around 73 % of the population of New Zealand is of European (mainly British) descent. About 12 % (some 430,000) are Maori, a Polynesian group, whose ancestors migrated to New Zealand about ad 1200. About 4 % of the population is of other Polynesian descent, and various other Asian ethnicities make up the rest of the population.

New Zealand was one of the last sizable land areas suitable for habitation to be populated by human beings. It was first settled by Polynesians who came from somewhere in eastern Polynesia, possibly from what is now French Polynesia. They remained isolated in New Zealand until the reached of European explorers, the first of whom was the Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman (1642). During that time they grew in numbers to between 100,000 and 200,000, living almost exclusively on North Island. They had no name for themselves but eventually adopted the name Maori to distinguish themselves from the Europeans, who, after the voyages of the Englishman Capt. James Cook

Most of the 3.9 million New Zealanders are of British origin. About 18% claim descent from the indigenous Maori population, which is of Polynesian origin. Nearly 75% of the people, including a large majority of Maori, live on the North Island. In addition, 231,800 Pacific Islanders live in New Zealand. During the late 1870s, natural increase permanently replaced immigration as the chief contributor to population growth and has accounted for more than 75% of population growth in the 20th century. Nearly 85% of New Zealand's population lives in urban areas (with almost one-third in Auckland alone), where the service and manufacturing industries are growing rapidly. New Zealanders colloquially refer to themselves as "Kiwis," after the nation's native bird.