November 28, 2012
Extra effort to collect Māori census data
Statistics New Zealand is making a special effort to ensure all Māori in Northland are counted in next year's census.
It has hired Rowan Tautari as a community liaison adviser for Whangarei district and inland Bay of Islands.
Ms Tautari says nationally the census undercount is estimated to be about 3 percent, but anecdotal evidence suggests it could be higher in some pockets of the north, and not just because it's hard for census workers to reach where they live.
"There is I think a reluctance to fill in forms. There is possibly a fear about government type forms so those are the attitudes that we have to try and overcome, hopefully by educating and also by engaging Māori around discussions on the census and the benefits it can bring to them," she says.
Ms Tautari says she is looking forward to working with Māori politicians from the region including Winston Peters, Hone Harawira and Shane Jones as they will raise awareness of the census.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd