2011 Census Content Report

Age refers to the length of time a person has been alive, measured in complete elapsed years. It is measured as the difference between 'date of birth' and 'data collection date'. If date of birth information is missing, age is imputed using various other responses, for example, whether the respondent is legally married, and the known distribution of ages in the population. Age data from the census is used:

• by central government agencies, and regional and local authorities for the allocation of funding, town planning, population estimates, and projections 
• by the Representation Commission to determine the adult/child split for electoral population calculations and to establish the boundaries of the Mäori and general electoral seats 
•  by universities for population research 
•  by marketing and private organisations, and businesses. 

Sex refers to the distinction between males and females based on the biological differences in sexual characteristics. Sex data from the census is used by:

• local authorities and central government agencies for the development and evaluation of policies, programmes, and services 
•  market researchers and other research organisations for research into and monitoring of socio-economic changes in the population 
• private organisations and businesses in compiling population structure data 
•  the Ministry of Women's Affairs for policy planning and for monitoring the status of women.  

• in conjunction with the 'number of occupants on census night' variable to estimate current populations and forecast future populations. This data is used for a number of public policy decisions on health, welfare, income support, and housing.
• for enumeration purposes, such as working out family and household composition.

There will be no change to the number of occupants on census night topic for the 2011 Census.
Number of occupants on census night information is used:

• in conjunction with the 'absentees' topic to estimate current populations and forecast future populations 
• in the census collection phase to ensure the correct number of individual forms have been received from a household.

• to formulate, monitor, and evaluate central and local government policy 
• as a critical input to population estimates and projections 
• to provide information on how communities are changing 
• for accurately counting dwellings and their occupants for the geographic coding of personal and dwelling records, and for assigning dwellings to neighbourhoods and regions.

• to provide the base for national and subnational population estimates and projections 
• as the basis for identifying the location of the usually resident population and the foundation for data about neighbourhoods, communities, and regions 
• in conjunction with usual residence five years ago to produce data on mobility and internal migration 
•  in determining electoral boundaries as required under the Electoral Act.

Usual residence five years ago is the usual residence of a respondent five years before the census date, when the data is collected. Usual residence five years ago data from the census is used:

• by central government agencies, and regional and local authorities for planning and development purposes 
• to contribute to the quality of population estimates and projections 
•  for a general understanding of migration dynamics. 

Years at usual residence is the length of time up to census day, expressed in completed elapsed years (including short-term absences, but excluding long-term absences), that a respondent has lived at their usual residence. Years at usual residence data from the census is used:

• by local authorities for planning and development purposes 
• to contribute to the quality of population estimates and projections 
• for a general understanding of community dynamics.  

An ethnic group is made up of people who have some or all of the following characteristics:

• a common proper name 
• one or more elements of common culture which need not be specified, but may include religion, customs, or language
• unique community of interests, feelings, and actions
•  a shared sense of common origins or ancestry 
• a common geographic origin.

The collection of ethnicity information in the Census of Population and Dwellings is a requirement under the Statistics Act 1975. The census provides a baseline count for all official ethnic statistics, which is used with other demographic characteristics to inform research and policy development.

Ethnicity data from the census is used:

• to compile a wide range of demographic estimates and projections, and to derive measures for monitoring the well-being of ethnic groups, particularly in the health sector (eg morbidity rates) 
• to determine ethnic group well-being based on analysis against other census variables such as income, employment, education, and housing 
•  as an important source of demographic information for small areas and ethnic groups with small populations within New Zealand 
•  by a range of organisations and groups to determine whether there is a need for services, or whether these need to be delivered in another manner, for example, targeted health services, or services in another language 
•  in the allocation of health funding, development of tailored programmes, and monitoring of results across different ethnic groups 
• by local governments(particularly those in regions experiencing demographic, economic, and social change) to effectively target consultation with the community, and in the planning and delivery of services 
• by Māori and other ethnic groups in planning and engaging with government agencies 
• to produce time series data on how ethnic groups have changed over time, and to show the changing patterns of immigration 
• by central government for the compilation of population statistics and information on the key drivers of demand for health services, and for decision-making on funding provisions to district health boards 
• by politicians to help them better understand the demographic make-up of their electorate 
• to assist in meeting policy commitments related to the Treaty of Waitangi
• in conjunction with data from other sources, such as schools and hospitals, to monitor trends in areas such as educational achievement and disease. 

• in conjunction with electoral registration data to calculate Mäori electoral populations and provide information to the Representation Commission on the number of Mäori seats required, as well as information for use in reviewing and establishing electoral boundaries 
• in projections for the Mäori descent population 
• as a filter to the iwi question (in all censuses since 1991).

The concept of ‘iwi’ has changed over time. Today, it is the focal economic and political unit of the traditional Mäori descent and kinship-based hierarchy of waka (founding canoe), iwi (tribe), hapü (sub-tribe) and whanau (family). Iwi affiliation data from the census is used:

• to monitor the performance of Treaty of Waitangi obligations by the Crown and iwi 
• as a basis for the allocation of resources and funds to iwi 
• to assist in iwi planning and social and economic development
• to assist Waitangi Tribunal decisions on land ownership and fishing rights.

Please note: Statistics NZ's classification of iwi is used to collect information for statistical purposes only. The classification is not an official register of iwi.

• provide useful indicators of the social and economic status of immigrants 
• provide information about cultural diversity within communities and aid in planning for services by local authorities 
• develop, monitor, and evaluate settlement programmes for immigrants.

Language refers to information on whether a person can speak and understand spoken or sign language(s). Language data from the census is used:

• to formulate, target, and monitor policies and programmes that promote the use of Mäori language 
• to evaluate and monitor existing language education programmes and services 
• as a socio-cultural variable in analyses of the New Zealand population
• as an indicator of ethnic vitality.

Religious affiliation is the self-identified association of a person with a religion, denomination, or sub-denominational religious group. Religious affiliation data from the census is used:

• by researchers and religious organisations, to trace the changes in values and belief systems in New Zealand society
• to assess the need for various types of religion-related or religion-sponsored services, including those of churches, mosques, temples, and religious schools, and for the care of the aged and other disadvantaged groups
• by churches to assess their level of penetration 
• as an explanatory variable for studies on topics such as marriage formation and dissolution, educational attainment, and income 
• by Mäori, Pacific peoples, and other ethnic groups for whom this information is an important aspect of their culture.  

• to provide useful indicators of the socio-economic status of immigrants 
• to provide information about cultural diversity within communities, which will assist local authorities to plan for services 
•  to develop, monitor, and evaluate settlement programmes for immigrants 
•  in conjunction with the age, sex, marital status, ethnic group, birthplace, income, education, industry, occupation, work and labour force status, hours worked, usual residence, and usual residence five years ago variables, to identify changes in the characteristics of New Zealand's immigrant population over time.

• by the Ministry of Education in determining decile rankings for schools receiving government funding 
• to measure the impact of educational reforms on skill levels 
• to examine the link between qualifications (level and field of study) and occupation, income, etc 
• to identify potential skill gaps in the labour market and plan education and training programmes 
•  to develop, implement, and evaluate immigration policy, and to identify over- and under-supply in skill areas.

Post-school qualification is the highest qualification gained over and above any school qualification. It includes qualifications awarded by training and educational institutions, and those gained from on-the-job training. Post-school qualification data from the census is used:

• to identify the oversupply or shortage of particular skills 
• to identify mismatches in the economy between people’s skills and occupations
• in conjunction with level of attainment information for human capital analysis.

Highest secondary school qualification refers to the highest secondary school qualification gained by category of attainment. Highest secondary school qualification data from the census is used:

• in conjunction with post-school qualification and level of attainment to derive highest qualification 
• extensively by the Ministry of Education to track long-term changes in the levels of qualification in the general population, to determine teacher supply projections, and to prepare qualification profiles for planning 
• by government and research agencies to measure the impact of educational reforms, and to examine the link between qualifications, level and field of study, and occupation and income.

Study participation measures those attending, studying, or enrolled at school or any other educational institution, such as a polytechnic or university. Study participation content from the census is used:

• by central government agencies to monitor changes on those participating in study, and for policies targeting at-risk groups 
• with a wide variety of other census variables, such as income, age, and ethnic group to understand the education participation rates of different groups.

• by Statistics NZ in the labour cost index weight derivation, and the production of the official productivity statistics 
• to provide information on the economic and social structure of the labour force 
• to help explain changes in many of the other work variables 
• to analyse some of the effects of changing employment and unemployment levels 
• to measure some of the effects of government’s social and economic policies.

Work and labour force status classifies people aged 15 years and over according to their inclusion or exclusion from the labour force. For people who are employed, it distinguishes whether they are employed full-time (30 hours or more per week) or part-time (fewer than 30 hours per week). For people who are not employed, it classifies them as either 'unemployed' or ‘not in the labour force'. Work and labour force status content from the census is used:

• to compare numbers of unemployed, employed, and those not in the labour force 
• extensively by a variety of organisations, from central and local government to community groups and businesses, to analyse the labour market position of population groups and small geographic areas 
• as a broad indicator of socio-economic status 
• by Statistics NZ to generate the number of people employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force, as well as labour force participation rates and unemployment rates for different subgroups in the population. A key strength of the census is being able to provide this information at very low levels of geography.

Hours worked in employment per week is the total number of hours worked in employment per week by all people aged 15 years and over who, at the time of the census, worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, or payment in kind, in a job, business, farm, or professional practice; worked without pay for one hour or more in work that contributed directly to the operation of a business, farm, or professional practice operated by a relative; or had a job or business they were temporarily absent from. Hours worked in employment per week content from the census is used:

• by organisations involved in policy formulation such as government departments (eg Treasury, Department of Labour, Ministry of Women's Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs), economic research institutions, and local government 
•  widely within Statistics NZ outputs, and generally cross-tabulated with age, sex, ethnic group, industry, occupation, and sector of ownership. For example, hours worked data is used in the official productivity statistics.  

• in conjunction with workplace address content to measure traffic flows of the employed population 
• extensively by transport planners to plan and manage transport, particularly in large cities like Auckland and Wellington where congestion is a problem 
• to gauge the growing number of people working from home 
• to apportion urban transport levies between local authorities 
• by Statistics NZ to produce analytical reports on trends in travel to work patterns, such as Commuting Patterns in New Zealand: 1996–2006.

The sector of ownership variable identifies the sector of the economy that owns an organisation or business, such as whether it is owned by central government, local government, or private. Sector of ownership content from the census is used:

• by the State Services Commission to analyse public service trends, such as qualification levels 
• by Statistics NZ to verify other sector of ownership sources 
• in conjunction with other paid work variables to reweight the labour cost index.  

Unpaid work in the census covers unpaid activities performed in the four weeks before the census, for people living in the same household as the respondent, or for people outside the respondent's household (for which the performance of those activities is not paid). Unpaid activities data from the census is used:

• by central government, territorial authorities, and the non-profit sector to understand the level of unpaid work carried out in New Zealand households, particularly by women 
• to understand the demographics of those who perform unpaid activities 
• to estimate the extent to which unpaid work underpins total economic activity 
• in the development of social indicators such as social capital 
• by Statistics NZ to ensure comparability with the General Social Survey.  

• analyse and monitor structural changes in the labour market, and plan for new demand in occupation resulting from technological or economic changes 
• plan educational and training programmes 
• make international comparisons
• analyse and classify socio-economic status in studies of social disadvantage, poverty, and equity
• study occupational accidents, mortality, and morbidity rates.

• code industry and sector of ownership variables from Statistics NZ's Business Frame 
• measure traffic flows for those who are employed (together with main means of travel to work)
• assess daytime population in specific areas for town and traffic planning and civil defence purposes.

• derive sources of family income, sources of extended family income, and sources of household income, both by type and number of sources. This data is used with total income data for formulating social and economic policy, planning, monitoring programmes, and research. In particular, cross-tabulating income with sources of income gives a better indication of the socio-economic status and well-being of individuals and households
• distinguish market and non-market sources of income in income distribution analysis. There is also considerable interest in the various sources of non-market income, for example by the Ministry of Education and for the New Zealand deprivation index.

• by central government agencies, local authorities, private organisations, and researchers in the formulation of social policy, for planning and monitoring programmes, and for research purposes 
• by Statistics NZ to derive household and family projections 
• in developing the New Zealand deprivation index.

• to monitor trends and developments in housing and institutional dwellings 
• to plan for the future housing and service needs of the community
• to monitor dwelling density patterns at a local level
• to formulate and evaluate housing policy and legislation
• as an administrative aid for census collectors and processing staff.

• to provide information on housing affordability 
• to produce data on median rents at a regional level 
• to formulate and monitor housing policy 
• in conjunction with household income data to estimate the residual income available for expenditure by the household.

• formulate and monitor housing policy 
• assess market dominance in rental housing 
• measure shifts in the approach taken by government to housing assistance, and study the consequences of change 
• enable Housing New Zealand to assess whether it is meeting its social objectives as required by law
• analyse the characteristics of households renting through different landlords.

Tenure of household refers to the nature of the occupancy of a household in a private dwelling, at the time of the survey. Tenure of household is used to determine if the household owns the dwelling, holds it in a family trust, or does not own the dwelling, and whether payment is made by the household. Tenure of household data from the census is used to: 

• monitor trends and changes in home ownership rates at the household level
• measure trends and changes in housing affordability
• formulate and monitor housing policy
• assess current and future housing needs.  

Tenure holder measures whether an individual owns or partly owns the dwelling they usually live in. Tenure holder data from the census is used to: 

• measure shifts in the approach taken by government to housing assistance and study the consequences of policy change 
• enable Housing New Zealand to assess whether it is meeting its social objectives as required by law 
• formulate and monitor housing policy by central and local government.  

• give some indication of the size of a dwelling 
• give information on changing housing occupancy patterns over time and between various socio-economic groups
• estimate future demand for housing
• help create the New Zealand deprivation index, in conjunction with other census variables (Otago University and the Ministry of Health)
• derive a household crowding measure that feeds into calculating the socio-economic decile ratings for schools, which are used to allocate funding by the Ministry of Education.