99.1% response rate in New Zealand's 2023 Census exceeds target, utilizing hybrid data collection.

New Zealand's Statistics New Zealand achieved a 99.1% response rate in the 2023 Census, exceeding the 98% target coverage rate. The agency combined government administrative data with responses from 4.4 million New Zealanders, resulting in a census dataset covering around 5.0 million people in Aotearoa New Zealand. This hybrid approach demonstrates the potential for New Zealand to shift away from traditional census data collection.