All's ship shape for big count

The giant American cruise liner Diamond Princess can hold 4500 passengers and crew.

When it docked at Tauranga in the early hours of this morning, Statistics New Zealand was hoping it also held 4500 completed Census forms.

Like everyone on boats in New Zealand waters yesterday, those on the Diamond Princess were required by law to fill out the forms.

A Statistics NZ staff member was assigned the task of distributing and collecting the forms on the 290m multi-storey ship, and boarded in Dunedin on Sunday.

Although granted free passage by Princess Cruises, the staff member was unlikely to have spent much time lounging in one of the 10 bars or four swimming pools.

"I don't think it's going to be a holiday for them, as envious as we are that they are on a beautiful luxury liner," Statistics NZ spokesman Peter Puchner said yesterday.

The Census area manager for the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel, Mr Puchner said collecting Census data from the Diamond Princess as it sailed towards Tauranga was a huge but necessary task as part of the country's largest logistical exercise.

"Every dwelling and every individual in New Zealand, be it a resident or visitor, is counted," he said. "We travel into all the nooks and crannies of the countryside."

Unconventional means required to get Census forms to people this year included four-wheel-drives, kayaks, a horse and a helicopter.

In the Whakatane district, a man borrowed a horse from a relative to deliver the forms to residents of remote Matahi Valley, while in Wanganui they were dropped by helicopter into an area otherwise accessible only on foot.

Mr Puchner hoped those aboard the Diamond Princess had done their bit for New Zealand history overnight.

Late rush

Census deliveries were still under way last night to all parts of New Zealand as people continued to request the form.

Statistics NZ spokesman Adam Kearney said 98 per cent of New Zealanders had received the papers and about 227,000 had sent their Census through online by 7pm last night.

"We're pretty much there and it's all going to plan at this stage."