This privacy impact assessment (PIA) is for using the General Social Survey (GSS) to collect and produce information on the wellbeing of people aged 15 years and over in Aotearoa New Zealand.
To request access to the Privacy impact assessment for the General Social Survey 2026/2027, please contact [email protected] providing a brief explanation about the reason why access is required.
Recommendations from Stats NZ’s privacy team
We recommend that:
- Ensure the Certification and Accreditation (C&A) or provisional approval for Salesforce is completed before the GSS goes live.
- Follow disposal practices and requirements and contact the Data and Information Management (DAIM) Unit for guidance if necessary. Observe Data and Information Management Policy and associated procedure.
- Ensure the GSS content on the Stats NZ public website includes a clear statement that information collected through the survey may be integrated into the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI).
- Storage in the Australian cloud is in line with New Zealand government direction, and Stats NZ Data Offshoring Policy, if the New Zealand cloud is unable to be utilised. Once Stats NZ can move data to the New Zealand cloud, the data must be moved. Ensure contractual arrangements are in place to prevent unauthorised use or unauthorised disclosure of the information.
Summary
The General Social Survey (GSS) provides information on the wellbeing of people aged 15 years and over in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is part of a suite of integrated household surveys run by Stats NZ, conducted under the programme of Official Social Statistics. GSS data is used to inform government policies, social development strategies, and national reporting on the wellbeing of New Zealanders. It also contributes towards four categories of Tier 1 statistics – principles and protocols – statistics deemed essential for understanding how well New Zealand is doing:
- overall social and economic outcomes
- housing
- social cohesion
- culture and identity.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, as in other developed countries, there has been a growing demand for information on the social wellbeing of the population.
The objectives of the GSS are to:
- provide a picture of wellbeing for New Zealanders
- understand and monitor the distribution of wellbeing across population groups of interest
- support analysis of changes in wellbeing over time
- contribute to understanding the interrelationships between different aspects of wellbeing.
Since its introduction in 2008, the GSS has been carried out as designed every two years – with two exceptions. The first in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown delayed collection by one year to 2021. And the second when Stats NZ decided to not run the GSS in 2025/2026 while exploring options for collecting wellbeing data alongside making decisions about the design of the next census. Consequently, the last GSS was collected in 2023, by Reach Aotearoa on behalf of Stats NZ.
In July 2025, it was announced that Stats NZ will collect wellbeing data via the existing GSS survey vehicle for 2026/2027, using a similar approach to what was done in 2023/2024. While other options, including multimode, were considered, rerunning the GSS was identified as the most achievable way to meet the timeframes and deliver data to customers as promised. Beyond this, Stats NZ will continue working through what wellbeing statistics will look like in the future, alongside detailed planning for the new census model. More information on this can be found here: Modernising the census.
General Social Survey (GSS) – Stats NZ DataInfo+ has more information about the GSS.
ISBN 978-1-991431-37-0 (online)
