The Social Report uses a set of statistical indicators to monitor trends across 10 "domains”, or areas of people’s lives. Together these domains provide a picture of wellbeing and quality of life in New Zealand.
The Social Report 2008 is the seventh in the annual series. It builds on the social monitoring framework first established by The Social Report 2001 and uses the same domains as those used last year. The regional and territorial authority information, provided for the first time in 2005, has been updated on the social report website (www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz). The regional information is also published in companion books to The Social Report 2008 (The Social Report 2008 Regional Indicators). As well as providing the most recent data for regions and territorial authorities, we include time series information where it is available. This allows councils and others working locally to assess progress over time and to compare themselves with other regions. The regional information is a core part of the social report and we will continue to update it.