Stats NZ invites expressions of interest to join a new Homeless and Transient Populations Data Advisory Group. The Group will provide an opportunity for groups focused on understanding, supporting, and producing insights on these populations to contribute directly to the design and planning of the census, and initiatives that support its successful delivery.
On this page:
- Skills and experience
- Membership
- Secretariat support
- Remuneration
- Commitment
- Conflicts of interest and privacy
About the Group
Stats NZ invites expressions of interest from iwi and/or Māori housing experts, people with expertise in data for and about homeless and transient populations, as well as lived experience and community connection, to join the Homeless and Transient Populations Data Advisory Group.
The Group provides an opportunity for groups focused on understanding, supporting, and researching these populations to contribute directly to the design, planning, and implementation of the next census, as Stats NZ moves to an admin data-first census model, supplemented by annual surveying and tailored solutions.
The Group will also contribute to any broader conceptual development work around homelessness measurement.
Establishment of the Group is part of a broader initiative by Stats NZ to establish community design groups with a range of partners and groups, including iwi Māori, Pacific, disabled, ethnic, rainbow, and homeless and transient communities.
While the Group will be hosted by Stats NZ, we will be working very closely with Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (from July 2026, the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions, and Transport (MCERT).
The Group will be formed alongside several other advisory groups for smaller and harder to reach communities. Stats NZ will work to ensure an intersectional lens is applied across groups for interrelated topics and cross-community priorities.
The opportunity
The Group creates a structured and enduring pathway for sector perspectives to explore, test, and build long-term census design solutions. The group will enable Stats NZ to better deliver to community, customer, and partner needs over time.
This can be done by contributing to design questions on how data is collected, analysed, interpreted, and classified, as well as how it is disseminated and applied.
Key programmes like the census are at a design stage where early and informed input makes the greatest difference. The establishment of the Group will move Stats NZ beyond consultation toward meaningful contribution in the design of homelessness statistics, trust in how data is used, and measures that reflect sensitivity to the range of different populations who are experiencing homelessness and/or transience.
By influencing the data we collect and how it is used, the Group will help ensure official census statistics measure homeless and transient populations appropriately and statistics reflect the realities of their lives.
The Group also supports Stats NZ to respond to external reviews of the census, meet statutory obligations under the Data and Statistics Act 2022, and contribute to Treaty settlement commitments through the incorporation of iwi Māori perspectives and the Housing Policy and Services Kaupapa Inquiry (Wai 2750).
Role of the Group
The Group will bring together perspectives from a range of groups, including iwi Māori, and a broad mix of technical expertise, knowledge, and experience around homelessness.
The Group will provide advice to Stats NZ on specific census-related design questions, brought to the Group at key stages of the census programme.
Advice from the Group will inform design decisions across the census programme, including in Stats NZ governance.
Examples of the kinds of design questions the Group may consider to enable better measurement and understanding of homelessness include:
- developing appropriate questions on different aspects of homelessness in the new annual census survey or other Stats NZ surveys
- coordinating an overall measurement of homelessness through different surveys or counts
- advising on developing consistent and regular measurement of the without shelter population
- looking at how integrated data can be used safely and meaningfully to help measure homelessness and transience
- providing guidance on definitions and reporting of homelessness data
- providing advice on how best to develop data products and services
- providing external support to Stats NZ on measurement approaches.
The Group is advisory and does not replace broader community engagement or consultation. Over time, the Group is expected to play an enduring role in guiding wider statistical system design around homeless and transient populations, ensuring different perspectives - particularly those of iwi Māori - are woven into decision-making from the outset.
Through its advice and insights, the Group will help ensure that realities of life for people experiencing homelessness are considered in how statistics tell the story of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Stats NZ will provide feedback to the Group on how its advice has been considered and applied.
Many people experiencing homelessness also belong to other smaller and harder to reach communities. The Group will be formed alongside several other advisory groups for communities, and Stats NZ will work to ensure an intersectional lens is applied across groups for interrelated topics and cross-community priorities.
How to apply
People interested in becoming a member of the Group are invited to submit an expression of interest by Sunday 31 May 2026 - email to [email protected].
Your expression of interest should include:
- a cover letter (maximum two pages) explaining your interest in the Group, and the skills, knowledge, and experience you would bring
- a curriculum vitae (maximum four pages)
- name and contact details for two referees.
If you would like to be considered for chair, please indicate your interest and any relevant experience.
Applications are welcome in alternate formats. Please contact us if you would like to submit your application in an alternate format.
Selection process and indicative timeline
All applications will be assessed against the published criteria , taking into account the balance of skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed across the Group as a whole. Shortlisting will include referee checks.
Final appointments will be confirmed by the Government Statistician and Stats NZ Chief Executive, ensuring the Group has both the right expertise and representation to carry out its role effectively.
- Expressions of interest close: Sunday 31 May 2026.
- Shortlisting and referee checks: June 2026.
- Final appointments confirmed: Late June 2026.
- Induction and first meeting: July 2026.
Information for applicants
Skills and experience
The Group will bring together a balance of technical expertise, lived experience, and regional perspectives, ensuring advice reflects different interests and insights.
Members are not expected to have all these skills and experience individually but, collectively, the Group will aim to cover a range of the following perspectives and experience. Due to the technical nature of the questions the group will be asked to consider, some degree of familiarity with data, statistics, or research is required for all members.
Area |
Description |
Why it matters for the Group |
Statistical and data expertise |
Knowledge of official statistics, survey design and development, research methods, and integrated data systems |
Strengthens technical input into, for example, the census, integrated data, homelessness concepts and definitions, and data quality matters, while also supporting clear interpretation and articulation of findings |
Regional and sector knowledge of homeless populations |
Insights across different sectors, such as local government, iwi organisations, non-government organisations, and different populations, including Māori, Pacific, disabled, rainbow, ethnic communities, and young people. |
Ensures advice reflects understanding of homeless and transient populations across domains and geography |
Homelessness research and data experience |
Experience designing, conducting, or analysing research involving homeless populations, including community-led data collection |
Strengthens advice on census concepts, measures, and interpretation of outputs |
Administrative and integrated data |
Experience working with administrative data, linked datasets, or integrated data systems |
Helps assess risks, opportunities, and limitations of an admin data-first census model |
Data governance and data sovereignty, particularly Māori data governance |
Experience in data governance, indigenous data sovereignty, or iwi Māori-led data initiatives |
Provides leadership on how data should be governed, managed, and protected |
Data ethics and privacy |
Experience or knowledge of data ethics, governance, privacy, or safe data use |
Supports safe and considered census design, particularly when dealing with potentially sensitive personal information |
Lived experience |
Represents insights from lived experience of homelessness |
Brings lived realities and helps ensure the relevance of data collections and dissemination |
Te ao Māori and tikanga |
Deep knowledge of te ao Māori, tikanga, kawa, mātauranga Māori, specifically around Māori homelessness and the Wai 2750 Inquiry |
Ensures Group advice is grounded in iwi Māori worldviews and practices, especially in relation to homelessness |
Policy and system design |
Understanding of Crown policy processes and legislative settings |
Helps align Group advice with government decision-making pathways, and helps link census data design to real world use, impact, and decision-making |
Governance and leadership |
Prior board, advisory, or governance experience |
Supports strong group process, accountability, and high-quality collective advice |
Equity and inclusion |
Experience advancing equity for iwi Māori and/or other under-served groups such as Pacific, migrant communities, LGBTIQ+, and disabled communities. Understanding of intersectionality of homelessness with other population groups |
Ensures census measures and approaches promote inclusive and fair outcomes |
Partnership and collaboration |
Demonstrated ability to work constructively across community, government, and sector boundaries |
Builds trust and effective engagement in a partnership context |
Membership
Up to 12 members, including a chair, will be appointed for an initial term of two or three years, with the option of being reappointed for up to two further two-year terms to support continuity of membership. The term length for each member will be confirmed through the appointment process.
The Group will include people with a mix of research and technical expertise, community connection, service provider experience, and government agency experience. Including government agency representatives as part of the Group supports coordinated, system-wide alignment, increasing efficiency, and reducing duplication of work.
The chair will be confirmed by the Government Statistician and Chief Executive of Stats NZ once members have been appointed, with details of that process to be worked through with members at the time. This ensures the chair has both the endorsement of Group members and the formal recognition required under the Cabinet Fees Framework.
Members will confirm the Group's terms of reference with Stats NZ, ensuring shared ownership of how the Group operates and clarity around its role, responsibilities, and ways of working.
Group values and ways of working will be developed collectively by members.
Secretariat support
The Group will be supported by a secretariat within Stats NZ. Members will receive induction, training, and agenda packs to support their role.
Remuneration
Members will be remunerated in line with the Cabinet Fees Framework. Where members are already funded by Stats NZ in their roles, or by other government agencies, additional fees will not be paid. All members will have reasonable travel and accommodation costs reimbursed.
Commitment
The Group is expected to meet regularly (up to six meetings per year), using a mix of in-person and online meetings. The first meeting will be in-person and will focus on whanaungatanga, establishing terms of reference for the group, and setting priorities. In-person meetings are likely to be full-day, and online meetings are likely to be half-day.
Members should also allow for preparation time and occasional input between meetings. Non-government members will be remunerated for preparation time and out-of-cycle input.
Conflicts of interest and privacy
Applicants will be asked to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. All information will be used only for assessment purposes and held securely by Stats NZ. You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your information.
