Lakes DHB boss urges locals to complete census

Lakes District Health Board chief executive Ron Dunham. Photo/File

The head of Lakes District Health Board is urging everyone who lives in the area to make sure they fill in the Census.

Census Day is Tuesday, but people can complete the census online, or on the paper form, on or before then. Most people have now received their access code and once they have this letter they are able to do the census online, or call 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) for a paper form.

Lakes DHB chief executive Ron Dunham said it was in the bests interests of health and the DHB to make sure as many people as possible filled out the census form.

"The data that will flow of this year's census will help inform decisions about services and where they should be. We need everyone who lives in the Lakes DHB area to tell Stats NZ that they live here, in our Taupo or Rotorua local body areas, or in Mangakino which is also part of our DHB area. That will mean that the Ministry of Health's Population-Based Funding Formula will provide our DHB with the correct funding to provide healthcare for people using our health services."

Every completed census form provides Lakes DHB with funds for each person each year, for the next five years.

Dunham said people should not worry about privacy issues around filling in the census, as their census information was completely secure and confidential.

He's encouraging all DHB staff to use the full range of their community networks in order to encourage people to take part in the census.

The census is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. What's different about this census is that Stats NZ is hoping to collect most of the census information online.

Dunham said information from the census helped determine how billions of dollars of government funding was spent across New Zealand. It can be used to inform decisions and make plans about services and where they should be, such as hospitals, kōhanga reo, schools, roads, and public transport.

For more information about the census, go to www.census.govt.nz.