Changing how we count: the New Zealand census and Māori data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64257Keywords:
Indigenous data sovereignty, Māori census data, New Zealand, Administrative dataAbstract
Introduction. This paper examines the New Zealand Government’s 2025 decision to cancel the 2028 census and replace it with administrative data and annual sample surveys. While censuses have supported population measurement and planning, the shift raises concerns for Māori about data quality, under-representation, and Indigenous data sovereignty. The study situates this decision within the history of census practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Method. The paper adopts a historical and literature-based approach, drawing on census data from 1851 to 2023, government reports, and scholarship on census and administrative data, including Māori and organisational critiques.
Analysis. The analysis compares traditional census methods with administrative data models, identifying efficiencies alongside risks of bias and undercounting. It examines Māori participation in the 2013, 2018, and 2023 censuses, limitations of iwi affiliation data, and implications for equitable representation, alongside Māori-led initiatives and international experiences.
Results. Findings show that low Māori response rates have produced incomplete data increasingly supplemented by administrative sources that often reinforce inequities. Māori-led partnership models have improved participation and data quality in some rohe, while international evidence confirms risks of undercounting without co-governance.
Conclusion. Cancelling the 2028 census risks deepening inequities and undermining Māori data sovereignty, but Māori-led governance offers equitable alternatives.
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