2023 Census to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity

Sunday, 28 June 2020

InsideOUT is running a first-of-its-kind national Pride week campaign for Kiwi schools in 2020.

The next Census will collect information about New Zealand's rainbow community for the first time, in what advocates say is a huge win for specifically-targeted resourcing.

The decision comes as a recent Human Rights Commission report found New Zealand's rainbow communities continue to face widespread discrimination and inequity in schools, workplaces, the health care system and in society more generally.

Community advocates have long argued for questions about sexuality to be included in the Census, saying the exclusion had led to a lack of concrete or credible information about the size and make-up of the rainbow population, which had translated to a lack of specific or targeted funding.

Rachael Milicich, deputy government statistician at Statistics New Zealand, said it had earlier made the commitment to collecting the information.

Pictured, Auckland Pride 2020. Advocates for the rainbow community have long argued the lack of official data had translated to a lack of sustained or targeted funding.

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Statistics Minister James Shaw said Stats NZ had worked hard to have an inclusive Census for 2023.

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'Stats NZ have committed to collecting information about New Zealand's rainbow communities in the 2023 Census,' Milicich said.

'Our rainbow communities are a key part of our identity as a country and it's really important that they’re properly represented in the data we gather. We couldn’t make this work for 2018, but we have been working hard to ensure it’s part of 2023.'

The commitment to collecting information pertaining to both sexual orientation and gender identity was made by agreement by the Government statistician and the Minister for Statistics, Greens co-leader James Shaw.

Rachael Milicich, deputy government statistician, said the data collection would allow individuals and groups to advocate for their needs on the same footing as others.

It's understood the commitment was made by Statistics New Zealand some time ago, and final consultation of the work was due to get under way via a working group shortly.

'Every community has their own unique footprint and needs; collection of information about rainbow communities in New Zealand will for the first time allow rainbow groups and individuals to advocate for their needs on the same footing as other New Zealanders,' Milicich said.

It would also ensure the Government had the information it needed to support rainbow communities and help them to thrive, she said.

As part of the 2018 General Social Survey (GSS), wellbeing data for people of different sexual identities was collected, but statisticians then acknowledged that peoples' responses could be biased when they weren't anonymous.

Data from that survey revealed a majority 96.5 per cent of Kiwi adults identified as straight or heterosexual. However, that data was collected via face-to-face interview, which 'may underestimate the true proportion of [rainbow] people in New Zealand', GSS general manager Jason Attewell was quoted as saying at the time.

Tabby Besley, managing director of rainbow youth advocacy group InsideOUT, said the organisation was thrilled to see the Census 'finally' including questions regarding rainbow identities.

'Data collection like this is essential so that both government and communities can be better informed about the size and make-up of our rainbow populations, and direct resourcing more appropriately to support our communities in the future,' she said.

Shaw said the information Stats NZ gathered needed to reflect the diversity Aotearoa was lucky to have.

'New Zealanders want to see themselves reflected in our official data and statistics - and policymakers need it for important decisions, such as health spending.'

Research has consistently showed that Kiwi members of the rainbow community have poorer physical and mental health outcomes than the general population.

One landmark report from 2013, Rainbow Health, found that societal prejudices contributed to the negative effects on the health of rainbow communities.

That 'minority stress' was a social determinant of health in the same way poverty or ethnicity was, the report found.

'Stats NZ has worked hard to improve the way they record and present information on our rainbow communities, paving the way for an inclusive census in 2023,' Shaw said.

The Census is held every five years and is the official count of people and dwellings in New Zealand.