Media release

For immediate use

15 February 2011

Come to Your Census

A campaign to encourage communities to complete their census forms online was launched today by the 2020 Communications Trust. The campaign is called “Come to Your Census” (www.steppingup.org.nz).

Spokesperson for the 2020 Trust, Laurence Zwimpfer, said the aim of “Come to Your Census” is to enable people who have participated in the Trust’s Computers in Homes and Stepping UP programmes to use their digital skills to complete the census. People with an internet connection at home can complete their census forms after they receive their documents, that are being hand-delivered by 7000 collectors throughout New Zealand, from this Saturday 19 February. People who do not feel confident completing their forms online at home are invited to go to a nearby community access site on census day, Tuesday 8 March, where volunteers will help them connect to the census site (www.census.govt.nz).

“We are encouraging any organisation with one or more internet-connected computers to open their doors to the people in their local community on Census day, Tuesday 8 March between 9am and 7pm (schools 4-7pm),” said Mr Zwimpfer. “These community access sites could be schools, libraries, churches, workplaces, community centres, citizens’ advice bureaux, SeniorNet centres, food banks, tertiary institutions or marae.” People need to bring both the census paper forms and the Internet Access Code delivered to them by collectors to complete their census forms online at a community access site.

We are focusing our campaign in our Computers in Homes regions that cover about half of all households, i.e. Far North, Whangarei, Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Porirua, Wellington, Wairoa, Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Christchurch, West Coast and Dunedin.

“We think this is an excellent way that people, who have benefitted from the government-supported Computers in Homes programme, can use their digital skills to demonstrate the benefits of having an online connection,” said Mr Zwimpfer. “Both our Computers in Homes and Stepping UP programmes aim to give people the confidence to do more online, and this includes completing forms. Even people who are digitally literate may hesitate to complete the forms online and our message is to ‘give it a go! If you are feeling a bit unsure, come to a nearby community access site, where someone can help you get connected.”

In the last census in 2006, only 7% of census forms were completed online. Statistics NZ is hoping this will increase to 30% for this year’s census.

“We would like to see even more in our target areas,” concluded Mr Zwimpfer.

Organisations willing to provide a Community Access Site for census online forms can register at the Stepping UP website: http://www.steppingup.org.nz

About Computers in Homes

Computers in Homes aims to connect parents with their children’s learning by building parent’s digital skills and online confidence. Parents or grandparents with school-aged children receive 20 hours of basic computer and internet training, usually at their child’s school, and upon completion take home a refurbished computer. The family also receives a fully-funded internet connection for 6 months and ongoing technical support. The Computers in Homes programme is managed by the 2020 Communications Trust and supported by the government’s digital literacy and connection fund.

About Stepping UP

Stepping UP is an ICT (information and communications technology) training programme targeted at people in Computers in Homes communities, encouraging them to ‘step up’ and use their digital skills to access further learning and enhance their job opportunities. The programme is managed by the 2020 Communications Trust and supported by Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential global initiative.

About 2020 Communications Trust

The 2020 Communications Trust was established by Wellington City Council in 1996 to develop the digital skills of Wellington citizens. In 2001, the Trust expanded its scope to cover all digitally disadvantaged communities throughout New Zealand.
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