The 1864 New Zealand census of people of European descent was held on 1 December 1864. The census contained questions about people's health, religion, occupation, education and literacy, and marital status. There were also questions about the size and construction materials of dwellings, land fenced and cultivated and livestock.
The census found showed that the population had increased by 73.86% since the previous census in 1861, and more people lived in the South Island than the North Island. The census showed that there were 23.82% more men than women in New Zealand (excluding the military and their families), increased from 1861 when there were 23.34% more men than women, and from 1858 when there were 13.36% more men. Enumerators attributed the increasing discrepancy to the large influx of miners to the gold fields, who were likely to be unmarried or to have left their families in their home countries.
Population by province The most populous province was Otago, with 49,019 people counted in the census. This total included about 10,000 miners. ProvinceEuropean populationPercent (%) increase since 1861Auckland42,13272.53Taranaki4,374113.99Hawke's Bay3,77044.38Wellington14,98719.26Nelson11,91019.67Marlborough5,519140.06Canterbury32,276101.22Otago49,01980.46Southland (including Stewart Island)8,085330.97Chatham Islands8672Total excluding military172,15873.86Military and families11,973General total of Europeans184,131
Birthplaces of the European population as of December 1864 The percentage of the European population born in New Zealand decreased from 27.86% in 1861 to 23.95% in 1864, but the total population grew by 73.86% due to large-scale immigration. CountryNumberPercent (%) New Zealand-born41,23523.95 England58,44433.95 Scotland30,94017.98 Ireland20,31711.8 Wales1.0290.6 Australian colonies9,5335.54 Other British dominions3,1091.8 United States of America1,1150.65 Germany1,9991.16 France5050.29Other foreign countries2,1891.27At sea6010.35Not specified1,1420.66Total New Zealand172,158100.0
Religious affiliation Almost half of the European population belonged to the Church of England, but as occurs in modern censuses, some individuals stated other unusual religious beliefs, for example 'Bible Believer', 'Infidel', and 'Professor of Cosmo-theism". DenominationPopulationPercent (%) of total population1861186418611864Church of England44,45173,11844.8942.47Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, Presbyterians not more specifically described21,20742,05821.4124.43Roman Catholic10,87021,50710.9812.49Wesleyan Methodist7,67012,5067.757.26Congregational Independents2,0703,6892.092.14Baptists1,9583,3911.981.97Primitive Methodists7241,3400.730.78Lutherans6811,8030.681.05Hebrews3269550.320.56Society of Friends701280.070.08Protestants (no particular denomination specified)4,0536,8254.093.96Otherwise described1,2842,2201.301.29Not described3,6572,6183.691.52
Occupations Labourers, farm workers and domestic and general servants made up almost 18% of workers. Officials said that of 15,700 people on the Otago gold fields at census time, about 10,000 were male miners. Just over half of the population, mostly women and children, had no occupation. Those women who were employed mostly worked as domestic servants or at domestic duties, but small numbers were employed in trade and manufacture, agricultural and pastoral work, or as mechanics, artificers, and skilled workers. More than half of all teachers were women. OccupationsNumbersPercent (%) of populationTrade, Commerce, and Manufacturing7,6254.43Agricultural and Pastoral12,0897.02Mechanics, Artificers, and Skilled Workers12,1187.04Mining12,5277.28Professions, Clerical, Medical, and Legal6190.36Teachers, Surveyors, and other Educated Professions1,1060.64Labourers12,6397.34Domestic and General Servants6,2023.6Miscellaneous13,9518.11No occupation stated (Principally women and children)93,28254.18Total172,158100
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