Census Day
March 5th, 2013 at 10:00 am by David FarrarToday is census day. However several hundred thousand people have already done their census online. I’m one of them, and it was very quick and easy to do.
The Herald reports the online system can only handle 200,000 an hour so there may be some delays today.
The census data will be used for all sorts of decisions in the future, such as population funding. One use of it also wil be in deciding electorate boundaries.
The law basically states there will be 16 South Island electorates. Their average population is used to calculate the number of North Island electorate and Maori electorates. There are currently 16, 47 and 7 respectively.
We won’t know until the census is done, and the Maori option is done, but there could be up to three new North Island electorates and one new Maori electorate. If so, that would mean 74 electorate MPs after the next election and 46 (down from a target of 50) List MPs.
March 5th, 2013 at 10:41 am
I am concerned about the way this data will be used to establish new electorate seats particularly Maori seats. As I understand it those that tick both Maori and another ethnicity are all classified as Maori. This process over estimates the number of people who identify as Maori. We already have a situation where the Maori electorates have much more influence than they should according to the overall party vote, hardly very democractic.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 10:48 am
Graeme2 – the ethnicity data is not used to calculate the Maori seats, the Maori descent data is used. And any New Zealander who is of Maori descent who doesn’t really feel Maori will presumably be on the general roll, so won’t be one of those included when the number of Maori seats is calculated.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 10:54 am
Baaa baaa
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 10:55 am
Baaa baaa
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 10:59 am
My wife has been delivering census forms.
Her descriptions of some of the hermits she’s uncovered, living in caravans behind farm houses, who are afraid the gummint is coming to get them, and need to be placated for half an hour with inane small talk about cars or dogs are hilarious.
Though kinda sad at the same time. It’s tragic what paranoia can reduce people to.
And all the gubermint is trying to do is figure out how to use your taxes less wastefully…
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:03 am
The law and its interpretation defines ‘Maori’ widely and AFAIK includes anyone with Maori ancestory even if a small portion. The design of census forms has to recognise this. This interpretation has significant consequences such as allowing preferential admission into medical, law and other courses, or eligibility for scholarships.
So in practice any Kiwi can elect to go on to either electoral roll and the Maoridom is hardly likely to be upset with ‘imposters’ on the Maori roll if it means more seats.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:03 am
I’m not so sure about the likelihood of a big boost to NI electorates. Stats NZ believes (they might be wrong) that NI and SI population growth rates have been fairly close lately (1.1 vs 0.8%pa in 2006-2011). If that is bourne out by the census then there would only be one new NI seat (in Auckland of course). A boost in Maori seats mainly relies on boosting the share of electors who choose the Maori roll. There have been increases every time the Maori electoral option is run in the last 20 years, but diminishing returns may have set it. I’d say an increase to 8 seats is likely, but not a certainty.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:08 am
But, but….the actual enumeration shall be made…
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:23 am
Dime filled out his form last night online. Took about 3 minutes.
Normally I put Jedi as my religion, this time I put Christian. Why you ask?
Because of the fucking weird ads on radio live where atheists are advertising?!?! wtf?!?!
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:34 am
Statistician porn day.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:40 am
Just did mine online. The dwelling and personal questionnaires took less than 10 minutes all up,and it was a very easy online experience. SWMBO is away, so I have sent her to codes she needs for later in the day.
Well done Statistics New Zealand
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
@Dime Dark Lord of the Sith here so I’m glad you put christian and have joined Dark Side Lol
Vote:[Any Christians I am only joking so please don't take offence]
March 5th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Yes it was very smooth and easy to do online!
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
No forms delivered to our place. Phoned the 0800 and they’re posting them.. but I’ll have to respond after the date.
My ethnicity will be Other->New Zealander because I’m about as European (ie Italian, German, Spanish, Danish etc) as Tama Iti is Malaysian
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Dime, well good on you. I too heard the ads urging people to tick no religion. I imagine the atheists want to increase the no religion numbers and diminish the church statistics. It gives them licence in their minds for more radical social engineering and future persecution of the church.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
@Scott
There is no group called “the atheists”. An atheist is someone who realises that Gods do not exist.
The ads were made by a group of people who happened to be atheists, the group had a name but I don’t remember what it was called. Address your concerns at that group.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Other->New Zealander
Vote:We the people have repeatedly demanded, by refusing to sign as a European in official forms in growing numbers to be recognized for what we are NEW ZEALANDERS.
Why the fuck when many of us only identify as New Zealanders does the government continue to label us European.
March 5th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Flying out today, so one less Jedi Knight for the count.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1302/S00273/a-census-protest-and-a-peoples-review.htm
Vote:In 1986, the year the ethnicity question was changed on the census form, 20,313 people objected by ticking the “other” box and writing “New Zealander”. In 1991, 20,800 did so, and in 1996, the number jumped to 58,614. By 2001, it had increased to 85,300, and at the last census in 2006, 429,429 people called themselves a “New Zealander”.
March 5th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
I’m amazed that some idiots still can’t differentiate between ethnicity and nationality. (Throws hands in the air in disbelief.)
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
dime>Normally I put Jedi as my religion, this time I put Christian.
I put Sith. There are two of us at every census. The real question is which one is the master, and which one is the apprentice.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
“And all the gubermint is trying to do is figure out how to use your taxes less wastefully…”
If it takes your wife half an hour to deliver a single census form they could well start by firing her.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
@davidp Since you have to ask then clearly I am the master ha ha
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
ricardo – I have no idea what my ethnicity is. How many generations should I go back – 3, 4, 10, 20? There’s absolutely no framework for establishing how ethnicity should be determined. If someone is 1/32 Spanish and 2/32 Maori and the claim to be Maori, and the someone else who is 1/4 French and 1/8 Maori claims to be French, are you any the wiser?
Ethnicity is meaningless. Citizenship is the currency of belonging.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 8:05 pm
i am with you Krazykiwi. i am a white guy, but i did not see that option. i am most certainly not european, but i have many european ancestors.
if they put Caucasian (not Pakeha) as an option i would select it, as it is the ethnicity i ‘identify’ (as identifying as maori is all you need to do is be one, then the same is true of any other ethnicity) with is New Zealander.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
“Baaa baaa”
Nice to see other folks are starting to use my secondary language in their census forms!
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 8:50 pm
Frankly what wasted exerciseas usual. All that money spent and mostly inane qustions.
Always wondered why we couldn’t actually learn a lot more about ourselves using the census.
e.g. gang memberdhip, members of clubs, charities etc etc.
Instead we ask how educated you might have been once and then when you come to fill that bit out and find it was fuck all 45 years ago you don’t rate. Doesn’t mean ya ain’t learned nuffin since.
Dumb question.
Asking me about the house I answered about 7 years ago. The councils hhave that stuff ask them.
Oh and about my cars or any possible trust.
Not much guts to all that.
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 8:54 pm
If the pricks were on to it they would have asked you which Longship your ancestors arrived on V2.
Shit, I forgot, if you were a Murri they did!
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 8:57 pm
You think you’re a caped crusader for less taxation, less government interference in our lives, and more good old-fashioned christian corporal punishment… right?
Well rest assured Weddy – you ain’t sh!t.
You are weak sauce compared to some of these freaks. Piss weak.
You might as well get into bed with the feminazi rainbow global warmists now for all the good you’re doing…
Vote:March 5th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
The only tough question is the religion one.
1. What is religion?
2. What is Christian religion?
The only denomination that comes close to my own faith point of view are the Unitarian Universalists – but given it is of the “socianism heresy” and rejects need for baptism for salvation I don’t see it as a Christian group. The development of socianism arose out of American deism.
So its either no religion or other religion. Is any faith in God, rather than organised religion of man, really a theist religion? But then Buddhism is not a theist yet is a religion …
The ethnic question offers New Zealand European instead if New Zealand Pakeha, I suppose we have to think those of European ancestry who don’t accept be called Pakeha for that.
Vote:March 6th, 2013 at 12:14 am
Wonder how many “white motherfuckers” will be out there..?
Vote:March 6th, 2013 at 7:03 am
Dime.
I love those adverts. All they are asking people to do is be honest; we all know there is no sky fairy so it is time that people stopped pretending there is.
Like it or not we are a secular nation, the sooner we accept this the better. We could start by getting rid of the stupid prayer that starts the day in the house. All we need is a simple reading from the speaker that makes no reference to a nonexistent god and no reference to a worthless treaty.
As for the rest of the census, I suspect there is a fine coming my way. I simply refused to answer some of the questions they asked where those questions were of a health or personal nature.
Vote:March 6th, 2013 at 7:24 am
big bruv at 7:03 am:
“Dime.
I love those adverts. All they are asking people to do is be honest about their feelings, even though we all know there IS a God so it is time that people stopped pretending there isn’t.”
There, fixed it for ya.
Vote:March 6th, 2013 at 8:23 am
They still are failing to ask whether the person filling the form is in fact human. My elderly neighbour informed me last night she was again able to fill out a form for her dog, who is a devout Catholic because it shares fish n chips with her every friday night??
She tells me she has done the same for the past three dogs and four census rounds. Naturally as a researcher I give her the ‘talk’ about how the data is used and how important it is to the country, which she replies rubbish, they give the results to the Chinese.
“Why would they do that?” I ask. Apparently the Chinese are lining us up for a take over, the biggest proof being that they even have their own TV channel and John Key is supporting them, because he’s jewish. ???
She does supply us with lovely cheese scones every weekend, so I decided to let the obvious slip by. I can’t wait to be in my 80′s and play havoc with government forms. Being socially responsible can be awfully boring at times.
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