The census is the highest-quality source of population and dwelling data in New Zealand. It allows us to understand population and dwelling distribution and change over time and how people are connected to employment, public services, and their communities in different ways. This data is essential for setting electoral boundaries, planning infrastructure, developing policy, providing the foundation for other nationally critical surveys, and understanding who we are as a society.
This Bill will fundamentally change the way in which the census is conducted in New Zealand. It is a generational change to the foundation of our statistics infrastructure that needs to be carefully scrutinised. The NZCTU does not believe this proposed change has yet received the level of scrutiny it requires.
The NZCTU recommends this legislation is paused until an independent review of the implications of the proposed changes has been conducted and made publicly available. This review should consider and report on data quality and comparability issues for all census questions and population groups. It should outline options for mitigating any potential negative impacts of the change and the costs involved with doing so. The Future Census Independent Evaluation Panel is a natural vehicle for conducting this review and could be recommissioned.
