Media Release

3 March 2011

Destroy completed census forms, dispose of blank ones

Statistics New Zealand is advising people to dispose of their blank census forms, or if they’ve already completed the paper forms, to destroy them.

Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson and Government Statistician Geoff Bascand recently announced the decision not to hold the 2011 Census of 8 March in the wake of the tragic Christchurch earthquake. The Governor-General has since revoked the formal Proclamation of 8 March 2011 as the Census Date.

This means there is no longer a legal obligation to fill in and return any census forms already delivered. Census collectors will not be returning to pick up any forms.

“Our advice to people who have had census forms delivered to them is to recycle them, if they’re not filled in, or if you have filled in your form, to destroy the forms to ensure your information stays private,” says 2011 Census General Manager, Dr Carol Slappendel.

Dr Slappendel would like to thank everyone who had already returned their forms – either online or on paper.

“At the time the decision was made not to hold the 2011 Census, about seventy thousand people had already completed their forms online. We had also received a number of completed paper forms. This information will be held securely by Statistics New Zealand, just as it would have been if the census had gone ahead,” says Dr Slappendel.

A decision on the next census has yet to be made.

ENDS

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