Countdown starts to Census

HINERANGI VAIMOSO
Door-to-door knocking may not be everyone's ideal job, but for Census worker Susie Shaw, doing it once every five years is not a problem.
Mrs Shaw is one of 21 district collectors that will be involved in collecting information between the Napier-Taupo highway and Martinborough for the Census on March 7.
This year will be the third time Mrs Shaw would have been involved in the Census data collection and she says that, like anything, "the first time is always the scariest".
She started her involvement with the head count of New Zealand at Arrowtown in 1996, collected information in Carterton in 2001, and will do the same this year.
"I saw the position advertised in the paper and the timing was perfect, I figured because I was new to the area this would be a good way to get to know my way around," Mrs Shaw said.
Like many of the 21 district collectors, who are in between jobs or prefer contract work, it was all about timing for Susie after just selling her homeware business in Featherston and looking for something to keep her occupied. Susie said in her line of work there is a chance she may come across reluctant residents or big dogs but she insists the training techniques are suitable to ensure collectors can deal with any sticky situations.
"You've just got to keep calm and explain to people how the statistics would affect them personally, tell them if they don't fill it out there may not be enough schools built and there may not be a hospital."
Statistics New Zealand needs the 6500 collectors to deliver and collect census forms to the approximately 4.2 million people living in 1.6 million homes.
Every person in the country, including visitors, must take part in the census on that day.
"It's a massive logistical exercise and the largest peacetime activity that New Zealand ever carries out," Government Statistician Brian Pink said.
Mr Pink said the operation covered a five-week period and collectors were needed who were flexible in the hours they could work so they could visit people at home.
"As well as houses, collectors will visit motels, hotels, hospitals, caravans, tents and huts as people are counted wherever they are living on census night."
The five-yearly census is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand.
Each collector calls on 250-300 houses and the pay is about $850-$1800. For the first time this year, people will be able to complete their census forms over the internet.