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Census - Region of usual residence and occupation by sex by total personal income 2018

Stats NZ

Data Quality

Using this data

Use this data with caution. This data was rated moderate quality by Stats NZ. 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 significant use of imputation may have inflated the total number of respondents in all categories. Care should be taken if comparing absolute figures to previous years. Respondents who wished to identify as intersex were instructed to request paper forms and tick both male and female boxes. No provision was made for categories other than male or female.

Read the response rates and final data sources section for more information.

Subject matter

Occupation: An occupation is a set of jobs that require the performance of similar or identical sets of tasks. Occupations are organised based on skills, using the ANZSCO classification. The data was collected from people aged 15 years and over who are employed. Personal income: Total personal income received is the total before-tax income of a person in the 12 months ended 31 March 2018. The information is collected as income bands rather than in actual dollars. This includes all possible sources of income, such as wages and salaries, self-employment, investments, ACC payments, welfare benefits, etc. People may obtain income from more than one source. Sex: Sex is the distinction between males and females based on the biological differences in sexual characteristics.

Response rates and final data sources

Occupation: The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 79.7%. The remaining 20.3% of responses were imputed. Personal income: The response rate from 2018 Census forms was 81.2%. 16.5% were sourced from administrative data supplied by Inland Revenue. 2.3% of responses were imputed. 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.

For more information

Inclusions

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.

Data provided by

Stats NZ

Dataset name

Census: Area of usual residence and Occupation by Sex by Total personal income 2018

How to find the data

This dataset was obtained by custom data request. Please contact info@stats.govt.nz to obtain similar data.

Import & extraction details

File as imported: Census: Area of usual residence and Occupation by Sex by Total personal income 2018

From the dataset Census: Area of usual residence and Occupation by Sex by Total personal income 2018, this data was extracted:

  • Sheet: Import table
  • Range: E7:H59115
  • Provided: 195,320 data points

About this dataset

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.