Green Party leader and Statistics Minister James Shaw. New Zealand Herald photograph by Nick Reed.
Green Party leader and Statistics Minister James Shaw. New Zealand Herald photograph by Nick Reed.
Statistics Minister James Shaw says high school insults directed at him over having two mothers shows the need for stigma-breaking questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in the census.
Shaw has written to Stats New Zealand chief executive Liz MacPherson to confirm gathering better data on gender identity, sexual orientation and biological sex is a priority for him.
The Green Party leader said when he took the portfolio following the change of government it was too late to include questions in this year's census, but he wanted work to gather pace to include questions in the 2023 version.
From the age of 12, Shaw was raised by two women after his mother Cynthia began a relationship with a fellow teacher.
"I remember when I was in high school - I know teenagers are horrible to each other about everything - but people were kind of mean about the fact I came from a same-sex family.
"Gathering this kind of information in these surveys – the census and other surveys – and getting that information out there just helps to normalise that this is who we are as a country.
"And it helps bring down those walls of discrimination, and bullying and stigma. People in the rainbow community have been feeling marginalised by the absence of this kind of data-gathering."
Shaw will talk about the push to include gender identity and sexual orientation census questions at today's Big Gay Out at Point Chevalier's Coyle Park. The annual event will be held rain or shine, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will also speak.
Shaw said he was disappointed questions couldn't be included in this year's census.
"And I know the chief statistician [MacPherson] is very disappointed. They put work into it but they couldn't get it over the line. I think that she and I feel very keenly that this, in many ways, is about continuing to normalise this community - and people like my parents."
As an interim option in this year's census, people who want to indicate their biological sex is neither male nor female will be able to request a paper form and mark both "male" and "female".
MacPherson has previously said the decision not to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity was made for purely statistical reasons.
Questions about sex (with a third response option), gender identity and sexual orientation were included in the testing programme for the 2018 census. Results did not give statisticians confidence in collecting accurate and usable data, with facetious responses and those made in error.
Instead, sexual orientation information will be included in Stats NZ's general social survey this year. In previous testing, Stats NZ said the non-heterosexual populations were smaller than the number of respondents who did not answer the question, or indicated they preferred not to answer. There was also some negative feedback, indicating sensitivity to answering questions on the topic.
Shaw said he was hopeful such issues could be overcome, and people who might be uncomfortable about the state enquiring about their sexual orientation shouldn't worry.
"The state is gathering a lot of different types of information about us. And I think we are lucky in New Zealand that we have a pretty benign state and that information is put to good use.
"The data is anonymised and aggregated so it gives us a picture. For people who feel uncomfortable about it, this isn't us knowing about you personally. It is about having information about the population."
The census is held every five years, and is the official count of people and dwellings in New Zealand. Through a set of questions about people and their households, statisticians aim to capture a snapshot of who is living in, and visiting, New Zealand.
New questions in this year's census include whether a person's home is damp or mouldy.
The Auckland Pride Parade at Ponsonby Rd, Auckland in 2017. Photo / Dean Purcell
There's still plenty on at the Auckland Pride Festival this week:
• Deck out your bike for Ride with Pride. Starting at Quay St at 10.15am today, cycle along the Pink Path and the Rainbow Path all the way to Coyle Park.
• The Big Gay Out is on there from midday until 7pm with market stalls, a garden bar, dance tent and entertainment on the main stage.
• Then next weekend is the fabulous Pride Parade as a showcase of floats, groups and entertainers make their way down Ponsonby Rd from 7.30pm.
