NEW ZEALAND’S POPULATION

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28895, 15 May 1959, Page 17

NEW ZEALAND’S POPULATION

Figure Nears 2.5 Million New Zealand’s population is not far from 2,500,000 according to figures compiled at the < end of the first quarter of this year by the Government statistician (Mr J. V. T. Baker). The total figure at March 31 this year was 2.326,129 and of that number 152,643 were Maoris. The national total figure showed an increase of 10,229 in the first three months of the year on the total of 2,315,900 at the end of last December. There were only 13,875 more males than females in the country at the end of March—l,l7o,oo7 males and 1,156,122 females. Of the non-Maori population 1,092.284 were males and 1,081,202 females —11,082 more males than females —and of the Maori population 77,723 were males and 74,920 were females, giving a “surplus” of 2803 males. During the three months, natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) was responsible for an increase of 10,812 to the total population, while migration figures showed that there were 583 more departures than arrivals. For the same period last year the natural increase was 10,892 and arrivals exceeded departures by 1809. The most recent available figure-, show that in island territories and the Trust Territory of Western Samoa the populations at the end of last year were: Cook Islands 17,654; Niue Island 4718; Tokelau Islands 1749; and Western Samoa 102,860.