Stats NZ's investigation into the alleged misuse of census forms and data will be led by independent investigator Doug Craig.
The appointment comes after Stats NZ's Office of the Chief Executive was alerted to allegations relating to the inappropriate use of census data collected at Manurewa Marae. The allegations were received on Wednesday, 29 May 2024.
In 2023 Stats NZ partnered with the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (Whānau Ora) to lift low census response rates from Māori in Auckland. The collection operations were led by Whānau Ora's Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki collective, of which Manurewa Marae is a part of.
The scope of Stats NZ's investigation will centre around the management and handing of census forms and the data and personal information contained within them. Craig will be supported by a senior independent lawyer, to be appointed.
"Like the New Zealand public, we are very concerned about the allegations, and we are taking this extremely seriously," Government Statistician and Stats NZ Chief Executive Mark Sowden said.
The investigation will cover the contract expectations, obligations and monitoring, and the way in which Whānau Ora staff engaged with people and handled census forms and data.
"We need to understand whether the personal information provided by people was handled appropriately, and in a way that's consistent with our expectations and with the requirements of the Data and Statistics Act and the Privacy Act," Sowden said.
The investigation will also consider whether the way Stats NZ provided address information to Whānau Ora met the requirements of the law and Stats NZ policies.
To support collection operations, Stats NZ needed to provide Whānau Ora with the addresses of non-responding households to make sure that Whānau Ora staff could focus their efforts on people who had not yet completed the census.
To do this, each day Stats NZ created a file that contained the addresses. The files were shared via a secure folder, with no further access to our systems. A data-sharing agreement outlined the terms and conditions for accessing and using this information.
"We are confident that Whānau Ora, Waipareira Trust, or any other party did not have access to our databases. However, it is still important that this is investigated and assured," Sowden said.
The investigation is expected to be concluded no later than 31 July 2024, and the findings will be shared with the New Zealand Police.
"We understand the interest from the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, and we will keep the public appropriately updated as the investigation progresses," Sowden said.
Terms of reference
Read the Terms of reference for an independent investigation and assurance review of allegations of misuse of 2023 Census information.
About Doug Craig, lead investigator
Doug Craig is the Director of the RDC Group. He is an experienced public sector leader and a former State Services Deputy Commissioner, with a background in law, accounting, and strategy. He has significant experience in implementing large and complex projects and has advised on and led many organisational wide responses to critical incidents of a similar nature. Craig is a member of the Public Service Commission's panel of independent reviewers.
