A sociologist who's studying Maori in Australia believes there are significantly more living there than is shown in the Census results.
Paul Hamer from Victoria University's Institute of Policy Studies says Maori are a significant part of the New Zealand diaspora.
Waatea News reports he believes one in six now live across the Tasman.
He says Maori migrants tend to be blue collar workers looking for higher paying jobs in Australia, but they can find they are trading off material gain against language loss and cultural isolation.
He also says Maori migrants have a low language retention rate compared with other ethnic groups who settle in Australia.
