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Abstract
Limited research has been completed on the relationship between ethnicity and views within a
country on the environment, pressures on the environment and its management. Some recent
New Zealand research has found no significant difference in environmental world views
between different ethnic groupings. We report selected results from a decade of biennial,
nationwide surveys of adults in New Zealand. By socio-demographic measures, respondents
are broadly representative of New Zealand adults. In each biennial survey we have found
significant differences between ethnicities in views on water quality, causes of damage to
water, and water management. There are also significant differences between ethnicities in
participation in environmental activities. Our survey has an advantage over other work in that
it is able to distinguish between indigenous New Zealanders and native-born New Zealanders,
a distinction that proved helpful in identifying these significant differences.