3 June 2025
H Carter
[FYI request #30615 email]
Tēnā koe H Carter
Official Information Act (OIA) request: Fertility rate and population data
On 7 May 2025
, your Official Information Act request was transferred from the Office of Hon
Dr Shane Reti to Stats NZ, following a partial transfer of your request from the Office of Hon
Simeon Brown. You requested, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the
following information:
•
The latest available fertility rate data, detailed by each Te Whatu Ora district,
including any analysis or reports highlighting trends related to declining birth rates
over the past five years. Please include sources, methodologies, and criteria used to
collect and analyse this data. (Likely to be addressed by Health and Statistics New
Zealand.)
•
The most recent population pyramid data and demographic projections, with
breakdowns by age, gender, and district. Please include any cross-agency studies,
reports, or reviews examining demographic shifts, their implications, and proposed
responses. (Primarily Statistics New Zealand, Health, and Immigration.)
For ease of reference, I will respond to each of your questions in turn.
•
The latest available fertility rate data, detailed by each Te Whatu Ora district,
including any analysis or reports highlighting trends related to declining birth rates
over the past five years. Please include sources, methodologies, and criteria used to
collect and analyse this data. (Likely to be addressed by Health and Statistics New
Zealand.)
Your request is refused under section 18(f) of the Act on the basis that substantial collation
and research would be required to supply the requested information. As the information you
have requested is not regularly produced or published by Stats NZ, it may be created from
the raw data held by Stats NZ, upon receipt of a customised data request. Please note that
there is a
standard charge of $155 plus GST per hour for customised data requests. If you
would like to proceed with a request, one can be made through contacting Stats NZ’s
Information Centre through one of the following methods:
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
• By phone – 0508 525 525
• By email –
[email address]
•
Online form
However, while Stats NZ does not publish fertility rate data by Te Whatu Ora Health District,
you may be interested in the age specific and total fertility rates by regional council area.
The most recent data, published on 15 May 2025 for the year ended March 2025, can be
found
here.
You can find the table ‘
Regional fertility rates: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2018, and 2023’
under the title ‘
Download data’.
General methodology used to produce birth statistics, and related meta data is available
here.
You may also be interested in the following methodology-type papers that Stats NZ has
produced available here:
•
Measuring Fertility - Stats NZ publications - Stats NZ Store House
•
Parenting and fertility trends in New Zealand: 2018 | Stats NZ
Should you have any technical enquires I encourage you to contact Rebekah Hennessey,
Insights Analyst, via email at
[email address] or by calling 03 964 8844.
•
The most recent population pyramid data and demographic projections, with
breakdowns by age, gender, and district. Please include any cross-agency studies,
reports, or reviews examining demographic shifts, their implications, and proposed
responses. (Primarily Statistics New Zealand, Health, and Immigration.)
Your request for the most recent population pyramid data is refused under section 18(d) of
the Act as this information is publicly available here. This information can be found
here.
Your request for the most recent demographic projections, with breakdowns by age, gender,
and district can be found
here. Stats NZ also has population projections metadata available
here.
With regard to your request of Stats NZ for any cross-agency studies, reports, or reviews
examining demographic shifts, their implications, and proposed responses, your request is
refused under request for this information is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as this
information does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
Stats NZ’s products inform a wide range of government service-planning and policy. There may
be other government agencies with a health and social outcomes focus that can provide copies
of such studies you are interested in. However, Stats NZ, is unable to advise of a single agency
to transfer your request, as the question is not specific enough to consider an appropriate
agency.
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
Matt Phimmavanh
Principal Advisor – Executive & Government Relations | Office of the Chief Executive
Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa
stats.govt.nz
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
