New Zealand

==Demography==
{{Main|Demographics of New Zealand|List of cities in New Zealand}}
[[File:New Zealandpop.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.25|[[Population pyramid]] (2017)|alt=Stationary population pyramid broken down into 21 age ranges.]]
The [[2018 New Zealand census]] enumerated a resident population of 4,699,755, an increase of 10.8% over the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]] figure.<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> As of {{currentmonth}} {{currentyear}}, the total population has risen to an estimated {{formatnum:{{data New Zealand|poptoday}}}}.<ref name="populationestimate" /> New Zealand's population increased at a rate of 1.9% per year in the seven years ended June 2020. In September 2020 [[Statistics New Zealand]] reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.<ref name="population1">{{Cite press release |title=New Zealand's population nears 5.1 million |url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/new-zealands-population-nears-5-1-million |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |date=22 September 2020 |access-date=24 September 2020 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404072102/https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/new-zealands-population-nears-5-1-million |url-status=live }}</ref>{{refn|A provisional estimate initially indicated the milestone was reached six months later in March 2020, before population estimates were rebased from the 2013 census to the 2018 census.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pullar-Strecker |first=Tom |title=New Zealand population tops 5 million |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121544285/new-zealand-population-tops-5-million |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff.co.nz]] |date=18 May 2020 |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212113142/https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121544285/new-zealand-population-tops-5-million |url-status=live }}</ref>|group=n}}

New Zealand's population today is concentrated to the north of the country, with around {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|North Island regions|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}}% of the population living in the North Island and {{Rnd|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|South Island regions|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}}% in the South Island as of {{NZ population data 2018|3=y|4=}}.{{NZ population data 2018|4=y}} During the 20th century, New Zealand's population [[Drift to the north|drifted north]]. In 1921, the country's [[Center of population|median centre of population]] was located in the Tasman Sea west of [[Levin, New Zealand|Levin]] in [[Manawatū-Whanganui]]; by 2017, it had moved {{Convert|280|km|abbr=on}} north to near [[Kawhia Harbour|Kawhia]] in Waikato.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 October 2017|title=Three in four New Zealanders live in the North Island {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/three-in-four-new-zealanders-live-in-the-north-island|access-date=7 October 2021|website=www.stats.govt.nz|archive-date=7 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007083615/https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/three-in-four-new-zealanders-live-in-the-north-island|url-status=live}}</ref>

New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with {{Decimals|({{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Major urban area|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Large urban area|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Medium urban area|y}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Small urban area|y}}|R}})/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}}% of the population living in [[Urban areas of New Zealand|urban area]]s, and {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Major urban area|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|New Zealand|y}}|R}}*100|1}}% of the population living in the seven cities with populations exceeding 100,000.{{NZ population data 2018||||y}} [[Auckland]], with over 1.4 million residents, is by far the largest city.<ref name="NZ_population_data_2018" /> New Zealand cities generally rank highly on international livability measures. For instance, in 2016, Auckland was ranked the world's third [[most liveable city]] and Wellington the twelfth by the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quality of Living Ranking 2016 |date=23 February 2016 |publisher=[[Mercer (consulting firm)|Mercer]] |location=New York / London |url=https://www.mercer.com/newsroom/2016-quality-of-living-survey.html |access-date=28 April 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019055720/https://www.mercer.com/newsroom/2016-quality-of-living-survey.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[median age]] of the New Zealand population at the 2018 census was 37.4 years,<ref>{{Cite web|title=2018 Census place summaries {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/new-zealand|access-date=9 September 2021|website=www.stats.govt.nz|archive-date=14 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114051053/https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/new-zealand|url-status=live}}</ref> with life expectancy in 2017–2019 being 80.0 years for males and 83.5 years for females.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National and subnational period life tables: 2017–2019 {{!}} Stats NZ|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/national-and-subnational-period-life-tables-2017-2019|access-date=9 September 2021|website=www.stats.govt.nz}}</ref> While New Zealand is experiencing [[sub-replacement fertility]], with a total fertility rate of 1.6 in 2020, the fertility rate is above the OECD average.<ref>{{Cite web|last=de Jong|first=Eleanor|date=18 February 2021|title=New Zealand birthrate sinks to its lowest ever|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/18/new-zealand-birthrate-sinks-to-its-lowest-ever|url-status=live|access-date=9 September 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910021458/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/18/new-zealand-birthrate-sinks-to-its-lowest-ever}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Demography – Fertility rates – OECD Data|url=http://data.oecd.org/pop/fertility-rates.htm|access-date=9 September 2021|website=theOECD|language=en}}</ref> By 2050, the median age is projected to rise to 43 years and the percentage of people 60 years of age and older to rise from 18% to 29%.<ref name="UNtwspop">{{cite web|date=2009|title=World Population Prospects|url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf|access-date=29 August 2009|publisher=[[United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs]]|version=2008 revision}}</ref> In 2016 the leading cause of death was [[cancer]] at 30.3%, followed by [[Coronary artery disease|ischaemic heart disease]] (14.9%) and [[cerebrovascular disease]] (7.4%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mortality 2016 data tables|url=https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/mortality-2016-data-tables|access-date=9 September 2021|website=Ministry of Health NZ|language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, total expenditure on [[health care in New Zealand|health care]] (including private sector spending) is 9.2% of GDP.<ref>{{cite web |title=Health expenditure and financing |url= http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SHA |work=Stats.OECD.org |publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] |access-date=8 December 2017|date=2016}}</ref>
{{Largest cities of New Zealand}}

===Ethnicity and immigration===
{{Main|New Zealanders|Immigration to New Zealand}}
[[File:Queen Street Midtown Auckland.jpg|thumb|Pedestrians on [[Queen Street, Auckland|Queen Street]] in Auckland, an ethnically diverse city|alt=Pedestrians crossing a wide street which is flanked by storefronts]]

In the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], 71.8% of New Zealand residents identified ethnically as European, and 16.5% as [[Māori people|Māori]]. Other major ethnic groups include [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]] (15.3%) and [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pacific peoples]] (9.0%), two-thirds of whom live in the [[Auckland Region]].{{refn|name="ethnicity"|group=n}}<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> The population has become more multicultural and diverse in recent decades: in 1961, the census reported that the population of New Zealand was 92% European and 7% Māori, with Asian and Pacific minorities sharing the remaining 1%.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pool |first=Ian |author-link=Ian Pool |chapter=Population change – Key population trends |chapter-url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/28720/new-zealand-population-by-ethnicity-1840-2006 |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=18 August 2017|date=May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170818220947/https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/28720/new-zealand-population-by-ethnicity-1840-2006 |archive-date=18 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

While the [[demonym]] for a New Zealand citizen is New Zealander, the informal "[[Kiwi (nickname)|Kiwi]]" is commonly used both internationally<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dalby |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Dalby |title=The 'Kiwi disease': Geopolitical discourse in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the South Pacific |journal=[[Political Geography (journal)|Political Geography]] |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=437–456 |doi=10.1016/0962-6298(93)90012-V |date=September 1993}}</ref> and by locals.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Paul |last=Callister |title=Seeking an Ethnic Identity: Is 'New Zealander' a Valid Ethnic Category? |date=2004 |journal=New Zealand Population Review |volume=30 |issue=1 & 2 |pages=5–22 |url=http://panz.rsnz.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nzpr-vol-30-1and-2_callister.pdf |access-date=18 January 2011 |archive-date=15 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515090608/http://panz.rsnz.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nzpr-vol-30-1and-2_callister.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Māori loanword {{lang|mi|[[Pākehā]]}} has been used to refer to [[European New Zealanders|New Zealanders of European descent]], although some reject this name. The word today is increasingly used to refer to all non-Polynesian New Zealanders.<ref name="Pakeha">{{cite web |url= http://maorinews.com/writings/papers/other/pakeha.htm |title='Pakeha', Its Origin and Meaning |last=Ranford |first=Jodie |quote=Originally the Pakeha were the early European settlers, however, today 'Pakeha' is used to describe any peoples of non-Maori or non-Polynesian heritage. Pakeha is not an ethnicity but rather a way to differentiate between the historical origins of our settlers, the Polynesians and the Europeans, the Maori and the other. |access-date=20 February 2008 |work=Māori News}}</ref>

The Māori were the first people to reach New Zealand, followed by the early [[Pākehā settlers|European settlers]]. Following colonisation, immigrants were predominantly from Britain, Ireland and Australia because of restrictive policies similar to the [[White Australia policy]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Trends in international migration: Continuous reporting system on migration |author=Socidad Peruana de Medicina Intensiva (SOPEMI) |publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] |date=2000 |pages=276–278}}</ref> There was also significant [[Dutch people|Dutch]], [[Dalmatia]]n,<ref>{{cite book |last=Walrond |first=Carl |chapter=Dalmatians |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |date=21 September 2007 |chapter-url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/dalmatians |access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref> [[Germany|German]], and [[Italians|Italian]] immigration, together with indirect European immigration through Australia, North America, South America and South Africa.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Peoples |chapter-url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/peoples |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=2 June 2017|date=2005}}</ref><ref name="Immigration history">{{cite book |last1=Phillips |first1=Jock |chapter=History of immigration |chapter-url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=2 June 2017 |date=11 August 2015}}</ref> Net migration increased after the [[World War II|Second World War]]; in the 1970s and 1980s policies on immigration were relaxed, and immigration from Asia was promoted.<ref name="Immigration history" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brawley |first1=Sean |title='No White Policy in NZ': Fact and Fiction in New Zealand's Asian Immigration Record, 1946–1978 |journal=New Zealand Journal of History |date=1993 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=33–36 |url= http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/docs/1993/NZJH_27_1_03.pdf |access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> In 2009–10, an annual target of 45,000–50,000 permanent residence approvals was set by the New Zealand Immigration Service—more than one new migrant for every 100 New Zealand residents.<ref name="Recent immigration">{{cite journal |title=International Migration Outlook: New Zealand 2009/10 |date=2010 |journal=OECD Continuous Reporting System on Migration (SOPEMI) |publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] |url= http://www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/sopemi/2009-2010/imo-2009-2010.pdf |access-date=16 April 2011 |issn=1179-5085 |page=2 |via=[[New Zealand Department of Labour]] |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110511071208/http://www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/sopemi/2009-2010/imo-2009-2010.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2011}}</ref> In the 2018 census, 27.4% of people counted were not born in New Zealand, up from 25.2% in the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. Over half (52.4%) of New Zealand's overseas-born population lives in the Auckland Region.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8279|title=Birthplace (detailed), for the census usually resident population count, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (RC, TA, SA2, DHB) |work=nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |access-date=22 July 2020}}</ref> The United Kingdom remains the largest source of New Zealand's immigrant population, with around a quarter of all overseas-born New Zealanders born there; other major sources of New Zealand's overseas-born population are [[China]], [[India]], [[Australia]], [[South Africa]], [[Fiji]] and [[Samoa]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Census totals by topic – national highlights |url= https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |access-date=22 July 2020 |date=23 September 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190923102431/https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights |url-status=dead}}</ref> The number of fee-paying [[international student]]s increased sharply in the late 1990s, with more than 20,000 studying in public [[Tertiary education|tertiary institutions]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Andrew |last1=Butcher |first2=Terry |last2=McGrath |title=International Students in New Zealand: Needs and Responses |date=2004 |journal=International Education Journal |volume=5 |issue=4 |url= http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/iej/articles/v5n4/butcher/paper.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120309072621/http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/iej/articles/v5n4/butcher/paper.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2012 |access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref>

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of New Zealand}}
[[File:TeReoMaori2013.png|thumb|alt=Map of New Zealand showing the percentage of people in each census area unit who speak Māori. Areas of the North Island exhibit the highest Māori proficiency.|Speakers of Māori according to the 2013 census<ref>{{cite book |title=2013 Census QuickStats |date=2013 |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |isbn=978-0-478-40864-5}}</ref>
{{legend|#fef0d9|Less than 5%}}
{{legend|#fdd8a4|More than 5%}}
{{legend|#fcb779|More than 10%}}
{{legend|#fc8d59|More than 20%}}
{{legend|#eb603f|More than 30%}}
{{legend|#d33121|More than 40%}}
{{legend|#a50c0c|More than 50%}}]]
English is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by 95.4% of the population.<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> [[New Zealand English]] is a variety of the language with a distinctive [[Accent (sociolinguistics)|accent]] and lexicon.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Bardsley|first1=Dianne|title=English language in New Zealand – Characteristics of New Zealand English |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/english-language-in-new-zealand/page-1 |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=11 November 2021 |date=7 October 2018}}</ref> It is similar to [[Australian English]], and many speakers from the Northern Hemisphere are unable to tell the accents apart.{{sfn|Hay|Maclagan|Gordon|2008|p=14}} The most prominent differences between the New Zealand English dialect and other English dialects are the shifts in the short front vowels: the short-''i'' sound (as in ''kit'') has centralised towards the [[schwa]] sound (the ''a'' in ''comma'' and ''about''); the short-''e'' sound (as in ''dress'') has moved towards the short-''i'' sound; and the short-''a'' sound (as in ''trap'') has moved to the short-''e'' sound.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bauer |first1=Laurie |last2=Warren |first2=Paul |last3=Bardsley |first3=Dianne |last4=Kennedy |first4=Marianna |last5=Major |first5=George |title=New Zealand English |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |date=2007 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=97–102 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282778721 |doi=10.1017/S0025100306002830 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

After the Second World War, Māori were discouraged or forced from speaking their own language ({{lang|mi|[[te reo Māori]]}}) in schools and workplaces, and it existed as a community language only in a few remote areas.<ref name="Māori language" /> The Native Schools Act 1867 required instruction in English in all schools, and while there was no official policy banning children from speaking Māori, many suffered from [[physical abuse]] if they did so.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 May 2023 |title=The Crown's legacy of beating Māori children for speaking their reo |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/te-wiki-o-te-reo-maori-beaten-for-speaking-their-native-tongue-and-the-generations-that-suffered/F7G6XCM62QAHTYVSRVOCRKAUYI/ |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 September 2019 |title=Crown should apologise to Māori beaten as children for te reo, says Dover Samuels |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/115508946/crown-should-apologise-to-mori-beaten-as-children-for-te-reo-says-dover-samuels |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 September 2015 |title=Native Affairs – Silenced |url=https://www.teaomaori.news/native-affairs-silenced |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=Māori Television |language=en}}</ref> The Māori language has recently undergone a process of revitalisation,<ref>{{cite news |title=British influence ebbs as New Zealand takes to talking Māori |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/1490814/British-influence-ebbs-as-New-Zealand-takes-to-talking-Maori.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/1490814/British-influence-ebbs-as-New-Zealand-takes-to-talking-Maori.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |first=Nick |last=Squires |date=May 2005|work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=3 May 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> being declared one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987,<ref>{{cite web |title=Waitangi Tribunal claim – Māori Language Week |url= http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/maori-language-week/waitangi-tribunal-claim |publisher=[[New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] |date=July 2010 |access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> and is spoken by 4.0% of the population.<ref name="Census2018_pdc" />{{refn|In 2015, 55% of Māori adults (aged 15 years and over) reported knowledge of {{lang|mi|te reo Māori}}. Of these speakers, 64% use Māori at home and 50,000 can speak the language "very well" or "well".<ref name="tereoMaori">{{cite web |title=Ngā puna kōrero: Where Māori speak te reo – infographic |url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/maori/te-kupenga/use-te-reo-infographic-english.aspx |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |access-date=8 September 2016}}</ref>|group=n}} There are now Māori language-immersion schools and two television channels that broadcast predominantly in Māori.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11670518 |first=John |last=Drinnan |title='Maori' will remain in the name Maori Television |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |quote=According to 2015 figures supplied by Maori TV, its two channels broadcast an average of 72 per cent Māori language content – 59 per cent on the main channel and 99 per cent on Te Reo |date=8 July 2016 |access-date=28 August 2016}}</ref> [[List of dual place names in New Zealand|Many places]] have both their Māori and English names officially recognised.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 |url= http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0097/latest/DLM429090.html |publisher=[[New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel Office]] |access-date=10 March 2019 |date=20 May 2014 |orig-year=1 October 1998}}</ref>

As recorded in the 2018 census,<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> [[Samoan language|Samoan]] is the most widely spoken non-official language (2.2%), followed by "Northern Chinese" (including [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], 2.0%), [[Hindi]] (1.5%), and French (1.2%). [[New Zealand Sign Language]] was reported to be understood by 22,986 people (0.5%); it became one of New Zealand's official languages in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 April 2006 |title=New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006 |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2006/0018/latest/DLM372754.html |publisher=[[Parliamentary Counsel Office (New Zealand)|Parliamentary Counsel Office]] |version=1 July 2022}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in New Zealand}}
{{See also|Irreligion in New Zealand}}

[[File:Ratana Church Raetihi.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A [[Rātana]] church on a hill near [[Raetihi]]. The two-tower construction is characteristic of Rātana buildings.<ref name="Kaa" />|alt=Simple white building with two red domed towers]]
[[Christianity in New Zealand|Christianity]] is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although its society is among the most [[secular]] in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Phil |author-link1=Phil Zuckerman |editor1-last=Martin |editor1-first=Michael |title=The Cambridge Companion to Atheism |date=2006 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-84270-9 |pages=47–66 |s2cid=16480812 |url=http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f379/ed99e57782aca6391ef5f666da7ba41f1333.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809040833/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f379/ed99e57782aca6391ef5f666da7ba41f1333.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 August 2017 |access-date=8 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Walrond |first=Carl |chapter=Atheism and secularism – Who is secular? |chapter-url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/atheism-and-secularism/page-3 |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=8 August 2017 |date=May 2012}}</ref> In the 2018 census, 44.7% of respondents identified with one or more religions, including 37.0% identifying as Christians. Another 48.5% indicated that they had no religion.{{refn|1=Religion percentages may not add to 100% as people could claim multiple religions or object to answering the question.|group=n}}<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> Of those who affiliate with a particular Christian denomination, the main responses are [[Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia|Anglicanism]] (6.7%),{{refn|1=This is a percentage of total respondents to the census, not a percentage of Christians.|group=n}} [[Catholic Church in New Zealand|Roman Catholicism]] (6.3%), and [[Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand|Presbyterianism]] (4.7%).<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> The Māori-based [[Ringatū]] and [[Rātana]] denominations (1.2%) are also Christian in origin.<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /><ref name="Kaa">{{cite book |last1=Kaa |first1=Hirini |chapter=Ngā hāhi – Māori and Christian denominations – Ringatū and Rātana |chapter-url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/nga-hahi-maori-and-christian-denominations/page-7 |title=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |date=March 2017}}</ref> Immigration and demographic change in recent decades have contributed to the growth of minority religions, such as [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hinduism]] (2.6%), [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]] (1.3%), [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhism]] (1.1%), and [[Sikhism in New Zealand|Sikhism]] (0.9%).<ref name="Census2018_pdc" /> The Auckland Region exhibited the greatest religious diversity.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Census place summaries |url= https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-place-summaries/auckland-region#religion |work=stats.govt.nz |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |access-date=30 March 2020 |date=23 September 2019}}</ref>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in New Zealand|Tertiary education in New Zealand}}

Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority of children attending from the age of 5.<ref name="Education Stats">{{cite web |title=Education Statistics of New Zealand: 2009 |publisher=Education Counts |first=Olivia |last=Dench|date=July 2010 |url= http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ECE/2507/80221 |access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref> There are 13 school years and attending [[State school|state (public) schools]] is free to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1989/0080/latest/DLM177440.html |title=Education Act 1989 No 80|at=Section 3 |publisher=[[New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel Office]] |date=1989 |access-date=5 January 2013}}</ref> New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99%,<ref name="CIA" /> and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification.<ref name="Education Stats" /> There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: [[University|universities]], colleges of education, [[Institute of technology#New Zealand|polytechnics]], specialist colleges, and [[wānanga]],<ref name="EducationAct1989">{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1989/0080/latest/DLM183668.html |title=Education Act 1989 No 80 (as at 0<!-- no reformat -->1 February 2011), Public Act. Part 14: Establishment and disestablishment of tertiary institutions, Section 62: Establishment of institutions |publisher=[[New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel Office]] |work=Education Act 1989 No 80 |date=1 February 2011 |access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref> in addition to private training establishments.<ref name="NZQA">{{cite web |title=Studying in New Zealand: Tertiary education |publisher=[[New Zealand Qualifications Authority]] |url= http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/tertiary-education |access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref> In 2021, in the population aged 25–64; 13% had no formal qualification, 21% had a school qualification, 28% had a tertiary certificate or diploma, and 35% have a [[bachelor's degree]] or higher.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Educational attainment of the adult population |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/achievement-and-attainment/educational-attainment-of-the-adult-population.xlsx |website=educationcounts.govt.nz}}</ref> The OECD's [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] ranks New Zealand as the 28th best in the [[OECD]] for maths, 13th best for science, and 11th best for reading.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=PISA 2018 results |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm |access-date=7 October 2023 |website=PISA}}</ref>