Building on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure

Abstract

Stats NZ established the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to enable longitudinal research into the causes and correlates of social outcomes for New Zealanders. The IDI was established in 2011, building off earlier experiences linking employer and employee data (which itself subsequently formed the basis of another linked database known as the Longitudinal Business Database [LBD]). Data in the IDI form an ‘ever-resident’ Aotearoa New Zealand population of around nine million people. Access to the IDI is available for bona fide researchers so long as they meet established criteria to show that they will keep the data safe and work with it in a culturally appropriate way. This article gives a brief history to the development of the IDI (and the LBD) and shares some lessons learned along the way for the benefit of others starting down this integrated data journey.