(New Zealand Disability Strategy Objective 10: Collect and use relevant information about disabled people and disability issues)

Statistics New Zealand is undertaking initiatives that will provide better information overall on the situations of disabled people, and a basis for better planning to meet their needs:

• the development of the 2011 Census of Population and the 2011 Post-Census Disability Survey: the developmental work now being undertaken will include liaison with disability groups, to ensure the data collected is appropriate information for use by government agencies and community and disability groups
• the publication of reports from the analysis of the 2006 Disability Survey data: reports on Disability and the Labour Market, Disability and Education, Disability and Informal Care, and Disability and Travel and Transport have already been published; the reports yet to be published are Disability and Māori and Disability and Unmet Needs
• a Time Use Survey, collecting information over 2009/2010, which will include information on family carers of disabled people
• an extended analytical programme, using existing data sources, to gather information on the most important family statistics.

Statistics New Zealand also initiated the following actions in 2008/2009, to continue throughout 2009/2010, so disabled people will have better access to the information it has available:

• a review and external audit of Statistics New Zealand’s field interviewer processes, with a specific focus on its customer services provided to survey respondents who have disabilities
• the development of protocols for service delivery to cater for the needs of Statistics New Zealand customers and statistics users who are Deaf.