Do I have to complete the census?

The Data and Statistics Act 2022(external link) requires that everyone in New Zealand on census day must fill out a census form.

If you don’t participate or if you provide false or incomplete information an individual person can be fined $2,000 and organisations and agencies $12,000 for agencies. For more information on penalties and fines, please review sections 76(external link) and 77(external link) of the Data and Statistics Act 2022.

Because participation in the census is required under the Statistics Act, this overrides the general requirements of the Privacy Act.

If you have questions about the census or your obligations on census day, you should get in touch with Statistics New Zealand(external link), as it is the agency responsible for carrying out the census.