. The Māori descent population increased 14.0 percent between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses.
• For the proportions of people by ethnic group in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in 2023:
• 78.1 percent were European
• 25.1 percent were Māori
• 5.0 percent were Pacific peoples
• 7.7 percent were Asian
• 1.0 percent were Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA)
• 1.3 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 the Manawatū-Whanganui region in 2023 was 39.7 years, compared with 39.4 years in 2018.
• 108,903 dwellings were counted in the census (an increase of 5.4 percent since 2018).

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