Ethnicity:
Other – New Zealander

And for the last 3 census’

Languages Spoken
Other – New Zild

Imagine 11.2% of the population speaking New Zild. That’d really get their knickers in a twist.

Thanks for the tips. Sadly, I’ve been so lacking in imagination that I just don’t answer the door for 3 months. Bit of a bastard when I’ve ordered a takeaway delivery.

Can’t wait to implement new system.

I can’t by right live in any other country. I have no foreign passport. I have no allegiance to any ethnic grouping. I don’t expect any special treatment or need any help adjusting to NZ.

So what am I supposed to select other than “New Zelander”.

I think it is a valid category. They only really need ethnic information for those who need specialist educational, mental, medical or financial help. The ones that tick “New Zealander” don’t need this special treatment and just get on with life.

“What businesses rely upon accurate stats collected from the Dept of Stats?”

Plenty. It’s much bigger than just the census you know. Or maybe you don’t?

“A lot of census data is outdated before it is even published. If I want forestry stats, I go to Agri-fax. Their revenue is dependent on providing timely (i.e. monthly) information across all the stats they know I want, rather than some official statistician.”

And every survey you can think of relies on the census to benchmark and reweight.

“IRD and Social Welfare have more accurate and up-to-date stats on income levels.”

And you as a memeber of the public can access this data? No? Thought not.

“Roading projects tend to be based on ‘on-the-spot’ flow studies, rather than the number of cars owned in an area.”

Ask your local council why it’s important.

“Most of the stats the census are not relevant for planning purposes. They’re intrusions of the state into the private lives of households.”

Maybe you should be informing the thousands of people who are using it precisely for planning purposes because you obviously have a secret there that a great number of councils, businesses and government ministries are oblivious to.

I say bring back the term pakeha. At least the debate might be somewhat better than the drivel above.

Vibenna>They also refused to report that 53,000 people declared themselves to be Jedi in the 2001 census

But, by definition, only two Sith.
”

Hmm, a master and an apprentice. To parliament you must go, strong in the dark side it is, find them you will.

Are you – Maori

or – Non-Maori

tick one

equally meaningless but shorter and to the point.

Thats what I am and thats what I will always be and no anal retentive civil servant will change that

“It is trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes. ”

That, in a nutshell, describes bureaucracy.

“It says more than 90 per cent were of European origin and they tended to be male, slightly older, better off and better educated than the general population.”

Guilty as charged.

I remember this discussion back when the results of the last census came out. There were a lot on here who thought that “us” ethnic NZers were nuts…..or just stupid. Nice to know that 399,999 agreeed with me.

How far back does ethnicity go? Do Maori need to tick the “other” box and write Taiwanese?
Do we all just tick other & write Africa?

And just what the heck is a European anyway? last time I looked at a map there were a bunch of countries on that continent. None of which I identify with, being the true mongrel that I am.

As stated in an earlier post, why differentiate between Asian & Polynesian races but not European? Do the bureaucrats really think that the Spanish and the Finnish are the same ethnicity? The Scots and the Dutch? And what about the Belgies, who wants to admit to having those genes?

Leave us slightly older, better off and better educated gentlemen to make our silent protest at each census. I will never tick anything other than : Ethnicity, other- New Zealander.

I’m sure all the businesses that rely on accurate statistics thank you greatly.

They should, I am a stat of people that don’t want to participate in answering their questions. There’s plenty of us around. About 8.76 percent of the population. I’m affectionately known as ‘the margin of error’

Wish I could fine better examples
http://rookery1.plime.com/storagev12/397000/397000_3e71_625x625.jpg
http://epyon.bol.ucla.edu/normal.jpg

Really the stats department want to know what your’e racial group is, not what ethnicity you feel you emotionally belong too – ‘ethnicity’ being an amorphous emotional description about which societal group you identify with.

How keeping stats on an ethnic group you emotionally indentify with is useful is beyond me.

Census want figures that they can use in public health responses (for example) and the like. Knowing how many Samoan’s there are in a particular suburb of Auckland, or how many Maori in a small town in Gisborne and putting that together with the other information will help them formulate a health plan if that group is going to be poor, and possibly unhealthy. But that’s a racial thing, not an ethnic issue.

If they wanted accurate information, they should have one box where you state your primary racial heritage (i.e. Maori, English (caucasian) etc, and two for your ethnicity – ie: New Zealand / English, NZ / Japanese, or Chinese (without) NZ. A bit complicated but the issues isn’t simple and like DPF says, it’s square pegs for round holes, but it’s also about being PC.

Some people would do their nut if they thought the government was starting to racially profile the population – which is really what it is trying to do – for the best intentions (as usual).

Mainly Corrections who base future prison demand essentially off the forecast increase in Maori and Pacific populations. Which is pretty sad really.