Minister celebrates first World Statistics Day

World Statistics Day is marked tomorrow, highlighting the importance of Statistics New Zealand's data gathering and analysis, Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson says.

Tonight in celebration of the first United Nations mandated World Statistics Day the Minister and Statistics New Zealand will release the latest New Zealand Official Yearbook at a ceremony in the Beehive.

The yearbook celebrates diversity as well as providing an important historical reference to life in New Zealand in 2010.

Mr Williamson says statistics are important in informing decision making and measuring both the country's progress, but the growth of global development.

"Government uses official statistics to help make decisions around where and how to invest in public services. Statistics also help measure the success of those decisions."

"They also record our past and tell the story of our country," Mr Williamson says.

Mr Williamson said government departments are being encouraged to make more of the statistics they collect available for more people to use.

That will create greater transparency in government and more people will benefit from the sharing of facts and data.

"As more data becomes available more innovative ideas - and not just from the public sector - will be generated," Mr Williamson says.