The 1896 New Zealand census was a census of the non-Māori population taken on 12 April 1896, and a separate census of Māori taken in February 1896. The population (excluding Māori but including Chinese and "half-castes" living as Europeans) was 703,360, a 12.24% increase since the previous census in 1891. The Māori population was estimated to be 39,854, which included 3,503 part-Māori living in tribes and 20 Moriori at the Chatham Islands. Another 2,259 part-Māori were living as Europeans and counted in the main census. The total population of New Zealand was 743,214.
The process In 1895 the government considered holding censuses every 10 years instead of every five years. The next British census was due in 1901 and it was proposed that New Zealand cancel the upcoming 1896 census and instead take one in 1901, to fall into line with British census-taking. Members of Parliament debated the issue, concerned that population changes required changes in electoral boundaries. MP Alfred Newman stated that the population in the North Island had increased much more than that of the South Island, especially in Auckland due to a mining boom. He said that the South Island could end up with more representation than its population warranted. It was also argued that New Zealand's population was shifting and changing much more rapidly than the population in the United Kingdom. A bill to postpone the census was defeated, and it went ahead on 12 April 1896.
To carry out the census, New Zealand was divided into 33 enumerators' districts. The enumerators divided their districts into subdistricts, each with a sub-enumerator to distribute and collect household schedules. There were about 750 sub-enumerators in total. Each sub-enumerator was given a map of his district, marked into small blocks. The European population recorded in each block would help define electoral districts for the next general election.
Information collected about individuals included name, sex, age, marital status, birthplace, religion, occupation, education, whether British subject or alien, and state of health. Information about the size and construction materials of dwellings was collected, along with information relating to industries, places of worship, institutions and land use. The questions on the census form had been approved at a conference of statisticians in Hobart, Australia in 1890. Collection of information did not always go smoothly. The enumerator at Waipawa threatened to fine businesspeople in the counties of Waipawa and Pahiatua £20 for neglecting to send in their returns.
Once the completed schedules were returned, they were sorted with a card system. Printed cards were marked with the details of each person in the census; the cards could then be sorted by hand in various combinations according to the information required. The Hollerith electrical machine for punching, sorting and counting cards that was in use in the United States of America had been deemed unsuitable for countries like New Zealand with small populations.
The completed census for both Māori and non-Māori was submitted to Parliament on 26 April 1897. Non-Māori population Provincial DistrictPopulationPercent (%) change since 1891Largest borough in each districtBorough populationBorough and suburbs populationAuckland153,56415.32 %Auckland31,42457,616Taranaki31,17541.29 %New Plymouth3,825Hawke's Bay34,03819.41 %Napier9,231Wellington121,85424.69 %Wellington37,44141,758Marlborough12,483 −2.22 %Blenheim3,018Nelson35,7342.77 %Nelson6,659Westland14,469 −8.93 %Greymouth3,099Canterbury135,8585.82 %Christchurch16,96451,330Otago163,9447.09 %Dunedin22,81547,280Chatham Islands234 −13.65 %Kermadec Islands7 −63.16 %Total703,36012.24 %
Birthplaces of the non-Māori population Almost two thirds (62.85%) of the non-Māori population was born in New Zealand. Westland had the most foreign subjects (6.11%), and Marlborough had the fewest (0.59%). 'British allegiance' included everyone born in British possessions, naturalised British subjects and British subjects born abroad. Those who were born at sea or who had not specified a birthplace were deemed British if they had a British-sounding name.
There were 3,719 people born in China, of whom only 24 were female. This was a decrease of 16.8 % from the 4,470 Chinese-born people counted in 1891. Most Chinese (1,769) lived in Otago, with smaller communities in Nelson (721), Wellington (474), Westland (370), Auckland (192) and Canterbury (105).
Half of the Scottish-born population lived in Otago. Most Scandinavians (from Denmark, Sweden and Norway) lived in Wellington Province (1622), with other communities in Hawke's Bay (932), Auckland (751), Otago (555) and Canterbury (428). BirthplaceNumberPercent (%) of populationBritish possessions:97.1 New Zealand441,66162.85Australia, Tasmania, Fiji21,7823.1England116,54116.58Wales2,1480.31Scotland50,4357.18IrelandIncorrect OCR in source. 46,037 is the correct figure.46,0376.55Other British Possessions3,7500.53Foreign countries:Austria-Hungary8810.13Belgium1380.02Denmark and Possessions2,1250.3France and Possessions6980.1Germany4,5950.65Greece1270.02Italy4230.06Netherlands and Possessions1320.02Poland1010.01Portugal and Possessions1730.02Russia and Possessions3650.05Spain and Possessions880.01Sweden and Norway2,7750.4Switzerland3420.05Other European Countries300China3,7190.53Africa (various)1340.02America, North America9690.14United States of America7800.11Other Foreign Countries4850.07At Sea1,3220.19Birthplace not stated604Total703,360100Allegiance:British subjects690,00398.1Foreign subjects13,3571.9Total703,360100
Occupations The non-Māori census asked what occupations the population followed. 31 % of the male population over 10 years old was engaged in farm work (order 21 in the following table). The most common occupations for women were domestic roles (order 3) and dressmaking and millinery (order 15). Only 987 girls aged between 5 and 15 years old were in paid domestic employment, a sharp drop from the previous census in 1891 which showed 1,402 girls doing such work. Some unusual occupations recorded in the census include an ostrich farmer, a zymologist, 11 medical galvanists and 14 phrenologists.
Just over 58% of the population was described as "dependents". This category included wives and widows without an occupation; children at home or in orphanages or industrial schools; parents depending on adult children; patients in hospitals and asylums; and prisoners. ClassOrderOccupationsMalesFemalesTotalI. Professional1Persons engaged in government (not otherwise classed) and in defence, law, and protection3,538433,5812Persons ministering to religion, charity, health, education, art, science, and amusements8,4617,20415,665II. Domestic3Persons engaged in the supply of board and lodging, and in rendering personal service for which remuneration is usually paid5,88022,93028,810III. Commercial (dealers, not manufacturers)4Persons performing offices in connection with the exchange, valuation, insurance, lease, loan, or custody of money or real property4,0314294,4605Persons dealing in art and mechanic productions in which matters of various kinds are employed in combination1,5911891,7806Persons dealing in textile fabrics, dress, and fibrous articles3,3088544,1627Persons dealing in food, drinks, narcotics, and stimulants7,4976848,1818Persons dealing in animals, animal substances, and vegetable substances not used for food1,700111,7119Persons dealing in minerals and other materials mainly used for fuel and light504651010Persons dealing in minerals other than for fuel1,034261,06011Persons engaged as general dealers or in undefined mercantile pursuits9,0691,59410,66312Persons engaged in storage916091613Persons engaged in the transport of passengers, goods, or communications16,61232516,937IV. Industrial (including manufacturers of goods)14Persons engaged in the manufacture or other processes relating to art and mechanic productions, using materials of various kinds in combination10,98548711,47215Persons engaged in the manufacture of, or in other processes relating to, textile fabrics, dress, or fibrous materials7,84912,05019,89916Persons engaged in the manufacture of, or in other processes relating to, food, drinks, narcotics, and stimulants.5,4462015,64717Persons (not otherwise classed) engaged in manufacturing, or otherwise treating, animal and vegetable substances4,563184,58118Persons engaged in the alteration, modification, or manufacture, or in other processes relating to minerals, mineral substances, and metals6,440176,45719Persons engaged in the construction or repair of buildings, railways, roads, docks, earthworks, &c., and in the disposal of dead matter and refuse, or in mechanical operations or in labour the nature of which is undefined15,483715,49020Industrial workers imperfectly defined17,80546318,268V. Primary21Persons engaged in cultivating land, breeding or rearing, preserving, capturing, or destroying animals, or in obtaining raw products from natural sources103,0163,114106,130VI. Indefinite22Persons whose occupations are imperfectly defined, embracing those deriving incomes from sources which cannot be directly related to any other class4,1342,4186,552VII. Dependent23Persons dependent upon natural guardians127,211275,716402,92724Persons dependent upon the State or upon public or private support3,5182,2905,808Occupation not stated8248691,693Total population371,415331,945703,360
Māori census The census of Māori was held during February 1896. Circulars written in Māori were printed to explain the purpose of the census. Enumerators tried to appoint sub-enumerators who were Māori or who had good local knowledge and good relations with local people, and ideally could speak Māori, but there was sometimes difficulty finding suitable men who would do the work for the pay offered and in the face of Māori suspicion or opposition to the census. Enumerators travelled around their districts filling in blank forms with the details of the people in each locality. As enumerators filed their reports with the government, they commented on the living conditions, local epidemics, housing and farming in Māori communities.
The Māori population was calculated to be 39,854 people, almost all living in the North Island. The population included Māori women with European husbands, part-Māori living in Māori communities or tribes, and Moriori. Part-Māori living European-style were included in the main census. The population had decreased slightly from the 41,993 Māori recorded in the previous census in 1891. There were difficulties comparing numbers with the previous census. Population changes since then were partly explained by the mobility of the people, who had moved to work on the gum fields and railway works, or gone travelling to follow Te Kooti or for Land Court sittings. Enumerators commented that there were fewer children than expected, and believed that poor nutrition and bad sanitation had led to the younger generation being less healthy than the older people.
There were also difficulties taking the census. An enumerator in the Upper Waikato area reportedly travelled through two or three hundred miles of his district without enrolling a single person, because Māori refused to provide any information. Many Māori refused to provide their details because they feared it would lead to more taxation. In an area near Rotorua, the enumerator said that Māori in the previous census had given made up names, believing that "if the Government knew that a certain tribe only consisted of a few individuals they would got no concessions whatever. They considered that numbers would carry weight both in the native land court and in other matters". The enumerator used his personal local knowledge to ensure that fictitious names were not recorded this time.