Speakers of te reo Māori
Age differences
Across the total Māori population, older Māori were much more likely than younger Māori to report being able to converse about everyday things in Māori.
In 2006, just under half (48.7 percent) of Māori aged 65 years or more reported being able to hold a conversation in Māori.
Proportion of the Māori population that speaks Māori, by age, 2006
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census
Within the youth population, Māori aged 20 to 24 were more likely than younger Māori to report that they are able to hold a conversation in Māori. In 2006, 23.2 percent of Māori aged 20 to 24 were able to speak Māori, compared to 22.1 percent of Māori aged 12 to 14.
