People living in Hawke’s Bay who can’t or haven’t filled in the census yet have escaped the prospect of a hefty fine.

The news will come as a relief to many, with Stats NZ assuring Hawke’s Bay residents they won’t face the same large penalties as the rest of the country.

Annette Papuni-McLellan, lead for the Te Ahu Kauawhi taskforce, said that given the impact Cyclone Gabrielle has had on Hawke’s Bay communities, it was decided to not implement the fine or prosecutions process in the region.

“Stats NZ did not want to add to the pressures people are already facing – the focus has been 100% on community-led approaches to support people to take part and be counted in the 2023 Census,” she said.

Stats NZ said it has focused on community outreach and conducting its ground operations respectively and effectively.

“Not everyone has engaged in the census in the same way, and we are adopting approaches to connect with people who have not taken part to date in a way that works for them,” Papuni McLellan said.

A recent campaign offering Warriors tickets for completed census forms has been met with criticism by some, who felt as though it was unfair to those who had already made the effort to complete it on paper or online.

Papuni-McLellan said drawing attention to the census with the help of the Warriors and increasing visibility leading up to Saturday’s game gave more people the opportunity to take part in the census.

Addressing concerns around data discrepancies, she said there were strategies in place to support the data collection from the Hawke’s Bay and Te Tairāwhiti regions, including collecting a minimum level of data from people to ensure they are counted, and key information is collected.

“The 2023 Census is also using a combined census model by design,” she said.

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“This will involve filling in gaps in data on census forms from administrative data and data from previous censuses where possible. Administrative data comes from records held by government agencies, for example, births, deaths, and marriages.”

According to the Data and Statistics Act 2022, people who don’t participate or provide false or incomplete information can be fined $2000, and organisations and agencies that don’t comply face a $12,000 penalty.

Because participation in the census is required under the Statistics Act, this overrides the general requirements of the Privacy Act.

A final decision on which cases are prosecuted, as well as the total number of prosecutions, is made by the Government Statistician.

Many across the motu are in a position to be facing fines, with a previous update this week revealing that 55,000 final notice packs are set to be sent out to non-responding households.

The 2023 Census closes on June 30 with people able to submit their forms online at www.census.govt.nz right up to that date. Paper forms will need to be posted back to arrive with Stats NZ by June 30.