Overall Aim
The main aim of both the Housing Statistics Programme and the Social Statistics Programme with regard to housing is to facilitate access to and use of a wide range of housing statistics by government agencies, academics and the community. Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) is cast primarily in a facilitating role. It is strategically important that the wider official statistical system works together to achieve the aims of the Housing Statistics Strategy.
Basic information from the 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings is widely released in an extensive series of topic-based reports. However, the Housing Statistics Programme aims to create a set of detailed housing statistics to complement current publications from the 2001 Census to help meet the objectives of the Housing Statistics Strategy. The Housing Statistics Programme will also recreate much of the information previously published in the New Zealand Now: Housing 1998 edition, with a focus on time series data to 2001.
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Housing Statistics Strategy
The Housing Statistics Strategy is a long-term plan to ensure the successful production, integration and dissemination of relevant and authoritative housing statistics. It is integrated set of plans developed in response to demand for a more robust and comprehensive framework for housing statistics.
The Housing Statistics Strategy outlines the general aims, primary objectives and guiding principles of the Housing Statistics Programme. A major consideration of the strategy is the need to optimise the investment of funds to produce the most useful range of statistics related to housing.
The main gaps in current housing information are illustrated through the Housing Adequacy Model and explored through the six dimensions of housing adequacy: affordability, suitability, habitability, tenure security, freedom from crowding and freedom from discrimination. The strategy also describes both current and future housing projects and the key deliverables of the Housing Statistics Programme.
See the attached files Housing Statistics Strategy and Downtown Dwellers: 2005. These downloadable files are in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you may download the reader to view or print the contents of these files.
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Survey of Housing
The development of a Survey of Housing began in September 2000 but was postponed in December 2000 while the housing team compiled a Housing Statistics Strategy. This strategy aims to investigate the potential for housing administrative data to maintain and improve the range of housing statistics, and to determine the remaining critical gaps in housing information that cannot be met by administrative data alone. The Survey of Housing is currently postponed while the Social Statistics Programme is finalised.
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The Social Statistics Programme
This project is seeking to develop a programme of social statistics for New Zealand over the next 10 years. The outcome of the project will be a programme of surveys and administrative data that will meet a range of information needs in a balanced and cost-effective manner. SNZ has been liaising with external agencies to achieve a clear understanding of core social information needs and important cross-sectoral issues. The project is examining information needs in the following areas:
- population
- housing
- health
- knowledge and skills
- safety and security
- work (paid and unpaid)
- human rights
- culture and identity
- economic standard of living
- social connectedness
- environment.
As part of the work on information needs, the Social Statistics Programme will also consider the remaining critical housing needs and investigate the most appropriate methods by which they can be met. No final decisions have been made as yet; however, this may involve:
- the implementation of a survey of housing
- supplements to existing surveys
- the development of a multi-topic social survey that addresses housing issues in conjunction with related topics.
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Housing Administrative Data
A number of central government-held administrative data sets have been identified that have potential for statistical use. Several external agencies provided meta information, unit record data and/or derived aggregate data, which enabled SNZ to make an initial assessment of relevance to the Housing Statistics Strategy.
The majority of housing administrative sources assessed could not be readily integrated with SNZ data, or with each other, to produce new housing information. Though sufficient for administration purposes, administrative data collection methods are often inadequate for statistical use. The issues involved are not insurmountable; however, the resources required to convert most administrative data to a useful standard exceed their capability to provide information for key aspects of the Housing Statistics Strategy.
However, some administrative data sets do demonstrate potential and contain some or all of the following characteristics. They:
- deal with issues that are of primary importance to the Housing Statistics Strategy
- have integration potential at an aggregate level
- use some standard classifications
- use some classifications, concepts and definitions that, though non-standard, are comparable and provide a starting point for enhancement
- have the potential to produce output on a regular basis as a stand-alone statistical series
- can assist in the development of a framework (classifications, concepts, definitions) to address housing needs via the Social Statistics Programme.
SNZ is progressively contacting relevant agencies to enlist support regarding further meta information, data access issues and possible development agendas. Again, the findings of this project will be made available to the individual agencies concerned. SNZ would like to establish ongoing relationships with relevant external agencies to identify and action change.
It is hoped that actioning changes to administrative data, to make them more suitable for statistical analysis, will become the collective responsibility of the wider official statistical system. Rationalising administrative collections to produce statistical data has the potential to provide central and local government and the general public access to robust and comparable statistics for analysis across the wider official statistical system.
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Housing Profiles
Housing Profiles describe the housing situations of various sub-populations in New Zealand at sub-national level to build a picture of New Zealand housing in the first year of the twenty-first century. Profiles contain key statistics with brief commentary and analysis via tables and/or graphs to highlight areas of interest at sub-national level.
There are two separate components to this project:
- Profiles: Written profiles analysing various sub-populations
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Tables: 1991, 1996 and 2001 Census data accessed via Table Builder by Regional Council, Territorial Authority and Area Unit.
Three profiles have been released to the web, renting households, owner-occupied households and Māori ethnicity in households. These profiles have been analysed via a range of household characteristics.
User feedback on the format and usefulness of the profiles can be emailed to info@stats.govt.nz.
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Housing Indicators Project
The aim of the Housing Indicators Project is to provide a reporting framework for indicators of the key regional and national housing issues identified in the Housing Statistics Strategy. Housing is an essential part of well-being, so the Housing Indicators Project gives an insight, not just into housing, but also into social issues in New Zealand.
The indicator project is taking place in two stages. Stage I is using information available from SNZ and stage II will address indicators that housing statistics users would like developed, but for which SNZ currently does not have data. Several stage I indicators are now available from the Housing Indicators Home Page. The topics covered by the indicator series convey information about the six dimensions of housing adequacy and include details about:
- Access to Housing
- Access to Amenities
- Construction and Building Rates
- Costs and Affordability
- Demographics
- Health
- Housing Market
- Location
- Mobility
- Tenure
For stage I, the project has made extensive use of data from the Census of Population and Dwellings, which is currently the main source of housing information. A substantial amount of housing information is also collected as a by-product of other statistics, such as building consents figures and the Household Economic Survey. Users have requested indicators that measure, among other topics, discrimination, housing career patterns, the suitability of housing, physical condition of housing and room size. Some of the proposed stage II indicators can be developed using administrative data sources.
However, stages I and II of the indicators project would benefit substantially from the collection of new housing information.
The indicators are experimental and subject to revision; we welcome comments on their structure, content and relevance: email info@stats.govt.nz.
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Housing Analytical Reports
SNZ has released the Housing Analytical Report on Crowding. SNZ will produce another analytical report in 2004 providing informative commentary about issues related to affordability in New Zealand dwellings.
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Directory of Housing Statistics
Statistics New Zealand has developed a Directory of Housing Statistics which was released in August 2000.The purpose of the Directory of Housing Statistics is to put researchers, and anyone else interested in housing information, in touch with organisations that hold housing statistics.
The directory contains information about organisations from which housing statistics can be sourced and contact details of the data custodians in each organisation. The Directory of Housing Statistics gives organisations an opportunity to increase awareness of their work, while maintaining full control of the release of information.
Statistics New Zealand sent questionnaires to over 300 individuals and organisations requesting information about any housing databases held.