Although Pacific communities are commonly defined by the collective term - Pacific or Pacific peoples - every Pacific community is likely to be different

The common Pacific ethnicities in New Zealand are: Samoan, Cook Island Maori, Tongan, Niuean, Fijian, Tokelauan and Tuvaluan. Each group comprises their own sets of cultural norms, customs, languages values and lifestyles.

Pacific people from their island of origin may hold different views and have different lifestyles to those who were born in New Zealand. According to Census 2018, 66.4% of NZ Pacific population were born in New Zealand.

The different religious backgrounds among Pacific peoples often means that there are large differences in alcohol consumption and views relating to alcohol.