Vote Statistics - Māori, Other Populations and Cultural - Estimates 2014/2015

Summary of the Vote#

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Overview#

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The Minister of Statistics is responsible for appropriations in the Vote for the 2014/15 financial year covering the following:

• A total of just over $14 million for the Coordination of Government statistical activities.
• A total of just over $36 million for Economic and Business statistical information services.
• A total of nearly $52 million for Population, Social and Labour Force statistical information services.
• A total of nearly $2 million to provide for the completion of the 2013 Census.
• A total of just over $13 million to provide for preparation for a 2018 Census and the continuation of the Census Transformation Programme.
• A total of $17 million for departmental capital expenditure.

Details of these appropriations are set out in Parts 2-4.

Estimates of Appropriations#

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Details of Appropriations and Capital Injections#

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Annual and Permanent Appropriations

Multi-Year Appropriations

Capital Injection Authorisations

Supporting Information#

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Part 1 - Vote as a Whole#

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1.1 - New Policy Initiatives

New Policy Initiatives

1.2 - Trends in the Vote

Summary of Financial Activity

Note - where restructuring of the vote has occurred then, to the extent practicable, prior years information has been restated as if the restructuring had occurred before the beginning of the period covered.

Adjustments to the Summary of Financial Activity table due to Vote Restructuring

As a consequence of the 2013 Amendment to the Public Finance Act, Multi Class Output Expense Appropriations were converted to Multi-Category Appropriations.

1.3 - Analysis of Significant Trends

The fluctuations in the Multi-Category Appropriation (MCA) Output Expenses for Statistics New Zealand are due to the cyclical nature of some of its activities, restructure costs in 2013/14 and changes in new initiative funding. In particular:

• The Statistics 2020 Te Kapehu Whetu is a ten year strategy and programme of work to deliver more value from, and address key risks to, official statistics. Appropriations for this programme fluctuate from 2011/12 through to 2017/18 depending on the work programme.
• The Appropriations from 2013/14 through to 2017/18 include an increase for the Integrated Data Infrastructure project. The project will allow Statistics New Zealand to increase the capacity of, and improve access to, the Integrated Data Infrastructure as a more systematic way of managing, matching, anonymising and accessing person-centred data from across government. Statistics New Zealand is a joint lead on this cross-government initiative with the Treasury, which is establishing analytics and insights capability using the data.
• Restructure costs in 2013/14 resulting from organisational change to deliver our Statistics 2020 vision is being funded by a fiscally neutral transfer from 2014/15 and 2015/16 Appropriations.

The fluctuations in the Appropriations for Output Expenses are due to the cyclical nature of the Census of Population and Dwellings. In the year the Census is conducted, the costs rise significantly. The Actual for 2010/11 was $44.072 million for a Census that was due to be held in March 2011. This Census was deferred due to the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011. The Actual for 2012/13 was $53.280 million for the Census on 5 March 2013. The budget of $14.878 million in 2014/15 is made up of $1.778 million for the completion of the 2013 Census and $13.100 million for preparation for a 2018 Census and the continuation of a Census Transformation Programme. From 2015/16 the budget for the 2018 Census is subject to approval by Cabinet of a focussed detailed business case.

1.4 - Reconciliation of Changes in Appropriation Structure

Explanations of the reasons for changing the appropriation structure are noted in the details of each appropriation in Parts 2-4.

Part 2 - Details of Departmental Appropriations#

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2.1 - Departmental Output Expenses

2013 Census of Population and Dwellings (M67)

Scope of Appropriation and Expenses

This appropriation is limited to conducting the 2013 Census, and the administration and management of the on-going census programme, as required under the Statistics Act 1975.

Revenue

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve the conducting an official census of population and dwellings, to produce an accurate count of New Zealand's population on census night, for electoral purposes, policy setting, and other decision making.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

Performance will be assessed based on having a high proportion of residents in the country on the night counted by the census (ie, the coverage rate), and having a high proportion of residents return their completed form or complete it online (ie, the response rate). The coverage and response rates will be available following the completion of analysis of the 2013 Post Enumeration Survey and will be published before the end of 2013/14.

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by Statistics New Zealand in its Annual Report 2014/15.

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

This appropriation was established from 1 October 2011, to enable a 2013 Census to be taken, following the decision to defer the 2011 Census. This multi-year appropriation expires on 30 June 2015.

The planning and delivery of the Census of Population and Dwellings is normally phased over a five-year cycle. The cycle for the 2013 Census differs due to it following directly on from the deferred 2011 Census. Much of the preparation work for the deferred census was able to be reused (for example, no further dress rehearsal was required, and some contracts were able to be rolled over).

In 2013/14, the main activity was the completion of data processing, release of official census counts and completion of the 2013 Post Enumeration Survey (PES). The PES estimates the proportion of residents in the country on the night counted by the census (ie, the coverage rate), and the proportion of residents that return their completed form (ie, the response rate). Results of the PES are scheduled for release before the end of 2013/14. In 2014/15 the main activity will be production of the final census products and the closure of the 2013 Census programme.

2018 Census of Population and Dwellings (M67)

Scope of Appropriation and Expenses

Revenue

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve the conducting of an official census of population and dwellings, to produce an accurate count of New Zealand's population on census night, for electoral purposes, policy setting, and other decision making.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

Performance will be assessed based on having a high proportion of residents in the country on the night counted by the census (ie, the coverage rate), and having a high proportion of residents return their completed form or complete it online (ie, the response rate). The coverage and response rates will be available following the completion of analysis of the 2018 Post Enumeration Survey.

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by Statistics New Zealand in its Annual Report 2014/15.

Current and Past Policy Initiatives

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

This is a new appropriation for 2014/15 for preparation for a 2018 Census and the continuation of a Census Transformation Programme. The budget for the 2018 Census from 2015/16 to 2017/18 is subject to Cabinet approval of a focussed detailed business case.

2.3 - Departmental Capital Expenditure and Capital Injections

Statistics New Zealand - Capital Expenditure PLA (M67)

Scope of Appropriation

Capital Expenditure

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve the renewal and replacement of life-expired assets in support of the delivery of Statistics New Zealand's assets, and the expansion of the Integrated Data Infrastructure to further the objectives of the Analysis for Outcomes initiative.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by Statistics New Zealand in its Annual Report 2013/14.

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

The decrease in Capital Expenditure in 2014/15 is due to additional capital expenditure in 2013/14 on Integrated Data Infrastructure and the cyclical nature of an on-going programme of upgrade and replacement of Statistics New Zealand's capital assets.

Capital Injections and Movements in Departmental Net Assets

Statistics New Zealand

Part 4 - Details of Multi-Category Expenses and Capital Expenditure#

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Multi-Category Expenses and Capital Expenditure

Official Statistics (M67)

Overarching Purpose Statement

Scope of Appropriation

Expenses, Revenue and Capital Expenditure

Comparators for Restructured Appropriation

The previous MCOA Official Statistics (M67) has been converted to an MCA.

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve the outcome of creating an informed society through official statistics.

How Performance will be Assessed for this Appropriation

Note 1 - A programme of surveys of key customer groups on the use and trust in official statistics is being carried out over a three to four year cycle. A survey of the general public was carried out in 2010/11 and 2013/14, government workers in 2011, and businesses in 2012/13.

Note 2 - The customer group to be surveyed in 2014/15 is yet to be confirmed. The budget standard is to improve the result for that customer group compared to when it was last taken.

Note 3 - A revised list of Tier 1 statistics was agreed by Cabinet in June 2012. Since that time there has been ongoing monitoring of the total number of statistics classified as "current Tier 1".

What is Intended to be Achieved with each Category and How Performance will be Assessed

Note 1 - The Minister's satisfaction with policy advice will be measured through a short survey. This survey will ask the Minister to rate his/her personal satisfaction (from 'very dissatisfied' to 'very satisfied') with policy advice provided to date. This survey will be administered orally and annually as agreed with the Minister. The estimated performance for 2013/14 is based on all policy advice papers being accepted by the Minister without requiring amendment plus informal feedback during officials' meetings.

Note 2 - Quality Standards for Policy Advice includes:

• Purpose: the aims of the paper have been clearly stated and they answer the questions set.
• Logic: the assumptions behind the advice are explicit, the argument is valid and supported by facts.
• Accuracy: the facts in the papers are accurate and all material facts have been included.
• Options: an adequate range of options has been presented and each is assessed for benefits, costs and consequences to the organisation/system/government and the community as appropriate.
• Consultation: there is evidence of adequate consultation with interested parties and possible objections to proposals have been identified.
• Practicality: the problems of implementation, technical feasibility, timing and consistency with other policies have been considered.
• Presentation: the format meets requirements, the material is effectively and concisely summarised, and is free from spelling or grammatical errors.

Note 3 - The Chair of the Advisory Committee on Statistics satisfaction with the support provided by Statistics New Zealand will be measured through a short survey annually.

Note 4 - Advisory functions to the Minister of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand are currently being reviewed.

Note 5 - As at late February 2014, there had been 1.53 million visits to the Statistics New Zealand website (www.stats.govt.nz). It is estimated that the website will receive 2.40 million visits (100,000 less than originally expected target) by the end of the current financial year. This is mainly due to a reduced marketing spend, and the later than scheduled release of the StatsMaps mapping product. Some initiatives may be undertaken to reduce the shortfall in visits.

Note 6 - It is anticipated that website visits for 2014/15 will be 2.5 million. This allows for a planned increase of some 80,000 visits due to increased 2013 Census data becoming available plus increased accessibility for mobile and tablet users due to responsive design work that is expected to be completed in June 2014. It assumes an advertising budget consistent with the amount originally allocated for 2013/14.

Note 7 - This measure combines a number of elements that do not necessarily represent a true measure of performance or delivery. For example, the 2600 estimated actual standard for 2013/14 includes 1550 microdata access sessions, however the duration of the sessions is not recorded, and may be influenced by external factors such as the researchers own availability, changing data needs, or project funding. As a result, this measure has been revised for 2014/15 (see Notes 9 and 10).

Note 8 - Customer satisfaction is measured through a voluntary survey sent to clients after the requested service has been provided.

Note 9 - New measure for 2014/15. This represents the total number of customised data requests completed by Statistics New Zealand staff for customers, including requests international bodies.

Note 10 - New measure for 2014-15. This represents the total number of approved new applications for access to microdata onsite, remote or offsite, and the number of licences approved for access to confidentialised unit record files (this excludes variations to existing approvals).

Note 11 - A release includes a media release and an information release onto the website, which occur at the same time. It includes the key statistical results, commentary on the analysis of the results, tables of data and technical notes to explain definitions and methods.

Note 12 - The number of releases for both statistical information services categories for are provisional at the time of the publication of the Estimates. The final number is confirmed when the Purchase and Performance Agreement with the Minister of Statistics is agreed to and signed in June of each year.

Note 13 - New measure for 2014/15. Target response rates have the unintended consequence that the push to achieve the last few percentage points can add unnecessary cost and compliance load, with no related quality improvement. The new measure involves the responsible manager for the statistical release signing off that it has been produced in accordance with the Official Statistics System principles and protocols for quality and that it conforms to the Statistics New Zealand Methodological Standard for Reporting of Data Quality. Statistics NZ already includes quality statements in most of its statistical releases. However, the new measure will help ensure that quality reporting is appropriate and consistent. Statistics New Zealand will continue to report on target and achieved survey response rates within the published quality statements. Reporting on these measures is a requirement of the data quality reporting standard.

Note 14 - Measure to be discontinued from 2014/15. See note 13.

Note 15 - A data release is timely if it is available to users within the period in which it remains useful. Planned timeliness is a design decision, based on trade-offs with accuracy, response rates and cost. The calendar of release dates for periodical statistical releases is published on the Statistics New Zealand website at least six months in advance, and the achievement of the planned release dates is monitored as a timeliness performance measure.

Note 16 - A survey of the general public was carried out in 2010, government workers in 2011, and businesses in 2012. A programme of surveys of key customer groups is being carried out over a three to four year cycle. The second round of surveys begins in 2014, with the results from the second survey of public scheduled for publication in the Annual Report 2013/14. The sample of statistics includes statistics from Output Class 2 on statistics on employment and unemployment (such as Household Labour Force statistics), and population statistics (such as statistics from the Census of Population and Dwellings and Output Class 3 on inflation (such as the Consumers Price Index), statistics on the national economy (such as Gross Domestic Product).

Note 17 - Initial results of the second Public survey show a majority of respondents 'almost always' trust economic and business official statistics such as Consumer Price Index and Gross Domestic Product statistics.

Note 18 - Initial results of the second Public survey show a majority of respondents 'almost always' trust official statistics such as labour force or population statistics.

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by Statistics New Zealand in its Annual Report 2014/15.

Current and Past Policy Initiatives

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

The decrease in this new Multi-Category Appropriation for 2014/15 (from the 2013/14 Multi Class Output Expense Appropriation of $115.412 million) is mainly due to the cyclical nature of some of Statistic's New Zealand's activities. Funding for the 2013 post Census Survey ended in 2013/14 and there has been a reduction in the Statistics 2020 programme which fluctuates depending on the work programme. There were also restructure costs in 2013/14 resulting from organisational change to deliver our statistics 2020 vision funded by a fiscally neutral transfer from 2014/15 and 2015/16 Appropriations. This has been partly offset by an increase for both Integrated Data Infrastructure and the Continuation of the New Zealand Population and Social Statistics Programme.