ABSTRACT
Early adolescents in New Zealand today are grappling with the questions “Who am I?” and “How do I belong?” in a distinctly different cultural context from that of past generations because New Zealand is more racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse than ever before. A notable demographic change between the 1991 and 2006 censuses was the increasing ethnic diversification of the New Zealand population. While the European racial—ethnic group still comprises the largest share of the total population (78%), the number of people identifying as European increased by only 8% in the 15 years between 1991 and 2006. Over that same period, the number who identified as Māori increased by 30%, the Pacific people's racial—ethnic group increased by 59%, and the number of “Asian” people increased by 255% (Ministry of Social Development, 2006).
