The 2011 Census will count how many people and households there are in New Zealand on Tuesday 8 March, and will provide an official measure of how many Pacific people live in New Zealand.

Everyone must fill it in, including visitors and children. The information is confidential.

Statistics New Zealand is working hard to raise awareness among the Pacific community about the census and why it is important.

Pacific people were undercounted in the last census because many didn’t know about it.

This means their communities may be missing out on what they’re entitled to. The census information is used to help decide funding for things like schools, early childhood centres, and health care. It can be used by community groups to apply for resources such as training and education opportunities, community centres, and parks. It is also important for Pacific development planning.

It is very important that everyone in the country on 8 March fills in a census form - old and young, whether they were born in New Zealand or overseas, and whether they live here or are just visiting. Anyone with family visiting from the Pacific Islands should help them fill in a form too. Official census collectors will deliver the census forms to every household, or they can be filled in online.

The information is completely confidential and it will not be shared with any other government department.

Pacific people play a key role in New Zealand society and their voice is valued. There were 265,974 Pacific people in New Zealand in 2006 (at the time of the last census) – about 7% of the population. This was 15% more than in 2001, and we expect that this will have increased again. It is important to know by how much, so resources are properly allocated.

Carol Slappendel, General Manager Census said: “The census is important because information from it helps determine how billions of dollars of government funding is spent in the community.”

“It is used to help make decisions about which services are needed and where they should be, such as hospitals, kōhanga reo, schools, roads, public transport, and recreational facilities. “

“Census information also tells you how your community has changed over the years, things like how many people live where you live, what sort of jobs they do and so on.”

ENDS

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