Northland's Mitamitaga Waka club features in census video

A Northland waka ama club is featuring in a video promoting the 2018 Census which will give New Zealanders the chance to fill out their forms online for the first time.

The census is run every five years and is the country's official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. On March 6, Kiwis will have the chance to go online and be part of the snapshot.

In the build-up to the big day there is a series of online videos that encourage participation in the census and one of those features the Mitamitaga Waka Ama club based on the Tutukaka Coast. The videos are aimed at representing unique individuals in their place of belonging.

They show something that each person cares deeply about and also celebrate New Zealanders and send a message that the census is for everyone, especially those who may feel as though it may not apply to them.

A Wellington-based film crew travelled to Kowharewa Bay late last year and spent two days filming club members as they went about their training in the build-up to the national sprint champs to create the minute-long video.

Mitamitaga Club secretary Michelle Chapman said it was a great opportunity to help promote the census as well as the sport which was growing in popularity.

"It shows no matter what walk of life you come from the census is for everyone."

Census communications senior adviser Nancy Linton said this year it was hoped to collect most of the census information online. An access code would be delivered to every household in New Zealand. Paper forms would still be available for those who prefer them.

The code would allow the set-up of forms for everyone in the household using a tablet, phone, or desktop computer. Everyone will be able to complete their own information securely, without other people in the household seeing each other's responses.

Census information is used to produce the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand and to produce population, social and economic statistics at a community and small population group level.

The last census in 2013 found there were 151,692 people usually living in Northland - an increase of 3222 people, or 2.2 per cent, on the 2006 Census - and 3.6 per cent of New Zealand's population.