Diversity and New Zealand childhood

New Zealand children are growing up in an increasingly diverse society, both in terms of their family life and also in the community they encounter around them. The infographic above shows the ethnicity of children who are part of the University of Auckland’s Growing Up in New Zealand study, something that is also reflected in the children involved in Te Papa’s Collecting childhood project.

The study highlights the complexity and interwoven nature of ethnic diversity. For example, 42 percent of children in the study are expected to identify with several ethnicities. Of those 42 percent, 73 percent were described by their parents as having two ethnicities and 27 percent as having three or more.

70 percent of children were expected by their parents to identify as European, a quarter as Maori, and a fifth as Pacific.

One in three children in the study had a parent born overseas.

Ethnic diversity is also reflected in the languages understood and spoken by children. At the age of 2 years, 40 percent of the children in the Growing Up in New Zealand study could understand two or more languages. The language infographic illustrates languages understood. English is not included but is understood by 96 percent of the children.

 

Infographics reproduced courtesy of Growing Up in New Zealand