1851 New Zealand census

First Census of the Colony of New Zealand
The 1851 census "Blue Book" statistics for "New Munster" (South Island). Source: Statistics NZ.
General information
Country	Colony of New Zealand
Date taken	1 November, 1851
Total population	26,707
Most populous district	Auckland (9,430)
Least populous district	New Plymouth (1,532)

The 1851 New Zealand census was the first national population census. The day used for the census, was Saturday 1 November 1851. The enumeration was left to the governments of New Ulster and New Munster, the two provinces into which the country was then divided and was ordered by the Census Ordinance of 1851. The census, which was confined to Europeans, revealed a population of 26,707.

General Census of 1851

The Blue Books were statistical information from New Zealand’s early Colonial period (1840-1855). They have information about population, revenue, military, trade, shipping, public works, legislation, civil servants, foreign consuls, land transactions, churches, schools, and prisons.

Population counts for the New Zealand districts. The original six were Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, though in 1858 New Plymouth was renamed Taranaki.

Population by country of birth:

Members of Christian denominations formed 93.35 per cent. of those who made answer to the inquiry at the census; non-Christian sects were 0.24 per cent.; whilst “other” religions constituted 6.41 per cent.

Showing the numbers of in the possession of Europeans in the several settlements in 1851.