Residents of Oamaru will soon be given details of how to take
part online in the New Zealand census on March 5.
Oamaru has been chosen by Statistics New Zealand to act as a
''special administrative area'' for the census, the first
since 2006, to test a way of streamlining the process for
2018.
The census was to have been held in 2011 but was postponed
because of the Christchurch earthquakes.
Statistics New Zealand strategy and development unit project
manager Phillippa Kidd said most residents would be expected
to take part solely online, but there would still be an
opportunity for those who wanted to fill in forms to do so.
''There will be parts of the very north of Oamaru that are
still under the old process, where a collector will be out on
the streets from February 16, delivering paper forms and
internet access codes,'' she said.
''But for most of Oamaru and the area out to Weston, down to
Thousand Acre Rd, fromFebruary 21, those people will start to
receive a letter in the mail that will have all the
information they need to go online and complete their census
form.''
Mrs Kidd said those residents who still wanted to fill in
paper forms would be given a contact number to call, to
request that forms be posted out.
- andrew.ashton@odt.co.nz
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