A More Realistic Census Methodology
New Zealand census data is already out of date. The census was held last year; the results and data will not now be published until sometime after April next year. You may ask why census data is so important? One of the main reasons is that it is regarded as a long deep vein of pure gold. And not without good reason. It is one of the most influential institutions affecting and governing how the government spends tax payers' money.
The adage is that "bad data" results in wasteful, inappropriate spending. Fair enough. We get the point. But now we are being told the data from the most recent census (2017) is already unreliable and it hasn't even been published yet.
Work on the first release of 2018 Census data is taking longer than expected due to the complex nature of the task, Stats NZ said today. Stats NZ had previously reported that they had full or partial information for around 90 percent of individuals and indicated further analysis would be required that would delay the first release.Apparently statistical data on 90% of the population is not complete enough.
“We now know this is going to take us a bit longer, but by April 2019 we will be able to announce when census data will be available,” Government Statistician Liz MacPherson said. “I would like to thank the public for their patience. I know how important census data is to so many people and I apologise for the inconvenience caused by the further delay. It is precisely because the information is so important that we need to take the additional time.” [Stats NZ]
