The People of Tasman District

The following information is taken from the 2006 Census data.

Population

  • 44,625 people usually live in Tasman Region. This is an increase of 3,273 people, or 7.9 percent, since the 2001 Census.
  • Its population ranks 12th in size out of the 16 regions in New Zealand.
  • Tasman Region has 1.1 percent of New Zealand's population.

Most of Tasman District's urban population lives in and around Richmond (11,712).

Ethnicity

Tasman has the country's highest percentage of people of European ethnicity - 96.8 percent.

The number of Maori, European, Pacific Island and Asian residents has increased markedly since 1991, with Maori increasing by 60.5 percent.

Māori

  • 3,063 Māori usually live in Tasman Region, an increase of 285 people, or 10.3 percent, since the 2001 Census.
  • Its Māori population ranks 15th in size out of the 16 regions in New Zealand.
  • 0.5 percent of New Zealand's Māori population usually live in Tasman Region. 

Note: The Māori ethnic population is the count for people of the Māori ethnic group. It includes those people who stated Māori as being either their sole ethnic group or one of several ethnic groups.

The main iwi represented in the wider Tasman region are:

  • Ngati Koata
  • Ngati Kuia (eastern Tasman Bay)
  • Ngati Rarua
  • Ngati Tama (Golden and Tasman Bay)
  • Poutini Ngai Tahu (souther seas)
  • Te Atiawa

Population Statistics from Statistics New Zealand