Ethnic groups

Derived from the Census question:

'Which ethnic group do you belong to?'.

Multi-response

This question asks the respondent to classify their ethnic group. It is subjective, and somewhat open to interpretation, particularly each person's understanding of the term "ethnicity". The 2018 Census uses a broad definition of an ethnic group as having:

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

Very detailed ethnicity information is collected in the Census. What is shown in profile.id is the Level 1, which shows the broad ethnic group or world region of the respondent.

'Not stated/included' includes the response 'Don’t know' as well as the non-responses 'Not Stated' and 'Unidentifiable'. Note that there is no population in the 'Not stated/included' category for 2018, due to the use of administrative sources and other datasets to account for missing data in the Census. Due to this change, users should treat time series with caution. An apparent increase in a category may be simply due to data being available for the full population in 2018.

Note that ethnicity is a multiple response topic, so the total of all categories will be greater than the total population. The second table shows the total number of responses compared to the total population.

As with the classification of the 2013 Census, “European” includes responses of “New Zealand European” and “Pakeha”. This wasn’t available as a marked box in the 2006 and earlier Censuses, which had a much higher count in the “New Zealander” category.

Stats NZ has given Ethnicity data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Ethnicity, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Māori descent

Derived from the Census question:

'Are you descended from a Māori (that is, did you have a Māori birth parent, grandparent or great-grandparent etc)?'

This dataset is sourced from the Census question 'Are you descended from a Māori (that is, did you have a Māori birth parent, grandparent or great-grandparent etc)?'

The wording of the Census question is taken to imply that there is no limit to how many generations a person may look back to identify Māori ancestry.

A person has Māori descent if they are of the Māori race of New Zealand; this includes any descendant of such a person. The term 'Māori descent' is based on a genealogical or biological concept, rather than on cultural affiliation to the Māori ethnic group. Information on cultural affiliations, or ethnicity, is collected in the census question on ethnic group. It is important to view this question in conjunction with the question about Ethnicity as some people who have Māori ancestry may not identify themselves ethnically as Maori. There is no reason to expect the populations stating Māori ethnicity to equate to those stating Māori descent in this question.

Māori in this context are inclusive of New Zealand Maori, but Cook Island Māori people are not included.

'Not stated/included' primarily includes people who did not answer this Census question, or provided an answer which was unintelligible.

Stats NZ has given Māori descent for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Māori descent, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

In 2018 there are no Not Stated/included responses, due to the use of past Census and statistical imputation to generate a 100% response rate. This may cause issues with comparisons to past years.

Country of birth

Derived from the Census question:

'Which country were you born in?'.

Country of birth refers to the country where the person was born, and uses the name of the country at the time of the Census. Country is the current, short or official name of a country, dependency, or other area of geopolitical interest.

The term "country" is defined to include:

• Independent nations recognised by the New Zealand Government.
• Units which are recognised geographic areas;
• Administrative subdivisions of the United Kingdom, and;
• Overseas dependencies, external territories of independent countries

The 'United Kingdom' includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and 'United Kingdom not further defined'.

'Total Overseas born' includes 'inadequately described' and 'at sea'.

'China (people's republic of) ' excludes the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Please note that a few countries have been combined for comparison with earlier Census years (2001 and 2006). An example is Sudan/South Sudan – which were a single country in the 2006 and 2001 Censuses.

There are minor changes to the “Country of Birth” classification reflecting changes in official country names. Changes include:

• Burma (Myanmar) has been changed to Myanmar
• Cape Verde has been changed to Cabo Verde
• South Sudan has been added as a new country.

Birthplace is coded using the Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use.

Some countries may not be available for the 2006 Census. These are marked with a "--".

Stats NZ has given Birthplace data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Birthplace, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Due to the 2018 Census making more use of administrative data and past Census data, the non response rate is much lower in 2018. This may cause apparent increases in particular countries of birth which are due to a reduction in non-response (making all categories appear larger) rather than a real-world change in people born in that country. For New Zealand overall, the non-response rate for Birthplace fell from 5.9% in 2013 to 1.2% in 2018.

Languages spoken

Derived from the Census question:

'In which language(s) could you have a conversation about a lot of everyday things?'.

Multi-response

Language is a multi-response question which records all languages which a person can speak and understand (including sign language). It does not include reading and writing a particular language.

Only English, Maori, Samoan and New Zealand Sign Language have boxes to mark on the Census form. All other languages require the respondent to mark “Other” and write in the language spoken.

A total of 194 different languages are recorded in the Census. The data presented in profile.id are the top 10 language responses for the selected area, with the option to show additional languages down to 0.1% of population for the area. English is not included in the chart as its inclusion would make other languages appear very small.

As language is a multiple response question, the total number of responses will sum to greater than the total population, and therefore the percentages shown on the table add to more than 100%. The totals shown in the table below indicate the difference between population and responses.

The summary table at the top of the page includes the official language indicator (English, Maori, Sign Language), and is not multi-response. The categories here are mutually exclusive and add to total population.

‘Northern Chinese’ includes all Mandarin speakers.

‘Yue’ is a group of Chinese languages which includes Cantonese.

'Semitic not further defined' includes speakers of Arabic, as well as Ethiopian, Berber and Oromo.

Stats NZ has given Language spoken data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Languages spoken, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

In 2018 there are no Not Stated / included responses, due to the use of past Census and statistical imputation to generate a 100% response rate. This may cause issues with comparisons to past years.

Religion

Derived from the Census question:

'What is your religion?'.

Multi-response

Religion is coded using the New Zealand standard religious classification(opens a new window).

Please note that religion is an optional question on the Census form and respondents have the right to object to answering. There is a specific box to mark for those who object. These respondents are included in the category “Not stated/included” along with those who did not mark the question at all.

Religion is a multiple-response question, with percentages potentially adding to more than 100% as they are calculated from the population.

The summary table also counts responses, so if a respondent marked multiple Christian or Non-Christian religions they will be counted more than once in here. The effect is negligible due to the low multi-response rate.

The response 'No religion' is exclusive of any other response.

Please note that the following religious groups are separately identified in the 2018 Census for the first time.

• Jedi
• Evangelical, Born Again and Fundamentalist
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• Sikhism

As these are separated out with no comparable data from the 2013 and 2006 Censuses, users should take care in comparing religions over time. Categories such as "Other Christian" which cover a range of religious groups, may show unexpected change due to the extraction of specific groups individually.

Stats NZ has given religion data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of religion, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Highest qualification achieved

Derived from the Census questions:

'What is your highest secondary school qualification?', 'Apart from secondary school qualifications do you have another completed qualification?', and 'What is your highest qualification?'

This topic presents data on the highest educational qualification an individual has achieved. It combines school, non-school and tertiary qualifications into a single classification.

A qualification is a formally recognised award for educational or training attainment, where formal recognition means that the qualification is approved by one of the following (or their predecessors):

• New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
• Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara
• Association of Polytechnics of New Zealand
• Association of Colleges of Education in New Zealand
• approval bodies that have been recognised by NZQA
• The recognised overseas authority of a secondary school, profession, academic discipline, or trade.

'Highest qualification' is derived for people aged 15 years and over, and combines highest secondary school qualification and post-school qualification to obtain a single highest qualification by category of attainment.

'Highest secondary school qualification' is the highest secondary school qualification gained by category of attainment, and is collected for people aged 15 years and over.

'Post-school qualification' is the highest qualification a person aged 15 years and over has gained over and above any school qualifications. Included are qualifications awarded by educational and training institutions, as well as those gained from on-the-job training. Post-school qualification data is produced as category of attainment and by field of study.

Qualifications data are applicable to people over the age of 15 only

'Higher Degree' includes 'Masters Degree', 'Doctorate Degree' and 'Post-Graduate and Honours Degree'.

Post-school (excluding university) includes all technical and certificate level qualifications.

Stats NZ has given Qualification data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Moderate”. For more information on the data quality of Qualification , please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

For the 2018 Census, Qualifications data only received an 80.4% response rate nationally. An additional 14.9% of responses were sourced from administrative data or the 2013 Census. This leaves 4.7% in the not stated/no information category for 2018. This constitutes a reduction in the not stated category relative to 2013, due to the sourcing of the data from administrative records. Users will note a reduction in the not stated category between 2013 and 2018 and should use the datasets with caution due to the change in data sources.

Field of qualification

Derived from the Census question:

'Print the main subject of your highest qualification.'

Presents data on the main broad field of study of the highest educational qualification an individual has received.

Unlike level of qualification information, field of study relates only to post-school (tertiary) qualifications. Those without a tertiary qualification are included as "No Post-School Qualification".

Qualifications data are applicable to people over the age of 15 who are New Zealand residents.

There was a new question added to the 2018 Census to collect information on post-school qualification gained overseas.

Stats NZ has given Field of qualification data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Poor”. For more information on the data quality of Field of qualification, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

For the 2018 Census, Field of Qualification data only received an 80.7% response rate nationally. An additional 12.4% of responses were sourced from administrative data or the 2013 Census. This leaves 7.0% in the not stated/no information category for 2018. This constitutes a reduction in the not stated category relative to 2013, due to the sourcing of the data from administrative records. Users will note a reduction in the not stated category between 2013 and 2018 and should use the datasets with caution due to the change in data sources.

Smoking behaviour

Derived from the Census questions:

'Do you smoke cigarettes regularly (that is, one or more a day)?', and 'Have you ever been a regular smoker of one or more cigarettes a day'

'Cigarette smoking behaviour' refers to the active smoking of one or more manufactured or hand-rolled tobacco cigarettes, from purchased or home-grown tobacco, per day, by people aged 15 years and over.

Cigarette smoking does not include:

• The smoking of cigars, pipes and cigarillos;
• The smoking of any other substances, herbal cigarettes or marijuana for example;
• The consumption of tobacco products by other means, such as chewing

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Responses from the 2013 Census or imputation was used, so there is no "Not stated/no answer" category for this variable.

Stats NZ has given Cigarette smoking behaviour data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Moderate”. For more information on the data quality of Cigarette smoking behaviour, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Year of arrival in New Zealand

Derived from the Census question:

'When did you first arrive to live in New Zealand?'

Year of arrival is collected on the Census form, and aggregated into ranges for this topic.

It includes that population who were born overseas and were resident in New Zealand at Census time.

People who did not state their country of birth are excluded.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Responses from the 2013 Census, or administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) was used.

Stats NZ has given Age data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Moderate”. For more information on the data quality of Years since arrival in New Zealand, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Employment status

Derived from the Census question:

'In the 7 days that ended on Sunday 4 March, which of these did you do?'.

A person is classified as employed for Census purposes if they were in the working-age population (people aged 15 years and over) and during the week ended 4 March 2018:

• worked for one hour or more for pay or profit in the context of an employee/employer relationship or self-employment
• worked without pay for one hour or more in work that contributed directly to the operation of a farm, business or professional practice owned or operated by a relative
• had a job but were not at work due to:
  • their illness or injury
  • personal or family responsibilities
  • bad weather or mechanical breakdown
  • direct involvement in an industrial dispute
  • being on leave or holiday.

Includes persons aged 15 years and over.

'Employed full time' is defined as having worked 30 hours or more in all jobs during the week prior to Census night (the week ended Sunday March 4).

'Employed part time' is defined as having worked less than 30 hours in all jobs during the week prior to Census night (the week ended Sunday March 4).

Unemployed refers to all the people in the working age population who, during the week ended 4 March 2018, were without a paid job, but were available to start work and had actively sought work within the last 4 weeks.

The 'Labour force' is defined as all persons aged 15 years and over who are looking for work, or are employed, either full time, part time or casually.

'Not in the labour force' includes all people over 15 who are not employed and not looking for work.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Imputation was used, so there is no "Not stated" category for this variable.

Stats NZ has given Work and labour force status data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of "High". For more information on the data quality of Work and labour force status, please refer to Stats NZ's DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Industry

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the main activity of (your) business or employer.'

This dataset describes the industries in which employed people work. It applies only to people aged 15 and over who were employed in the week ended Sunday 4 March 2018 or the equivalent week before the previous Census. The industry shown relates only to the main job held by the individual – ie. The job in which a person worked the most hours.

Data for industry are coded using the Australia and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)(opens a new window). The industry classification is updated periodically to take account of emerging industries and changes in the structure of the economy.

Data are shown at the 1-digit ANZSIC level for which there are 19 industry divisions.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used, so there is no "Not elsewhere included" category for this variable in 2018.

Stats NZ has given Industry data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Industry, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Occupations

Derived from the Census questions:

'In the job that you worked the most hours in, what was your occupation?'

It includes only persons aged 15 years and over who were employed in the week prior to Census, and relates to the main job held (most hours in the week) only.

This topic includes the broadest 1-digit classification of occupations, which breaks down jobs into 8 broad groups.

Data for occupation are coded using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO)(opens a new window). The occupation classification categorises occupations broadly based on skill level and educational qualifications required.

The occupation classification is updated periodically to take account of emerging occupation groups and changes to the structure of the labour force. The most recent change was in 2006.

Please note that it is not possible to derive an unemployment rate for a specific occupation (eg. how many unemployed truck drivers are there?). This is because occupation is only collected for those who are actually employed. An unemployed person by definition does not have an occupation.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Imputation was used, so there is no "Not stated" category for this variable.

Stats NZ has given Occupation data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Moderate”. For more information on the data quality of Occupation , please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Main method of travel to work

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the one main way you usually travel to work – that is, the one you used for the greatest distance?'

This dataset looks at the method of travel to work of employed people. It applies only to people aged 15 and over who were employed.

Method of travel relates specifically to the journey to work. This differs to the industry and occupation data which relates to the main job held. Method of travel on one day does not necessarily indicate the usual means of travel, nor does it give any indication for those who didn’t go to work on that day.

The method of travel is a single response variable. If a person traveled using multiple methods, they are instructed to record only that method which they used for the longest distance.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Imputation was used so there is no "Not stated" category for this variable.

Stats NZ has given Method of Travel to Work data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Moderate”. For more information on the data quality of this data set, please refer to Stats NZ's DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Unpaid work

Derived from the Census question:

'In the last 4 weeks, which of these have you done without pay'

Multi-response

This is a multiple response question, as respondents are asked to nominate all types of unpaid work they performed in the four weeks prior to Census date. Percentages will add to more than 100% as the majority of people stated more than one answer.

The denominator can be chosen as total population (default) or total respondents (those who stated an answer to the question). Total population is recommended as the denominator.

The non-response rate to this variable is 17.2% for New Zealand, which is high. Data should be used with caution. Stats NZ was unable to use alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified.

Stats NZ has given Unpaid activities data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “Poor”. For more information on the data quality of Unpaid activities, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Individual income

Derived from the Census question:

'From all sources of income identified, what will the total income be:

• that you got yourself
• before tax or anything was taken out of it
• in the 12 months that will end on 31 March 2018'

This dataset includes total gross personal income (from all sources, including pensions and allowances) before tax that a person received in the 12 months ended in March of the relevant Census year.

This question applies only to people aged 15 years and over.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used, so there is no "Not stated/included" category for this variable in 2018.

Stats NZ has given Total personal income data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Total personal income, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Individual income quartiles

Derived from the Census question:

'From all sources of income identified, what will the total income be:

• that you got yourself
• before tax or anything was taken out of it
• in the 12 months that will end on 31 March 2018'

Individual income groups are not comparable over time because of the influences of economic change such as wage level fluctuations and inflation. The income quartile method has been adopted as the most objective method of comparing change in the income profile of a community over time.

Individual income quartiles look at the distribution of incomes in Dunedin City relative to New Zealand. Quartiles split the total population into four equal parts for the benchmark area. The table shows the number and proportion of individuals in Dunedin City falling into each segment for the benchmark area.

The table gives a clear picture of where individual incomes in Dunedin City sit relative to New Zealand. For New Zealand, 25% of persons fall into each category. If, for example, Dunedin City has 30% in the top category and only 20% in the lowest, this indicates that Dunedin City has proportionally more higher-income individuals and less lower-income individuals.

The quartile method assumes uniform distribution within the ranges and estimates the 25% cut off points separately each Census.

Users can then compare directly the changes in the number and percentage of households in each income quartile to see whether incomes are increasing or decreasing over time relative to the national average.

Household income

Derived from the Census question:

'From all sources of income identified, what will the total income be:

• that you got yourself
• before tax or anything was taken out of it
• in the 12 months that will end on 31 March 2018'

Household income comprises the total of incomes of all persons in the household who stated an income and were at home on Census night.

As total personal income is collected in income ranges (eg $25,001–$30,000), and not as an actual dollar income (eg $29,500), in order for total housheold income to be calculated, a representative income is determined for each total personal income range. Household surveys have been used to calculate these representative incomes. Every person in that range is assigned the representative income, and these are then summed to produce household income.

Households where one or more personal incomes were not stated or a resident over 15 was away on Census night are included in 'Not Stated'. In these cases, the aggregate of all stated individual incomes would be less than the true household income so these households are excluded from the classification.

Because it only takes one not stated personal income in the household to put the entire household in the “Not Stated” category, the non-response rate for this variable is quite high, at 15.0% in 2013.

Stats NZ has given Total personal income data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Total personal income, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Household income quartiles

Derived from the Census question:

'From all sources of income identified, what will the total income be:

• that you got yourself
• before tax or anything was taken out of it
• in the 12 months that will end on 31 March 2018'

Household income comprises the total of incomes of all persons in the household who stated an income and were at home on Census night.

Household income groups are not comparable over time because of the influences of economic change such as wage level fluctuations and inflation. The income quartile method has been adopted as the most objective method of comparing change in the income profile of a community over time.

Household income quartiles look at the distribution of incomes in Dunedin City relative to New Zealand. Quartiles split the total population into four equal parts for the benchmark area. The table shows the number and proportion of Households in Dunedin City falling into each segment for the benchmark area.

The table gives a clear picture of where household incomes in Dunedin City sit relative to New Zealand. For New Zealand, 25% of households fall into each category. If, for example, Dunedin City has 30% in the top category and only 20% in the lowest, this indicates that Dunedin City has proportionally more higher-income households and less lower-income households.

The quartiles are calculated from the ranges which existed at the time of the Census. 2013 Census has two new ranges for household income, but the quartile method assumes uniform distribution within the ranges and estimates the 25% cutoff points separately each Census.

Users can then compare directly the changes in the number and percentage of households in each income quartile to see whether incomes are increasing or decreasing over time relative to the national average.

Sources of household income

Derived from the Census question:

'Show all the ways you yourself got income in the 12 months ending today (excluding loans because they are not income)?'

Multi-response

Sources of income includes all sources which individuals in the household have identified as having received income from in the 12 months ended March in the Census year.

Sources of income is a multiple response question, and as most households have income from more than one source, the sum of all responses is likely to be significantly in excess of the total population. Percentages are calculated from the total population, so percentages will add to well over 100% in most cases.

'Superannuation, Pensions, Annuities' includes the categories 'NZ Superannuation or Veterans Pension' and 'Other Super., Pensions, Annuities'.

In 2013, Welfare reform resulted in changes to benefit categories. Benefits were consolidated into three main groupings: Jobseeker support, sole parent support and supported living payment. The unemployment benefit was moved into jobseeker support, but so was the sickness benefit, domestic purposes/widows benefit for sole parents with children 14 years and over. As a result unemployment figures from the 2013 Census and earlier are not directly comparable.

The 2018 Census form subsequently changed to reflect the recategorization of benefits.

Please note the differing time periods if comparing with employment data. Employment relates only to the week prior to Census, while the sources of income data relates to the entire previous 12 months.

Family type

Derived from the Census questions:

'How is each person in the household related to you?'

The table counts family units in family households, and breaks them down by the presence of couples, single parents, and dependent and adult children. This classification of a family includes persons who are temporarily absent from the family on Census night (absentees).

A family nucleus comprises a couple with or without child(ren), or one parent and their child(ren) whose usual residence is in the same household; the children do not have partners or children of their own living in that household. Included are people who were absent on census night but usually live in a particular dwelling, and are members of a family nucleus in that dwelling, as long as they were reported as being absent by the reference person on the dwelling form.

'Couple with dependent children' and 'One parent family with dependent children' includes all families with children under the age of 18 years who were not employed full time.

'Couple with adult children only' and 'One parent family with adult children only' includes all families with no dependent children, but with children aged over 18 present, or children under 18 and in full time employment.

This dataset includes same sex couple families.

Households where all members were absent on Census night are excluded from the count because their dwellings are unoccupied.

For more information about this topic, please see the Family Type(opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Households type

Derived from the Census questions:

'How is each person in the household related to you?'

The table counts households. Households can contain up to three families, or a sole person, group of unrelated individuals (flatmates etc.) or other household.

The 'Non-classifiable household' category includes all those households where not enough information was provided on the Census form to identify the composition of that household.

'Related individuals, non-family' includes all households of individuals who are related but do not form a couple or parent-child relationship. Eg. brother, sister, uncle, nephew, grandparent, cousin etc.

Households where all members were absent on Census night are excluded from the count because their dwellings are unoccupied. Otherwise, absentees from the household have details recorded on the Census form and are included for the purposes of household coding.

For more information about this topic, please see the Household Composition(opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Household size

Derived from the three Census questions:

'Name of each person including visitors who spent the night of Tuesday, 6 March 2018 in this dwelling', and 'Where does the person usually live?', and 'Are there any persons who usually live in this dwelling who were absent on Census Night (Tuesday, 6 March 2018)?'

This dataset counts households by the number of persons usually resident, (including residents who were absentees on Census night).

A household is defined as either one person who usually resides alone or two or more people who usually reside together and share facilities (such as eating facilities, cooking facilities, bathroom and toilet facilities, a living area etc).

This dataset excludes visitors to private dwellings who do not normally live there from the count of persons resident. Where all those counted in a dwelling are visitors, the entire household is excluded from this count.

For more information about this topic, please see the Household Composition(opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Housing tenure

Derived from the Census questions:

Questions 5-9 on the Census Dwelling Form, 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 and to whom.

This data presents the tenure type of occupied private dwellings, and for those dwellings being rented, provides a breakdown of the type of landlord the dwelling is being rented from.

'Fully owned' includes dwellings which are owned by their occupants, who do not make mortgage repayments. Normally this would indicate that the dwelling is fully owned by the occupants. It could also mean that there is a mortgage but the value of it is fully offset with no payments being made.

'Mortgage' includes dwellings which are owned by their occupants, who make mortgage repayments.

‘Other Tenure Type' includes predominantly dwellings which are occupied rent free, and also dwellings which are stated as owned, but with no information about mortgage status stated.

'Renting – social housing" refers to households renting from a government housing authority such as the Housing New Zealand Corporation, or local council or authority.

'Renting – private sector' refers to households renting from private landlords, real estate agents and employers.

'Renting – from unknown sector' refers to rented dwellings where the landlord type was not stated or unidentifiable.

'Not elsewhere included' includes "Response Unidentifiable", "Not Stated", and "Don't know".

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Responses from the 2013 Census, administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used, so there is no "Not stated/included" category for this variable.

Stats NZ have given the 'Tenure of Household' variable a quality rating of "moderate". 91.5% of households across New Zealand responded to the question, with most of the remaining households having data sourced from Administrative records, or imputed. Stats NZ have given the 'Sector of Landlord' variable a quality rating of high. Though less than 80% of households responded to the question, there is good administrative data on this which was able to be used to adjust the responses. Because of this there may be some issues comparing in time series, with a much lower "Landlord type not stated" rate than in 2013.

For more information please see the Stats NZ pages on Tenure of Household and Sector of Landlord(opens a new window).

Housing rental payments

Derived from the Census questions:

'Does this household pay rent to an owner (or to their agent for this dwelling?' and 'How much rent does this household pay to the owner (or agent) for this dwelling?'

This dataset shows the amount of rent paid by households on a weekly basis for the dwelling in which they were enumerated on Census night.

The answer to the Census question may be given weekly, fortnightly, or monthly but is converted to a weekly amount for output.

These data only apply to households renting their dwelling.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used.

Stats NZ have given the Housing rental payments' variable a quality rating of moderate.

For more information please see the Weekly rent paid by households(opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Housing rental payment quartiles

Derived from the Census questions:

'Does this household pay rent to an owner (or to their agent for this dwelling?' and 'How much rent does this household pay to the owner (or agent) for this dwelling?'

Rental payments are not comparable over time because of the influences of economic change such as inflation. The quartile method has been adopted as the most objective method of comparing change in the cost of rental housing of a community over time. It functions in the same way as quartiles for income.

Rent quartiles look at the distribution of rental payments in Dunedin City relative to New Zealand. Quartiles split the total number of renting households into four equal parts for New Zealand. The table shows the number and proportion of households in Dunedin City falling into each segment relative to New Zealand.

The table gives a clear picture of the level of rental payments in Dunedin City relative to New Zealand. For New Zealand, 25% of renting households fall into each category, so by comparison, the table will show if there are more or less households in Dunedin City with high (or low) rent than in Wellington Region. If, for example, Dunedin City has 30% in the top category and only 20% in the lowest, this indicates that Dunedin City has proportionally more households paying 'top-quarter' rents, and less paying 'bottom-quarter' rents.

Users can then compare the levels of rent between Censuses independently of inflation, relative to national benchmarks. This is especially important between 2013 and 2006 as the longer gap between Censuses may lead to more inflation.

Dwelling structure

Derived from two Census questions:

'Mark one space to show which of the following best describes this dwelling:

• House
• Townhouse
• Unit
• Apartment
• Mobile dwelling (eg caravan, boat, tent)
• Other'

And 'Is this building joined to any other dwelling,shop or business?'

Dwelling structure looks at the type of dwelling for all occupied private dwellings. The categories are broadly based on the density and height of the housing types.

'Separate house' includes all free-standing dwellings not physically joined to any other.

'Medium Density' includes 'Two or More Flats/Units/Townhouses/Apartments/Houses joined together in a one storey, two or three storey building', as well as the same category with no storey information. These categories include all dwellings joined to at least one other.

'High density' includes all dwellings joined together in a four or more storey block.

'Other dwelling' includes caravans, mobile homes, improvised dwellings or shelters and people sleeping rough.

Unoccupied dwellings are shown separately in the table, broken down by the reason for unoccupancy. This was a separate question on the form, answered by the Census collector.

Stats NZ has given Dwelling Structure for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “monderate”. Please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Data from the 2013 Census, administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used. As a result, there is no "Not stated/included" category for this variable.

Stats NZ has not given Dwelling Occupancy Status a quality rating for the 2018 Census. Related quality ratings are "moderate" Count of Dwelling and "moderate" for Occupied Dwelling Type. Please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Number of bedrooms

Derived from the Census question:

'For each type of room listed below, count the number in this dwelling? bedrooms, including any sleepouts furnished as bedrooms'

This dataset counts dwellings by the number of rooms used as bedrooms.

Bedsits and studios, where the living area is also a bedroom, are counted as having one bedroom.

The number of bedrooms counts caravans adjacent to the dwelling if they are used as bedrooms.

For more information please see the Number of bedrooms(opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Stats NZ used alternative data sources for missing responses and those responses that could not be classified. Data from the 2013 Census, administrative data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), or imputation was used.

Stats NZ has given number of bedrooms data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of number of bedrooms, please refer to Stats NZ's DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Telecommunications access

Derived from the Census question:

'Mark as many spaces as you need to show which of these are available here in this dwelling; a cellphone/mobile phone, a telephone, internet access'

Multi-response

This dataset measures whether a household has access to: a cellphone/mobile phone (that is in the dwelling all or most of the time), a telephone and/or the Internet, to communicate with people outside the dwelling and to use services provided through these media. This requires the device to be in working order and for there to be a working connection.

All households in occupied private dwellings are included, except for visitor only households.

Access to telecommunications is a multiple-response variable, so the total number of responses is normally considerably in excess of the total population. Percentages are calculated from the total population and will add to greater than 100%.

As it is a multi-response question, the absence of a category doesn’t affect the percentage calculation, but may affect total responses.

Please note: The ‘fax access’ response option was removed from the 2018 form. The changes reflect current use and availability of technology.

The response rate for "telecommunications access" was 92.3%. No alternative data sources or imputation were used.

Stats NZ has given telecommunication access data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “moderate”. For more information on the data quality of telecommunication access, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Car ownership

Derived from the Census question:

'How many motor vehicles (not counting motorbikes) do the people who live here have available for their use?'

'Number of motor vehicles' is the number of motor vehicles that are mechanically operational, but not necessarily licensed or having a current warrant of fitness, and are available for private use by the residents of private dwellings.

Motor vehicles include:

• cars, station wagons, vans, trucks, four-wheel-drive vehicles and other vehicles used on public roads;
• business vehicles available for private use by people in the dwelling;
• vehicles hired or leased, and;
• vehicles temporarily under repair.

They do not include:

• motorbikes or scooters;
• vehicles used only for business;
• farm vehicles not licensed for road use;
• vehicles that belong to visitors, and;
• vehicles occasionally borrowed from another household.

Dwellings containing only visitors are excluded from this and other variables based on occupied private dwellings.

For more information about this topic, please refer to the Number of motor vehicles (opens a new window) page on the Stats NZ Census website.

Please note: Stats NZ has given number of cars data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of "moderate". There was a response rate of 92.2% and no alternative data sources have been used. It is possible that any change in categories may be due to the higher "Not stated" component and users should use caution in comparing over time. See Stats NZ’s DataInfo+ for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Household fuel type

Derived from the Census question:

'Mark as many spaces as you need to show which types of heating are used most often in this dwelling.'

Multi-response

Household fuel type indicates the types of fuel used in occupied private dwellings only, for heating purposes only. In 2018 the question specifically focussed on the type of heating appliance, while earlier years asked broadly about the types of fuel available in the dwelling. 2018 data has been matched to earlier categories with some discrepancies.

This is a multi-response question, so respondents can mark many boxes. The total of responses will sum to greater than the total population, but total responses are generally lower with the 2018 question wording than in 2013 and 2006.

There is no indication of which is the major fuel type used, or how long or how often any particular fuel type is used. For example, it shows the percentage of households that used electricity and the percentage of households that used wood, but it does not show whether electricity was used more, or less, often than wood.

2006 and 2013 Censuses differentiated between mains and bottled gas, while 2018 made no such distinction.

This dataset is available for 2018, 2013 and 2006, but please see caveat below about comparing over time, due to significant changes in the Census wording.

Please note: The 2018 Census asked specifically about what types of appliances are used to heat the dwelling. Earlier Censuses asked more broadly about fuel types, and for comparability, 2018 results have been matched to these categories. However, the change in the question has resulted in differences in the spread of fuel types in the population, for instance, a reduction in gas and wood, and an increase in electricity and "no fuels". These may be due to a wording change in the question rather than a real-world change. The total number of responses is also lower, and there is a higher non-response rate to this topic in 2018 at 92.3%. Stats NZ did not use alternative data sources. Users should take extra care when using time series for household fuel type.

Stats NZ has given Age data for the 2018 Census a quality rating of “High”. For more information on the data quality of Age, please refer to Stats NZ’s DataInfo+(opens a new window) for specific information on what this rating means and recommendations for use.

Deprivation Index

The Social Deprivation Index (NZDep) is a measure of socio-economic status calculated for small geographic areas. The NZDep has been generated since 1994 as a support instrument for the purposes of research, advocacy and the planning and distribution of resources.

How is the NZDep calculated?

The index is calculated using nine variables which are all weighted, and listed below in decreasing importance:

1	Communication	- People with no access to the Internet at home
2	Income	- People aged 18 - 64 receiving a means tested benefit
3	Income	- People living in equivalised* households with income below an income threshold
4	Employment	- People aged 18 - 64 unemployed
5	Qualifications	- People aged 18 - 64 without any qualifications
6	Owned home	- People not living in own home
7	Support	- People aged < 65 living in a single parent family
8	Living Space	- People living in equivalised* households below a bedroom occupancy threshold
9	Housing quality	- People living in dwellings that are always damp and/or always have mould greater than A4 size

The NZDep2013 included a transport variable asking about people's access to a car. The NZDep2018 varies including a housing quality variable instead, reflecting a major change in the 2018 census which asked about damp or mould in housing.

See: University of Otago (opens a new window).

* Equivalisation: methods used to control for household composition.


Understanding the NZDep scale

For the purpose of comparison, the NZDep2018 is presented as a scale, ranking small areas from the least deprived to the most deprived. The mean is 1000 index points and the higher the number the greater the deprivation. For the index, a lower the number indicates a less deprived area, a higher number indicates a more deprived area.

Caution is needed when using the NZDep data

A high NZDep score for an area does not necessarily imply anything about the individuals living in the area as the score is for the area overall. While a high score probably indicates many lowincome people living there, it does not imply that any particular resident has a low income. The developers warn against comparing small areas (SA1s) across time as findings may not be meaningful. Areas with higher populations (e.g. SA2 and Territorial/city) should be stronger but still need to be approached with caution.

Estimated Resident Population (ERP)

This dataset presents annually updated population estimates at the Territorial Authority Level for New Zealand TAs. Estimates are current at June 30th each year, and represent the official population of the area. Estimates are based on the previous Census and updated to account for births, deaths and migration each year. They are then rebased following the next Census, so previous years' estimates may be revised.

Current 2020 estimates are based originally on adjustments from 2018 Census numbers and will be rebased to the 2018 Census results when released.

Defence Service

Derived from the Census question:

'Has the person ever served in the Austrlalian Defence Force?'

Australian Defence Force Service is a new on a question asked for the first time in the 2021 Census. The question asks whether respondents have current or past service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

For the purpose of this question, ADF service includes:

• Australian Army (including NORFORCE)
• Royal Australian Navy
• Royal Australian Air Force

Past service in National Service and the Second Australian Imperial Force are also included.

Reserves service is usually part-time and is counted separately but counts as total service.

Service in the defence force of other nations is NOT counted in this topic.

The question is multiple response - Current service in the regular or reserves service is mutually exclusive. Past service can include both. For output, current service supersedes past service. Eg. if a respondent was currently a reserves member but had previous regular service, only the reserves service will show at this question. Past service implies no current service, though a more detailed version of the categories can differentiate this.

The topic applies only to those aged 15 years and over.

More information on this topic can be found in the ABS Census dictionary(opens a new window) .