Settling In Palmerston North and Feilding - Human Rights Commission

Ethnic groups 2006In 2006, Palmerston North City exhibited less ethnic diversity than the country as a whole. The most numerous ethnic groups 48 were:‘European’ (52,510, or 71% of residents compared with 68% nationally)Maori (11,320, or 15% of the population, the same as nationally)‘New Zealanders’ (9,190, or 12% compared with 11% nationwide).Feilding had even larger proportions of its population identifying with these ethnic groups: 9,790 (77%) ‘European’, 2,200 (17%) Maori and around 1,720 (14%)‘New Zealanders’.Compared with their national presence, other smaller ethnic groups were under-represented in Palmerston North and Feilding.People of Asian ethnicity numbered 5,410 in Palmerston North and 220 in Feilding (7% and 2% of each resident population respectively, compared with 9%across New Zealand).• Pacific people numbered 2,750 and 240 (4% and 2% compared with 7% nationally).• People belonging to other ethnic groups numbered around 800 in Palmerston North city (1% of residents – the same proportion as nationally). In Feilding,fewer than 20 people identified with other ethnic groups.Of course, not all people identifying with minority ethnic groups are immigrants. In 2006, around 4,140 people of Asian ethnicity in Palmerston North were bornoverseas, along with around 920 Pacific people, 640 people of Middle Eastern, Latin American or African ethnicity, and 450 people of other ethnicity (excluding‘European’ and Maori but including people who give their ethnicity as ‘New Zealander’). In Feilding, overseas-born people of Asian ethnicity numbered around120 and overseas-born Pacific people, around 40.In 2006, the largest numbers of Asian people in Palmerston North lived in West End (550), Hokowhitu East (510), Aokautere (490), Hokowhitu West andPalmerston North Central (400 each) and Takaro (300). The largest numbers of Pacific people resided in Roslyn and Highbury (330 each), Awapuni North (270),Westbrook (250), Takaro (210), Kelvin Grove (160) and Hokowhitu East (140).Feilding also experienced growth in ethnic groups, although the increases were smaller than in Palmerston North city. Aside from Maori, Pacific people showedthe largest growth in Feilding – more than doubling in number to around 240 and increasing from 1% of residents in 1991 to 2% by 2006. Asian people increasedfrom just over 1% of the population in 1991 to just under 2% in 2006. In 2006, around 100 Pacific people lived in the Feilding North area unit, 60 lived in FeildingCentral, around 50 in Feilding West and around 40 in Feilding East. The town’s Asian population mainly resided in Feilding North (70) and Feilding West (60).Feilding Central and Feilding East each contained around 40.Overseas bornIn 2006, almost 13% of the population of the Manawatu-Wanganui region were born overseas, up from 11% in 1996 and 2001. That gave the region the 13thhighest proportion of overseas born in 2006, out of 17 regions in the country.Percent of usuallyresidentpopulation4035302520151050NorthlandAucklandWaikatoBay of PlentyGisborneHawke's BaySource: Census of Population and DwellingsProportion of overseas born by region,1996, 2001 and 2006TaranakiManawatu-WanganuiWellingtonRegionTasmanNelsonMarlboroughWithin the region, Palmerston North city boasted a higher 17% of residents born overseas in 2006 – up from 15% in both 1996 and 2001. InFeilding, the proportion in 2006 was just 10% – up from 8% at the two previous censuses. Across the country as a whole, 23% of the residentpopulation in 2006 were overseas born (although that figure was boosted by Auckland region’s very large 37%).In 2006, the Palmerston North area units with the largest numbers of overseas-born residents were: Hokowhitu East (1,110), West End (1,040),Aokautere (1,010), Hokowhitu West (880), Roslyn (720), Kelvin Grove (710), Palmerston North Central (680), Takaro (660), Milson andAwapuni North (610 each), Awapuni South (600) and Papaeoia (510). People born in Asia were concentrated in West End (470), HokowhituEast (400), Aokautere (390), Palmerston North Central (360) and Hokowhitu West (330), while the largest numbers of Pacific Island bornpeople lived in Highbury (140), Awapuni North (110), Roslyn (100), Takaro (90) and Westbrook (80).West CoastCanterburyOtagoSouthlandAll New Zealand199620012006SETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDINGRecent arrivalsIn 2006, Palmerston North city had around:• 1,020 residents who had been in the country less than a year (including 330 born in Asia and 80 people born in the Pacific Islands)• 790 who had been in New Zealand for one year (including 240 born in Asia and 70 born in the Pacific Islands)• 930 resident in the country for two years (including 440 born in Asia and 45 born in the Pacific Islands)48Percentages add to more than 100 because individuals could identify with more than one ethnic groupand all were counted.75