MĀORI COMMUNITY
Connecting with New Zealand’s Māori community.
Practical audience insight for organisations wanting to communicate with Māori communities across Aotearoa.
AUDIENCE SNAPSHOT
Māori New Zealanders at a glance.
A quick starting point for planning. Ethnicity is self-identified and people can belong to more than one ethnic group.
NEW ZEALAND
887,493
17.8% of the New Zealand population
AUCKLAND
170,721
12.2% of the Auckland population
WELLINGTON
19,878
9.8% of the Wellington population
CHRISTCHURCH
42,888
11.3% of the Christchurch population
AUDIENCE INTELLIGENCE
What the numbers tell us.
Māori audiences are younger than the New Zealand population overall and are distributed throughout Aotearoa. These indicators add useful context for campaign planning, but should sit alongside cultural understanding, kaupapa and the purpose of the communication.
27.2
median age
Māori descent population
54.2%
under 30
29.1% under 15 + 25.1% aged 15–29
23.3%
live in Auckland
Largest regional share of the Māori descent population
18.6%
can converse in te reo Māori
Māori descent population
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MARKETERS
A younger age profile makes life stage and channel choice important. Māori audiences are not confined to one region, and Auckland contains the largest number. Te reo Māori can be an important part of communication, but effective engagement is broader than translation alone — relevance, context, relationships and authenticity matter.
IDENTITY & OVERLAP
Māori identity is often part of a wider identity.
Of the 887,493 people who identified as Māori in the 2023 Census, 366,015 identified as Māori only. The remainder identified as Māori alongside at least one other ethnic group.
366,015
Māori only
521,478
Māori + other ethnicity
58.8%
identify with Māori and at least one other ethnic group
Common combinations include European–Māori, Māori–Pacific, and European–Māori–Pacific identities. Ethnicity is self-identified, so people can belong to more than one ethnic group.
POPULATION CHANGE How has this community changed? +14.4%2018 → 2023
CENSUS COMPARISON
Māori population growth, 2018–2023.
New Zealand’s Māori population increased by 111,657 people between the last two Censuses — from 775,836 in 2018 to 887,493 in 2023.
The Māori ethnic population count increased strongly between the two Censuses. Stats NZ notes that changes in data collection and the use of administrative data can also affect comparisons, so the increase should not be interpreted as demographic growth alone.
Source: Stats NZ, 2018 and 2023 Censuses. Ethnicity is self-identified and people may belong to more than one ethnic group. Counts use fixed random rounding.
PLANNING A CAMPAIGN?
Need to reach Māori audiences?
We can help with audience, messaging and specialist media planning.
Source: Stats NZ, 2023 Census. Māori ethnicity figures use the census usually resident population. Age, regional share and te reo Māori indicators above use the Māori descent population. Māori descent is based on whakapapa; Māori ethnicity is self-identified cultural affiliation. Counts use fixed random rounding.
UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE
One label does not describe every Māori audience.
Effective engagement starts by recognising the diversity within Māori communities across Aotearoa. Iwi and hapū connections, whakapapa, rohe, age, life stage, language confidence and urban or regional context can all shape how people connect with organisations, messages and media.
Campaign planning should therefore begin with the specific Māori audience, kaupapa and outcome you need to address rather than assuming one message, image or channel will represent everyone.
CAMPAIGN CONSIDERATIONS
What to think about before you communicate.
01
Culture & community
Understand who the campaign is for, the communities involved and the cultural context around the subject before deciding how to communicate.
02
Language
English may be appropriate for many campaigns, but language choices should follow the audience and purpose. Translation alone is not a substitute for culturally relevant communication.
03
Representation
Use people, imagery and stories that feel credible to the audience. Community input can help avoid generic or tokenistic representation.
04
Trust & connection
Consider trusted community organisations, specialist media, traditional media and existing relationships as part of the wider channel mix.
MEDIA & REACH
Reach matters. Relevance matters more.
The right mix may include specialist Māori media, digital channels, community organisations and mainstream platforms. Niche Media helps define the audience and approach; BECNZ helps identify the specialist media options.
BECNZ
Specialist media discovery
Find publishers, platforms and community channels relevant to the audience you need to reach.
CAMPAIGN OPPORTUNITIES
Timing and context can make the difference.
Community events, cultural dates, partnerships and local activity can create useful opportunities for engagement. The strongest campaigns use these moments because they are relevant, not simply because they appear on a calendar.
ASK NICHE
Turn Māori audience insight into a practical campaign brief
Use Ask Niche to build a stronger starting point for your campaign — from audience and messaging considerations through to location, media and support needs.
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