Tongan New Zealanders

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Tongan New Zealanders, also called Kiwi Tongans, are people in New Zealand who are of Tongan descent. This includes immigrants from Tonga, their children, and New Zealanders whose families come from Tonga. They are one of New Zealand’s largest ethnic minority groups.

Population and language
The total population was 97,824 in 2023. They mainly speak English and Tongan, and their religion is Christianity.

Census changes and growth
In 2013, 60,336 people identified as Tongan, with 22,413 born in Tonga. In 2018, 82,389 people identified as Tongan, about 1.7% of New Zealand’s population. The increase since 2013 (and since 2006) happened partly because Statistics New Zealand added data from other sources to the 2018 census to reduce non-responses.

People and age
There are 42,057 males and 40,355 females, a sex ratio of about 1.04 males per female. In age terms, 38.3% are under 15 years old, 26.9% are 15–29, 30.3% are 30–64, and 4.5% are 65 or older.

Where they live
Most Tongans in New Zealand live in the Auckland region (75.7%). Another 17.1% live in the North Island outside Auckland, and 7.2% live in the South Island.

Concentration in Auckland and elsewhere
Within Auckland, the areas with the highest Tongan populations are Māngere-Ōtāhuhu (20.1%), Ōtara-Papatoetoe (10.7%), and Maungakiekie-Tāmaki (10.4%). Outside Auckland, Waitaki District has the highest share at 2.4%. The Chatham Islands and Kaikōura District had no Tongan residents.

Source: 2018 census.