“I just wanted to highlight how important that is for decision-makers and policymakers both at a national level and local level.
“The whole point for the mahi we do is to actually empower our people so they are empowered with sound, robust data to be able to go into conversations whether that be in our own communities or with the Government and to make sure our people are seen in the data.”
With Budget 2024 today, she is confident that Māori people can advocate with data to fight for what is needed.
Māori population over a million?
Although the data shared today showed the Māori population just under one million, Mikaere believes the Māori population has already passed the million milestone since the Census was held.
“So keeping in mind this is the Census ‘usually resident’ population, so based on March 7, 2023, when they then recalibrate the data with birth, deaths, then marriages to bring us forward, I think they call it the estimated resident population.
“We probably will see close to, if not, a million. And then also this is only the New Zealand population and so we know we’ve got many whanau around the world.
“I say we are over a million.”
The data collected for the 2023 census counted people in New Zealand on the night of March 7, 2023, meaning there is no figure on how many Māori are living abroad.
Although the number of Māori living overseas is not known, the number in Aotearoa has grown strongly, with one third of the popluation under the age of 25 Māori.
