In the 1996-2001 censuses (which allowed various ethnic affiliations), the population of Asian heritage people in the country amounted to over six percent and had thus overtaken the number of those who originated from the Pacific Island. Immigration in New Zealand has set its mind on increasing immigration in the country by approximately one percent yearly. Today, the largest single group to immigrate into New Zealand is from the United Kingdom which amounts to thirty percent of the immigrant population. But a large number of migrants from other countries. particularly from East Asia. are drawn into the country, changing the trend of immigration each year.

The predominant religion in the country is Christianity but almost forty percent have no religious membership.

The foremost denominations of Christianity in New Zealand are Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist. A significant number of NZ residents have affiliated themselves with the Baptist, Pentecostal. and Mormon churches. Among the Maori people. the Ratana church is the more popular choice. A census on the country’s religions shows that other significant affiliations on the country include Buddhism, Hinduism. and Islam. The society of New Zealand is multicultural and diverse. with those of European heritage making up the majority of the country’s population. About fifteen percent of the population are of Maori descent, three percent are Polynesian. while the rest are made up of a wide array of ethnic groups. South Africans. Dutch, Indians, and Chinese are just some of those who have migrated over the years into New Zealand.

The largest city in New Zealand is Auckland and it is also the largest Polynesian city in the world. It has a population of more than 1.3 million people. Christchurch and Wellington are the next largest cities in New Zealand with about three hundred fifty thousand residents each. The largest of the South Island cities is Christchurch.

It is projected that by the year 2059, the population of New Zealand will amount to 4.5 million. After such time. the population will begin to decline slowly due to the aging population of the country. Surveys recently conducted show that Auckland’s population will continue to outdo the rest of nation and increase in population in the succeeding decade is projected to increase by over thirty percent. This projected growth is due in part to the largeness of its centers and in part to the large amount of migration from other countries as well as that of from South to North Island.