6 May 2024
Chris Milne
[FYI request #26370 email] Tēnā koe Chris
Official Information Act (OIA) request: Calculation of Māori Electoral Population in Porirua City
On 9 April 2024
, you contacted Stats NZ requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), the following information:
Can you please provide the working papers, underlying calculations and formal notification to
Porirua City Council that supports the Maori Electoral Population figure of 8,220, provided to
the Council as at 30 June 2020.
Please refer to the formula below in the Electoral Act 1993 and provide the figures used to
support the 8,220 number provided to the Council. If you wish to see where this come from
then note that the figure was provided on pages 21 & 22 of the Council's meeting agenda
papers for the meeting of 20 May 2021.
Please provide each number used in the formula below and identify where that number fits in
the calculation below.
Definition of Maori Electoral Population in the Act:
Māori electoral population means a figure representing both the persons registered as electors
of the Māori electoral districts and a proportion of Māori persons who are not registered as
electors of any electoral district and a proportion of Māori persons under the age of 18 years,
which figure must be fixed—
(a) by ascertaining a proportion determined by dividing—
(i) the total number of persons, on counting day, either—
(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts; or
(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts; by
(ii) the total number of Māori persons, on counting day, either—
(A) registered as electors of Māori electoral districts or General electoral districts; or
(B) named on the dormant rolls for Māori electoral districts or General electoral districts; and
(b) by applying the proportion ascertained under paragraph (a) to the total number of
ordinarily resident Māori persons on census day
Please see the attached spreadsheet prepared for Porirua City Council containing information
about the estimated resident Māori Electoral Population, as well as the estimated General
Electoral Population. Also attached is a document with information on how Māori Electoral
Population and General Electoral Population are derived.
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
Please note that the figures provided to Porirua City Council are estimates of resident electoral
populations. The estimated resident population of an area in New Zealand is an estimate of all
people who usually live in that area at a given date. All estimates of population undertaken by
Stats NZ use the “component methodology”, where the components of population change
(births, deaths and migration) are used to update a base population or a previous estimate of
population.
Current estimates use a 2018 base, as this is the most recent available Census data. 2023 Census
data will begin to be available from
29 May 2024, with the electoral populations release
scheduled for 23 October 2024. The definition of electoral populations you have referred to
relates to calculations of actual population based on Census data, not estimates. For more
information on how Stats NZ calculates electoral populations from Census data, please see:
The-mathematics-of-electoral-district-allocation-in-new-zealand-based-on-the-outcome-of-the-
2018-census-and-maori-electoral-option-2018.pdf (stats.govt.nz)
and
Deriving-the-2018-maori-descent-electoral-population.pdf
The electoral population estimates provided to Porirua City Council used the updated population
estimates, assuming the same proportion of Māori enrolment in Māori or general roll as of 2018
Census. The Māori electoral population at 30 June 2020 is obtained by applying a ratio to the
estimated resident population of Māori descent at 30 June 2020; this ratio is attained by dividing
the number of people of Māori descent who were on the Māori electoral roll by the number of
people of Māori descent who were on either the general or Māori electoral roll. These figures
are provided to us by the Electoral Commission and are publicly available on their website:
Enrolment by local council - Porirua City | Elections. Should you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact Stats NZ at:
[email address]. If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to seek an investigation and review
by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
It is Stats NZ’s policy to proactively release its responses to official information requests where
possible. This letter, with your personal details removed, will be published on the Stats NZ website.
Publishing responses creates greater openness and transparency of government decision-making
and helps better inform public understanding of the reasons for decisions.
Nāku noa, nā
Mike Webb
Senior Manager – Executive & Government Relations | Office of the Chief Executive
Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa
stats.govt.nz
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
