The launch of a new data tool will provide Kiwis with better access to important data, Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly says.
“To grow our economy and improve productivity we must adopt smarter ways of working, which means taking a more data driven approach to decision-making.
“As Statistics Minister one of my key ambitions is to make data more accessible for the general public and business owners, who might not have big budgets for market research but could benefit from the wealth of data held by Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ).
“In a modern, digital economy data is often referred to as the ‘new oil’. When successfully leveraged, data enables more targeted and responsive decision- making for individuals, businesses and the government.
“The government holds a vast amount of data. Through the Census, surveys and administrative data, Stats NZ collates data about our population, economy, our lifestyle, habits and behaviours.
“However, the presentation has typically been aimed at a technical audience, with data provided in a ‘wholesale’ format. The launch of Aotearoa Data Explorer marks a shift towards presenting data in a more accessible format.
“With the first release of the 2023 Census data tomorrow, now is a good time for Kiwis to experiment with Aotearoa Data Explorer, as it will be populated with the most up to date information about life in New Zealand.
“Aotearoa Data Explorer replaces the NZ.Stat tool and offers a more user-friendly way to easily access Stats NZ data and build customised tables and graphs.
“There is more work to be done to migrate all of Stats NZ data on to the platform but this the first step towards creating a single web-based data tool that will house all of Stats NZ’s datasets in one place.
“I hope New Zealanders will take advantage of this exciting new resource and integrate data into their decision-making.”
Notes to editors
Stats NZ will release 2023 Census data on Aotearoa Data Explorer on 3 October at 10:45am.
In addition to the datasets previously housed on NZ.Stat customers will be able to explore the following 2023 Census data on Aotearoa Data Explorer:
- population counts by ethnic group, age, and gender
- dwelling counts
- iwi affiliation and Māori descent counts
- totals by topic (national and subnational to SA1)