Census preparation underway

Statistics New Zealand has welcomed the Government's decision to hold the next census in March 2013 and has begun work on the project.

Government Statistician Geoff Bascand said the census is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand; it gives a unique snapshot of our communities.

"Information from the census helps determine how government funding is spent in the community. It is used by councils, community groups, iwi, and businesses to plan for the future.

"During our consultation rounds, these people made it very clear that they rely on census information to make important decisions about the services they offer. Their support during the decision-making process for the next census has been extremely heartening and underscores how important the census is to New Zealand," he said.

The exact census date is expected to be announced later this year, after legislation required to hold a census in 2013 goes to Parliament.

The 8 March 2011 Census was called off following the 22 February Christchurch earthquake. The national state of emergency and the likely impact on census results meant that the 2011 Census could not have been successfully completed at that time.