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Ethnicity is a key variable in social science research and is often assumed to be a stable construct. Yet, for more and more individuals in New Zealand's diversified society, ethnicity is flexible and individuals may choose to change and adapt their ethnic identities contingent on social contexts. Using material from narrative interviews with 44 Māori Italians conducted in New Zealand in 2013, this paper explores the relevance of the social identity theoretical approach for understanding the construction of mixed ethnic identities. Employing an interactionist conceptualisation of identity expression, our findings disclose four thematic patterns by which participants assert positive mixed ethnic identities that allow them to align with desirable notions of what it means to be Māori, Italian, and Māori Italian and to differentiate themselves from what they perceive as the less positive aspects of the dominant New Zealand culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]