1874 New Zealand census

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seventh census of
the Colony of New Zealand

← 1871 1 March 1874; 150 years ago (1874-03-01) 1878 →

General information
CountryNew Zealand
Results
Total population299,385 [1]
(Increase16.82%)
Most populous ​provincial districtAuckland (67,451)
Least populous ​provincial districtTaranaki (5,465)

The 1874 New Zealand census was a population count taken in 1874. The population of New Zealand was 299,385, not including Māori.[2] The Māori population was estimated to be around 46,000, of whom 43,538 lived in the North Island.[3][4] This included part-Māori people living as Māori. Census papers were delivered to households during February 1874, to be completed for the night of 1 March 1874.[5] The census asked questions about people's age, sex, marital status, religion, place of birth, health and education. Additional questions were asked about land use and ownership and about farm animals and equipment.[6] The census of Māori people was conducted differently to the general census. Instead of delivering papers to each household and later collecting them, officers enquired about the population from reliable local Māori. The reasoning was that Māori had always been used to transmitting their history and pedigrees orally, so more accurate results would be obtained than by means of printed forms.[3]

The number of Chinese living in New Zealand was shown to have almost doubled from the previous census in 1871, from 2640 to 4796. Only two Chinese women were said to be living in the country: one in Otago and one in the Chatham Islands.[3]

Region Population Population increase or decrease
Auckland 67,451 +8.21%
Taranaki 5,465 +21.99%
Hawke's Bay 9,228 +52.30%
Wellington 29,790 +24.12%
Nelson 22,558 +0.25%
Marlborough 6,145 +17.38%
Canterbury 58,775 +25.58%
Westland 14,860 -3.24%
Otago 85,113 +22.48%

References[edit]

  1. ^ non-Māori
  2. ^ 1874 census results
  3. ^ a b c "New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1874". Statistics New Zealand. 1 June 1875. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Approximate Census of the Maori Population". Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 1 June 1874. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021 – via Paperspast.
  5. ^ "Government Census Papers". Daily Southern Cross. 10 February 1874. Retrieved 20 April 2021 – via Paperspast.
  6. ^ "[untitled]". New Zealand Herald. 17 February 1874. Retrieved 20 April 2021 – via Paperspast.