The 2011 Census will count how many people and households there are in New Zealand on Tuesday 8 March, and will provide an official measure of how many New Zealanders identify as Māori.

Everyone must fill it in, including children. Mā tātou. The information is completely confidential.

Statistics New Zealand is working hard to raise awareness among Māori about the census and why it is important.

Some Māori were not counted in the last census, because many chose not to fill in the forms.

This means Māori communities may be missing out on what they’re entitled to. The information is used to help decide funding for things like children’s health services and schools, Māori arts and culture centres, te reo Māori services, and services to local communities and recreational facilities. It also affects collective resources and land decisions. Iwi can use the census data to help their people and their communities.

It is very important that everyone in the country on 8 March fills in a census form. Official census collectors will deliver the census forms to every household, or they can be filled in online and in te reo Māori or English.

The information is completely confidential and protected by law. It will not be shared with any other government department.

There were 565,329 people who identified with the Māori ethnic group living in New Zealand in 2006 (at the time of the last census). This was about 15% of the population (one in seven people). This was 30% more than in 2001, and we expect that this will have increased again. It is important to know by how much, so resources are properly allocated.

Carol Slappendel, General Manager Census said: “The census is important because information from it helps determine how billions of dollars of government funding is spent in the community.”

“It is used to help make decisions about which services are needed and where they should be, such as hospitals, kōhanga reo, schools, roads, public transport, and recreational facilities. “

“Census information also tells you how your community has changed over the years, things like how many people live where you live, what sort of jobs they do and so on.”

Information in other languages

Information about the census is available in different languages at this link: http://www.stats.govt.nz/census

There will also be a toll-free Helpline - 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) - available from 15 February for callers to talk to people who speak te reo Māori, Tongan, Samoan and other languages.

More information about the 2011 Census can be found at www.census.govt.nz .