Photo: RNZ / Ruth Kuo
An analysis of data from the 2023 Census reveals that more than 70 percent of New Zealand's Chinese population were born overseas.
Latest Census data shows that 71.1 percent of respondents who claimed a Chinese heritage were born outside of New Zealand, a slight drop from the 73.3 percent figure recorded in 2018.
Moreover, just over 40 percent of individuals with Chinese heritage who were born overseas relocated to New Zealand less than 10 years ago, the data shows.
A total of 279,039 people who claim Chinese heritage, or about 5.6 percent of the population, resided in New Zealand, according to the latest data.
The median age of the Chinese population - 36.2 years - was a touch lower than the national average of 38.1 years, the data shows.
The median income of Chinese adults - $35,000 - was also a little lower than New Zealand's overall median of $41,500, the data shows.
Additionally, a little more than 60 percent of Chinese New Zealanders held full- or part-time employment, with a further 2.6 percent unemployed and 37 percent not in the workforce, the data shows.
The latest Census shows nearly half the Chinese population were employed in a managerial or professional capacity, while just under 10 percent worked as labourers. The remainder worked in other occupations, including sales, clerical and administrative jobs, and construction.
Interestingly, data from the 2023 Census shows that 21.4 percent of New Zealand's total population spoke more than one language.
However, Chinese New Zealanders scored higher on this metric, with more than half, or 54.4 percent, speaking two languages and a further 8.7 percent speaking three languages, the data shows.
Just under 80 percent of Chinese New Zealanders spoke English, 36.7 percent spoke northern Chinese and 18.9 percent spoke Yue. A further 20 percent indicated they spoke Sinitic, which was not defined.
A small fraction of Chinese New Zealanders spoke Māori (0.6 percent) and Samoan (0.7 percent).
Census data also shows that almost 75 percent of Chinese New Zealanders lived in a one-family household with or without other people.
Stats NZ defines a household as a "group of related or unrelated people that live together in the same private dwelling. ... [The household] can also be a person who lives alone".
Considering Auckland is the country's biggest city, it's not surprising that almost 70 percent of the country's Chinese population lived in Auckland, followed by Canterbury (9 percent) and Wellington (8.1 percent).
Local boards on Auckland's North Shore housed more than 20 percent of the country's Chinese population, while the local board in Howick was home to around 15 percent, the data shows.
Compared to the 4.9 percent of the country's population who identify as LGBTIQ+, 2023 Census data shows that 5.4 percent of Chinese New Zealanders identified similarly.
A final metric in which the Chinese community far exceeded the national average is in terms of religious affiliation.
While nearly half of New Zealand claimed not to follow a religion in the 2023 Census, almost 72 percent of Chinese New Zealanders denied having any religious affiliation.
Of those who did profess to be religious, 16.6 percent claimed to be Christian and 5.1 Buddhist.
