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2001 Census of Population and Dwellings - About Census

Overview

The 2001 Census was held on Tuesday, 6 March 2001.
The census is the official count of population and dwellings in New Zealand.
Everyone in New Zealand on census night is required to fill in a census form.
The census provides a snapshot of New Zealand.

The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, held every five years, is the official count of the total number of people and dwellings in New Zealand. On census night, everyone in the country must fill in a census form. Statistics New Zealand puts together the answers and publishes the results in statistical tables and reports.

The census is the key source of information about the people living in our cities, towns, suburbs and rural communities. It is the only way we can get a full picture of what’s really happening in our country, because everyone takes part.

Why do we have a Census of Population and Dwellings in New Zealand?

Every five years there is an official count of the population in New Zealand so that we know how many people live in New Zealand and the number of dwellings, or houses, there are in this country.
The 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings was held on Tuesday 6 March 2001.
Census findings provide information about the characteristics of our population. For example, from previous censuses we know that: almost two-thirds of the Mäori population are under 30 years old; we have many new ethnic communities in New Zealand; we have a growing elderly population; and we are mainly urban dwellers.
Our population is constantly changing. Census information allows us to measure the development of society and to make decisions about the future needs of our communities.
The census provides a snapshot of our communities every five years. It measures what has happened since the previous census and allows us to identify future trends.

How is census information used?

Your responses are important for community, iwi and government decisions that affect all New Zealanders.

To make decisions about all sorts of issues, planners must have the right information. They compare the latest census results with previous census results so they can see how society is changing, and predict what will happen in the future.

The information is used to make decisions such as where to build new roads, schools, houses, hospitals and essential services that are needed. It is also used to revise electoral boundaries and is an important source of statistics for iwi. It is important to get the facts right, which means it is important that everyone takes part.

Who uses census information?

Census information provides facts on groups of people, where they live, their economic positions, ages, education, ethnic groups, family structure, activities and housing.

The census provides planning information for:

Central government – Central government uses census information to make informed decisions about planning and funding of programmes in education, health, employment, energy, transport, welfare, recreation and housing. For example census counts and population estimates and projections are used for determining future teacher/classroom needs and enrolment levels.
Local government – Local government draws on census information when setting priorities for the region and implementing local policies such as for transport, housing and recreation. It also enables population trends in a region to be understood and appropriate action to be taken.
Elections – The census provides the basis for the revision of electoral district boundaries that ensure fair representation in Parliament.
Business – From suburban stores to large corporations, census information can be used to select new sites for shops or supermarkets, to market new products and tailor marketing strategies to the needs of the people living in a specific area.
Mäori – Identifying Mäori is important for electoral representation, for identifying Mäori communities and for assisting in developing policies for Mäori. The information will support Mäori input and help evaluate the success of these policies.
Iwi – The census is a source of information on the location and characteristics of people in different iwi. It gives iwi information for their own decision making.
Pacific peoples – Census information helps identify needs in Pacific communities and assists in the allocation of resources.
Community groups – At a community level, census information is used to establish need, to make a case for resources, to monitor schemes and to organise public support.

How do you keep my information confidential?

The law protects the information you provide. It must be used only for statistical purposes. The census provides information about groups of people, not individuals. When we prepare statistics, we combine your information with similar information from others. Disclosing or publishing any information about an individual is an offence. All census data is randomly rounded to base three to protect confidentiality. In addition, there are rules which restrict the release of information for very small areas where there would be an increased chance of identifying individuals.

The only people who have access to your information are those authorised by Statistics New Zealand. Each of them signs a Declaration of Secrecy, which means they can’t reveal your information to anyone else. No one else can see your answers – not even if they work for another government department.

On your census form, you were asked for your name and address. They were only needed to reach you if anything was missing or if you had been selected to take part in surveys on disability or the Mäori language, which followed the census. In 2001, there was a question that asked if you gave your consent to having your individual census form archived for 100 years. The forms of those who did not give consent have been destroyed by shredding.

Post-enumeration, disability and Mäori language surveys

A post-enumeration survey was carried out following the 2001 Census. This was to make sure that we had managed to reach everyone. It was our check to be certain we have done our job of conducting the census well.

In addition to this, around 45,000 people were contacted to take part in two surveys following the census: the Disability Survey and the Survey on the Health of the Mäori Language.

Running the census

To make the 2001 Census easy to administer, New Zealand was divided into 20 areas, 407 districts and 36,808 meshblocks. The meshblock is the smallest unit. It comprises about 60–90 houses.

Census enumerators (the people who distribute and collect census forms) worked at the meshblock level. Between them they delivered census forms to every household in every meshblock. Households in some areas received bilingual forms.

Advertising and publicity

The 2001 Census logo

The census is the one project that Statistics New Zealand runs that touches everyone in New Zealand in some way. It is how we as a nation stop and measure our pulse. It is the major way we look at the trends in our population and look to see where we are heading as a people.

Our logo is a reflection of this. In its broadest sense, it could be seen to represent the cultural identity of our indigenous people, our flora, the colour of our lakes and if you look at the curving forms you could see a flax plant. The flax plant is often seen as a symbol of the generations. In our stylised logo, the taller and older leaf that curls round could be seen as the grandparent and the young shoot as the new generation. The blue space left between the leaves, is the shape of a koru.

If you look even further you might also see an '01', the year we held the census, formed by the two leaves.

The 2001 Census theme song

Producer's name: Jim Hall Productions Ltd

Composer: Jim Hall

Performers: Ce Soir

Song title: The place where I belong

Lyrics
I was born in a place that's free
Nowhere else feels like home to me
You can have it
I know where I'm from it's the place where I belong
Never too tough to raise a smile
Making life hard just ain't my style
You can have it
I know where I'm from it's the place where I belong
Papakainga turangawaewae
I know where I'm from it's the place where I belong
Papakainga turangawaewae
I know where I'm from it's the place where I belong

Download:
The census theme song is available to download for free in mp3 format.

(30 second version)

(60 second version)

History of the census

3800 BC	The earliest recorded census was in the Babylonian Empire.
3000 BC –300 AD	Censuses in China, Persia, Greece, Egypt and India were used for tax and often for raising numbers for armies.
600 BC –72 AD	The Romans relied heavily on census-taking to raise funds, raise armies and to stay informed about their empire. Their most famous was at the time of Jesus' birth.
1840	New Zealand magistrates counted the people in each settlement. This was often haphazard. Their findings were the basis for the hand-written Blue Books, New Zealand’s earliest official statistics prepared for the British Colonial Office.
1851	The first New Zealand census (but it did not include Mäori). Between 1858 and 1878 three-yearly censuses were taken of the whole country. From 1881 five-yearly censuses were introduced and have continued to the present day.
1858	The first Mäori general census was held. Mäori censuses resumed in 1874 after the Land Wars.
1874 –1921	During these years, census day was on a Sunday because people usually stayed at home on this day. But as weekend travel increased in popularity, the day was changed to a Tuesday.
1931	There was no census in 1931 which was during the Depression years. The 1941 Census was postponed to 1945 because of World War II.
1951	The Mäori census count was conducted at the same time as the New Zealand non-Mäori census.
2001	The 31st Census of Population and Dwellings.

Census education resources

Statistics New Zealand's education services has put together some resources for the 2001 Census. These resources and additional activities introduce students to the 2001 Census. The resources and activities are available in both English and Mäori and can be downloaded from the 2001 Census page in Schools' Corner.

Census information in other languages

A series of information brochures about who, what, and how we do the census were produced in the following languages: Mäori, Korean, German, Somali, Farsi, Arabic, Amharic, Oromo, Chinese traditional, Chinese simplified, Vietnamese, Khmer and Thai.

The downloadable files below are in Adobe Acrobat format.

English	(382Kb)
Mäori	(373Kb)
Korean	(733Kb)
German	(365Kb)
Somali	(867Kb)
Farsi	(877Kb)
Arabic	(770Kb)
Amharic	(4300Kb)
Oromo	(845Kb)
Chinese traditional	(1258Kb)
Chinese simplified	(1153Kb)
Vietnamese	(1126Kb)
Khmer	(1743kb)
Thai	(1137Kb)