1864 New Zealand census

Last updated

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] (Increase2.svg73.86%)
Most populous provincial district Otago (49,019)
Least populous provincial district Hawke's Bay (3,770)

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]

Contents

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

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

ProvinceEuropean populationPercent (%) increase since 1861 [4]
Auckland 42,13272.53
Taranaki 4,374113.99
Hawke's Bay 3,77044.38
Wellington 14,98719.26
Nelson 11,91019.67
Malborough 5,519140.06
Canterbury 32,276101.22
Otago 49,01980.46
Southland (including Stewart Island)8,085330.97
Chatham Islands 8672
Total excluding military172,15873.86
Military and families11,973
General total of Europeans184,131

Birthplaces of the European population as of December 1864

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]

CountryNumberPercent (%) [2]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg New Zealand-born41,23523.95
Flag of England.svg England 58,44433.95
Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 30,94017.98
Green harp flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 20,31711.8
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Wales 1.0290.6
Australian Colonial Flag.svg Australian colonies9,5335.54
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Other British dominions3,1091.8
Flag of the United States.svg United States of America1,1150.65
Flag of the German Confederation (war).svg Germany 1,9991.16
Flag of France.svg France 5050.29
Other foreign countries2,1891.27
At sea6010.35
Not specified1,1420.66
Total New Zealand172,158100.0

Religious affiliation

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] PopulationPercent (%) of total population
1861186418611864
Church of England44,45173,11844.8942.47
Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, Presbyterians not more specifically described21,20742,05821.4124.43
Roman Catholic10,87021,50710.9812.49
Wesleyan Methodist7,67012,5067.757.26
Congregational Independents2,0703,6892.092.14
Baptists1,9583,3911.981.97
Primitive Methodists7241,3400.730.78
Lutherans6811,8030.681.05
Hebrews3269550.320.56
Society of Friends701280.070.08
Protestants (no particular denomination specified)4,0536,8254.093.96
Otherwise described1,2842,2201.301.29
Not described3,6572,6183.691.52

Occupations

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]

OccupationsNumbersPercent (%) of population
Trade, Commerce, and Manufacturing7,6254.43
Agricultural and Pastoral12,0897.02
Mechanics, Artificers, and Skilled Workers12,1187.04
Mining12,5277.28
Professions, Clerical, Medical, and Legal6190.36
Teachers, Surveyors, and other Educated Professions1,1060.64
Labourers12,6397.34
Domestic and General Servants6,2023.6
Miscellaneous13,9518.11
No occupation stated (Principally women and children)93,28254.18
Total172,158100

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References

  1. Europeans and half-castes only, excluding military
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK 1864". www3.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 "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.