NEW ZEALAND

1. Name and address of the organization responsible for the census:

Statistics New Zealand, P O Box 2922, Wellington, New Zealand.

2. Population censuses conducted since 1945 (years):

1945, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001.  The present description relates to the 2001 Census (held on 6 March).

3. Coverage of the census:

(a) Geographical scope: The geographic scope of the New Zealand census includes the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands, plus off-shore islands including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, Mayor Island, Motiti Island, White Island, Moutohora Island, Bounty Islands, Snares Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island.  The Ross Dependency is excluded from the population count.

(b) Persons covered: Every man, woman, child and baby alive in New Zealand on 6 March 2001 who was on New Zealand soil, on a vessel in New Zealand waters, or on a passage between New Zealand ports.  Overseas residents and other persons in diplomatic residences in New Zealand, including housekeeping staff, uniformed military personnel or members of diplomats’ families are included in the census, as are foreign military personnel and their families located in New Zealand on census night (including foreign warships in New Zealand territorial waters on census night).  New Zealand military, naval and diplomatic personnel and their families located outside New Zealand on census night are not included in the census.

4. Reference period:

The labour market variables relate to the week ending 4 March 2001. To be classified as unemployed, a person needed to have actively sought work in the four weeks ending 6 March 2001.

5. Main topics:

(a) Total population, by sex and age: yes

Economically active population by:

(b) Sex and age group:  yes

(c) Industry:  yes

(d) Occupation:  yes

(e) Status in employment:  yes

(f) Highest educational level:  yes

(g) Hours of work:  yes

(h) Other characteristics:  yes

Re (a):  The age is defined in terms of age at last birthday.

Re (g):  Hours of work relate to the total number of hours usually worked each week for employed persons.

Re (h): Questions were also asked on workplace address, main means of travel to work on census day, sector of ownership (of an organization or business), total personal income for the year ended 31 March 2001 and sources of personal income.

6. Concepts and definitions:

(a) Economically active population: The labour force consists of members of the working-age population (persons aged 15 years and over) who, during the week ended 4 March 2001, were classified as ‘employed’ or ‘unemployed’.

(b) Employment: A person is employed if (s)he is in the working-age population (aged 15 years and over) and during the week ended 4 March 2001:  (i)  worked for one hour or more for pay or profit in the context of an employee/employer relationship or self-employment; (ii) worked without pay for one hour or more in work that contributed directly to the operation of a farm, business or professional practice owned or operated by a relative or (iii) had a job but was not at work due to: own illness or injury, personal or family responsibilities, bad weather or mechanical breakdown, direct involvement in industrial dispute, leave or holiday.  (Full-time: persons who are employed full time usually work 30 or more hours per week; part-time: persons who are employed part time usually work fewer than 30 hours per week).

(c) Unemployment: A person is unemployed if (s)he is in the working-age population and, during the week ended 4 March 2001, was without a paid job, was available for work and had actively sought work in the past four weeks ended 4 March 2001, or had a new job to start within four weeks. A person whose only job search method in the previous four weeks has been to look at job advertisements in the newspapers is not considered to be actively seeking work.

7. Classifications used:

Only persons who are employed are classified by industry, occupation and status in employment.  The questions asked to determine these variables refer to the job (for pay, profit or income or in the family business or farm) in which a person had worked the most hours during the reference period.

(a) Industry: Based on the following three questions: “Give the full name of the business or employer that you worked for in that job”;  “What is the main activity of that business or employer (for example: sheep farming, selling shoes, making clothes)?” and “In that job, did you mostly: Work at home? Work away from home?”.  Main activity refers to employer's predominant business, industry or service.  Coding of industry was undertaken to the 5-digit level of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 1996 (ANZSIC96).  Links have been established between ANZSIC96 and ISIC-Rev.3 at the lowest levels of the classifications.

(b) Occupation: Based on the questions “In that job, what was your occupation (for example: primary school teacher, clothing machinist, motel manager, word process operator)?” and “In that job, what tasks or duties did you spend the most time on (for example: running motel, servicing and repairing cars, answering phones and typing)?”  Coding of occupation was undertaken to the 5-digit level of the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations 1999 (NZSCO99). Links have been established between NZSCO99 and ISCO-88 at the lowest levels of the classifications.

(c) Status in employment: Based on the question: “In that job, which one of these were you?  A paid employee; self-employed and not employing others; an employer of other person(s) in own business; working in a family business or family farm without pay”.  Status in employment was coded to the four categories listed above.

(d) Level of education: Based on the questions: “What is your highest secondary school qualification?” and “Apart from secondary school qualifications, do you have another qualification?”.  The highest qualification gained classification is derived from the highest secondary school qualification gained and post-school qualification level of attainment classifications.  The classification used is a flat classification with 14 categories, which is not linked to ISCED-76 or ISCED-97.

8. Main differences compared with the previous census:

No major differences.  There is generally good comparability between the 1996 and 2001 labour market variables.  For some variables such as occupation there have been changes at the lowest level of the classification that may affect comparability, but full comparability exists at the higher levels of the classification.

9. Publication of the census results:

All standard outputs available from the 2001 Census can be found on the Statistics New Zealand website at http://www.stats.govt.nz/census.htm.  Information on labour market variables can be found in most of the census outputs on this web page. The title of the publication containing the most specific labour market census results is “Work”.

The organization responsible for this publication is Statistics New Zealand, P.O. Box 2922, Wellington, New Zealand.

The census results are also available in the form of hard copy reports.