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The Blue Books
The Blue Books were New Zealand’s first official statistics on population. They were handwritten and based on the magistrates counting people in each settlement. The original 1851 Blue Book is held at the National Archives in Wellington. They continued until 1855. -
The first general census
Guidelines for the running of the 1851 censusThe first general census of all European settlers. -
The first Māori general census
The first Māori general census. Māori censuses were resumed in 1874 after the Land Wars. When taking these early Maori censuses, the census officers did not visit every dwelling. Much of the information was obtained from the wise men and elders of the tribes. Accustomed as they were to the oral transmission of tribal history, legends, and information of all kinds, they were well acquainted with the details In 1951, Māori were included in the general census and separate censuses of Māori stopped. -
Census every five years
Five-yearly censuses have continued to the present day, except for 1931 (because of the Depression) and the 1941 Census, abandoned because of the war. The 1946 Census was moved to September 1945. Sunday used to be census day because people spent Sundays at home, but this was changed to Tuesday in 1926. -
Census changed from a Sunday to a Tuesday
The decision was made to move the day of the census from a Sunday to a Tuesday. -
150 years of the census in NZ
The thirty-first census, 150 years since the first census in New Zealand. It was held again in early March, which is clear of holiday seasons and of most seasonal work. Censuses need to be held at the same time of year so the results can be compared more closely. -
The census online
New Zealanders had the choice of completing census forms over the Internet. This applied to both the individual and dwelling forms, in English, Māori, or combination of Māori and English). -
Census cancelled due to earthquake
The census was called off following the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. It is estimated that the cost of this census was $65 million despite the fact that it never actually went ahead. -
