Program Overview

Course Overview

The Official Statistics course, denoted as STAT 451, provides an overview of key areas in Official Statistics. Topics covered include data sources, legal and ethical frameworks, introductory demography, collection and analysis of health, social, and economic data, data visualization, and the system of National Accounts.

Course Details

• Dates: 6 July 2026 to 8 November 2026
• Starts: Trimester 2
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,355.25 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,679.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times: Wednesday, 4:10 pm
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.3 hours per week for 18 weeks
• Points: 15 points

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: STAT 193 (or equivalent), 30 200/300-level points (including STAT 292 or 392 or 439)
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Course Structure

Taught By

The course is taught by the School of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be communicated once the course has begun.

About This Course

This course is taught at a distance with staff from six participating universities and Statistics New Zealand. All components, except for the term test, can be completed online.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Understand the key aspects of Official Statistics.
2. Describe and understand the legal and ethical constraints on organizations producing Official Statistics.
3. Describe the principal methods for data collection, analysis, and interpretation of health, social, and economic data.
4. Use methods for presenting and preparing commentaries on Official Statistics.

How This Course Is Taught

The course is taught by distance learning across six universities, with lectures and tutorials taking place through video conferencing. There is one compulsory in-person term test.

Assessment

• Assignment 1 - Official Statistics, Survey, and Administrative Data: 20%
• Assignment 2 - Demography, Ethics, and Legal Constraints: 20%
• Assignment 3 - Health Statistics and Spatial Data: 20%
• Assignment 4 - Macroeconomics, Environmental Stats, Time Series: 20%
• Term Test: 20%

Lecture Times and Rooms

Specific lecture times and rooms are provided for each period of the course.

What You'll Need to Get

No specific texts or equipment are required for this course.

Past Versions of This Course

Older versions of this course may be accessible through the course archive.