MIGRANT NEWS Sept 2023

w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz
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By Ricky Matthew
AUCKLAND – Asian
communities deserve recognition
for their outstanding
response to the 2023
Census, say community
engagement advisors.
Apparently the grassroots
strategy of census collectors
has been instrumental in lifting
Asian people’s participation
in this census.
Official response rates
come out next year, but Stats
NZ is keeping track of the
rate of return of individual
census forms. As of 16 May,
819,700 people of Asian ethnicity
had returned a form,
which equates to 91% of the
estimated Asian population
in New Zealand. This is a
better response than other
ethnic groups in New
Zealand, with much lower
participation seen from
MÇori and Pacific communities.
A high level of participation
could be attributed to
several factors, such as the
growing awareness of the
importance of the census
among Asian communities
and the availability of
resources and support in various
Asian languages to help
with completing the census
forms.
It is also worth noting that
the Asian population in New
Zealand is quite diverse,
with different ethnic groups
having different response
rates. For example, in the
2018 Census, the response
rate for the Indian ethnic
group was 89.5%, while the
response rate for the Chinese
ethnic group was 96.2%.
Information about what this
looks like for the 2023
Census won’t be known
until 2024, when data and
statistics from the 2023
Census will be released.
Overall, while there may
still be some barriers to census
participation for some
members of Asian communities,
the high rate of participation
suggests that many
Asian New Zealanders see
the census as an important
tool for ensuring that their
needs and interests are represented
in government decision-making.
With time running out
before the New Zealand census
comes to a close in June,
census officials are working
hard to reach out to as many
Asian communities deserve
kudos for their outstanding
census response rate
people as possible and to lift
response numbers in areas
with lower rates of participation.
They are leaving no stone
unturned, attending community
events and even offering
incentives such as grocery
vouchers and Warrior’s
rugby league tickets to
encourage people to complete
their census forms.
The hope is that more people
will respond and that the
data collected will accurately
reflect the needs and characteristics
of New Zealand's
diverse population.
Simon Mason, Deputy
Government Statistician and
Deputy Chief Executive
Census and Collection
Operations, spoke about the
importance of filling out the
census.
“Data gathered through
the census is used by communities,
iwi, councils, businesses
and government to
make important decisions
about where to fund and
locate services and infrastructure
across the country.
“Census data is used to
make important decisions
that impact every person and
community in Aotearoa New
Zealand. The opportunity to
be part of the census only
Eva Chen, Senior Advisor - Community Engagement - 2003 Census
comes round every five
years. It is our chance to represent
ourselves, our families,
whanau, and communities
in order to create
change.”
Stats NZ has deployed
Community Engagement
Teams in a ‘grassroots’
approach to working with
communities and supporting
priority response groups to
take part in the census.
Migrant News spoke with
Rochelle Lee, Stats NZ, Community Engagement Advisor
Community Engagement
Advisor Rochelle Lee, who
is a part of this grassroots
plan of action to bring up
respondent numbers
before the census
closes. Rochelle is
part of the Auckland
North team, which
spans from Onehunga
in the South all
the way to Wellsford
in the North. There
are eight teams
across the nation,
working hard to
reach as many people
as possible
across all ethnicities.
“We are supporting
as many events
as we can manage,
to help people to
complete their census
forms so we can
lift the census
response and deliver
data for the country.
We will still do events until 4
June. For example, I just got
invited to a Telugu Mother’s
Day event. We think that is a
little bit of a low response
area so we will go there and
work our magic.
“The census will wind
down in June, with some
collection activities and
events still going in
Auckland. The 0800
helpline will remain open for
the whole country until 30
June. And people will need
to make sure they mail back
paper forms so they arrive
with Stats NZ no later than
29 June.
“We want everyone to be
counted, so future funding
for communities is correct
and people can benefit from
good quality data. The population
count is important for
things such as wait times at
hospitals and school builds
and the location of parks and
public transport. These decisions
come from local councils
and central government
agencies. When you stop and
really think about it, census
data is vital for our everyday
lives.”
BACKSTORY:
Information on the factors
that may prevent ethnic
communities from participating
in the New Zealand
census can be found in various
sources such as academic
research papers, government
reports and news
articles. We detail below
some of this data.
Language barriers:
Some ethnic communities
may have limited proficiency
in English, which can
make it difficult for them to
understand the census questions
or complete the forms.
This can be a significant barrier
to participation, especially
if there are no
resources available in their
native language.
Lack of awareness: Some
ethnic communities may not
be aware of the census and
its importance. This could be
due to a lack of outreach and
education on the part of the
government or community
organisations.
Mistrust of the government:
Some ethnic communities
may have historical or
current reasons for distrusting
the government, which
can lead to reluctance to participate
in the census.
Fear of repercussions:
Some ethnic communities
may be fearful that providing
personal information on
the census form could lead
to negative consequences,
such as deportation or discrimination.
Mobility: Some ethnic
communities may be highly
mobile or transient, making
it difficult for them to participate
in the census if they are
not in one place long enough
to receive or complete the
form.
Accessibility issues:
Some ethnic communities
may face accessibility barriers,
such as physical disabilities
or lack of internet
access, which can make it
difficult to participate in the
census.
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