Families and Households (Census 96) 1996

A full list of the definitions and terms used in the 1996 Census of Population and Dwellings is contained in the report An Introduction to the Census of Population and Dwellings. Refer to Statistics New Zealand for a complete list of concepts, definitions and classifications.

Absentee
Access to a telephone
Adult child
Age
Child
Couple
De facto marriage
Dependent child
Dwelling
A dwelling is any building or structure, or part thereof, that is used (or intended to be used) for the purpose of human habitation. It can be of a permanent, temporary or even mobile nature and includes structures such as motels, hotels, hospitals, prisons, motor homes, huts, and tents.

At the highest level, dwellings are classified as private or non-private. A private dwelling accommodates a person or a group of people, but is not available to the public. Included are: houses, flats, and apartments; residences attached to a business or institution; baches, cribs and huts; garages; caravans, cabins and tents; vehicles; vessels; or dwellings of the above types that are under construction.

All other dwellings are non-private and are available to the public. They may be available for use either generally, or by virtue of occupation or study, special need, or legal requirement. Such dwellings may have facilities (such as a dining room) which are for shared use. These dwellings include: hotels and motels; guest houses and boarding houses; hostels; public and private hospitals; homes for the elderly; educational, welfare, religious and charitable institutions; prisons and penal institutions; defence establishments; work camps, staff quarters and seasonal quarters; motor camps; and other communal dwellings. If this type of accommodation includes units that are designed for the exclusive use (temporarily) of one or more people, the units are considered to be part of the non-private dwelling and not separate non-private dwellings. Private residences that are attached to non-private dwellings are, however, considered to be separate private dwellings.
Economic family
Ethnicity
Extended family
Familial relationship
A familial relationship is a relationship in which a person is related to another household member by blood, marriage (registered or de facto) or adoption.
Family nucleus
Family type
Household
Household characteristics
Household composition
Income (total income)
Labour force
Labour force status
Living arrangements
Marital status
Marital status is a person's reported status with respect to the marriage laws or customs of the country. There are two types of marital status: legal marital status and social marital status.

Legal marital status is a person's reported status with respect to registered marriage. A person's legal marital status can be legally married for the first time, remarried, separated, divorced, widowed, or never married.

Social marital status is a person's reported status with respect to partnership. A person’s social marital status can be partnered or non-partnered.
Motor vehicles
New Zealand
Geographic New Zealand includes the Kermadec, Campbell and Three Kings Islands and the Ross Dependency, but excludes the Tokelau Islands.
Never married
Non-private dwelling
A non-private dwelling is one in which a number of generally unrelated people (either individuals or families) live. Such dwellings are available to the public and include institutions and group-living quarters. Examples of non-private dwellings are hotels, motels, hospitals, prisons, school hostels, motor camps, boarding houses, ships and trains. Non-private establishments usually have common cooking and dining facilities. Lounge room and dormitories can also be shared by the occupants. Refer definition of Dwelling.
Number of children
Number of inmates or guest occupants
Number of inmates or guest occupants refers to the number of people who are inmates in prisons, penal institutions or police lock-ups and stations, and the number of people who are residents or guests in hospitals, hotels, motel complexes, private hotels, guest houses, boarding houses, rooming houses, motor camps and the like (for example, shearing quarters, work camps) on census night.
Number of occupants
Occupation
Parent role
Partner
A partner is a person to whom another person is legally married or with whom they are living in a defacto relationship.

Permanent private dwelling
Population resident in New Zealand
Private dwelling
Registered marriage
A registered marriage is one for which a marriage certificate has been signed legalising the marriage of two people of the opposite sex. People who are "legally married" have signed a marriage certificate that is valid at the time of the survey.

Religious affiliation
Remarried
Resident population
Resident population refers to all people counted during a census who usually live in New Zealand excluding people who usually live overseas and New Zealand residents overseas.
Rural areas
Rural centres
Rural centres have statistical boundaries (being an area unit) but have no legal status. They are rural centres with a population of 300 to 999 in a reasonably compact area which service their surrounding rural areas (district territory). Examples are Ruatoria, Waitoa and Cust.
Same-sex partners
Two people of the same sex who are living together as partners.
Sector of landlord
Separated
Sex
Temporarily absent (household and family statistics)
Temporary private dwelling
Tenure of dwelling
Total household income
Total population
Unemployed and seeking work
Urban areas
Visitor
Widowed
A widowed person is a person who has not remarried following the death of his or her legal husband or wife.