Geographic Locations
Over three-quarters of New Zealands population live in the North Island (76 percent) with one-third of the total population living in the Auckland region. This region is also the fastest growing, accounting for 46 percent of New Zealands total population growth. Most Māori live in the North Island (87 percent), although less than a quarter (24 percent) live in Auckland. New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with 86 percent of the population living in an urban area. About 72 percent of the population live in the 16 main urban areas (population of 30,000 or more) and 53 percent live in the four largest cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton.
Approximately 14 percent of the population live in four different categories of rural areas as defined by Statistics New Zealand. About 18 percent of the rural population live in areas that have a high urban influence (roughly 12.9 people per square kilometre), many working in the main urban area. Rural areas with moderate urban influence and a population density of about 6.5 people per square kilometre account for 26 percent of the rural population. Areas with low urban influence where the majority of the residents work in the rural area house approximately 42 percent of the rural population. Remote rural areas with a density of less than 1 person per square kilometre account for about 14 percent of the rural population.
The vast majority of the population live on the main North and South Islands, with New Zealand's major inhabited smaller islands being Waiheke Island (7,689), Great Barrier Island (850), Chatham and Pitt Islands (609), and Stewart Island (402). In 2006, 15,342 people were residents of the Cook Islands, with two thirds living on Rarotonga, and the other third spread over the other 14 islands. The resident population of Tokelau and Niue was 1,466 and 1,625 respectively in 2006. At the time 58,008 Cook Islanders, 22,476 Niueans and 6,819 Tokelauans lived in New Zealand.
| List of cities in New Zealand |
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| Rank | City Name | Region | Pop. | Rank | City Name | Region | Pop. | |
| 1 | Auckland | Auckland Region | 1397300 | 7 | Dunedin | Otago Region | 118400 | |
| 2 | Wellington | Wellington Region | 395600 | 8 | Palmerston North | Manawatu-Wanganui Region | 83300 | |
| 3 | Christchurch | Canterbury Region | 375900 | 9 | Nelson | Nelson | 61100 | |
| 4 | Hamilton | Waikato Region | 209300 | 10 | Rotorua | Bay of Plenty Region | 56100 | |
| 5 | Napier-Hastings | Hawke's Bay Region | 125000 | 11 | New Plymouth | Taranaki Region | 53000 | |
| 6 | Tauranga | Bay of Plenty Region | 122200 | 12 | Whangarei | Northland Region | 52500 | |
Read more about this topic: Ethnic Groups In New Zealand