Christian groups voice fears about scrapping of census

In a submission to Parliament’s Justice Committee on the Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill, the NZCCSS said the proposed administrative data-led census approach will not adequately cover under-represented groups, which will have consequences for policy and allocation of resources.

“Despite multiple consultation processes there [are] still inadequate solutions for addressing cohorts who are at risk of being under-represented in the data collection with the new census approach,” the NZCCSS stated.

“The official advice from the expert advisory panel convened by Stats NZ does not support the move away from a traditional census, highlighting that there are significant gaps in administrative data which will likely result in under-representation of minority groups in the data collected. This includes LGTBIQ+ communities, housing insecure individuals, disabled people, iwi Māori, Pacific and other minority population groups.

“We recommend that the move away from the traditional census not progress until tailored approaches to ensure these cohorts are not under-represented in the data have been designed, consulted on and piloted.”

The Bill aims to move New Zealand from the traditional five-yearly, survey-led census to an annual approach that draws on existing government data, supported by a smaller annual survey and targeted data collection.

“Rising costs, declining response rates and disruptions from events such as natural disasters have shown the traditional approach is no longer sustainable,” the Government stated.

But the NZCCSS, which includes Catholic Social Services as a foundation member, stated that an administrative data approach could lead to results based on access to services rather than assessment of an individual’s situation, as a result of people not applying for services if they are deemed ineligible.

“For example, with recent changes to Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants (SNGs), many of our member organisations reported an increase in visible homelessness and people attempting to make appointments for emergency housing with Work and Income being advised they would not be eligible. If no appointment is made, these enquiries are not reflected in the figures regarding need for housing support.”

The census has been able to provide a valuable sense-check of the context people are living in, which is not based on policy changes such as tightened eligibility criteria, the NZCCSS added.

“We have concerns regarding how this might impact funding for services and identification of where supports are required.”

The NZCCSS suggested that any new census approach is initially run concurrently to the traditional census.

“While this would be a significant cost it, this would ensure a more seamless transition, allowing assessment of tailored solutions while addressing any concerns regarding the quality of data and economic value,” the group’s submission said.

FULL STORY

Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill (NZCCSS/NZ Parliament)

Data and Statistics (Census) Amendment Bill (NZ Parliament)

Bill to modernise census passes first reading (Beehive)