Goverment API access

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lowigz

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#319915 13-Jun-2025 21:10

Kia ora,

Has anyone been able to get access to government api to access their data?

I'm making a project for uni and I'm trying to get voting data, trying to make stats on my webpage to show how many votes and who voted for what.

I signed up and have requested access.. but if I'm being honest, their site is confusing and I'm not sure how to navigate it to access the data I need.

Anyone able to help?

chur

Update: I made a python app that scrapes the data from the public webpage, but I'd rather get an API to get live raw data to json..

BlakJak

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#3386389 23-Jun-2025 13:28

Delayed response, sorry. Initially I would ask... how do you know they even have an API?

There's an awful lot of different systems used to hold 'government data' and reports published on public websites aren't necessarily the product of a single interface. If they're manually pulling data from multiple places, there literally may not be an API to call on - at least not without a bucketload of work, which they may not be resourced to provide.

Even if they have an API, how do you know that the system concerned is fit for being on-the-internet and doesn't have sensitive information layered into it that would have to be filtered or abstracted? Making an API publicly available is something that needs a lot of consideration.

Not my area of expertise but it seems that 'i've asked, now it's their job to provide' isn't exactly how it'll work?

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wellygary

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#3386391 23-Jun-2025 13:42

"I'm making a project for uni and I'm trying to get voting data, trying to make stats on my webpage to show how many votes and who voted for what"

Which Votes?, the general election?, although it only is "live" data on election nights, otherwise its pretty static..

cddt

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#3386401 23-Jun-2025 14:35

It's really unclear what data you're trying to access, where from, etc. You could provide some links?

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caffynz

317 posts

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#3386481 23-Jun-2025 22:05

Does figure.nz have what you're looking for?

snj

305 posts

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#3386486 23-Jun-2025 22:23

There is no single API service for Government data, each department has their own processes. Generally, what's available publicly already is most of the data that's in easily accessible forms anyway (it's OIAable anyway, so it's easier to regularly publish the data under the principles of Open Data, than having to deal with OIA requests).

There are restricted Stats NZ datasets, but they require specified research projects and plans before you're given access and the application process is rigorous (speaking from experience), and the datasets that have the highest risk of identifying individuals (microdata) are restricted to IDI Datalabs.

Anyway... since you mention elections, https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/statistics/index.html - this sounds like what you need right? No API needed. Similar pages exist for prior elections too.

lowigz

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#3386941 25-Jun-2025 11:00

From what I've read there is api access for public availabe data, what I was wanting to gain access to is a few things.

data about mps.. what they've voted for, who they are, contact details, their party details.. if possible their declared information. also all party details, who their donors are.

I have a paper at uni on databases, and accessing data and manipulating it in Javascript and Python.. I thought about how I could do it with public data from government, that then ties in with my GUI paper also :)

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BlakJak

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#3386947 25-Jun-2025 11:13

Feels a little bit like the handwavium approach to information. "There is API access for publicly available data" is incredibly generic and it's never that simple.

No signature to see here, move along...

wellygary

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#3386950 25-Jun-2025 11:28

lowigz:

From what I've read there is api access for public availabe data, what I was wanting to gain access to is a few things.

data about mps.. what they've voted for, who they are, contact details, their party details.. if possible their declared information. also all party details, who their donors are.

I have a paper at uni on databases, and accessing data and manipulating it in Javascript and Python.. I thought about how I could do it with public data from government, that then ties in with my GUI paper also :)

Small point of correction, MPs and Parliament are NOT government,

Also it appears parliament has been looking at this for years and has achieved very little,

https://data.govt.nz/datasetrequest/show/189

lowigz

27 posts

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#3386967 25-Jun-2025 12:46

Thanks, I've sent an email asking what and where and if possible.

There is some data I have found that is going to help, just trying to find as many sources as I can.

donor information is pretty interesting when you see who's giving to who.

cddt

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#3386969 25-Jun-2025 12:50

lowigz:

I have a paper at uni on databases, and accessing data and manipulating it in Javascript and Python.. I thought about how I could do it with public data from government, that then ties in with my GUI paper also :)

As you'll learn as you get more experience, the technical side of accessing data and manipulating it is only a small fraction of the job. The bigger part is finding the source of the data, getting permission to access it, understanding it, cleaning it, etc. This goes for both external and internal data...

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lowigz

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#3386970 25-Jun-2025 13:05

yeah starting to become a lot clearer, it's all well and good having the idea.. lol