1864 New Zealand census

The 1864 New Zealand census of people of European descent was held on 1 December 1864.[2] The census contained questions about people's health, religion, occupation, education and literacy, and marital status. There were also questions about the size and construction materials of dwellings, land fenced and cultivated and livestock.[2]

Fourth census of the Colony of New Zealand

← 1861 1 December 1864; 159 years ago (1864-12-01) 1867 →

General information
CountryNew Zealand
Results
Total population172,158 [1] (Increase73.86%)
Most populous ​provincial districtOtago (49,019)
Least populous ​provincial districtHawke's Bay (3,770)

The census found showed that the population had increased by 73.86% since the previous census in 1861, and more people lived in the South Island than the North Island. The census showed that there were 23.82% more men than women in New Zealand (excluding the military and their families), increased from 1861 when there were 23.34% more men than women, and from 1858 when there were 13.36% more men. Enumerators attributed the increasing discrepancy to the large influx of miners to the gold fields, who were likely to be unmarried or to have left their families in their home countries.[2]

Population by province

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The most populous province was Otago, with 49,019 people counted in the census. This total included about 10,000 miners.[3]

Province European population Percent (%) increase since 1861[4]
Auckland 42,132 72.53
Taranaki 4,374 113.99
Hawke's Bay 3,770 44.38
Wellington 14,987 19.26
Nelson 11,910 19.67
Marlborough 5,519 140.06
Canterbury 32,276 101.22
Otago 49,019 80.46
Southland (including Stewart Island) 8,085 330.97
Chatham Islands 86 72
Total excluding military 172,158 73.86
Military and families 11,973
General total of Europeans 184,131

Birthplaces of the European population as of December 1864

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The percentage of the European population born in New Zealand decreased from 27.86% in 1861 to 23.95% in 1864, but the total population grew by 73.86% due to large-scale immigration.[2]

Country Number Percent (%)[2]
  New Zealand-born 41,235 23.95
  England 58,444 33.95
  Scotland 30,940 17.98
  Ireland 20,317 11.8
  Wales 1.029 0.6
  Australian colonies 9,533 5.54
  Other British dominions 3,109 1.8
  United States of America 1,115 0.65
  Germany 1,999 1.16
  France 505 0.29
Other foreign countries 2,189 1.27
At sea 601 0.35
Not specified 1,142 0.66
Total New Zealand 172,158 100.0

Religious affiliation

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Almost half of the European population belonged to the Church of England, but as occurs in modern censuses, some individuals stated other unusual religious beliefs, for example 'Bible Believer', 'Infidel', and 'Professor of Cosmo-theism".[5]

Denomination[2] Population Percent (%) of total population
1861 1864 1861 1864
Church of England 44,451 73,118 44.89 42.47
Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, Presbyterians not more specifically described 21,207 42,058 21.41 24.43
Roman Catholic 10,870 21,507 10.98 12.49
Wesleyan Methodist 7,670 12,506 7.75 7.26
Congregational Independents 2,070 3,689 2.09 2.14
Baptists 1,958 3,391 1.98 1.97
Primitive Methodists 724 1,340 0.73 0.78
Lutherans 681 1,803 0.68 1.05
Hebrews 326 955 0.32 0.56
Society of Friends 70 128 0.07 0.08
Protestants (no particular denomination specified) 4,053 6,825 4.09 3.96
Otherwise described 1,284 2,220 1.30 1.29
Not described 3,657 2,618 3.69 1.52

Occupations

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Labourers, farm workers and domestic and general servants made up almost 18% of workers. Officials said that of 15,700 people on the Otago gold fields at census time, about 10,000 were male miners. Just over half of the population, mostly women and children, had no occupation.[3] Those women who were employed mostly worked as domestic servants or at domestic duties, but small numbers were employed in trade and manufacture, agricultural and pastoral work, or as mechanics, artificers, and skilled workers. More than half of all teachers were women.[6]

Occupations Numbers Percent (%) of population
Trade, Commerce, and Manufacturing 7,625 4.43
Agricultural and Pastoral 12,089 7.02
Mechanics, Artificers, and Skilled Workers 12,118 7.04
Mining 12,527 7.28
Professions, Clerical, Medical, and Legal 619 0.36
Teachers, Surveyors, and other Educated Professions 1,106 0.64
Labourers 12,639 7.34
Domestic and General Servants 6,202 3.6
Miscellaneous 13,951 8.11
No occupation stated (Principally women and children) 93,282 54.18
Total 172,158 100

References

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  1. ^ Europeans and half-castes only, excluding military
  2. ^ a b c d e f "THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK 1864". www3.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Further papers relative to the Otago Gold Fields". Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives. Session I, C4 A: 3. 1 April 1865 – via Papers Past.
  4. ^ "THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK 1864". www3.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  5. ^ "The census for 1864". New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian. 11 February 1865. p. 4 – via Papers Past.
  6. ^ "Curiosities of our census". Colonist. 12 June 1866. p. 3 – via Papers Past.