1851 New Zealand census
First national population census
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The 1851 colony of New Zealand census was the first national population census held in the Crown colony of New Zealand. The day used for the census was Saturday 1 November 1851. The enumeration was left to the governments of New Ulster and New Munster, the two provinces into which the country was then divided and was ordered by the Census Ordinance of 1851.[2][3] The census, which only surveyed European New Zealanders, revealed a population of 26,707.[4]
| First census of the Colony of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
1 November 1851
| |
1851 census "Blue Book" statistics for "New Munster" (South Island). | |
| General information | |
| Country | Crown colony of New Zealand |
| Results | |
| Total population | 26,707[1] |
| Most populous | Auckland (9,430) |
| Least populous | New Plymouth (1,532) |
Summary
General census of 1851
- December 1851. (Reports appeared in Auckland Provincial Government Gazettes, 1853 and 1854.)[5]
Data availability
The Blue Books were statistical information from New Zealand's early Colonial period (1840â1855). They have information about population, revenue, military, trade, shipping, public works, legislation, civil servants, foreign consuls, land transactions, churches, schools, and prisons.[6]
Population and dwellings
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Population counts for the New Zealand districts. The original six were Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, though in 1858 New Plymouth was renamed Taranaki.
Birthplace
Population of New Zealand colony in 1851.[7][8]
| Birthplace | Population |
Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | New Zealand | - | 12.3 |
| Totals, Overseas-born | - | 87.7 | |
 | England | 13,485 | 50.5 |
 | Scotland | â | 12.7 |
| Ireland | â | 16.5 |
 | Wales | â | 0.4 |
| Totals, British Isles | â | 84.4 | |
| Other | â | 3.3 | |
| Colony of New Zealand | 26,707 | 100.0 | |
Religion
Members of Christian denominations formed 93.35 per cent. of those who made answer to the inquiry at the census; non-Christian sects were 0.24 per cent.; whilst "other" religions constituted 6.41 per cent.[9][10]
| Denomination | 1851 Census | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent (%) | |
| Christian | 24,930 | 93.35 |
| Church of England | 14,179 | 53.09 |
| Presbyterians | 4,124 | 15.44 |
| Methodists | 2,755 | 10.31 |
| Baptist | 400 | 1.50 |
| Totals, Protestants | 21,458 | 80.34 |
| Roman; Catholic | 3,472 | 13.00 |
| Jews | 65 | 0.24 |
| Other specified religions | 1,712 | 6.41 |
| Totals, New Zealand | 26,707 | 100.0 |
Numbers of livestock
Showing the numbers of livestock in the possession of Europeans in the several settlements in 1851.[11]
| Settlement | Horses | Mules and Asses | Horned Cattle | Sheep | Goats | Pigs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 1,035 | 11 | 10,943 | 11,075 | 2,604 | 5,679 |
| New Plymouth | 68 | - | 1,395 | 2,700 | 83 | 1,165 |
| Wellington (incl Hawkes Bay) | 788 | 28 | 11,407 | 64,009 | 2,654 | 3,135 |
| Nelson | 532 | 13 | 5,838 | 92,014 | 5,842 | 2,609 |
| Canterbury | 224 | 7 | 2,043 | 28,416 | 356 | 1,255 |
| Otago | 243 | 1 | 3,161 | 34,829 | 582 | 2,371 |
| Totals | 2,890 | 60 | 34,787 | 233,043 | 12,121 | 16,214 |