Fixing the NZ Census

Yesterday, the New Zealand Government announced a raft of changes ahead of the 2023 NZ Census that will hopefully prevent another Census disaster like we had in 2018. It looks very promising.

It wasn’t hard to see what went wrong with the 2018 Census, even before the reviews were completed. I said at the time:

…it’s widely believed by us ordinary people that two of the factors were that the 2018 Census was, first, that this was the first conducted entirely online—there was no mass distribution of paper forms this year. Second, the previous National Party-led government, which drew up the budget that funded the 2018 Census, underfunded the whole thing.

While National denied underfunding the Census, it’s clear they did: They demanded budget cutbacks for two Census cycles, and dramatically cut the availability of paper census forms for large swathes of New Zealand. For example, there was significant undercounting of Māori and Pacific Island people, who, historically, have less access to computers and the Internet. The govevernment has plans to help with both.

Statistics Minister David Clark said that, “The 2023 Census will have more of everything—more boots on the ground, more paper forms, more hours worked and more community engagement”. This will be done by investing around $110 million more into the census to improve the results.

Part of the work will be to increase awareness, particularly among undercounted populations. Associate Minister of Statistics Meka Whaitiri said that a lot of work has gone into ensuring the nationwide survey will increase the response rate for Māori. “One of the new initiatives for the 2023 Census includes Te Mana Whakatipu, a pilot to build iwi data analytical capability and to deliver iwi-led collections in two locations where response rates have been lower in the past,” she said. “Led by Te Kāhui Raraunga, the operating arm of the Data Iwi Leaders Group, 2023 Census data will be collected by iwi collectives in the Far North by Te Ōhua and on the East Cape by Toitū Tairāwhiti.”

I’m sure I’ll complete the 2023 Census online, as I have since 2013, so this doesn’t affect me personally. However, as a citizen, taxpayer, and statistics and political science nerd, I’m incredibly keen on seeing a quality Census this year. It won’t erase the disaster that 2018 was, but at least it’ll give us better data for all sorts of things we need to know about in order to plan a future that’s right for all New Zealanders. I think the government is doing exactly what needs to be done.

New Zealand’s 2023 Census Night will be on March 7, 2023.