There have been 34 censuses since 1851, gathering data about people's ages, relationships, children, jobs, birthplaces, ethnicities, qualifications and incomes.
But today, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced the Census, which has existed in a similar format for more than 70 years, will be replaced with a combination of administrative data from other government agencies and smaller annual surveys.
So what does that mean for how we gather and use data about New Zealanders?
To explain the implications, Emile Donovan talks to Demographer and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley.
Photo: Stats NZ
