I haven't got mine either which worries me a bit as a lot of mail seems to go missing here.

tdgeek:

 

eracode: @Geektastic. There’s more to a census than just determining the population of the country. But you know that, kidder.

 

Not having a census is like running a business and not doing any financial accounts. You have to do financial accounts for tax purposes but they have a massive level of value. The numbers and past numbers tell a lot of valuable stories. Same with a census 

 

I can't see an awful lot that has changed as a result of the last one. 

alasta:

 

I haven't got mine either which worries me a bit as a lot of mail seems to go missing here.

 

Not here either but I have not been down to check the post since Thursday.

Geektastic:

 

tdgeek:

 

eracode: @Geektastic. There’s more to a census than just determining the population of the country. But you know that, kidder.

 

Not having a census is like running a business and not doing any financial accounts. You have to do financial accounts for tax purposes but they have a massive level of value. The numbers and past numbers tell a lot of valuable stories. Same with a census 

 

 

 

 

I can't see an awful lot that has changed as a result of the last one. 

 

Perhaps take that up with JK or BE

Geektastic:

 

I can't see an awful lot that has changed as a result of the last one. 

 

Perhaps there was an awful lot that didn't change as a result of the last one?

Geektastic:

 

tdgeek:

 

eracode: @Geektastic. There’s more to a census than just determining the population of the country. But you know that, kidder.

 

Not having a census is like running a business and not doing any financial accounts. You have to do financial accounts for tax purposes but they have a massive level of value. The numbers and past numbers tell a lot of valuable stories. Same with a census 

 

 

 

 

I can't see an awful lot that has changed as a result of the last one. 

 

Watched a short news item a few days back.  Census completion rate in Northland is proportionally a lot lower than the rest of the country.  The DHB there is urging people to complete it because apparently for every person who doesn't they lose out on $3000 per year in funding.  Pretty compelling IMO.

I expect that the uptake amongst non-English speakers will be lower than usual now that nobody is visiting all the households. Plus there has been no effort to print the language options in each language. They are all listed in English only.

If the census is so important then why does the Stats department make so little effort to engage with the groups who find it most difficult to read the forms in English or Maori?

floydbloke:

 

Geektastic:

 

tdgeek:

 

eracode: @Geektastic. There’s more to a census than just determining the population of the country. But you know that, kidder.

 

Not having a census is like running a business and not doing any financial accounts. You have to do financial accounts for tax purposes but they have a massive level of value. The numbers and past numbers tell a lot of valuable stories. Same with a census 

 

 

 

 

I can't see an awful lot that has changed as a result of the last one. 

 

 

Watched a short news item a few days back.  Census completion rate in Northland is proportionally a lot lower than the rest of the country.  The DHB there is urging people to complete it because apparently for every person who doesn't they lose out on $3000 per year in funding.  Pretty compelling IMO.

 

Maybe.

They know who died there. They know who was born there. They know how many houses are there. They know how many kids are enrolled in schools there. They know how many taxpayers are registered there. Going further, they even know the owners of almost all the mobile phones pinging cell towers in the region on a given day.

There is a lot of information available to planners already. The census stems from a time where that sort of information was nowhere near as easily available as it is today.

At the very least there is a case to review the whole concept; perhaps the period can be extended to 15 years given other data easily available? Perhaps it can be simplified and added to other documents (eg tax returns) to reduce cost? I am sure there are other variants.

Businesses live in a constant state of change; I see no particular reason why a government exercise which presumably costs a fair sum to conduct every 10 years should escape regular reviews as to fitness for purpose etc.

You could extend the data capture. Everyone has to have a US centric Social Security Card. You could use the IRD number for that. Any transaction that will answer a census question requires that number. You would need to issue an IRD number at birth. Doctors visits would over time give a wealth of useful information. As you say, there is a lot of data already out there, so lets refine that. The other factor is that everyone is walking psuedo-GPS for the central Govt. Thats a whole other issue of privacy

tdgeek:

 

You could extend the data capture. Everyone has to have a US centric Social Security Card. You could use the IRD number for that. Any transaction that will answer a census question requires that number. You would need to issue an IRD number at birth. Doctors visits would over time give a wealth of useful information. As you say, there is a lot of data already out there, so lets refine that. The other factor is that everyone is walking psuedo-GPS for the central Govt. Thats a whole other issue of privacy

 

You are already issued a National Health Index number at birth, or on first encounter with the Health system if borm overseas. GP visit information is not accessible to anyone outside the GP's practice.

I have my browsers configured to reject cookies.  So I guess it won't be possible to compete the census.

Remember, the 2013 census was an anomaly because of the 2011 quake. They're normally every seven years.

We filled ours out, no problems. It was very straight forward. Much better than mucking around with pen and paper.

DarthKermit:

 

Remember, the 2013 census was an anomaly because of the 2011 quake. They're normally every seven years.

 

We filled ours out, no problems. It was very straight forward. Much better than mucking around with pen and paper.

 

Its almost always been 5, eary on it was closer, there have been some anomalies, the quake being one, as you mentioned

The first full census in New Zealand was conducted in 1851, and the census was triennial until 1881, at which time it became five-yearly. The 1931 census was cancelled due to the effects of the Great Depression,[7] as was the 1941 census due to World War II.[8] The 1946 census was brought forward to Tuesday 25 September 1945, so that the results could be used for an electoral redistribution (the first for ten years) before the 1946 election.

1951 was the first year in which Māori and European New Zealanders were treated equally, with European New Zealanders having had a different census form in previous years and separate censuses in the nineteenth century. Results for those censuses before 1966 have been destroyed with a few exceptions and those since will not be available before 2066.[9]

The 2006 census was held on Tuesday, 7 March. For the first time, respondents had the option of completing their census form via the Internet rather than by a printed form.

The 2011 census was to be held on Tuesday, 8 March. However, due to the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011, it was cancelled.[1] For the first time ever, all 2011 census forms would have been digitally archived.[10] On 27 May 2011 Statistics New Zealand announced that a census would take place in March 2013

Completed ours on Friday, was super easy, much better than having to wait for them to be collected.

MikeAqua:

 

I have my browsers configured to reject cookies.  So I guess it won't be possible to compete the census.

 

Then you'll need to waste the collectors' time and complete one on paper. Why don't you just allow cookies for the Census website and do it online?