Some rural communities have restricted access to the internet so census data may not be accurate, say Rural Women NZ.
Some rural communities have restricted access to the internet so census data may not be accurate, say Rural Women NZ.
The chances of a rural household without internet or with unreliable internet receiving census paper forms in time for Tuesday, March 6 is slim, and that is concerning.
This year's census is in danger of not providing the data needed to make good decisions, says Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ).
"While we understand and support the excitement of capturing our census data online, our concern is that many people still do not have access to internet while others might not have the capability or capacity to do so," says national president Fiona Gower.
"The timing of the delivery of access code letters, which indicate that New Zealanders can opt for paper forms presents challenges for our rural communities, given that delivery of mail is taking longer and might only be delivered three days a week.
"The chances of a rural household without internet or with unreliable internet, receiving census paper forms in time for Tuesday, March 6 is slim, and that is concerning," she says.
RWNZ is doing everything possible to ensure its networks are aware of the new way of doing the census, although they say more thought should have gone into how the valuable information about the lives and status of New Zealanders would be collected.
"Maybe this year, there could have been a concerted effort to use both electronic collection and paper collection to ensure integrity of the data," says Ms Gower.
