Undercounted, Underserved — Time to Rebuild Aotearoa’s Statistical Foundation.

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Pacific Perspectives Ltd has contributed to the Public Health Communication Centre Briefings: “Rebuilding Aotearoa’s Statistical Foundation: Toward Fairer Outcomes for Pacific Peoples.” 

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For decades, Pacific communities have been systematically undercounted in official statistics—affecting everything from health funding to service planning. The consequences are real: distorted data has contributed to inequities in access, visibility, and outcomes. 

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With Stats NZ proposing an admin data-first census model for 2028, our Briefing raises urgent concerns about whether this approach can deliver fair and accurate results—especially for Pacific peoples, who are among the most mobile and underserved populations. 

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In this publication, we call for a shift toward a centralised, event-based, person-centred population register. This IT solution would improve accuracy, reduce duplication, support Māori and Pacific data sovereignty, and create a trusted foundation for equitable policy and planning. 

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We focus on the implications for Pacific communities—but the benefits of this system would extend across the entire population.