1945 New Zealand census

The 1945 New Zealand census was held on 25 September. Total population figures for cities, boroughs and counties are included in the 1946 Year Book.[1] It was published in ten volumes, giving information such as population movement, density, housing, jobs, distance from public transport, country of birth, race and religion. Total population, including forces still abroad, was 1,747,679, and was quite unevenly distributed, as shown in this table, which in the printed document is illustrated with maps of both main islands[2]

City / borough / county km2 Population per km2
Eden 36 461.39
Waimairi 124 144.21
Heathcote 49 105.79
Peninsula 104 28.76
Manukau 622 21.04
Halswell 104 19.85
Makara 262 19.15
Paparua 352 18.88
Waimate West 215 13.09
Waipa 1,127 13.01
Kairanga 484 11.70
Rangiora 249 11.58
Hawera 495 11.35
Taranaki 593 11.24
Franklin 1,427 10.81
Hutt 1,165 9.88
Piako 1,150 9.50
Manawatu 686 9.11
Waikato 1,676 8.53
Hauraki Plains 603 7.95
Springs 236 7.95
Oroua 492 7.57
Tauranga 1,577 7.37
Egmont 619 7.18
Newmarket 1 6.33
Inglewood 484 6.29
Levels 681 6.25
Eltham 536 6.22
St. Kilda 2 6.14
Malvern 647 5.56
Horowhenua 1,409 5.52
Mount Eden 6 5.29
Matamata 2,409 5.06
Ohinemuri 614 4.98
Otamatea 1,090 4.86
Pahiatua 741 4.86
Ellesmere 596 4.67
Waikouaiti 808 4.67
Raglan 2,424 4.36
Woodville 404 4.36
Stratford 1,085 4.36
Kowai 407 4.29
Rodney 1,235 4.13
Devonport 4 4.09
Riccarton 3 4.05
Whangaroa 622 3.90
Dannevirke 1,111 3.90
Mount Albert 10 3.86
Otorohanga 1,554 3.78
Eyre 453 3.75
Petone 5 3.71
Hawke's Bay 4,333 3.40
Cook 2,049 3.36
Waipukurau 313 3.32
Akaroa 438 3.32
Mangonui 2,481 3.05
Napier 9 3.05
Hobson 1,932 2.97
Geraldine 1,790 2.93
Wellington City 66 2.93
Waiapu 2,054 2.90
Waimea 3,986 2.90
Wanganui 1,191 2.86
Mt Herbert 171 2.86
Onehunga 8 2.86
Waitotara 1,212 2.78
Bruce 1,347 2.78
Rotoroа 2,562 2.74
Auckland City 74 2.63
Christchurch City 67 2.63
Timaru 11 2.55
Southland 9,676 2.47
Whakatane 4,343 2.43
Matakaoa 764 2.43
Wairarapa S. 1,140 2.43
Westport 3 2.39
Waipawa 1,357 2.36
Kiwitea 930 2.36
Kawhia 855 2.32
Waitomo 2,945 2.28
Uawa 663 2.28
Patea 1,531 2.28
Kaitieke 1,424 2.28
Eketahuna 805 2.28
Taieri 2,339 2.28
Clutha 2,631 2.28
Hamilton 15 2.28
Wairoa 3,556 2.20
Clifton 1,150 2.16
Hastings 11 2.16
Thames 1,085 2.12
Rangitikei 4,338 2.08
Hawera 4 2.08
Oamaru 6 2.08
Masterton 1,518 2.05
Wairewa 440 2.05
Otahuhu 5 2.05
Coromandel 1,137 2.01
Palmerston N City 20 2.01
Mauriceville 298 1.97
S. Invercargill 9 1.97
Takaka 1,181 1.85
One Tree Hill 10 1.85
Oxford 824 1.81
Tauranga 4 1.81
Milton 1 1.81
New Plymouth 17 1.74
Waimate 3,582 1.70
Gisborne 14 1.70
Port Chalmers 2 1.66
Dunedin City 62 1.66
Ellerslie 3 1.62
Wanganui City 23 1.62
Ohura 1,077 1.58
Marlborough 4,973 1.58
Ashburton 6,369 1.58
Lower Hutt City 31 1.58
Hokitika 3 1.58
Ashburton 8 1.58
Featherston 2,466 1.54
Invercargill City 24 1.54
Patangata 1,704 1.47
Cheviot 847 1.47
Waitaki 6,195 1.47
Kaikoura 2,406 1.43
Takapuna 11 1.43
Taumarunul 2,274 1.35
Waimarino 2,287 1.35
Blenheim 7 1.35
Inangahua 2,458 1.31
Opotiki 3,647 1.27
Dannevirke 5 1.27
Greymouth 10 1.27
Waimate 3 1.27
Masterton 12 1.24
Queenstown 1 1.24
Akitio 831 1.20
New Lynn 6 1.20
Green Island 4 1.20
Waikohu 2,732 1.16
Grey 4,090 1.16
Waihemo 875 1.16
Otorohanga 1 1.16
Tuapeka 3,595 1.12
Papatoetoe 5 1.12
Johnsonville 3 1.12
Whangarei 14 1.08
Weber 306 1.04
Rangiora 4 1.04
Castlepoint 526 1.00
Te Awamutu 5 1.00
Nelson City 20 1.00
Temuka 3 1.00
Balclutha 3 1.00
Gore 8 1.00
Buller 5,050 0.97
Waipara 2,427 0.97
Feilding 8 0.97
Upper Hutt 9 0.97
Levin 5 0.93
Pahiatua 3 0.93
Mosgiel 4 0.93
Wallace 9,653 0.89
Rotorua 13 0.89
Northcote 5 0.85
Morrinsville 4 0.85
Foxton 3 0.85
Tapanui 1 0.85
Tahunanui 2 0.85
Huntly 6 0.81
Marton 6 0.81
Akaroa 1 0.81
Nightcaps 1 0.81
Kawakawa (Bay of Islands) 1 0.81
Ashley 800 0.77
Maniototo 3,471 0.77
Cambridge 5 0.77
Opotiki 3 0.77
Waipukurau 4 0.77
Kaiapoi 4 0.77
Winton 2 0.77
Whangamomona 1,158 0.73
Sounds 1,308 0.73
Stratford 8 0.73
Matamata 4 0.69
Whakatane 6 0.69
Wairoa 6 0.69
Inglewood 3 0.69
Great Barrier Is 285 0.66
Collingwood 1,456 0.66
Eastbourne 6 0.66
Havelock North 3 0.66
Te Kuiti 7 0.62
Paeroa 6 0.62
Geraldine 2 0.62
Waverley 2 0.62
Leeston 2 0.62
Selwyn 2,471 0.58
Thames 11 0.58
Otaki 6 0.58
Carterton 5 0.58
Picton 4 0.58
Runanga 5 0.58
Awatere 2,639 0.54
Chatham Is 963 0.54
Ngaruawahia 5 0.54
Taumarunui 8 0.54
Waitara 6 0.54
Opunake 3 0.54
Naseby 0 0.54
Rawene (Hokianga) 1 0.54
Waitemata 1,572 0.52
Taupo 8,474 0.50
Vincent 7,568 0.50
Featherston 3 0.50
Lyttelton 10 0.50
Alexandra 3 0.50
Mackenzie 7,094 0.46
Birkenhead 12 0.46
Eltham 6 0.46
Mataura 5 0.46
Riverton 3 0.46
Henderson 5 0.46
Glen Eden 5 0.46
Howick 4 0.46
Taradale 6 0.46
Manaia 2 0.46
Normanby (Hawera) 1 0.46
Havelock (Marlborough 1 0.46
Papakura 8 0.42
Mt Maunganui 4 0.42
Te Puke 4 0.42
Raetihi 4 0.42
Taihape 8 0.42
Shannon 3 0.42
Kaitangata 5 0.42
Hikurangi 4 0.42
Putaruru 4 0.42
Amuri 5,843 0.39
Westland 11,422 0.39
Pukekohe 14 0.39
Woodville 4 0.39
Patea 6 0.39
West Harbour 8 0.39
Roxburgh 2 0.39
Bluff 9 0.39
Pohangina 671 0.35
Murchison 3,657 0.35
Kaitaia 5 0.35
Manurewa 8 0.35
Waihi 17 0.35
Te Aroha 11 0.35
Lawrence 2 0.35
Cromwell 3 0.35
Bull's 3 0.35
Takaka (Takaka) 2 0.35
Dargaville 11 0.31
Martinborough 4 0.31
Motueka 10 0.31
Palmerston 4 0.31
Kaikohe 5 0.31
Helensville 5 0.31
Wyndham 3 0.31
Kihikihi (Waipa) 2 0.31
Tawera 2,437 0.27
Waipawa 7 0.27
Ohakune 8 0.27
Eketahuna 4 0.27
Kamo 3 0.27
Waiuku 5 0.27
Tuakau 5 0.27
Hunterville 3 0.27
Pleasant Point 3 0.27
Kaponga (Eltham) 2 0.27
Southbridge (Ellesmere) 2 0.27
Edendale (Southland) 3 0.27
Greytown 8 0.23
Manunui 5 0.23
Ohura 3 0.23
Otautau 4 0.23
Kawhia (Kawhia) 2 0.23
Hokianga 1,588 0.19
Bay of Islands 2,134 0.19
Stewart Is 1,735 0.19
Richmond 11 0.19
Kumara 3 0.19
Leamington 5 0.19
Onerahi (Whangarei) 4 0.19
Te Karaka (Waikohu) 3 0.19
Whangarei 2,704 0.18
Lake 10,028 0.15
Hampden 3 0.15
Arrowtown 2 0.15
Warkworth 6 0.15
Tinwald 6 0.15
Lumsden 5 0.15
Russell (Bay of Islands) 4 0.15
Outram (Taieri) 4 0.15
Clinton (Clutha) 4 0.15
Waikouaiti 8 0.12
Mangaweka 4 0.12
Mercer (Franklin) 4 0.12
Te Kauwhata (Waikato 5 0.12
Brunner 23 0.08
Kohukohu (Hokianga) 4 0.08
Ohaupo (Waipa) 5 0.08
Patutahi (Cook) 5 0.08
Ross 15 0.04
Fiord 7,861 0.00

Usually, a census is held in New Zealand every five years. However, due to World War II, the 1941 census was postponed through section 36 of the Finance Act, 1940, which authorised the census due in 1941 to be taken between 1942 and 1945 (inclusive).[3] The last completed census had been held in 1936, i.e. nine years earlier.[4]

As Minister of Industries and Commerce, Dan Sullivan was in charge of the Census and Statistics Department and in 1943, he commented that there was little hope for the census to be taken while the war was still going.[5] In early April 1945, it became known that the government had plans to hold the census later that year[3] and on 11 April 1945, acting Prime Minister Walter Nash confirmed that it would take place during the coming September. One objective with the 1945 date was to be able to redefine electorate boundaries just prior to the 1946 general election.[6] Bringing the census forward affected the census data. With World War II continuing until September 1945, with thousands of young men still overseas and the economy still geared to wartime conditions.[7] There was lobbying from conservative circles, for example the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the Otago-Southland Manufacturers' Association, and the New Zealand Farmers' Federation, for the census to be held in 1946 as originally scheduled.[8][9][10] In an editorial, The New Zealand Herald also argued for adherence to the normal schedule, for example to make it easier for statisticians to provide timeline data (since 1881, the census had been held every five years).[10]

Census returns were released as they became known, on a city, borough, town district, or county basis. The first preliminary results were those issued for Havelock Town District, which appeared in newspapers on 3 October 1945.[11] The results from the census were an input to the 1946 electoral redistribution. As the government had, in a surprise move, abolished the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945, the redistribution changed the boundaries of every electorate prior to the 1946 general election.[12]

Notes

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  1. ^ "THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK, 1946". StatsNZ.
  2. ^ Population Census, 1945 Vol. I. Increase And Location Of Population. Census and Statistics Department – licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under CC4.0. 1947.
  3. ^ a b "Census this year: population check". Auckland Star. Vol. LXXVI, no. 83. 9 April 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Dates of New Zealand censuses since 1851". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  5. ^ "The next census: expected this year". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 82, no. 25173. 10 April 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. ^ "The next census: fixed for September". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 82, no. 25175. 12 April 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^   This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license."Did you know? Politics brought the 1946 census forward to 1945". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  8. ^ "News of the day". Otago Daily Times. No. 25825. 21 April 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Date of census: postponement urged". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 82, no. 25205. 18 May 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  10. ^ a b "The pending census". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 82, no. 25173. 10 April 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  11. ^ "News of the day". The Evening Post. Vol. CXL, no. 18. 3 October 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 95.

References

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  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.