Where we live versus where we work

Stats NZ has developed a series of maps focusing on where people are living and working in New Zealand. To do this, we have used the count of employed people, mapped by their stated usual residence (home) and workplace addresses. We only used data for people who stated they were in full- or part-time employment and were over 15 years old in the 2018 Census.

We have presented the data at the statistical area 1 (SA1) level, using publicly available, confidentialised data. SA1 is the smallest geographic area available for population data from the 2018 Census data.

We have produced a map for the main metropolitan centre in each of the country’s regions. The maps are ordered from north to south – the first is of Whangārei, in the Northland region; the last is of Invercargill in Southland. These maps show us that, in general, New Zealanders do not live and work in the same place. Instead, we commute to our workplaces, which are usually in a central business district or in commercial or industrial areas.

Note: These maps are not designed to be detailed analytical tools; rather they show spatial patterns of where people live and work.

How the maps work

To show both usual residence and workplace locations on a single map, we have used a mapping technique called bivariate  dot density  mapping. ‘Bivariate’ means mapping two variables at once. The dots on the map reflect the population count and population density.

The more dots there are in an area, the more people there are, and the closer together the dots are, the greater the population density. Blue dots show us where people live, while orange dots show us where people work. Due to the large variation in population counts across the main regional centres, the dot to person ratio changes for each map.

Dots representing proportions of the usually resident and employed populations are placed randomly within the SA1. As a result, dot location does not correspond to an actual location (for example, a building).

About the 2018 Census dataset

We combined data from the census forms with administrative data to create the 2018 Census dataset, which meets Stats NZ’s quality criteria for population structure information.

We added real data about real people to the dataset where we were confident the people should be counted but hadn’t completed a census form. We also used data from the 2013 Census and administrative sources and statistical imputation methods to fill in some missing characteristics of people and dwellings.

 Data quality for 2018 Census  provides more information on the quality of the 2018 Census data. An independent panel of experts has assessed the quality of the 2018 Census dataset. The panel has endorsed Stats NZ’s overall methods and concluded that the use of government administrative records has improved the coverage of key variables such as age, sex, ethnicity, and place.

The panel’s  Initial Report of the 2018 Census External Data Quality Panel (September 2019) , assessed the methodologies used by Stats NZ to produce the final dataset, as well as the quality of some of the key variables. Its second report  2018 Census External Data Quality Panel: Assessment of variables (December 2019)  assessed an additional 31 variables.

In its third report,  Final report of the 2018 Census External Data Quality Panel , the panel made 24 recommendations, several relating to preparations for the 2023 Census. Along with this report, the panel, supported by Stats NZ, produced a series of graphs summarising the sources of data for key 2018 Census individual variables,  2018 Census External Data Quality Panel: Data sources for key 2018 Census individual variables .

 Quick guide to the 2018 Census (updated 16 September 2019)  outlines the key changes we introduced as we prepared for the 2018 Census and the changes we made once collection was complete.

The geographic boundaries are as at 1 January 2018. See  Statistical standard for geographic areas 2018 .

Definitions and metadata

 2018 Census – DataInfo+  provides information about methods and related metadata.

 2018 Census information by variable 

 and quality - DataInfo+  provides information about the variables and their quality.

 Data quality ratings for 2018 

 Census variables  provides information on data quality ratings.