Census changes put on ice as Labour pulls support, saying ‘a reform of this significance should not proceed while so many important questions remain unanswered’

The Government’s attempt to make major changes to the census have come to a halt, with Statistics Minister Scott Simpson saying census reform plans won't occur before November's election.

This comes with Labour pulling its support for the Government’s census reform plans, kiboshing the 75% majority the Government needs to pass any changes.

Earlier in the year, the Government introduced the Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill, which aimed to move NZ from having a census every five years to an annual approach that draws on existing data, targeted data collection and a smaller annual survey. Existing data would be data that’s already being collected by government agencies.

Following the Bill's first reading, former Statistics Minister Shane Reti said rising costs, declining response rates and disruptions from events like natural disasters “have shown the traditional approach is no longer sustainable”.

Alongside the Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill, the Government was also planning to progress legislation which would change the timing of electoral boundary reviews. Because the census is every five years, this triggers a look at electoral boundaries every five years - if the law is left as is, then this would trigger a review of electoral boundaries every year.

As these plans would change what’s called “reserved provisions” under the Electoral Act 1993, the Government needed a 75% majority to pass these changes.

Both bills passed their first reading with support from National, Labour, Act and NZ First. Last Friday, the Justice Committee published its report on the Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill and considered it alongside the Electoral (District Boundaries) Amendment Bill.

Labour statistics spokesperson Lemauga Lydia Sosene, on Monday, said: “Reliable data is essential to plan for hospitals, housing and schools, and we can’t afford to get it wrong.”

“Before making such a significant change – an independent review of the proposed model, including accuracy and cost, should be considered.”

“Any changes to the census must ensure no communities are left behind. As it stands, the Government’s proposal carries too much risk of Māori, Pacific, ethnic and disability communities slipping under the radar.”

Many unanswered questions, Labour says

In the Select Committee report, Labour shared its differing view, saying it opposed both bills.

“We are not opposed in principle to modernising the census. Our opposition to these bills rests on a straightforward concern: we are not satisfied that there is sufficient certainty that the proposed administrative data-first model would be accurate or reliable enough to justify a step as significant and as permanent as ending New Zealand’s long-standing Census of Population and Dwellings.”

“A reform of this significance should not proceed while so many important questions remain unanswered,” Labour said.

“Labour holds a number of concerns about the pace and design of this proposed census overhaul. In our view, departmental officials have not, largely because of the time constraints they were working under, carried out sufficient public consultation with the communities most affected."

“For these reasons, Labour does not support these bills proceeding in their current form. We consider they should not proceed until an independent review of the proposed census model, including an independently assured costing of the options available, has been completed and made available to the House.”

‘The Bill will now need to be prioritised in the next Parliamentary term’

Scott Simpson, who took over as Statistics Minister in April and is a National MP, said: “The Select Committee process is a democratic process and I welcome the report and the contribution of all who participated.”

“Considering the feedback and the limited time left before the House rises, the Bill will now need to be prioritised in the next Parliamentary term,” Simpson said.

“The Government Statistician has a statutory role to ensure that the next census meets New Zealanders’ needs, in a financially responsible way.”