Listen Now: 
September 30, 2024
Change in count boosts iwi numbers
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On September 30, 2024
Download AudioA change in the way census data is collected has resulted in the big jump in iwi affiliation population counts.
Data released last week showed by Te Kāhui Raraunga Data Iwi Leaders Group showed the counts increased by an average of 46.3 percent between 2013 and 2023, with the largest increased in iwi under 1000 people.
Lead data technician Kirikowhai Mikaere says for the first time iwi had a role in shaping the questions, and for the online survey people were able to select up to 16 iwi they were affiliated to, rather than five.
“It’s allowed our whanau to share all of their connections and affiliations, and that’s resulted in many of our smaller iwi having quite substantial growth,” she says.
Kirikowhai Mikaere says the Census team was able to make up for extreme undercount of Maori data in the 2018 census, when reliable iwi data could not been collected, and involving iwi in some areas in the Census collection process had also improved response rates and data quality.
RELATED NEWS
