Producing family and household data by ethnicity and Māori descent for the 2023 Census describes the methodology for outputting census families and households data by ethnicity and Māori descent for Stats NZ 2023 Census products and services.
On this page
Summary of key points
Whakarāpopototanga o ngā kōrero matua
Background
Importance of this data
Families and households by ethnicity
Families and households by Māori descent
Conceptual considerations
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Definitions
Appendix 2: Quality
Further reading
Summary of key points
For the first time, Stats NZ has output census families and households data by ethnicity in our 2023 Census products and releases. The data features in releases for a range of customers, from those wanting high-level information to technical data users.
Stats NZ has also output census families and households data by Māori descent in 2023 Census products and services for the first time.
Due to the complex nature of both family and household data, and ethnicity data, a methodological approach to combining this data was needed.
Information about the planned releases of families and households data cross-tabulated with ethnicity or Māori descent has been published:
- 2023 Census release schedule provides an overview of the release of the 2023 Census data.
- 2023 Census product and release finder provides detailed information about what is being released and when.
Methods for output of families and households data by ethnicity data
After consultation with customers, internal subject matter experts, and key stakeholders, two methods of output were developed. These methods have been used by Stats NZ in other releases, but not for standard census outputs of families and households data.
Both methods were used for outputting families and households data by ethnicity in 2023 Census products and services, as either a cross-tabulation of families and households variables with ethnicity, or for defining subject populations. The method used depended on which was most appropriate for each product or release.
Method 1: Counting people
This method counts the ethnicities of individuals and the types of households, families, and extended families the individuals belong to. Ethnicity is a multiple response variable, so an individual is counted in each ethnic group they identify with.
Method 2: Counting households, families, or extended families
This method counts households, families, or extended families with at least one member of a given ethnicity. Each household, family, or extended family is counted in each ethnic group that at least one of its members identifies with.
Methods for output of families and households by ethnicity has more information on these methods.
Method for output of families and households data by Māori descent data
Two methods of output for combining families and households data with Māori descent data were also developed after consultation with Māori data experts.
Method 1: Counting people
This method counts individuals of Māori descent and the types of households, families, and extended families they belong to. As Māori descent is a single response variable, an individual is counted once.
Method 2: Counting households, families, or extended families
This method counts households, families, or extended families with at least one member of Māori descent. A set of rules checks each family member's Māori descent indicator and prioritises responses to derive a Māori descent for the household, family, or extended family unit.
Methods for output of families and households by Māori descent has more information on this methodology.
Te Whāinga
Ko tā Producing families and households by ethnicity and Māori descent for the 2023 Census he whakamārama i ngā tikanga i whāia mō te whakaputa raraunga whānau, raraunga kāinga noho hoki mā te momo iwi, me ngā uri Māori mō ngā hua me ngā ratonga o te Tatauranga 2023, nā Tatauranga Aotearoa i kawe.
Whakarāpopototanga o ngā kōrero matua
Kātahi anō ka tāpaetia atu he raraunga whānau, he raraunga kāinga noho hoki e Tatauranga Aotearoa, mā te momo iwi i roto i ā mātou hua me ngā tukunga o Tatauranga 2023. Ka kitea ngā raraunga i te huhua o ngā tukunga mā ngā kiritaki, mai i ērā e hiahia ana ki ngā mōhiotanga tiketike, tae atu ki ngā kaiwhakamahi raraunga hangarau.
Kātahi anō hoki ka puta i a Tatauranga Aotearoa ētahi raraunga whānau, kāinga noho hoki mā ngā uri Māori, i roto i ngā hua me ngā ratonga Tatauranga 2023.
Nā runga i te āhua matatini o ngā raraunga whānau, kāinga noho hoki, me ngā raraunga momo iwi, i rapua he ara tikanga whāiti mō te whakahanumi i ēnei raraunga.
Kua whakaputaina he mōhiotanga mō ngā tukunga i whakamaheretia mō ngā whānau me ngā kāinga noho, i whakatīrewatia atu hoki ki te momo iwi, ki ngā uri Māori rānei:
- Ko tā 2023 Census release schedule he whakaahua i te putanga o ngā raraunga o Tatauranga 2023.
- Ko tā 2023 Census product and release finder he hora i ētahi mōhiotanga āmiki mō ngā kai i roto i ngā putanga, āhea hoki ka whakaputaina.
Ngā tikanga mō te putanga o ngā raraunga whānau, raraunga kāinga noho hoki mā te momo iwi
I runga anō i ngā kōrerorero ki ngā kiritaki, ki ngā mātanga kaupapa whāiti whakaroto, me ngā kaipupuru pānga matua, e rua ngā tikanga whakauru i tāreia. Kua whakamahia ēnei tikanga e Tatauranga Aotearoa mō ētahi atu putanga, engari ngā putanga mō ngā raraunga whānau, kāinga noho, kāore anō.
I whakamahia ngā tikanga e rua mō te whakaputa raraunga whānau, kāinga noho hoki mā te momo iwi i ngā hua me ngā ratonga o Tatauranga 2023, ahakoa mō te whakatīrewa i ngā tāupe whānau, kāinga noho ki te momo iwi, hei tautuhi rānei i ngā taupori i te aronuitia. Kei te āhua o te tōtika o te tikanga mō ia hua, mō ia putanga rānei te whiringa.
Tikanga 1: Te tatau i te tangata
Tā tēnei tikanga he tatau i ngā momo iwi o ngā tāngata takitahi me ngā momo kāinga noho, ngā whānau, me ngā whānau torowhānui ka kīa nō reira ēnei tāngata. He tāupe whakautu maha te momo iwi, nā reira, ka tauria ia tangata i roto i ia momo iwi i kī rā ia nōna taua momo iwi.
Tikanga 2: Te tatau i ngā kāinga noho, i ngā whānau, i ngā whānau torowhānui rānei
Tā tēnei tikanga he tatau i ngā kāinga noho i ngā whānau, i ngā whānau torowhānui rānei, kotahi tana mema, neke atu rānei, nō tētahi momo iwi i whakahuatia. Ka tauria ia kāinga noho, ia whānau, ia whānau torowhānui rānei i roto i ia momo iwi, kotahi tana mema whānau e kī ana nō taua momo iwi ia.
Ko te tikanga mō ngā putanga mō ngā raraunga whānau, kāinga noho hoki i whakatīrewatia ki ngā raraunga mō ngā uri Māori
E rua ngā tikanga putanga mō te whakahanumi i ngā raraunga whānau, kāinga noho hoki ki ngā raraunga mō ngā uri Māori, i tāreia i runga anō i ngā kōrero ki ētahi mātanga raraunga Māori.
Tikanga 1: Te tatau i te tangata
Ko tā tēnei tikanga he tatau i ngā tāngata takitahi uri Māori me ngā momo kāinga noho, whānau, whānau torowhānui hoki nō rātou aua piringa. He tāupe whakautu maha te uri Māori, nā reira, kotahi anake te tatau i ia tangata.
Tikanga 2: Te tatau i ngā kāinga noho, i ngā whānau, i ngā whānau torowhānui hoki
Tā tēnei tikanga he tatau i ngā kāinga noho, i ngā whānau, i ngā whānau torowhānui rānei, kotahi neke atu rānei ōna mema he uri Māori. Tērā tētahi kāpuinga whakaritenga ka arotake i te tūtohu uri Māori o ia mema whānau, me tana whakatāhuhu i ngā urupare, kia puta ai he uri Māori mō te kāinga noho, mō te whānau, mō te whānau torowhānui rānei.
Background
For the first time, Stats NZ is outputting families and households data combined with individual ethnicity and Māori descent data as part of our 2023 Census products and services. This data will be used for cross-tabulating families and households variables by ethnicity or Māori descent in tables and graphs, and for defining subject populations.
Customers, both internal and external to Stats NZ, have requested this data in our products and services. The External Data Quality Panel (EDQP), who independently reviewed the quality of the 2018 Census data, recommended that Stats NZ consider producing families and households data by ethnicity for the 2023 Census. See page 18 of the Final report of the 2018 Census External Data Quality Panel.
Stats NZ implemented this recommendation and expanded on it by also producing families and households data by Māori descent, due to requests. See Implementing the recommendations of the 2018 External Data Quality Panel.
The methods for producing families and households data by ethnicity and Māori descent described in this paper were used as part of data quality assurance for family and household variables and, as a result, are well tested. The data is used in census products such as Aotearoa Data Explorer tables and Place and ethnic group summaries. This data is also available for customised data requests, and the methods can be used to guide similar types of derivations.
Importance of this data
Family and household information is widely used for many different purposes and is crucial for planning and decision-making in areas such as health, education, housing, employment, benefits, and taxation.
Being able to analyse families and households data through an ethnicity or Māori descent lens will provide a richer understanding of the families and households New Zealanders live in. Similarly, this data gives users who work primarily with ethnicity and Māori descent data more information about the living situations of the people they study.
Families and households by ethnicity
Research and engagement for families and households by ethnicity
To be able to analyse and output families and households data by ethnicity, we first needed to define exactly what is meant by 'families and households by ethnicity'. Stats NZ does not have a conceptual standard for ascribing a single representative ethnicity to a household, family, or extended family unit because:
- ethnicity is a multiple response variable - people may report more than one ethnicity
- families and households can be made up of people who report different ethnicities from each other.
Therefore, an approach to producing families and households data by ethnicity needed to allow for each ethnicity that an individual identifies with to be counted.
To develop an approach for outputting this data, we first reviewed how government departments (including Stats NZ surveys and releases) and non-governmental organisations, both in New Zealand and overseas, output families and households data combined with ethnicity. We reviewed papers containing this data, identified common themes, and compiled approaches for output.
While census has not previously produced official statistics on ethnic or Māori descent families and households, other government agencies (including Stats NZ in some non-census releases) do output similar data. Many of these government agencies used data from Stats NZ in their reports and took advice from Stats NZ about how best to output the data.
The table below lists some examples of past and present government agencies that output families and households data combined with ethnicity. Most were using methods similar to those described in more detail in Summary of key points, and Methods for output of families and households by ethnicity:
- Method 1: Counting individuals of certain ethnicities and the types of households, families, and extended families they belong to.
- Method 2: Counting households, families, or extended families with at least one member of a certain ethnicity.
Agency |
Link to relevant report |
Comments |
Ministry of Social |
This report used a mix of identifying ethnicity by family unit and by individuals in |
|
Ministry of Business, |
This report used the approach of at least one person of a particular ethnicity |
|
Social Policy Evaluation |
This report measured family and whānau wellbeing. They allocated a family to |
|
Social Policy Evaluation |
This report measured family and whānau wellbeing and health outcomes. Their |
|
Social Policy Evaluation |
This report used 2013 Census data to highlight the demographics of New |
|
Stats NZ |
Vulnerable children and |
This paper used data from the Stats NZ general social survey and counts |
Stats NZ |
More than 2 in 5 Māori |
Although this release focused on dwellings rather than families and households, |
Stats NZ |
In this release they looked at ethnicity of people living in crowded houses. |
|
Stats NZ |
This release included the ethnicity of children in households, and the child |
The research paper "Family ethnicity": Knitting a jumper using two woolly concepts was also used to guide how ethnic data could be output for the 2023 Census. The paper discusses important conceptual considerations when combining family data with ethnicity.
Internal subject matter experts for ethnicity, families, and households, te ao Māori experts, and iwi data experts from Te Kāhui Raraunga were consulted and collaborated during the process. Once potential options for a method to produce the data were identified, external customers were surveyed and asked to indicate their preferred method(s) for output.
Customers surveyed were given five output options to choose from:
- Method 1: The ethnicity of individuals in households, families, and extended families.
- Method 2: Households, families, or extended families with at least one member of a given ethnicity.
- Either method 1 or 2, depending on what is most appropriate for a given product.
- An alternative method for defining and outputting families and households data by ethnicity (with a write-in box for customers to provide detail).
- We should not output families and households data by ethnicity.
Customers were also able to provide feedback or ask questions about the options in writing or via online engagement sessions.
Most customers surveyed were in favour of option 3 - using either of the two output methods, depending on which method is most appropriate for a given product or piece of analysis. No alternative methods of output were suggested by customers, and no customers were against outputting the data entirely.
Feedback from customers noted:
- Families and households by ethnicity data will support the data needs of the work customers do.
- While ethnicity is an individual attribute, it can be an important metric within a household and provides more information on the contexts in which individuals live.
- We need to be cautious with the language used to describe families and households by ethnicity data as people within a household or family will not always identify with the same ethnicities. Language should not imply that there is only one ethnicity per household, for example "Pacific households". It is particularly important to avoid ascribing a single ethnicity to a unit, and thereby overriding the individual ethnicities within that family or household unit.
- Language used to describe the tables should reflect how the data was created - for example, "households with at least one member of .... ethnicity".
Decision on methods for output
Following subject matter expert consultation and external customer engagement, the options for output were put through an internal review and decision-making process. Methods were formally agreed on.
The decision-making process concluded that both method 1 and method 2 were appropriate for outputting data for 2023 Census products and services. The two methods have been used for cross-tabulating families and households variables by ethnicity, and for defining subject populations. This flexible approach means census families and households data by ethnicity can be output in two different ways, depending on what is most appropriate for a product, table, or graph.
Methods for output of families and households by ethnicity has more detail.
Ethnicity classification
The products that feature families and households data by ethnicity provide data at a range of levels in the ethnicity classification, from the highest level (level 1) down to the lowest and most detailed level (level 4).
Ethnicity - 2023 Census: information by concept - DataInfo+ has more information about the ethnicity classifications used for census outputs.
Subject populations
Method 1 uses subject populations based on people in households in occupied private dwellings. The three main subject populations are:
- people in households in occupied private dwellings
- people in families in occupied private dwellings
- people in extended families in occupied private dwellings.
Other subject populations that further filter these main subject populations may be used, such as children in families in occupied private dwellings.
Method 2 uses subject populations based on households, families, or extended families in occupied private dwellings. The three main subject populations are:
- households in occupied private dwellings
- families in occupied private dwellings
- extended families in occupied private dwellings.
Other subject populations may be used that further filter these main subject populations, such as one parent families in occupied private dwellings, same gender couples in occupied private dwellings, and families with dependent children in occupied private dwellings.
Note: The counts of people in households, families, and extended families will not be the same as the counts of people in other ethnicity outputs that use the census usually resident population count. That is, outputs about individuals, rather than outputs about families and households. There are differences in who is counted in each of these subject populations.
Ethnicity outputs for the census usually resident population include all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night, and exclude people who were temporarily overseas on census night. They also include people not in households, such as people who are usual residents of non-private dwellings, or who have been meshblock enumerated.
Families and households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology, and data quality (available December 2024) will explain meshblock enumerations.
Ethnicity outputs for people in households, families, or extended families include all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night who are usual residents of a household in an occupied private dwelling (or family in an occupied private dwelling, or extended family in an occupied private dwelling). They also include usual residents who were overseas on census night who either responded to the census themselves or were marked as absent from their household (for fewer than 12 months). They exclude meshblock enumerations and people who usually live in non-private dwellings.
Methods for output of families and households by ethnicity
The two methods for combining families and households data with ethnicity, either as a cross-tabulation between families and households variables and ethnicity, or for defining a subject population, are described below.
Both methods of cross-tabulating families and households by ethnicity count total responses to the ethnicity question. As there may be multiple different ethnicities reported for an individual or within a family, extended family, or household unit, the individual or unit will be counted in each ethnic group that at least one of its members belong to. This means a given unit may be counted multiple times if there are multiple ethnicities reported for it, so rows in a table will not sum to the stated totals.
Using a total response approach also means that each family, extended family, or household unit will not be assigned a single ethnicity that represents the unit as a whole.
If you would like families and households data by ethnicity using a different method, you can request this from our customised data services.
Output method 1: Ethnicity of individuals in households, families, or extended families
In this approach we look at what kinds of households, families, or extended families individuals of a certain ethnicity belong to. These individuals may also identify with other ethnicities too. This method counts individuals.
For example, a table of family type cross-tabulated with ethnicity using method 1 could contain the following information for the Asian ethnicity category:
- Number of people of Asian ethnicity who live in couple only families.
- Number of people of Asian ethnicity who live in couple with children families.
- Number of people of Asian ethnicity who live in one parent families.
In this example, a person who identified with both European and Asian ethnicity will be counted in the relevant family type category for both the 'number of people of European ethnicity' and 'number of people of Asian ethnicity' values.
Family type, ethnicity, age, and gender for people in families in households in occupied private dwellings, (RC, TALB, SA2, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses is an example of a table on Aotearoa Data Explorer that uses output method 1.
At an individual level, figure 1 shows how an individual who identifies with two different ethnic groups is counted for the number of usual residents in household variable.
Figure 1: Method 1 - Individual who identifies with two different ethnic groups
In contrast, figure 2 below shows how an individual who identifies with only one ethnic group is counted for the number of usual residents in household variable.
Figure 2: Method 1 - Individual who identifies with only one ethnic group
Output method 2: Households, families, or extended families with at least one person of an ethnicity of interest
In this approach we look at the ethnicities that make up a household, family, or extended family unit by counting households, families, or extended families with at least one member of an ethnicity of interest.
For example, in a household with one Māori/New Zealand European member, one Samoan/New Zealand European member, and one Chinese member, this household will be counted:
- once in households with at least one Māori member
- once in households with at least one NZ European member
- once in households with at least one Samoan member
- once in households with at least one Chinese member.
Whereas a household with four members who all identify solely as Chinese ethnicity would be counted:
- once in households with at least one Chinese member.
Families or households are counted once in each ethnicity category its members belong to whether one, some, or all members of the unit belong to that ethnicity.
A table of family type cross-tabulated with ethnicity using method 2 could contain the following information for the Māori ethnicity category:
- Number of couple without children families that have at least one family member of Māori ethnicity.
- Number of couple with child(ren) families that have at least one family member of Māori ethnicity.
- Number of one parent with child(ren) families that have at least one family member of Māori ethnicity.
A family unit will be counted in any ethnic group that at least one of its members identify with.
Place and ethnic group summaries page for families and households for the Māori ethnic group, in the families and households section, is an example of output method 2.
At a household level, figure 3 below shows how a household with three members who identify with different ethnic groups is counted for the number of usual residents in household variable.
Figure 3: Method 2 - Household with three members who identify with different ethnic groups
Figure 4 shows how a household with three members who all identify with the same ethnic group is counted for the number of usual residents in household variable.
Figure 4: Method 2 - Household with three members who all identify with the same ethnic group
Customised data requests for alternative methods of producing families and households by ethnicity data
The methods outlined above are used for producing families and households data by ethnicity in our census products and services.
You can request other methods of deriving this data, tailored to your needs, from our customised data services. For example, you may be interested only in the ethnicities of parents in a family, children in a household, or the highest income earner in a family.
Families and households by Māori descent
As Māori descent is conceptually different to Māori ethnicity, a different methodology was developed. For the definition of Māori descent used by Stats NZ, see Appendix 1: Definitions.
Development, consultation, and decision
The development of a method for producing families and households by Māori descent involved collaboration with subject matter experts, te ao Māori experts, and iwi data experts from Te Kāhui Raraunga.
Following consultation, the method went through an internal review and decision-making process and a method formally agreed upon.
Māori descent classification
The Māori descent classification has two levels, with level 1 used for output.
Māori descent - 2023 Census: information by concept - DataInfo+ provides more information about the Māori descent classification.
Subject populations
Method 1 uses subject populations based on people in households in occupied private dwellings. The three main subject populations are:
- people in households in occupied private dwellings
- people in families in occupied private dwellings
- people in extended families in occupied private dwellings.
Other subject populations that further filter these main subject populations may be used, such as children in families in occupied private dwellings.
Method 2 uses subject populations based on households, families, or extended families in occupied private dwellings. The three main subject populations are:
- households in occupied private dwellings
- families in occupied private dwellings
- extended families in occupied private dwellings.
Other subject populations may be used that further filter these main subject populations, such as one parent families in occupied private dwellings, same gender couples in occupied private dwellings, and families with dependent children in occupied private dwellings.
Note: The counts of people in households, families, and extended families will not be the same as the counts of people in other Māori descent outputs that use the census usually resident population count. That is, outputs about individuals, rather than outputs about families and households. There are differences in who is counted in each of these subject populations.
Māori descent outputs for the census usually resident population count include all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night, and exclude people who were temporarily overseas on census night. They also include people not in households, such as people who are usual residents of non-private dwellings, or who have been meshblock enumerated.
Families and households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology, and data quality (available December 2024) will explain meshblock enumerations.
Māori descent outputs for people in households, families, or extended families include all people who usually live in and were present in New Zealand on census night who are usual residents of a household in an occupied private dwelling (or family in occupied private dwelling, or extended family in occupied private dwelling). They also include usual residents who were overseas on census night who either responded to the census themselves or were marked as absent from their household (for fewer than 12 months). They exclude meshblock enumerations and people who usually live in non-private dwellings.
Additionally, all individuals in the census usually resident population count have a valid code for the Māori descent indicator (that is, 'Māori descent', 'No Māori descent', 'Don't know').
But families and households include people who are not in the census usually resident population count (that is, respondents overseas on census night, and absentees elsewhere in New Zealand or away from New Zealand for less than 12 months). People not in the census usually resident population count may not have a valid code for the Māori descent indicator.
Methods for output of families and households by Māori descent
Output method 1: Māori descent of individuals in households, families, and extended families
Similar to ethnicity, output method 1 counts the Māori descent of individuals and then types of households, families, or extended families they belong to. However, as Māori descent is a single response variable (people can only select one answer for the Māori descent question), each individual is counted once in a particular table or graph.
For example, a table with family type cross-tabulated with Māori descent could include the following information for the 'couple without children' category of family type:
- Number of people of Māori descent who belong to couple without children families.
- Number of people of no Māori descent who belong to couple without children families.
- Number of people who don't know their Māori descent status who belong to couple without children families.
In the example above, each category is discrete with each individual counted only once in the Māori descent and family type category that applies to them.
Te Whata household make up is an example of a families and households by Māori descent output with 2023 Census data that uses method 1.
Output method 2: Māori descent of households, families, and extended families
Output method 2 for Māori descent is also a single response method. Where households, families, or extended family data is output by Māori descent, 2023 Census uses a set of rules that checks each member's Māori descent indicator to determine the Māori descent indicator of the family or household.
The Māori descent indicator variable differs from the ethnicity variable by being single response (respondents can only select one answer). Ethnicity is a multi-response variable (respondents can select multiple ethnicities).
The following rules determine the Māori descent indicator of the family or household:
- A family or household is coded to 'Māori descent' when at least one member is of Māori descent.
- Otherwise, a family or household is coded to 'Don't know' when at least one member does not know if they are of Māori descent.
- Otherwise, a family or household is coded to 'Not elsewhere included' when at least one member has a residual code for the Māori descent indicator (that is, 'Response unidentifiable' or 'Not stated').
- Finally, a family or household is coded to 'No Māori descent' if all members are not of Māori descent.
For example, a table with the family type variable cross-tabulated with Māori descent could include the following information for the 'couple without children' category of family type:
- Number of 'Māori descent' families are couple without children families.
- Number of 'no Māori descent' families are couple without children families.
- Number of 'don't know' families are couple without children families.
In the above example, each category is discrete, with each family counted once in the category that applies to it.
For an example of an output that uses method 2 for Māori descent, see Māori descent indicator and number of usual residents in household for households in occupied private dwellings, 2018 and 2023 Censuses (due for release February 2025) on Aotearoa Data Explorer. Find the table by searching the table title on Aotearoa Data Explorer.
Conceptual considerations
Whānau
Outputting families and households data by ethnicity or Māori descent is not synonymous with outputting whānau - the concept of whānau is more complex than a census-defined family or extended family unit with members of Māori ethnicity or Māori descent.
Census does not currently have a method of collecting whānau information. Other Stats NZ surveys collect measures of family and whānau wellbeing and ask respondents to self-define their whānau.
Definitions of whānau has definitions of the concept of whānau.
Measuring whānau: A review of longitudinal studies in New Zealand includes considerations when defining and collecting whānau information.
Statistical standard for iwi and iwi related groups has information about whānau, as well as hapū and iwi.
Conclusion
The 2023 Census delivers more detailed families and households information than has been previously output.
Outputting families and households data by ethnicity and Māori descent will provide a richer picture of the families and households New Zealanders live in. It will give decision makers more information to better meet the needs of ethnic groups and Māori, and for people to see themselves reflected in the data.
Appendix 1: Definitions
The census definitions for concepts referred to in this paper are described below.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity is the ethnic group or groups that people identify with or feel they belong to. Ethnicity is a measure of cultural affiliation, as opposed to race, ancestry, nationality, or citizenship. Ethnicity is self-perceived, and people can affiliate with more than one ethnic group.
An ethnic group is made up of people who have some, or all, of the following characteristics:
- A common proper name.
- One or more elements of common culture, which need not be specified but may include religion, customs, or language.
- A shared sense of common origins or ancestry.
- A common geographic origin.
Extended family
An extended family is a group of related people who usually reside together either as:
- a family nucleus with one or more related people, or
- two or more related family nuclei, with or without other related people.
Included are people who were absent on census night but usually live in a particular dwelling and are members of that extended family. Generally, these will be people reported as being absent on the online household set-up form or paper dwelling form and are away from New Zealand for less than 12 months.
Family
A family (or family nucleus) is a couple with or without child(ren), or one parent and their child(ren) whose usual residence is in the same household. A family nucleus does not include children if they live with a partner or children of their own in the same household.
Included are people who were absent on census night but usually live in a particular dwelling and are members of that family. Generally, these will be people reported as being absent on the online household set-up form or paper dwelling form and are away from New Zealand for less than 12 months.
Household
A household is either one person who usually resides alone, or two or more people who usually reside together and share facilities (such as for eating, cooking, or a living area; and bathroom and toilet) in a private dwelling.
People who were absent on census night but who usually live in the dwelling and are members of that household are also included in households. Generally, these will be people who were elsewhere in New Zealand or away from New Zealand for less than 12 months.
Māori descent
Māori descent concept defines if a person is of Māori descent, not of Māori descent, or does not know if they are of Māori descent. A person is of Māori descent if they are descended from Māori.
Māori descent is based on a genealogical or biological concept. For the purposes of the Māori descent classification, having Cook Island Māori ancestry is not classified as being of Māori descent.
Appendix 2: Quality
For quality ratings and other important information for the ethnicity, Māori descent, family, household, and extended family variables, see the DataInfo+ information by concept pages for:
These concepts were all assessed separately for quality.
Further reading
Callister, P., Didham, R., Newell, J., & Potter, D. (2007). "Family ethnicity": Knitting a jumper using two woolly concepts. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 32-48. Retrieved from https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj32/index.html
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2022). Report on energy hardship measures. Retrieved from https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/measures-of-energy-hardship-june-year-2022-report.pdf
Ministry of Social Development (2018). Families and whānau and the benefit system. Retrieved from https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/information-releases/weag-report-release/families-and-whanau-and-the-benefit-system-a-high-level-initial-briefing.pdf
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (2015). Demographic overview of families in New Zealand. Retrieved from https://thehub.sia.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Families-and-Whanau-Demographic.pdf
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (2016). Families and Whānau Status Report 2016. Retrieved from https://thehub.sia.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/FW-Status-Report-2016-3.pdf
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (2018). Families and whānau status report 2018. Retrieved from https://thehub.sia.govt.nz/resources/families-and-whanau-status-report-2018/
Stats NZ (2012). Vulnerable children and families: Some findings from the New Zealand General Social Survey. Retrieved from https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Retirement-of-archive-website-project-files/Reports/Vulnerable-children-and-families-Some-findings-from-the-New-Zealand-General-Social-Survey/vulnerable-children-and-families.pdf
Stats NZ (2020). More than 2 in 5 Māori and Pacific people live in a damp house. Retrieved from https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/more-than-2-in-5-maori-and-pacific-people-live-in-a-damp-house-corrected
Stats NZ (2020). Almost 1 in 9 people live in a crowded house. Retrieved from https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/almost-1-in-9-people-live-in-a-crowded-house
Stats NZ (2020). Families and households in the 2018 Census: Data sources, family coding, and data quality. Retrieved from https://www.stats.govt.nz/methods/families-and-households-in-the-2018-census-data-sources-family-coding-and-data-quality?msclkid=e576e61ab45b11eca000fb83b4ef584c
Stats NZ (2024). Child poverty statistics: Year ended June 2023. Retrieved from https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/child-poverty-statistics-year-ended-june-2023/
Stats NZ (2024). Families and households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology, and data quality. Retrieve from https://www.stats.govt.nz/methods/ (available December 2024)
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