Five-yearly census to be scrapped
Monthly inflation reporting would also begin from 2027 to provide more frequent and up-to-date economic data, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced today.
He said the new approach will harness administrative data already collected by government agencies as the primary source of population statistics.
This data – including tax records, education enrolments, or health data – is already used regularly to produce some statistics.
A smaller annual survey and targeted data collection will verify the data quality and fill gaps, with Stats NZ to work closely with communities to ensure accurate representation of minorities.
ADVERTISEMENT
Reti said the approach will save time and money while delivering more timely insights into New Zealand's population, adding that relying on a nationwide census day was "no longer financially viable".
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Auckland's supermarket fire, Trump's threat to Iran, and how a smart watch could make you fitter. (Source: 1News)
In 2013, the census cost $104 million. A decade later, costs had risen to $325 million, with the next census projected to cost $400 million.
"Despite the unsustainable and escalating costs, successive censuses have been beset with issues or failed to meet expectations," Reti said.
"By leveraging data already collected by government agencies, we can produce key census statistics every year, better informing decisions that affect people's lives."
Statistics Minister Shane Reti. (Source: Getty)
Reti also said the Government will also spend $16.5 million to introduce a monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2027, which will measure inflation for New Zealand households by recording changes in the price of goods and service.
ADVERTISEMENT
The CPI will provide more timely inflation data to help the Government and Reserve Bank respond quickly to cost-of-living pressures and bring the country in line with other advanced economies, he said.
"Inflation affects interest rates, benefit adjustments, and household budgets. Timely data helps ensure Kiwis are better supported in a fast-changing environment."
Stats NZ will also be allocated funding to align its reporting with updated international macroeconomic standards.
"Modern, internationally aligned statistics will support trade and investment, helping drive economic growth and job creation," Reti said, adding that the changes represented a "broader reset" for Stats NZ.
"Some outputs have not met the standard expected of a world-class statistics agency. We're getting back to basics – measuring what matters. Our goal is a modern, efficient, and reliable data system that delivers the insights New Zealand needs now and into the future."
Meanwhile, the Guardian has reported that plans to scrap the 2031 census in England and Wales have been overturned amid a backlash from statisticians over plans to replace it with alternative sources of data.
They were concerned about the feasibility and cost of bringing together different datasets that may have been collected in different ways.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
4 hours ago
- 1News
Job cuts as part of Govt's polytech reform necessary
Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says a reduction of 600 roles across different polytechnics is necessary to address unsustainable financial deficits as the Government dismantles Te Pūkenga. Ten polytechnics will be re-established from next year 2026, Simmonds announced last week, with differing fates for six other institutions. Simmonds told Q+A the net job losses were necessary to address unsustainable deficits. "It depends where they're coming from. When you've got institutions that are running $11.3 million deficits, you simply cannot carry on with that," she said. "You look at what's causing those deficits. In the WelTec/Whitireia situation, the arts centre here in the middle of Wellington, they were running at a ratio of one staff member to 5.6 students. No school gets that advantage. ADVERTISEMENT "You've got to have a look at where the staff are going to come from, and in some cases, it's just they shouldn't be operating at that ratio." She confirmed "there would be a reduction this year" of roles at some institutions. "There will be further redundancies." Minister confident changes will prove worth Treasury has previously suggested the reforms could risk repeating past failures, saying plans remained focused on supporting institutions' financial viability, "with no clear evidence of how the needs of learners and employers have been considered". Simmonds responded when read the advice: "Treasury gave a range of advice, which Cabinet looked at along with lots of other advice. "We've got evidence over the last five decades of polytechnics being able to be successful to reflect the needs of industries and their community, and so I relied on the history that we'd seen of polytechnics being able to do that successfully." ADVERTISEMENT Before entering politics, the Vocational Education Minister and National MP served as the chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology. Treasury officials also posited the reforms could create a financial situation "similar, if not worse, than the situation faced by [educational institutions] pre-Te Pūkenga". Asked about assurances that further bailouts wouldn't be needed, she said the institutions "will be set up in the best possible way that they can be". "They will have their debt addressed. They will have their financial pathway to viability. It's then up to communities to make sure that the right people are in the governance roles and the right people are in the management roles, and that they integrate with the community." Simmonds was also pressed about whether some institutions gaining independence were in worse financial positions than those entering federation. "No, not a worse financial position, no. So, some of them will get to sustainability. They'll get to a surplus. In the time they'll take to get to a surplus, they have reserves that can cover them during that time." Labour says new model will drain regions ADVERTISEMENT In response to the Q+A interview, Labour's education spokesperson Shanan Halbert said, the whole point of Te Pūkenga was to make the polytechnic sector more financially viable and ensure more training opportunities and employment in our regions. "The changes announced today will only return the polytechnic sector to a model that was never financially viable – and the result will be major job losses in local areas." Halbert said the Government "could have simply addressed some of the issues" the existing model to avoid the "uncertainty this has had on staff and students". The changes to amalgamate polytechnics and institutes of technology were introduced by the previous Labour government. In her interview, Simmonds was also asked about delays to a ban on single-use plastics, how she had managed her environment portfolio, and on Gore's recent tap water issues. For the full interview, watch the video above Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
1News
5 hours ago
- 1News
'Call me Mr Cash Man': MP seeks protection for hard currency
Self-proclaimed cash advocate and MP Jamie Arbuckle believes his proposed law protecting hard currency transactions is about more than accessibility — it's also about privacy and preventing "Big Brother" surveillance. The New Zealand First MP's members' legislation, the Cash Transactions Protection Bill, would require vendors to accept cash up to the value of $500, with no limits on the amount of cash that must be accepted for essential items like fuel and food. 'There's a real concern across New Zealand that we're becoming a cashless society, and we've got a lot of people who depend on cash,' the MP told Q+A. He said that particularly applied to people living in rural areas, the elderly who are more comfortable using cash than digital systems, and those on low incomes. A self-professed fan of using cash, Arbuckle said, 'cash is king, and you can call me Mr Cash Man if you like.' ADVERTISEMENT 'I've got to tell you right now, I don't like walking into a shop and not being able to pay cash for a coffee.' Composite image by Vania Chandrawidjaja (Source: iStock/1News) But he said in an increasingly digital world, there was a more serious point to be made about the ability to make anonymous payments. 'People are telling me they want to have the ability to use cash, it's a freedom of choice issue.' 'It's really the only true way of having privacy in a transaction. You don't get that with electronic payments. There's always the concern that Big Brother or someone is able to look at where you've been, what you've purchased, so the majority of people have been very positive about protecting cash use.' A Reserve Bank survey released in June 2025 found that — while electronic and debit card use was by far the most common method of making payments — a significant minority of the country continued to use cash regularly. Around 46% of respondents said they used cash 'to pay for everyday things', down slightly from 48% which an equivalent survey found in June 2023. ADVERTISEMENT The survey also found a majority had used cash at least once in the seven days preceding the survey being taken, with approximately 33% of respondents saying they hadn't used cash in the last week, and a further 3.6% saying they would never use cash. Further research undertaken last year by the Reserve Bank found Kiwis value being able to use physical cash. Director of money and cash Ian Woolford said, '84% of respondents were worried about losing access to banknotes and coins, and want assurance that cash will still be issued by the Reserve Bank and not reduced or replaced by digital cash.' 'We'll keep issuing cash for as long as New Zealanders want to use it," he said in December. "We're doing a lot of work to redesign the cash system, including helping retailers through community cash services trials next year in several rural communities lacking over-the-counter bank or ATM services.' Some businesses have moved to being cash-free, but Arbuckle said in his view, it couldn't be an opt-in and opt-out system. 'The majority of businesses hold cash, so we're only talking about a small amount of businesses that would have to change. ADVERTISEMENT "Cash is legal tender, and you should be able to purchase with cash.' He said if the bill is pulled out of the member's bill biscuit tin, he'd welcome feedback from businesses that might be affected during the select committee process. Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Building Monopolies Busted: Tradies And Home Buyers To Benefit From Cheaper Materials
ACT is celebrating a major win for tradies and first home buyers alike. From tomorrow, thousands of overseas building products including plasterboard, cladding systems, and joinery will be available for use in New Zealand. This long-overdue reform was a key ACT campaign policy in the 2023 election. 'Builders and tradies are finally free to use materials trusted and approved around the world,' says ACT Building and Construction spokesperson Cameron Luxton, Parliament's only licensed builder. 'For years, outdated red tape has locked our building industry into high-cost, low-choice options. Dumb rules kept out better, cheaper, and more innovative products. This stifled competition, inflated prices, and put the dream of home ownership out of reach for too many Kiwis. "I remember the plasterboard supply crisis back in 2022 and how it crippled the building industry. Only a Government could create the absurd situation where there's a black market for plasterboard. Tomorrow's changes will break up the plasterboard monopoly and have similar effects for products all across the sector. 'Plasterboard in New Zealand costs 67% more than in the US and Canada, and 38% more than in Australia. That's not because ours is better, it's because tradies haven't been allowed to use anything else. 'More competition doesn't just help those who choose the new products, it forces existing suppliers to drop their prices or risk losing out. 'This is how ACT thinks across the board. We're already streamlining medicine approvals, and we're pushing to open the supermarket sector to more overseas players. When there's more choice and more competition, Kiwis get better products at better prices.'
