Exploring Cultural Identity as an Important Determinant on Contemporary Maori-Indigenous Fertility Patterns in Aotearoa New Zealand

Moana Rarere, University of Waikato

This paper focuses on my doctoral study that re-examined demographic studies of contemporary Maori fertility patterns and trends in Aotearoa NZ. Since the 1970s, Maori fertility has gradually converged to a level similar to women of European descent. However, important differences persist in a post-Maori fertility transition period, most notably Maori births are concentrated at younger ages. Other fertility studies showed that Indigenous peoples in North America and Australia shared striking similarities with Maori fertility in terms of age-specific patterns and spacing, suggesting that common cultural factors could be at play. I asked: To what extent does culture influence contemporary Maori fertility patterns? While I accounted for demographic and economic factors, my primary focus was on understanding the potential influence of cultural orientation, which has received very little attention in demographic studies to date. I used Maori-centred research frameworks to deploy a mixed methods design using census, survey, and interview data. While acknowledging the limitations of the analyses, the findings indicated that cultural orientation is an important factor in understanding Maori fertility patterns. The study implies that taken-for-granted demographic theories, tools, and practices need to incorporate Indigenous-centred frameworks and perspectives for a better understanding of Indigenous fertility and population change.

Keywords: The Demography of Indigenous Populations, Fertility

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