Cook Islanders

For the language of the Cook Islands, see Cook Islands.

Cook Islanders
Total population
~ unknown worldwide
Regions with significant populations
 New Zealand80,532 (2018)[1]
 Australia22,000 (2016)[2]
 Cook Islands17,459 (2016)[3]
Languages
Related ethnic groups
Location of the Cook Islands.

Cook Islanders are residents of the Cook Islands, which is composed of 15 islands and atolls in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Cook Islands Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of the Cook Islands, although more Cook Islands Māori currently reside in New Zealand than the Cook Islands.[4] Originating from Tahitian settlers in the sixth century, the Cook Islands Māori bear cultural affinities with New Zealand Māori and Tahitian Mā'ohi, although they also exhibit a unique culture and developed their own language, which is currently recognized as one of two official languages in the Cook Islands, according to the Te Reo Maori Act of 2003.[5]

  1. ^ "2018 Census ethnic group summaries | Stats NZ".
  2. ^ Cook Islands Country Brief
  3. ^ "2016 Cook Islands census" (PDF). mfem.gov.ck. 2016. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. ^ "2013 Census ethnic group profiles". archive.stats.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Te Reo Maori Act 2003". www.paclii.org. Retrieved 3 August 2020.