Abstract
The Statistics Act 1975 requires that population censuses be conducted every five years in New Zealand. As with a (declining) number of other countries, censuses in New Zealand are based on the model of enumerator delivery and collection, although a small proportion is returned by mail. Support for the census remains high, with under-coverage, as measured in the Post-enumeration Survey, only 2.8 ± 0.3 percent in 2001. It is recognised that this high level of support is not something that can be taken for granted. New Zealand society is changing in many ways. Public attitudes in New Zealand and in many other countries indicate a strong demand for choice and convenience when interacting with government. This has been an important driver in deciding to proceed with the provision of an online form for the 2006 Census.
In developing the online census, a number of challenges were faced, from both business and technical perspectives. While the technical perspective is extremely important, this paper focuses primarily on the business requirements, exploring how these have been met. The learning gained through both the use of this technology and the impact on respondent behaviour will prove invaluable as both government and public expectations increase for the 2011 Census. It is therefore essential that Statistics New Zealand successfully implements the online census in 2006 and uses the knowledge gained to plan for a more efficient and effective 2011 Census, where real savings will be both expected and realised.
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