KEY POINTS:
Q. Many businesses would benefit from knowing how consumers are spending their money and changes in spending patterns. Can Statistics NZ help?
A. Yes. We produce household spending statistics which break information down into broad expenditure groups free of charge. Last week, Statistics Minister Clayton Cosgrove announced that before the end of this year household spending statistics broken down into finer detail will be made available free of charge. This is information that can be analysed, for example, by consumers income group or demographics.
Q. How does this data practically assist firms to do more and better business?
A. Retailers and manufacturers can use household expenditure information, when taken together with other information such as on retail sales, to better understand their market and market share position.
Q. In terms of the more detailed household expenditure information being made free, when will that happen and what sort of savings are we talking about compared with the current regime?
A. This information will be available free to download from www.stats.govt.nz from December 2007. The typical cost to access customised information about household expenditure is about $800 plus GST.
Q. Some businesses are also interested in immigration and visitor data. What do you provide to businesses?
A. Statistics NZ's population estimates and projections series and more detailed information about current and future population will also become available free of charge over the next year or so.
Q. What other free information is available to businesses and what is the timetable for enhanced versions of these series being rolled out free-to-users?
A. The Budget decision will enable us to make available trade statistics at a detailed commodity level. The Information Network For Official Statistics database has information on a time series basis that is available after official statistics are released. The minimum fee for INFOS is $600 plus GST a year and users pay for information they specifically access. From mid-2008, access to INFOS will be free. Statistics NZ's information centre number is 0508-525-525. Calls are toll-free in New Zealand.
