1881 New Zealand census

The 1881 New Zealand census was a population count taken in 1881. The non-Māori census was taken on 3 April 1881, and the Māori census took place the following day. The non-Māori population was 489,933, an 18.22% increase since the previous census in 1878. The Māori population was estimated to be 44,097. There were 4995 Chinese men and nine Chinese women in the country, with almost 3,500 of those living in Otago. Over 3800 of the Chinese in New Zealand worked on the gold fields.

As well as extensive population data, the census gathered information about fencing, farm equipment, livestock and poultry, and production of butter and cheese. The final results were submitted to parliament on 13 November 1882. Responding to comments about delays completing the census returns, the Registrar-General pointed out that an enormous amount of work was involved. It was difficult to find people to act as enumerators in sparsely-populated areas; horses had to be hired; schedules had to be thoroughly checked before being sent to Wellington; and temporary clerks had to be hired and supervised.

Māori census
The Māori population was estimated as 44,097, with 41,601 of those living in the North Island. Census enumerators faced difficulties getting some Māori to cooperate with completion of the census. Some people were said to suspect that the forms were a government trick to take their land, or part of a plan to kill them. The nomadic nature of the people also caused some enumeration difficulties, and in some cases estimates had to be made. Although population numbers had gone up since the previous census, officers in many districts noted a general decrease in the number of Māori. This discrepancy was attributed to better enumeration. In particular, there was a continuing drop in the number of children being born. This was attributed to introduced diseases and vices such as smoking and drinking, as well as inadequate clothing. Another observation was that since the end of inter-tribal warfare, Māori had shifted their settlements from easy-to-defend hilltops, which had good sun and airflow, to swampy, damp areas. Officers noted that in more remote areas where there was less European influence, there were more healthy children, and also that Māori in European-dominated areas who had jobs and lived in European-style houses tended to be healthier.