Dear Statistics NZ OIA Team,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request information relating to the identification of veterans within New Zealand’s national administrative data systems.

Specifically, I request:

Confirmation of whether individuals who meet the definition of “veteran” under the Veterans’ Support Act 2014 can be identified within national datasets held or administered by Statistics New Zealand, including but not limited to the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI).

If such identification is possible, please provide:

a. The datasets or administrative sources used to identify veterans.b. The approximate number of individuals currently identified as veterans within the Integrated Data Infrastructure or related datasets.c. Any data linkage methods used to identify veterans (for example: service records, administrative datasets, or agency-supplied identifiers).d. Any limitations or caveats recorded by Statistics NZ relating to the completeness or reliability of veteran identification in national datasets.

Any reports, research papers, or analytical work undertaken by or for Statistics NZ that estimate the size of the New Zealand veteran population using administrative data.

Any discussions, agreements, or data-sharing arrangements between Statistics NZ and Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand or the New Zealand Defence Force relating to identifying veterans within national datasets.

If the requested information cannot be released in full, I request that any reasonably available information be provided in aggregated or summary form.

If any part of this request is likely to be refused under section 18(f) of the Official Information Act, I would welcome assistance under section 13 to refine the scope of the request.

Kind regards,
Spencer Jones