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New Zealand Health Survey

The New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) is an important data collection tool for monitoring the health of the population. The data collected is an important source of evidence for health service planning, and policy and strategy development.

Overview

The New Zealand Health Survey collects information on a wide range of topics covering health behaviours and risk factors, health conditions, health status and health service use. Data are collected face-to-face via trained interviewers in the participants’ homes. Best-practice survey techniques are employed throughout the survey and numerous steps taken to ensure that the data collected are as high quality and robust as possible.

In the past, the NZHS was repeated at regular intervals to monitor people’s health, measure access to health services and to help develop health policies, programmes and services that better meet the needs of New Zealanders. The NZHS was conducted in 1992/93, 1996/97, 2002/03 and 2006/07.

From April 2011, the NZHS and the various surveys that were part of the wider survey programme (eg, Adult and Child Nutrition Surveys, Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use Surveys, Te Rau Hinengaro [the New Zealand Mental Health Survey] and the Oral Health Survey) have been integrated into a single survey, which will be in continuous operation.

The New Zealand Health Survey objectives and topic areas paper explains the rationale for moving to an integrated continuous survey. It also contains more information about the objectives and content of the NZHS.

Previous Health Surveys

Below is some information on the three most recent health surveys:

The New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07

For the 2006/07 Zealand Health Survey (NZHS), comprehensive health information was collected from more than 17,000 New Zealanders – 12,488 adults and 4922 children – from October 2006 to November 2007. This included more than 5000 Maori, 1800 Pacific peoples and more than 2000 Asian people of all ages, making it the largest survey of New Zealanders’ health to date.

The New Zealand Health Survey 2002/03

The 2002/03 NZHS involved 12,929 adults aged 15 years and over, including 4369 Maori, 910 Pacific and 1173 Asian people. Data were collected from September 2002 to January 2004 using face-to-face interviewing.

The New Zealand Health Survey 1996/97

The 1996/97 NZHS involved 7862 adults, comprising 1321 Maori, 645 Pacific people and 5896 European/Other. Data were collected from October 1996 to October 1997.

Data and statistics

There are four main ways of getting data and statistics from the New Zealand Health Survey.

  1. The Health of New Zealanders section contains the key results from the surveys.
  2. Data tables are available online with key results in Excel format:
  3. Further analysis of survey results can be requested in some circumstances. Please email hdi@moh.govt.nz if you are interested in getting further analysis done.
  4. Survey microdata from the 1996/97, 2002/03 and 2006/07 New Zealand Health Surveys are available to researchers for their own research projects, subject to certain conditions.

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You may have come to this website because you have been invited to take part in the New Zealand Health Survey.

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Page last updated: 23 March 2011