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What you need to know

The New Zealand Household Travel Survey measures the travel New Zealanders do by asking everyone in randomly selected households to record their travel over 2 days.  

The results offer valuable insights into how, when and why New Zealanders travel and how this changes. It provides vital information for developing road safety, roading, public transport, pedestrian and cycling policies.

The survey has run in a range of forms since 1989, mainly focusing on a 2 day travel diary. In 2015, the methodology was changed to collect 7 days of travel information. However, in July 2018 we changed this back to 2 days to make it easier for participants and get better data quality. 

Note: Under the COVID-19 Protection Framework, face to face surveying only occurs in areas at traffic light settings Orange and Green, and has shifted to contactless doorstep recruitment and subsequent interviewing over internet video conference or via phone at Red. If you have been recruited into the Household Travel Survey, and have any questions about this, please contact the survey company (Reach Aotearoa, formerly CBG Health Research) via the contact details provided in your recruitment pack. For more general information about the traffic light system (COVID-19 Protection Framework), please see https://covid19.govt.nz/

The work to date

08
Jul 2018–Present

Household Travel Survey methodology updated

From July 2018, we changed the survey back to a face to face survey, asking people about 2 days of their travel.

More information and related documents
07
Oct 2015–Present

Travel Research Panel established

We invited Household Travel Survey participants to take part in further surveys as part of a Travel Research Panel.

Willing Household Travel Survey participants are invited to take part in a variety of short surveys to allow deeper research into people’s attitudes to transport, what might influence travel in their daily lives and any travel patterns.

More information and related documents
06
Oct 2015–Jun 2018

Household Travel Survey updated to a 7 day online travel diary and run

In October 2015, we changed the survey from a face to face survey with a 2 day travel diary to a 7-day travel diary completed online. Participants were also offered the option of using a Travel Logger (GPS device) to help them remember where they travelled.

More information and related documents
05
Nov 2015

25 Years of New Zealand Travel report published

This report looked at New Zealanders’ travel over the past 25 years, between 1989 and 2014. 

More information and related documents
04
Aug 2009

How New Zealanders Travel report published

This one-off report looked at New Zealanders’ travel patterns and how they changed over the 20 years up to 2008.

More information and related documents
03
Jul 2003–Dec 2014

Household Travel Survey 2003–2014

Using the same core questionnaire and methodology as the 1997/98 and 1989/90 surveys, this survey was designed to sample a smaller number of households each year so data from a number of years could be combined for analysis.

More information and related documents
02
1997–2000

The 1997/98 New Zealand Travel Survey and report published

The New Zealand Travel Survey provided data to help develop policy and evaluate programmes relating to road use and safety.

It was a one-off survey using similar methodology to the 1989/90 Household Travel Survey.

More information and related documents
01
1988–1991

1989/90 New Zealand Household Travel Survey and report published

The New Zealand Household Travel survey was carried out from July 1989 to  June 1990.

Households were randomly selected with travel recorded for all members of the household over the age of 5.

More information and related documents

Get in touch

The survey is conducted by Reach Aotearoa (formerly CBG Health Research Limited). Participants should contact Reach Aotearoa, which also trades under CBG Public Sector Surveying, if they have any question about the survey.

Telephone: 0800 478 783

Reach Aotearoa

For general queries about the survey and results, email: travelsurvey@transport.govt.nz