Statistics NZ will employ nearly double the number of field staff for the 2023 Census to avoid the problems encountered with the trouble-plagued 2018 Census.
Statistics NZ has announced the next Census will be held on Tuesday, March 7 next year, and says it has taken on board the lessons learned from the 2018 Census, which had an emphasis on online responses.
However, that contributed to the response rate falling to 83.3% from 92.2% in the 2013 Census and criticism that rural communities, Maori and other ethnic groups and people with lower incomes may have been under-represented in the results.
The 2023 Census will also give people the choice of completing the questionaires online or on a traditional hard copy (paper) form.
However, more resources will be made available for people who choose the paper option.
"Stats NZ has taken on board the lessons of the 2018 Census, and the 2023 Census is being designed specifically to enable people to participate in the way that works best for them," the Government agency said in a statement.
Stats NZ chief executive Mark Sowden said the next census would be the most inclusive ever.
"People will have more choice about how they participate, either online or on paper" he said.
"We will have significantly more paper forms available than for the previous census and will make these forms available earlier.
"We are also doing more to support people whose first language is not English and will deliver the census in a wider range of accessible formats to better meet the needs of disabled people.
"In the 2023 Census there will be close to double the number of census collectors on the ground compared with 2018 to ensure people have what they need to take part.
"This will include help online, at your doorstep, or in your home for those who need the most support.
"A big focus... is achieving the highest response rates possible, especially for Maori, Pacific peoples, and other population groups with historically lower response rates," he said.
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9 Comments
Some sense in this.
But no wonder NZ has one of the the lowest productivity in the OECD. And wages are soaring due to low unemployment
Surely the solution is not for the government to revert to the stone age (more people and more paper) means to engage with the population but to work out what stops their population from getting online and solve that. Then going forward we can continue to benefit from the efficiency and less staff - whilst putting the effort into streamlining technology systems. If it wasnt such a serious anchor on our economy and taxes it would be funny.
Last time they saw what a disaster Australia's attempt was, told us they had contingencies, yet repeated the exact same mistakes. Don't tell me you know what you're doing, show me.
When conducting the census, can we PLEASE have the door knockers carry a set of scales and weigh each person in NZ.
Currently NZ is ranked 3rd on the global obesity charts, but I think in reality we are only weighing the fatties. Currently people only get weighed in the hospital, hence we are only weighing the unhealthy.
Without actually weighing the public any national weight data is probably rubbish and painting a worse picture of kiwis than the reality.
If everyone overseas are doing it that way, then we will still be 3rd on the global obesity charts for that group of persons that we weigh.
We should be weighing the malnourished ones, weigh everyone going into the food bank.
Maybe train them up in ESP
Then they could census
210 million dollars to count 5 million people....whats that $40 a person...are they throwing in free local band concert tickets as well....lol
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/gloriavale-received-nearly-5m-of-governme…
And I shall say..."No More"....
If you want accurate information there is no substitute for Shoe Leather. No of forms given out no of forms collected.
Computer modelling is only accurate. When looking for a best Guestimate
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