Unpaid activities undertaken by people in New Zealand
By type and sex, 2018 Census, % of people aged 15+ where information available
The following information applies to all values in the table.
Census Year: 2018, Subject population: Census usually resident population aged 15 years and over, Territorial authority: Total New Zealand, Unit: Percentage
Sex
Unpaid activity type
% of people aged 15+ where information available
Female
Helping someone who is ill or has a disability who does not live in own household
10.41773105692%
Female
Household work, cooking, repairs, gardening, etc, for own household
88.30187638983%
Female
Looking after a child who does not live in own household
17.86411335526%
Female
Looking after a child who is a member of own household
31.84624997703%
Female
Looking after a member of own household who is ill or has a disability
8.425927627589%
Female
Other helping or voluntary work for or through any organisation, group or marae
16.72670133975%
Male
Helping someone who is ill or has a disability who does not live in own household
5.81299859221%
Male
Household work, cooking, repairs, gardening, etc, for own household
83.0784074176%
Male
Looking after a child who does not live in own household
9.831065227593%
Male
Looking after a child who is a member of own household
25.9538989304%
Male
Looking after a member of own household who is ill or has a disability
5.989983656694%
Male
Other helping or voluntary work for or through any organisation, group or marae
Use an alternative source for this data if possible, or be very careful using the data. This data was rated poor quality by Stats NZ. Look for other datasets to use instead, or to help check your assumptions if possible. Otherwise, read the warnings and response rate metadata below before using.
Stats NZ gives data an overall rating based on sources and coverage, consistency, and data quality.
Why am I seeing this?
This data is from the Census. The past two censuses had relatively low response rates, particularly for some areas of New Zealand and groups of people.
Where information was missing or unreadable, Stats NZ attempted to use data from a range of places such as previous censuses or administrative data that is collected by other government agencies. If that isn't available, Stats NZ use statistical models to predict what the missing data would have been. This is called imputation.
Things to be aware of
The proportion of missing information was higher than average for the following groups: Māori and Pacific peoples, people in their 20s, and people living in Auckland.
Caution is advised when using this variable at small geographies.
These figures cover activities performed without payment in the four weeks before 6 March 2018. People may do multiple activities, so the percentages add up to more than 100%.
This information applies the census usually resident population aged 15 years and over, regardless of the employment status.
Response rates and final data sources
Unpaid activities:
The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 82.8%. There was no information for 17.2% of people. No alternative data source or imputation was available to replace missing responses.
Sex:
The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 84.6%. In addition, 4.3% came from partial forms (i.e. where the sex of an individual was provided on the household set-up form or the paper dwelling form, but Stats NZ did not receive an individual form). 10.9% were sourced from administrative data, while the remaining 0.1% of data points were imputed.
Territorial authority:
The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 88.8%. The remaining 11.2% of responses were sourced from administrative records. Admin enumerated records were added to the census file to count people who were missed. Data from the range of sources available in the IDI was used.
Definitions
Census usually resident population count of New Zealand: a count of all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night. It excludes overseas visitors and New Zealand residents who are temporarily overseas.
Census night population count of New Zealand: a count of all people present in New Zealand on census night. This includes visitors from overseas who are counted on census night but excludes residents who are temporarily overseas on census night.
Unpaid activities cover activities performed in the four weeks before 6 March 2018, without payment, for people living either in the same household, or outside. This includes any help or voluntary work through any organisation, group, or marae.
Data calculation/treatment
This data has been randomly rounded to protect confidentiality. Figure.NZ calculated percentages based on the 'Total stated' values for each variable. Individual percentages may not sum to 100% and values for the same data may vary in different tables.
Geographically the census includes the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and the Chatham Islands, plus largely uninhabited islands including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, Mayor Island, Motiti Island, White Island, Moutohora Island, Bounty Islands, Snares Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Island.
Changes to data collection/processing
The 2018 Census was a modernised census based on models used in 2016 by the Canadian and Australian statistical agencies and then applied in the New Zealand context. Stats NZ collaborated with census experts from both countries when designing the model.
Under the new model, how Stats NZ enabled/collected from the respondents changed from predominately field-based activities to 80 percent mail-out with a reduced field presence and increased communications, marketing and engagement. The way respondents completed their forms also changed, with a greater focus on online completion over paper. The majority of the population was encouraged to complete the census online using an internet access code mailed to their households before census night. The new collection model therefore relied on the public to self-respond, rather than wait for a visit from field staff. Field follow-up activities were also planned.
The main areas of change were:
- phasing the model (prepare, enable, remind and visit)
- strategies used across the different phases
- mailing out “call to action” letters with an internet access code and instructions on how to order paper forms, if required, as the first interaction with census
- reducing the number of field staff, with a new structure and roles
- outsourcing the recruitment functions for field staff
- introducing new field technology
- creating a new address frame (a list of all dwellings in New Zealand)
- an integrated communications campaign including community engagement
- a new approach to processing the census data.
From the dataset Census: Unpaid activities by age group and sex, for the census usually resident population count aged 15 years and over 2018, this data was extracted:
The New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. It provides a snapshot of our society at a point in time and helps to tell the story of its social and economic change. The 2018 Census, held on Tuesday 6 March, was the 34th New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings. The first official census was run in 1851, and since 1877 there has been a census every five years, with only four exceptions.
Purpose of collection
Census information is used by government agencies, local authorities, businesses, community organisations, and the public for developing and implementing new policies, research, planning, and decision-making. It helps us make decisions about how to best use public funding, especially in areas of health, education, housing, and transport.
The census is also the primary source of information used for deciding the number of general and Māori electorates, along with data from the corresponding Māori Electoral Option.