The criterion for classification of ethnic groups is self–identification with one or more ethnicities. Detailed ethnic group information is collected so that responses can be classified to specific ethnic group categories at the most detailed level of the classification, level four. Where this is not possible, information may be classified to less detailed levels, level two or level three. Level one is used solely for output.
Individual ethnic groups are aggregated into progressively broader ethnic groups from level three up to level one, according to geographical location or origin, or cultural similarities. The classification reflects responses received and is made up of geographic, nationality and ethnic group terms.
The standard classification of ethnicity has been developed from the recommendations in the Report of the Review of the Measurement of Ethnicity released in June 2004.
The standard classification of ethnicity is a hierarchical classification of four levels. Level 1 of the classification has six categories and is used solely for output. Level 2 has 21 categories, level 3 has 36 categories and level 4 has 233 categories – excluding residual categories. The 'not further defined' (nfd) categories of level 2, 3 and 4 and the residual categories are not used for collection but are used for coding and output purposes.
The residual categories are defined in Glossary and references.
The full classification is available in the 'Available files' section on the main page.
The ethnicity question allows for multiple responses from each individual as described by the definition in this standard. Ethnicity is self-perceived and some people identify with more than one ethnicity.
In the Census of Population and Dwellings and large surveys up to six responses per person are recorded for the ethnicity question. For administrative collections and other surveys, three may be the maximum number of responses recorded per person. When more responses are given than can be recorded, a random method for reducing the number of responses selects the ethnicities to be retained (see Appendix 1 for the description of a manual methodology for reducing multiple ethnicity responses; see Appendix 2 for a link to a technical paper for software developers).
Statistics NZ maintains a codefile which is updated with responses that occur in the Census of Population and Dwellings. A codefile is used to classify ethnic group responses. It is a list of probable survey responses and the classification categories to which they are coded. For example, the codefile for ethnicity contains the names of countries, similar terms used by ethnic groups to describe themselves, such as Slav and Slavic, abbreviations, and some common misspellings. Collectors of ethnicity information who wish to use the codefile may obtain it from Classifications and Standards, Statistics New Zealand.
These coding guidelines are given to ensure consistency between collections. There are a number of ethnic groups that are multiple-worded responses but are one ethnic group. Some common examples are given here.
There are responses that may be hyphenated or linked in some way, or written without linkage, that need to be classified as two responses. For example,
An iwi response to an ethnicity question is coded to Mäori.
A country response is coded to an appropriate ethnic group term, for example, Korea is coded to Korean.
Religious responses to the ethnicity question indicating an ethnic group are coded to the specific category in the classification. For example, Jewish and Sikh have separate categories at the most detailed level. Religious responses which are not an ethnic group, for example, Muslim, are not coded to an ethnic group, but to 'response outside scope'.
A New Zealander response and like responses such as 'Kiwi' or 'NZer' are coded to a separate category, 'New Zealander', at level four in the Other Ethnicity group.