Pacific-Māori marriages lead new identity wave

Pacific people who marry outside their heritage often choose Māori partners, according to a Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) investigation into this increasingly shared identity among these populations.

According to MPP’s ongoing Insights Briefing, which aims to deepen the understanding of Māori and Pacific identity, there are around 90,000 people who identify as both Māori and Pacific in Aotearoa.

“We also found that when Pacific people marry outside of [their culture], they will marry a Māori first,” Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone, the Secretary for Pacific Peoples at MPP, told Khalia Strong on Pacific Mornings. “While we're different, there's also a lot of similarities. What I've found, as I've gone around talking to various iwi leaders, is that… we want these populations to be counted.

“There are so many that have said, ‘my moko [grandchild] is part Tongan, part Māori, and they speak both Māori and Tongan’. Others say, ‘I know someone in my whānau, who's part Cook Island, part Māori, and they want to learn their Cook Island whakapapa’ because they've been raised entirely with a Māori worldview."

Clifford-Lidstone emphasised the significance of understanding these identities, saying that by 2043, nearly 40 per cent of New Zealand’s population will identify as Māori or Pacific, which will impact workforce demographics, cultural experiences, language, and genealogical ties moving forward.

“It's been a really fun and insightful process to participate in. The consultation's open for one more week, 9 July. I really encourage people who identify as both Māori and Pacific to participate.”

Budget cuts

The MPP is facing nearly $36 million in funding reductions under Budget 2025, following a previous cut of $26m. Despite this, key policy priorities have been retained, with some new initiatives introduced. For example, the Tauola Business Fund ended and the Tupu Aotearoa employment programme scaled back, while funding for the Pacific Business Trust and Pacific Business Village continues.

Despite a tighter budget, Clifford-Lidstone says major initiatives continue, including the Pacific Languages Strategy, Toloa STEM scholarships, and Pacific Media Innovation funding.

“Then we've got our housing initiatives. So, the building of affordable homes, a programme as part of that called Our Whare Our Fale, which is looking at 300 homes in Porirua. Then the Financial Capability Programme. You may have seen in Budget 2025 some new money for Pacific Wardens,” she says.

Watch Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone’s full interview below.

“These really wonderful mātua and volunteers from our community who support the work of a range of agencies, particularly police, engaging with the community and ensuring that we are in a safe environment. We’ve still got a lot of work underway there on top of our policy programme.”

On the legacy Dawn Raids programme, she says the funding will remain until the 2026 to 2027 period, with the Vaka of Stories project helping to capture community narratives.

Clifford-Lidstone adds that they have two years to complete specific deliverables, some of which have already been completed.

Census data cancellation

She acknowledges the concerns around the planned cancellation of the nationwide Census survey, emphasising the importance of evidence-based data for delivering targeted services.

Clifford-Lidstone says the Pacific community's pace of growth and change is rapid. “Our data and insights team have a formal agreement with Statistics New Zealand to work together on census planning and data standards. So, we're going to be working really closely with them to keep an eye on that particular issue.

“We do want our communities to be accurately reflected and to be participating. That participation will change a little bit given that it's on admin data, we need the quality of that admin data to be good. So, that's a role that we will be playing.”

For more information about the Insights Briefing, click here.