The New Zealand government has recently authorized and funded a national agency, StatisticsNZ, to create a new resource, the New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure (NZ-IDI). NZ-IDI merges electronic administrative data for every resident—including administrative records from the National Health System, Justice System and Police, Motor Vehicles and Driver's License, Education System, Housing System, Social Welfare Benefits, Accident Compensation Insurance Claims, Income Tax Returns, the 2013 National Census, registers of Births, Deaths, Marriages and De-facto unions, broader movements in and out of the country and other data sources—creating an untapped resource of great scientific potential.
There are eight broad categories of data in the IDI:
- Health data – one of the largest categories of data available for research in the IDI. Health spans a wide range of datasets cancer registrations, chronic conditions, B4 school checks, pharmaceuticals, mental health and addiction, laboratory claims, mortality, and more.
- Education and training data – includes education levels from early childhood education participation, through primary, secondary, tertiary, adult competency assessments, and industry training.
- Benefits and social services data – includes data on benefits, youth services, CAP, WFF, CYF, ACC injury claims, student loans and allowances, and family start.
- Justice data – includes microdata from corrections, Ministry of Justice, and police records.
- People and communities data – includes data from Auckland City mission and transportation (drivers licences and motor vehicle registrations), as well as data from the following surveys: Immigration NZ’s migrant surveys, Longitudinal Immigration Survey of New Zealand, general social survey, disability survey, and Te Kupenga.
- Population data – contains information on border movements, visa applications, departure and arrival cards, as well as personal details such as births, deaths, marriages, and civil unions.
- Income and work data – includes microdata on tax and income, as well as survey data on income (from New Zealand income survey); household labour force (HLFS); family, income, and employment (SoFIE); and household economics (HES).
- Housing data – includes tenancy and social housing information.