"New Zealanders known as Kiwis"
PEOPLE
New Zealand's friendly and down-to-earth people will be one of the things you treasure most about your visit
With a patchwork history of Māori, European, Pacific Island and Asian cultures, New Zealand has become a melting-pot population - but one with some uniting features that make it unique in the world.
Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known as Kiwis), approximately 69% are of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous Māori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Māori Pacific Islanders.
Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live in the North Island, with one-third of the total population living in Auckland. The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton are where the majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell.
New Zealand is predominatly Christian, with the most common denominations being Anglican, at 22 percent, Presbyterian, at 16 percent, and Roman Catholic, at 15 percent. Non-religious people and athiests account for 21 percent, and other minorities, including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and other Christian denominations, include Ratana, a Maori religion, account for the rest.
Churches are common all over the country, with mosques, temples and synogogues being found in many main centres.
