The latest census figures show Canterbury has recorded big spikes in its Maori population.
Between 2006 and last year's census, the Maori population increased by 57% in the Mackenzie District and by just over 50% in Selwyn.
Lincoln University researcher Simon Lambert says he knows that some of rises will be in the rural sector, as the dairy sector pulls in whanau for farmwork.
He says a number of Maori moved out of the city to the outskirts of Christchurch after the earthquakes.
Christchurch's Maori population in Christchurch has grown by 8%.
Mr Lambert says the growth can't be fully attributed to the earthquakes, as it's compared to 2006 data - well before the quakes started.
Areas with a drop in the number of resident Maori include Bay of Plenty and parts of the central North Island.
