Modernising our approach to the 2028 Census: Summary of iwi and Māori engagement summarises a report completed in July 2024 to support the Future Census Design team and the Future Census Independent Evaluation Panel's assessment of the data needs and aspirations of iwi and Māori in the 2028 Census. It explains the engagement approach and process for capturing insights and summarises the insights captured.
Download the full report in PDF or Word format or read a summary below.
Whakarāpopototanga | Executive summary
This report explains the engagement approach and process for capturing insights and summarises the insights captured.
The relationship between Stats NZ and iwi and Māori has grown and evolved, especially since the 2018 Census. There have been numerous pivotal events that have caused significant shifts in how Stats NZ approaches working with iwi, Māori, and hapū. Key drivers (Appendix 1) in the report provides a summary of these.
The Data and Statistics Act 2022 mandates the Government Statistician to engage with Māori on the manner of taking a census and to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles. Stats NZ is on a transformative journey with a strategic intent to better deliver to iwi Māori needs, emphasising the importance of designing a system that securely collects and protects data as a taonga for iwi and Māori.
Nature and extent of engagement
Stats NZ's Māori Partnerships and Engagement Team
The Māori Partnerships and Engagement Team (Māori P&E) leads engagement with Māori, iwi, and hapū partners. These relationships include iwi partners with Treaty settlement commitments and accords, with whom we collaborate on projects that meet iwi data needs.
The Māori P&E team utilises the Office for Māori Crown Relations Te Arawhiti guidelines for engagement with Māori and Stats NZ's own Whakapapa Engagement Approach, which incorporates the traditional practice of whakapapa in recognition of the significance of relationships. The Whakapapa Engagement Approach (Appendix 2) in the report provides more detail.
The Whakapapa Engagement Approach underpins all our engagement activities with iwi and Māori across Stats NZ. It has been used in the engagements reflected in this report under the key themes.
Māori P&E have engaged with 16 iwi and Māori partners on a change of approach to the next census. These engagements were primarily kanohi kitea hui interactions (kanohi ki te kanohi (in person) and online) and hui ā rangatira and Tai Timu Tai Pari1 (in person).
Community outreach
The Community Engagement team's outreach for Future Census included more than 170 iwi and Māori relationships, initially approached between May and June 2024 for this purpose. These relationships were offered opportunities to engage through:
- kanohi ki te kanohi (in person)
- webinar online presentations
- online meetings
- pop-up events to raise awareness in communities were also planned as part of the public consultation period.
How we captured insights
Māori P&E focused on capturing and sharing de-identified, unfiltered views and direct kōrero from engagements with iwi and Māori, with both the Future Census Independent Evaluation Panel and the Stats NZ Executive Leadership Team. This approach aimed to minimise additional analysis or interpretation by Stats NZ. A summary was also provided to these groups.
The insights gained through this process were used to guide progressive discussions with iwi and Māori throughout the engagement period.
The key insights in this report also include those obtained over an extended period, not just between January to July 2024, through regular and ongoing engagement with iwi and Māori which is part of our Treaty Settlement responsibilities. These insights remained consistent over time and have been further validated through the recent engagements.
ISBN 978-1-991307-65-1
