The government has committed $57.7 million over four years through Budget 2026 to upgrade Stats NZ's 15-year-old Integrated Data Infrastructure.
The funding addresses long-standing performance issues with a system described as old and clunky by officials. It forms part of efforts to improve evidence for social investment decisions across health, education and welfare.
Stats NZ general manager data operations and infrastructure Simon Ross told RNZ the database links de-identified records from multiple agencies and surveys. Researchers access it under strict controls.
"It is old and clunky and that's why we need to upgrade it." — Simon Ross, Stats NZ general manager data operations and infrastructure
The project will replace ageing technology with faster, more reliable infrastructure. It will increase data refresh rates and expand the datasets available for analysis.
A Platform for Social Investment
Minister of Statistics Scott Simpson announced the allocation to meet growing demand for integrated data. The Beehive release frames the spend as support for smarter targeting of public funds.
The IDI was established in 2011 and expanded by Cabinet in 2013. It now holds linked microdata on an ever-resident population covering education, income, justice, health and migration.
Privacy Safeguards Remain Central
Data remains de-identified. Researchers must pass the Five Safes framework covering people, projects, settings, data and outputs. All work occurs in secure labs with results limited to aggregate level.
"So we're going to improve the technology that supports it, we're going to make the system work faster and more reliably, we're going to allow more research to be carried out, we're going to allow more data to be brought in, refresh that data more often and we're going to make it easier for researchers to produce timely evidence." — Simon Ross
Early Stages of a Three-Year Build
The upgrade sits in its early stages with a three-year implementation horizon. It follows earlier incremental expansions and periodic maintenance noted in prior years.
Fiscal benefits hinge on faster policy evaluation. Improved timeliness should help identify effective programmes and redirect resources away from underperforming ones in social spending.
New Zealand's IDI remains a leading example of whole-of-population linked data. The modernisation aims to sustain that position against international peers that have invested more steadily in underlying platforms.
Over the medium term the platform should accelerate evidence cycles for Treasury and line agencies. That in turn supports tighter fiscal discipline through better-informed allocation decisions.
