Citizens of New Zealand have enthusiastically used the option of filling in the 2013 census online.

The online option, introduced in the previous census in 2006, had been used by more than 1.7 million citizens by 6 March, the day after the census was released. Filling the form online is not only more convenient for many residents, but also less time-consuming, since the online form is automatically modified based on a respondent’s answers.

“Statistics New Zealand’s census website operated without any issues”, said Maurice Williamson, Statistics Minister of New Zealand. “At its peak, it was handling about 130,000 forms per hour, well within the system’s capacity”.

Statistics New Zealand, the government department responsible for conducting the census, aimed to have 35 per cent of respondents, or 2 million people, use the online option for participating in the census. In Australia, 30 per cent of forms were completed online in the 2011 census.

The 2013 New Zealand census is on its way to achieving its online target. The online form will be live for at least a fortnight after census day.

Citizens of New Zealand are legally required to participate in the census, facing fine of up to $500 if they fail to answer the survey.