The importance of collecting data carefully

This article is part of the Reflecting on Pride Month, HRNZ News Special Edition, written by  Amy Clarke (she/her) – HRNZ’s Manager, Professional Standards and Development. If you have a story to share or feedback we’d love to hear from you. Please email [email protected].

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Advocating for the collection of correct data (particularly around sex and gender) is an awesome step HR can take in helping make their workplaces safe and empowering for rainbow people.

Sharing personal information has been a complex topic for the rainbow community, particularly for our transgender, nonbinary and intersex whanau, and it’s important for all HR practitioners to understand the sensitivity around data, and how and what they should be collecting.

Stats NZ has a series of standards (developed through a review process with extensive public consultation, input from government agencies, international peers, and the support of an external advisory group including subject matter experts and community advocates) that provide guidance for data collection in your organisation.  

For more on this, including a helpful table that outlines when you should be collecting data on things like sex, gender and sexuality, as well as definitions of all of these and more, check out the following:

Toolbox

• Statistical standard for gender, sex, and variations of sex characteristics (Stats NZ)
• Statistical Standard for Sexual identity (Stats NZ)
• Sexual orientation (framework)