Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Auckland, New Zealand metro area from 1950 to 2025.

The total population of New Zealand was estimated at 5.34 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by 2.23 million people since 1980. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by 460,000 people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

Refer to the 'Current Geographic Boundaries Table' layer for a list of all current geographies and recent updates.

Territorial authorities

Territorial Authority Local Board (TALB) is a derived classification. TALB is derived from the definitive version of the annually released local boards for Auckland and territorial authorities for the rest of New Zealand as at 1 January 2025, as defined by the territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission and maintained by Stats NZ, clipped to the coastline. This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries. This version contains 21 local boards in the Auckland Council and 66 territorial authority boundaries for the rest New Zealand.

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. They are defined under schedule 2, part 1 of the Local Government Act 2002 as city councils or district councils. Territorial authorities were established in 1989 when 205 territorial local authorities were replaced by 75 territorial authorities. Territorial boundaries must coincide with meshblock boundaries under schedule 3, clause 17 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Local boards

Local boards share governance with a council’s governing body and each has complementary responsibilities, guaranteed by legislation. Local boards can propose bylaws and they gather community views on local and regional matters. Legislation enacted in 2012 allows for the establishment of local boards in areas of new unitary authorities that are predominantly urban and have a population of more than 400,000. The boundaries of local boards cannot be abolished or changed except through a reorganisation process. If new local boards are created they will be incorporated into this classification.

Local boards are defined at meshblock level. Stats NZ must be consulted if there is a proposed boundary change that does not align with the meshblock pattern. Local boards do not coincide with the statistical area 1 (SA1), statistical area 2 (SA2) geographies, or statistical area 3 (SA3) geographies.

Auckland Council local boards

The Auckland Council was established in November 2010 under the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009. Seven territorial authorities within the Auckland Region were abolished and replaced by the unitary authority Auckland Council. Local boards fall within the community board classification. Changes were reflected in the 2011 and subsequent community board classifications.

For statistical outputs that use territorial authorities to aggregate and report data Auckland Council is treated as a single geographic entity, whereas previously data was provided for the seven territorial authorities. Presenting data for this single territorial authority hides meaningful patterns and trends for a significant portion of the population. A solution was to create a new classification of territorial authorities that includes the local boards for Auckland.

Numbering

TALB is a flat classification. Each category has a unique five-digit code. The first three digits represent the territorial authority code, ranging from 001 to 076 (with 999 being Area Outside Territorial Authority). The last two digits indicate if the territorial authority is further defined at local board level: 00 indicates the territorial authority is “not further defined”. Auckland retains sequential codes from the community board classification.

The names for the classification are retained from the territorial authority and community board classifications.

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Clipped Version

This clipped version has been created for cartographic purposes and so does not fully represent the official full extent boundaries.

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High-definition version

This high definition (HD) version is the most detailed geometry, suitable for use in GIS for geometric analysis operations and for the computation of areas, centroids and other metrics. The HD version is aligned to the LINZ cadastre.

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Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

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Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

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Further information

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

Contact: geography@stats.govt.nz

Refer to the 'Current Geographic Boundaries Table' layer for a list of all current geographies and recent updates.

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released statistical area 2 (SA2) boundaries as at 1 January 2025 as defined by Stats NZ. This version contains 2,395 SA2s (2,379 digitised and 16 with empty or null geometries (non-digitised)).

SA2 is an output geography that provides higher aggregations of population data than can be provided at the statistical area 1 (SA1) level. The SA2 geography aims to reflect communities that interact together socially and economically. In populated areas, SA2s generally contain similar sized populations.

The SA2 should:

form a contiguous cluster of one or more SA1s,

excluding exceptions below, allow the release of multivariate statistics with minimal data suppression,

capture a similar type of area, such as a high-density urban area, farmland, wilderness area, and water area,

be socially homogeneous and capture a community of interest. It may have, for example:

• a shared road network,
• shared community facilities,
• shared historical or social links, or
• socio-economic similarity,

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form a nested hierarchy with statistical output geographies and administrative boundaries. It must:

• be built from SA1s,
• either define or aggregate to define SA3s, urban areas, territorial authorities, and regional councils.

SA2s in city council areas generally have a population of 2,000–4,000 residents while SA2s in district council areas generally have a population of 1,000–3,000 residents.

In major urban areas, an SA2 or a group of SA2s often approximates a single suburb. In rural areas, rural settlements are included in their respective SA2 with the surrounding rural area.

SA2s in urban areas where there is significant business and industrial activity, for example ports, airports, industrial, commercial, and retail areas, often have fewer than 1,000 residents. These SA2s are useful for analysing business demographics, labour markets, and commuting patterns.

In rural areas, some SA2s have fewer than 1,000 residents because they are in conservation areas or contain sparse populations that cover a large area.

To minimise suppression of population data, small islands with zero or low populations close to the mainland, and marinas are generally included in their adjacent land-based SA2.

Zero or nominal population SA2s

To ensure that the SA2 geography covers all of New Zealand and aligns with New Zealand’s topography and local government boundaries, some SA2s have zero or nominal populations. These include:

• SA2s where territorial authority boundaries straddle regional council boundaries. These SA2s each have fewer than 200 residents and are: Arahiwi, Tiroa, Rangataiki, Kaimanawa, Taharua, Te More, Ngamatea, Whangamomona, and Mara.
• SA2s created for single islands or groups of islands that are some distance from the mainland or to separate large unpopulated islands from urban areas
• SA2s that represent inland water, inlets or oceanic areas including: inland lakes larger than 50 square kilometres, harbours larger than 40 square kilometres, major ports, other non-contiguous inlets and harbours defined by territorial authority, and contiguous oceanic areas defined by regional council.
• SA2s for non-digitised oceanic areas, offshore oil rigs, islands, and the Ross Dependency. Each SA2 is represented by a single meshblock. The following 16 SA2s are held in non-digitised form (SA2 code; SA2 name):

400001; New Zealand Economic Zone, 400002; Oceanic Kermadec Islands, 400003; Kermadec Islands, 400004; Oceanic Oil Rig Taranaki, 400005; Oceanic Campbell Island, 400006; Campbell Island, 400007; Oceanic Oil Rig Southland, 400008; Oceanic Auckland Islands, 400009; Auckland Islands, 400010 ; Oceanic Bounty Islands, 400011; Bounty Islands, 400012; Oceanic Snares Islands, 400013; Snares Islands, 400014; Oceanic Antipodes Islands, 400015; Antipodes Islands, 400016; Ross Dependency.

SA2 numbering and naming

Each SA2 is a single geographic entity with a name and a numeric code. The name refers to a geographic feature or a recognised place name or suburb. In some instances where place names are the same or very similar, the SA2s are differentiated by their territorial authority name, for example, Gladstone (Carterton District) and Gladstone (Invercargill City).

SA2 codes have six digits. North Island SA2 codes start with a 1 or 2, South Island SA2 codes start with a 3 and non-digitised SA2 codes start with a 4. They are numbered approximately north to south within their respective territorial authorities. To ensure the north–south code pattern is maintained, the SA2 codes were given 00 for the last two digits when the geography was created in 2018. When SA2 names or boundaries change only the last two digits of the code will change.

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High-definition version

This high definition (HD) version is the most detailed geometry, suitable for use in GIS for geometric analysis operations and for the computation of areas, centroids and other metrics. The HD version is aligned to the LINZ cadastre.

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Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

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Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

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Further information

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

Contact: geography@stats.govt.nz

Refer to the 'Current Geographic Boundaries Table' layer for a list of all current geographies and recent updates.

This dataset is the definitive version of the annually released statistical area 1 (SA1) boundaries as at 1 January 2025, as defined by Stats NZ. This version contains 33,164 SA1s (33,148 digitised and 16 with empty or null geometries (non-digitised)).

SA1 is an output geography that allows the release of more low-level data than is available at the meshblock level. Built by joining meshblocks, SA1s have an ideal size range of 100–200 residents, and a maximum population of about 500. This is to minimise suppression of population data in multivariate statistics tables.

The SA1 should:

form a contiguous cluster of one or more meshblocks,

be either urban, rural, or water in character,

be small enough to:

• allow flexibility for aggregation to other statistical geographies,
• allow users to aggregate areas into their own defined communities of interest,

form a nested hierarchy with statistical output geographies and administrative boundaries. It must:

• be built from meshblocks,
• either define or aggregate to define SA2s, urban rural areas, territorial authorities, and regional councils.

SA1s generally have a population of 100–200 residents, with some exceptions:

• SA1s with nil or nominal resident populations are created to represent remote mainland areas, unpopulated islands, inland water, inlets, or oceanic areas.
• Some SA1s in remote rural areas and urban industrial or business areas have fewer than 100 residents.
• Some SA1s that contain apartment blocks, retirement villages, and large non-residential facilities (prisons, boarding schools, etc.) have more than 500 residents.

SA1 numbering

SA1s are not named. SA1 codes have seven digits starting with a 7 and are numbered approximately north to south. Non-digitised codes start with 79.

As new SA1s are created, they are given the next available numeric code. If the composition of an SA1 changes through splitting or amalgamating different meshblocks, the SA1 is given a new code. The previous code no longer exists within that version and future versions of the SA1 classification.

Digitised and non-digitised SA1s

The digital geographic boundaries are defined and maintained by Stats NZ.

Aggregated from meshblocks, SA1s cover the land area of New Zealand, the water area to the 12-mile limit, the Chatham Islands, Kermadec Islands, sub-Antarctic islands, off-shore oil rigs, and Ross Dependency. The following 16 SA1s are held in non-digitised form.

7999901; New Zealand Economic Zone, 7999902; Oceanic Kermadec Islands,7999903; Kermadec Islands, 7999904; Oceanic Oil Rig Taranaki,7999905; Oceanic Campbell Island, 7999906; Campbell Island, 7999907; Oceanic Oil Rig Southland, 7999908; Oceanic Auckland Islands, 7999909; Auckland Islands, 7999910; Oceanic Bounty Islands, 7999911; Bounty Islands, 7999912; Oceanic Snares Islands, 7999913; Snares Islands, 7999914; Oceanic Antipodes Islands, 7999915; Antipodes Islands, 7999916; Ross Dependency.

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High-definition version

This high definition (HD) version is the most detailed geometry, suitable for use in GIS for geometric analysis operations and for the computation of areas, centroids and other metrics. The HD version is aligned to the LINZ cadastre.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

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Further information

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

Contact: geography@stats.govt.nz

Introduction: Moyamoya angiopathy (MMA) has been reported in the ethnically diverse Auckland region of New Zealand, but the sociodemographic burden and clinical outcomes remain poorly characterised. This study aims to determine age, sex, and prevalence of MMA stratified by ethnicity, and to assess clinical outcomes in adults residing in Auckland (population 1.9 million).

Methods: A retrospective review of patient records and radiology reports from 2008 to 2025 was conducted using ICD codes and keyword searches. Prevalence was estimated using national census data. Primary outcomes were functional independence (modified Rankin Score 0–2) and the composite of stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Associations were assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression. A pooled analysis of published cohorts was also performed for context.

Results: A total of 100 patients were identified (73% female; mean age 38.5 years, SD 17). Period prevalence was highest among Pacific peoples (11/100,000), followed by Māori (6/100,000), Asians (4/100,000), and Europeans (2/100,000). Overall prevalence increased from 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 between 2001 and 2025 (p

Refer to the 'Current Geographic Boundaries Table' layer for a list of all current geographies and recent updates.

Territorial authorities

Territorial Authority Local Board (TALB) is a derived classification. TALB is derived from the definitive version of the annually released local boards for Auckland and territorial authorities for the rest of New Zealand as at 1 January 2025, as defined by the territorial authorities and/or Local Government Commission and maintained by Stats NZ. This version contains 21 local boards in the Auckland Council and 66 territorial authority boundaries for the rest New Zealand.

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. They are defined under schedule 2, part 1 of the Local Government Act 2002 as city councils or district councils. Territorial authorities were established in 1989 when 205 territorial local authorities were replaced by 75 territorial authorities. Territorial boundaries must coincide with meshblock boundaries under schedule 3, clause 17 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Local boards

Local boards share governance with a council’s governing body and each has complementary responsibilities, guaranteed by legislation. Local boards can propose bylaws and they gather community views on local and regional matters. Legislation enacted in 2012 allows for the establishment of local boards in areas of new unitary authorities that are predominantly urban and have a population of more than 400,000. The boundaries of local boards cannot be abolished or changed except through a reorganisation process. If new local boards are created they will be incorporated into this classification.

Local boards are defined at meshblock level. Stats NZ must be consulted if there is a proposed boundary change that does not align with the meshblock pattern. Local boards do not coincide with the statistical area 1 (SA1), statistical area 2 (SA2) geographies, or statistical area 3 (SA3) geographies.

Auckland Council local boards

The Auckland Council was established in November 2010 under the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Act 2009. Seven territorial authorities within the Auckland Region were abolished and replaced by the unitary authority Auckland Council. Local boards fall within the community board classification. Changes were reflected in the 2011 and subsequent community board classifications.

For statistical outputs that use territorial authorities to aggregate and report data Auckland Council is treated as a single geographic entity, whereas previously data was provided for the seven territorial authorities. Presenting data for this single territorial authority hides meaningful patterns and trends for a significant portion of the population. A solution was to create a new classification of territorial authorities that includes the local boards for Auckland.

Numbering

TALB is a flat classification. Each category has a unique five-digit code. The first three digits represent the territorial authority code, ranging from 001 to 076 (with 999 being Area Outside Territorial Authority). The last two digits indicate if the territorial authority is further defined at local board level: 00 indicates the territorial authority is “not further defined”. Auckland retains sequential codes from the community board classification.

The names for the classification are retained from the territorial authority and community board classifications.

​

High-definition version

This high definition (HD) version is the most detailed geometry, suitable for use in GIS for geometric analysis operations and for the computation of areas, centroids and other metrics. The HD version is aligned to the LINZ cadastre.

​

Macrons

Names are provided with and without tohutō/macrons. The column name for those without macrons is suffixed ‘ascii’.

​

Digital data

Digital boundary data became freely available on 1 July 2007.

​

Further information

To download geographic classifications in table formats such as CSV please use Ariā

For more information please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023.

Contact: geography@stats.govt.nz

The Bus Transport industry in New Zealand has recorded solid revenue growth through 2025-26, supported by rising demand for school, charter and touring services, as well as sustained investment in regional transport networks. Reliable public funding, an increase in tourist activity and a shift in operators’ focus towards more profitable non-commuter segments have reinforced the industry’s performance. Industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualised 4.3% over the five years through 2025-26 to reach $1.3 billion. However, revenue growth is anticipated to slow to just 0.4% in 2025-26. This subdued annual performance reflects weaker commuter patronage amid persistent flexible work patterns, coupled with higher operating costs and delays in rolling out infrastructure and service upgrades across key urban corridors. Enduring work-from-home trends have weakened urbanisation as a key driver of demand for bus services. Volumes remain structurally lower than pre-2020 levels, particularly in major centres like Auckland and Wellington. An ageing population has also reduced the proportion of younger New Zealanders, who historically make up a large share of urban and school bus patronage. However, government-subsidised school routes, rising charter bookings and a rebound in international tourism have expanded the industry’s revenue base. Ongoing network contract cycles and infrastructure investment have supported transporters’ ability to maintain service delivery, even as cost pressures mount. Still, higher capital and labour costs have weighed on earnings, restricting the industry’s profitability. Industry revenue is forecast to grow at an annualised 1.8% over the five years through 2030-31 to $1.5 billion. Fleet electrification, prompted by the zero-emission procurement mandate from July 2025, is set to be a key driver of capital expenditure and operational reform. While the transition will pressure short-term margins, electric bus fleets are projected to reduce exposure to volatile fuel costs and enhance compliance with long-term environmental standards. Regional and touring segments are also set to benefit from rising tourist visitor days, supporting route expansion in destinations like Rotorua and the West Coast. Industry consolidation is set to continue, following a period of aggressive acquisition activity undertaken by major transporters like Kinetic. Larger bus enterprises will reinforce their dominance as the number of small-scale transporters in the market continues to fall. Industry profitability is expected to remain stable as larger operators benefit from improved fleet efficiency, stronger contract performance and long-term procurement certainty through the Public Transport Operating Model, which will be replaced by the Sustainable Public Transport Framework.

Dataset for the maps accompanying the Housing in Aotearoa New Zealand: 2025 report. This dataset contains counts and measures for:

• average number of private dwellings per square kilometre
• severe housing deprivation
• home ownership rates
• mould and damp.

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Data is available by territorial authority and Auckland local board.

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Average number of private dwellings per square kilometre has data for occupied, unoccupied, and total private dwellings from the 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses, including:

• dwelling counts
• percentage change in the count of dwellings
• average number of dwellings per square kilometre.

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Severe housing deprivation has data for the census usually resident population from the 2018 and 2023 Censuses, including:

• estimated prevalence rate of severe housing deprivation (per 10,000 people)
• estimated rate for those; without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing someone else’s private dwelling, in uninhabitable housing, for whom it could not be determined whether they were severely housing deprived or not.

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Home ownership rates has data for households in occupied private dwellings from the 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses, including:

• counts and percentages for households that owned their home or held it in a family trust, or did not own their home
• percentage change in the count of households that owned their home or held it in a family trust, or did not own their home.

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Mould and damp has data for occupied private dwellings from the 2018 and 2023 Censuses, including:

• counts and percentages for dwellings with or without mould or damp
• percentage change in the count of dwellings with or without mould or damp.

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Map shows the average number of private dwellings per square kilometre for the 2023 Census

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Map shows the estimated prevalence rate of severe housing deprivation (per 10,000 people) for the census usually resident population for the 2023 Census.

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Map shows the percentage of households in occupied private dwellings that owned their home or held it in a family trust for the 2023 Census.

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Map shows the percentage of occupied private dwellings that were damp or mouldy for the 2023 Census.

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Download lookup file from Stats NZ ArcGIS Online or embedded attachment in Stats NZ geographic data service. Download data table (excluding the geometry column for CSV files) using the instructions in the Koordinates help guide.

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Footnotes

Geographical boundaries

Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023 (updated December 2023) has information about geographic boundaries as of 1 January 2023. Address data from 2013 and 2018 Censuses was updated to be consistent with the 2023 areas. Due to the changes in area boundaries and coding methodologies, 2013 and 2018 counts published in 2023 may be slightly different to those published in 2013 or 2018.

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Subnational census usually resident population

The census usually resident population count of an area (subnational count) is a count of all people who usually live in that area and were present in New Zealand on census night. It excludes visitors from overseas, visitors from elsewhere in New Zealand, and residents temporarily overseas on census night. For example, a person who usually lives in Christchurch city and is visiting Wellington city on census night will be included in the census usually resident population count of Christchurch city. 

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Population counts

Stats NZ publishes a number of different population counts, each using a different definition and methodology. Population statistics – user guide has more information about different counts. 

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Caution using time series

Time series data should be interpreted with care due to changes in census methodology and differences in response rates between censuses. The 2023 and 2018 Censuses used a combined census methodology (using census responses and administrative data), while the 2013 Census used a full-field enumeration methodology (with no use of administrative data).

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Severe housing deprivation time series

The 2018 estimates of severe housing deprivation have been updated using the 2023 methodology for estimating severe housing deprivation. Severe housing deprivation (homelessness) estimates – updated methodology: 2023 Census has more information.

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Severe housing deprivation

Figures in this map and geospatial file exclude Women’s refuge data, as well as estimates for children living in non-private dwellings. Severe housing deprivation (homelessness) estimates – updated methodology: 2023 Census has more information.

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Dwelling density

This data shows the average number of private dwellings (occupied and unoccupied) per square kilometre of land for an area. This is a measure of dwelling density.

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About the 2023 Census dataset

For information on the 2023 Census dataset see Using a combined census model for the 2023 Census. We combined data from the census forms with administrative data to create the 2023 Census dataset, which meets Stats NZ's quality criteria for population structure information. We added real data about real people to the dataset where we were confident the people who hadn’t completed a census form (which is known as admin enumeration) will be counted. We also used data from the 2018 and 2013 Censuses, administrative data sources, and statistical imputation methods to fill in some missing characteristics of people and dwellings.

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Data quality

The quality of data in the 2023 Census is assessed using the quality rating scale and the quality assurance framework to determine whether data is fit for purpose and suitable for release. Data quality assurance in the 2023 Census has more information.

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Quality rating of a variable

The quality rating of a variable provides an overall evaluation of data quality for that variable, usually at the highest levels of classification. The quality ratings shown are for the 2023 Census unless stated. There is variability in the quality of data at smaller geographies. Data quality may also vary between censuses, for subpopulations, or when cross tabulated with other variables or at lower levels of the classification. Data quality ratings for 2023 Census variables has more information on quality ratings by variable.

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Census usually resident population count concept quality rating

The census usually resident population count is rated as very high quality.

Census usually resident population count – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Quality of severe housing deprivation data

Severe housing deprivation (homelessness) estimates – updated methodology: 2023 Census has more information on the data quality of this variable.

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Dwelling occupancy status quality rating

Dwelling occupancy status is rated as high quality.

Dwelling occupancy status – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Dwelling type quality rating

Dwelling type is rated as moderate quality.

Dwelling type – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Tenure of household quality rating

Tenure of household is rated as moderate quality.

Tenure of household – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Dwelling dampness indicator quality rating

Dwelling dampness indicator is rated as moderate quality.

Housing quality – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Dwelling mould indicator quality rating

Dwelling mould indicator is rated as moderate quality.

Housing quality – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Using data for good

Stats NZ expects that, when working with census