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Good morning.

It is a pleasure to be here at the Fourth Data Hui.  As Minister of Statistics, I see these event as a golden opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities we all face in the modern data environment.

I often talk about the magic of statistics.  To me, that means data and statistics have the power to inform and enhance many areas of our lives, helping NGOs, businesses and government make better decisions.

Improving the availability of quality information about New Zealand’s disabled community will lead to better decision-making by government agencies, Statistics Minister Craig Foss and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner say.

The Ministers today opened consultation on the development of a Disability Plan to ensure government agencies have the data necessary to make informed, evidence-based policy decisions.

New Zealand’s world-leading research database continues to grow with the inclusion of new data from the transport sector, Statistics Minister Craig Foss says.

The Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) holds a wealth of information, including anonymised tax, education, welfare, migration, crime and health data. 

“The IDI is a kind of data warehouse — it brings together information about people, households and businesses from across the public sector and combines it with data from the census and other Statistics NZ surveys,” Mr Foss says.

Statistics NZ is taking another step toward being ‘digital by default’ by moving three more business surveys online, Statistics Minister Craig Foss says.

The three surveys — Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing, Quarterly Wholesale Trade Survey and Quarterly Business Survey — are now available online for the June 2016 quarter.

Statistics Minister Craig Foss is counting down the days until the 2018 Census — 613.

The Government Statistician today announced, by proclamation from the Governor General, that the next census will be held on Tuesday 6 March 2018.

“The census provides the Government, iwi, businesses and our communities with robust and independent data that is invaluable for making smart evidence-based decisions,” Mr Foss says.

Statistics and Small Business Minister Craig Foss is welcoming a new online data tool that will help businesses grow and thrive by providing easily accessible and understandable data.

Officially launched today, Business Figures is the result of an innovative public-private partnership between Figure.NZ, ASB Bank and Statistics NZ.

Statistics Minister Craig Foss is welcoming a new website that enables New Zealanders to easily find and use government data.

“Data that is, and will be, available from across government is incredibly valuable. The new Statistics NZ innovation website is about creating more opportunities for New Zealanders to find and benefit from information held by the Government,” Mr Foss says.

“The website is a test bed for users to look at information, play with it and provide feedback on how it can be improved.