This new Asia:NZ report, authored by Professor Richard Bedford and Dr Elsie Ho of Waikato University, uses existing and projected population statistics to examine New Zealand’s changing demography in the light of closer engagement with Asia.

Highlights of the report:

• What does Asian mean? The term is much more fluid that the widely accepted umbrella definition, which does not take into account the cultural, historical and linguistic diversity of the 27 countries forming the Asian region.
• There is a significant increase in the number of Asian people with mixed ethnicities in New Zealand. This trend toward a higher degree of ethnic mixing is a clear evidence of increased relationships and partnerships within the wider framework of New Zealand society.
• About one-fifth of all Asians in the 2006 Census were born in New Zealand.
• The majority of Asian-born New Zealand residents come from Northeast Asia (countries including China, Japan and Korea).
• The two major ethnic groups represented in New Zealand are Chinese (147,567) and Indian (104,583).
• Chinese, Indian and Filipino are the three dominant groups in contemporary Asian migration to New Zealand.
• The year 1986 marked the end of an era in New Zealand's history of immigration: the country began opening up to influx from a more diverse range of countries, among which the Asian region was prominent. Between 1986 and 2006, there was a sevenfold increase in the number of New Zealand residents born in Asia. The numbers of Chinese and Indian rose by 800 percent. But the largest increase in Asia-born residents was for people from South Korea (from 390 to over 28,000) and Taiwan (from 165 to over 10,000).
• The growth of Asian ethnic populations over the next 20 years will be significantly less dramatic than the growth New Zealand has already experienced in the two decades to 2006.
  
• The estimated number of Asians in New Zealand at 30 June 2006 was 404,000 – this is projected to almost double over the next two decades, to about 788,000 in June 2026, nearly equal to the Maori population. It is useful to remember that population projections are subject to great variability, not least because migration levels from Asia are volatile and fluctuate considerably year to year.
  
• Beyond 2026, inevitably the Asian population will grow to exceed the Maori population – there are fewer than one million Maori and 4.3 billion Asians in the world's population. In this context, inter-ethnic mobility (movement between Asian and non-Asian groups) will be important: larger shares of the Asian population will be of mixed ethnicity and counted in more than one population.

 
The bigger picture
New Zealand has been positioning itself as an active part of Asia for the past 20 years. Ten of New Zealand’s top 20 export markets are now in Asia. Stability in the region is of utmost importance to New Zealand as energy security, climate change and commodity prices move to the top of the agenda worldwide.

The recent China-New Zealand free trade agreement, Japan-New Zealand Partnership Forum and resulting Customs Mutual Recognition Arrangement as well as the ongoing consultations on closer links with a number of other Asian countries are a clear sign of the importance New Zealand government and business interests place on strengthening our relationships with Asia.

New Zealand will continue to open up to capital, immigration, students and visitors from Asia – and the fabric of our society in the 21st century will reflect the region’s significance accordingly.

Download a copy of the full report or view other Asia:NZ Outlook research reports.