Iwi Population Graphs
Data, Demography and Demographic Recovery · Statistics in Context
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Read, plot, and interpret line graphs using real demographic data
- Calculate percentage change from population data
- Connect statistical patterns to historical causes (colonisation, land loss, public health)
- Use demographic data to argue for the resilience and continuity of Māori as a people
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I can plot population data as a line graph with correctly labelled axes
- I can calculate a percentage decrease and increase using the formula
- I can identify the period of steepest decline and link it to a historical event
- I can use growth rate data to project a future population and explain my working
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Level 4–5: investigate situations statistically; display and interpret data; calculate percentage change; make predictions from trends.
Understand the causes and consequences of colonisation for Māori; investigate how historical events shape contemporary demographic patterns.
Whakataukī
"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata"
What is the greatest thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.
Understanding population data helps us see the story of a people — their growth, challenges, and resilience. Māori population history is one of dramatic decline and remarkable recovery. The numbers are not just statistics; they represent real whānau, real communities, real tūāhuatanga.
Wāhi 1 · Pānui me te Whakaaro · Reading and Interpreting Graphs
| Year | Estimated Māori population | Approx. % of NZ total | Key historical context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | ~100,000 | ~100% | Pre-European contact (most estimates) |
| 1858 | ~56,000 | ~47% | First NZ census; Pākehā population growing rapidly |
| 1896 | ~42,000 | ~5% | Population nadir — land alienation, disease, wars |
| 1945 | ~98,000 | ~6% | Recovery begins; improved public health services |
| 2006 | ~565,000 | ~14% | Urban Māori majority; strong growth continues |
| 2023 | ~875,000 | ~17% | Fastest-growing major ethnic group in NZ |
Task: Plot these figures as a line graph. Label the x-axis (years) and y-axis (population). Use a ruler and mark each data point clearly.
1. Between which two years was the population decline steepest? By how many people did it fall?
2. What historical events happened during the period of greatest decline? List at least two.
3. Describe the overall shape of the graph. What does it tell you about the resilience of Māori as a people?
Wāhi 2 · Tatau Āhuatanga · Percentage Change Calculations
A negative % = decline. A positive % = growth.
1. Calculate the % decrease in Māori population from 1800 to 1896. Show your working.
2. Calculate the % increase in Māori population from 1896 to 2023. Show your working.
3. What do these two numbers together tell you about the story of Māori demographic history?
4. (Extension) The Māori population grows at approximately 1.8% per year. Use the formula P = 875,000 × (1.018)27 to estimate the Māori population in 2050. Show working.
Wāhi 3 · Raraunga Iwi · Iwi Data Comparison
Different iwi have very different population sizes. Remember: mana comes from whakapapa and relationships, not from numbers.
1. Research the five largest iwi in Aotearoa by population (Stats NZ 2018 census). Record your findings.
2. Which region has the highest concentration of Māori population? What factors might explain this?
3. Urban Māori (living in cities) now outnumber rural Māori. What are two implications of this for: (a) language revitalisation, (b) connection to whenua?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Population data about Māori was collected by the Crown from the 1840s — often for administrative and confiscation purposes. Iwi and hapū did not always control how their demographic data was collected or used. Today, data sovereignty — the principle that indigenous peoples should control data about their own communities — is increasingly recognised in Aotearoa through frameworks like Te Mana Raraunga.
The population recovery from the nadir of ~42,000 in 1896 to over 875,000 today is one of the most remarkable demographic recoveries recorded. It reflects not only improved health and living conditions but also the extraordinary cultural resilience, advocacy, and whakaaro of Māori communities across generations.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
Resources already provided:
- This handout with historical population data table
- Ruler — for plotting and connecting line graph points
- Calculator (permitted for percentage change and projection calculations)
- Stats NZ census data at stats.govt.nz (for iwi population research)
Aronga Rerekē · Differentiated Pathways
Tīmata · Entry Level
Plot the line graph (Part 1). Answer questions 1 and 3. Calculate only the % decline (Part 2, question 1) — teacher provides the formula set-up.
Paerewa · On Level
Complete Parts 1 and 2 fully. Answer all questions. Show all working for percentage calculations. Begin Part 3.
Tūāpae · Extension
Complete all three parts. Research and draw a second line on your graph showing NZ total population growth. Analyse the crossing points — when did Māori population become a minority, and when might proportions shift again? Write a short paragraph connecting data to the concept of tino rangatiratanga.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to build pāngarau (mathematical) understanding — developing number sense, pattern recognition, and mathematical reasoning through hands-on, culturally grounded activities that connect to tamariki's world.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain their mathematical thinking using words, objects, drawings, or symbols.
- ✅ Students can apply the number or pattern concept in this resource to a real or everyday context.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Use concrete materials (blocks, counters, fingers) for entry-level engagement before progressing to abstract representations. Offer extension challenges asking students to generalise a pattern, write their own word problem, or explain their strategy to a partner.
ELL / ESOL: Mathematical language is a discipline-specific barrier — pre-teach key terms (e.g., equals, more than, fewer, pattern, factor) using visual representations. Allow students to demonstrate mathematical understanding non-verbally or through drawing. Pair with a bilingual buddy where possible.
Inclusion: Embed choice in how students engage — oral, written, or diagrammatic responses are all valid. Neurodiverse learners benefit from short, chunked task sequences with immediate feedback loops. Avoid timed drills in favour of exploratory tasks that reward curiosity. Make the maths classroom a safe place to be wrong and try again.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Pāngarau is a living tradition in Te Ao Māori — from the geometric precision of tukutuku and kōwhaiwhai patterns to the navigational mathematics of waka hourua, and the seasonal calculations embedded in maramataka. Framing early number sense within these contexts shows tamariki that mathematics is a human, culturally rich endeavour — not a foreign import. Encourage students to see counting, measuring, and patterning as acts of knowing their world.
Prior knowledge: Designed for early learners. No prior formal mathematics knowledge required. Teachers should assess current number knowledge before selecting appropriate entry points.
Curriculum alignment
- Number and Algebra — Number Strategies: Use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions.
- Number and Algebra — Patterns and Relationships: Generalise that the next counting number gives the result of adding one object to a set and that counting the number of objects in a set tells how many.