Statistics New Zealand, Tatauranga Aotearoa
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Questions about accessing the survey
Code / URL
My unique code in the Information pack does not seem long enough.
The code that you enter from your Information pack is based on the following format; www.stats.nz/nnnnnn. The nnnnnn is a combination of 6 numbers and letters, unique to your farm. The letters are case sensitive so you need to input them as upper and lower case as they are written, eg 123AbC
I am experiencing problems opening my Agricultural Production Survey online. I have tried everything suggested. The code I entered into my browser is correct.
Firstly check that your computer meets the minimum requirements and is one of the recommended browsers. See Survey Help on System requirements.
The code you are entering includes a forward slash / on the question mark (?) key on your keyboard. If you are entering exactly what is written as your code and it won't open, please call us on 0800 333 104 for assistance.
I am trying to open/find/browse to/locate the online Agricultural Production Survey to complete my Agricultural Production Survey online, but I am getting a 'page not found' message.
The letters are case sensitive, so you need to input the upper and lower case letters as they are written.
The code you are entering includes a forward slash / on the question mark (?) key on your keyboard.
If you are entering exactly what is written on your code and it won't open, please call us on 0800 333 104 for assistance.
Opening the online survey
How do I open my online Agricultural Production Survey?
You can complete the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey online or on paper. Completeing your survey online is secure, quick, and easy.
To complete the survey online:
- Go through the "Before you Begin" checklist to ensure you have all the required information.
- In your browser, enter the code (url) from your letter - this is unique to your farm.
- Complete the survey questions in one session. You will NOT be able to resume a partially completed survey at a later time.
- When you're done, click on the SUBMIT button - this will send your completed survey to Statistics NZ.
You can request a paper form if you cannot complete the survey online. You can contact us by calling 0800 333 104, or by emailing ag@stats.govt.nz. Please have you name, reference number, contact number, and postal address ready.
Error messages
When I enter my code (URL), I am getting a 'Site busy/overload' message.
or
I am getting a message saying the website has technical problems.
We are possibly experiencing technical problems at the moment. If you are able to wait for half an hour, then you can try logging on again.
If you are still experiencing technical issues, or cannot wait, please call us on 0800 333 104 for assistance.
I am completing my Agricultural Production Survey online and an error message is displaying when I click the Submit button – what do I do?
We are possibly experiencing technical problems at the moment. If you can, please wait a short while then try submitting your survey again.
If you are still experiencing technical issues, or cannot wait, please call us on 0800 333 104 for assistance.
Logging out
How do I log out from the online Agricultural Production Survey website?
or
Why can't I log out from the online Agricultural Production Survey?
There is no specific Log out button on the online Agricultural Production survey.
To log out, you close the browser tab. If you have already submitted your online Agricultural Production Survey then you are all finished. Thank you.
However, if you have not submitted the survey answers, you will see a message box asking if you are sure you want to leave the page as you will lose all of your survey answers. If you select Leave this page, you will be logged out of the online Agricultural Production Survey. You will need to re-enter your answers if you wish to complete the online Agricultural Product Survey at another time.
I am having difficulty completing the Agricultural Production Survey on my mobile device.
or
Can I do my Agricultural Production Survey on an iPad or other tablet?
or
Can I do my online Agricultural Production Survey on a smartphone?
The online Agricultural Production Survey can be completed on mobile devices but is not optimised for this. People trying to complete the survey using smartphones will have some usability issues, but those using a tablet will have a better experience in the portrait orientation.
If you are having difficulty you should use a laptop or full size computer with a browser/operating system optimised for the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey.
Why did Statistics New Zealand choose not to develop a smartphone app?
Feedback from focus groups is that in general, people are not keen on using their smartphones to complete complex surveys.
The 2016 Agricultural Production Survey is the first online version developed to respond to respondents requesting an online survey option.
Based on the results of this survey, further development work maybe undertaken to implement options that better meet the future needs of our respondents especially for the next census.
Other computers
Can I complete my Agricultural Production Survey online while away from home?
Yes, you can complete your Agricultural Production Survey anywhere you can connect to the Internet, as long as the computer you are using meets the minimum requirements.
Statistics NZ strongly recommends that the online Agricultural Production Survey is completed on a computer that has up-to-date security software. This will ensure your privacy and maintain the confidentiality of your information.
Be cautious when using a computer at public places such as Internet cafes.
Security of data
What security provisions does Statistics NZ have in place to protect the information provided online?
or
Will my data be kept private if I fill in my Agricultural Production Survey on the Internet?
Statistics NZ is committed to providing a secure environment for respondents of the online Agricultural Production Survey.
All completed Agricultural Production surveys are transmitted to Statistics NZ using encryption to prevent unauthorised access (128 bit SSL – Secure Socket Layer). Only Statistics NZ can decrypt it.
Encryption uses two keys: a public key to encode the data and a private key to decode the data. The private key remains confidential to Statistics NZ. Without the private key the data is unreadable. This means that the information you submit from the online Agricultural Production Survey is not able to be read by anyone other than Statistics NZ.
Statistics NZ strongly recommends that online the Agricultural Production Survey be completed on a computer that has up-to-date protection software. This will help ensure your privacy and maintain the confidentiality of your information.
To access the online Agricultural Production Survey you will need to have a browser that supports 128 bit SSL encryption and have it enabled.
Questions about the online survey
Can I send the Information pack with the code for my online survey to my accountant?
As there is no facility to save a partially completed online survey, the person who answers the questions needs to complete the whole survey in one session.
If your accountant can answer all the questions on your behalf then yes, you can send the Information Pack to them.
If there are some questions that you answer, and some that your accountant answers, then you are best to complete your 2016 Agricultural Production Survey on paper.
You can request a paper form if you cannot complete the survey online. You can contact us by calling 0800 333 104, or by emailing ag@stats.govt.nz. Please have you name, reference number, contact number, and postal address ready.
How do I record my answers in the online survey?
The 2016 online Agricultural Production Survey design is based on the paper survey. The way you record your answers depends on the type of answer required.
- For a Yes No answer, you click the button next to the correct answer.
- For a list answer you click the answer/s correct for your farm.
- Some answers require text or a number.
Your online answers are recorded as data and transferred to Statistics NZ when you press the Submit button.
Can I use the browser navigation keys (like the back button)?
If you use the back button the system will try to reload the survey and you will lose all your answers. An error message will display warning you of this. If you want to go back to a previous section in the survey, click on the section's link in the Survey Progress list on the left side of your screen.
A section I need to answer is greyed out in the Survey Progress list on the left side of the page.
A section is greyed out when an answer you have given moves you past that section. If you believe this is wrong, you need to click on the green section above the grey section in question, and change one of your answers, usually from No to Yes.
A section is greyed out when you have clicked No instead of Yes to its 'screening' question, eg if you have no livestock, the 9 livestock related sections are greyed out.
Do I need to see questions that don’t apply to me?
When you answer a 'screening' question with a No answer the questions that no longer apply to you are hidden, eg are you a Sharemilker?
Editing your answers
I want to be able to view/change/edit my answers in the online Agricultural Production Survey.
If you have already submitted your completed survey, you will not be able to go back to view the details or to change anything in your Agricultural Production Survey.
If you have not yet completed your online survey you can click on the section in the Survey Progress list, on the left of the survey questions. This opens up the selected section and enables you to change your answers.
What is the environmental footprint of the online survey?
By completing the online survey you are removing a number of processes that generate printed documents, or transport printed documents to and from Statistics NZ. Over time, as more people complete their survey online, the volumes these processes deal with will reduce.
By completing the online Agricultural Production Survey in 2016, you are helping us make the online option successful. This will lead to other surveys being available online thus reducing the environmental footprint of surveys run by Statistics NZ.
I have clicked on one of the 3 links on the front page of the survey (www.stats.govt.nz/obligation, or Privacy link, or www.stats.govt.nz) and it is displaying a security warning.
The message is a warning that you are about to open a page that is not secure. This is because the information you are opening is not private. You can quite safely press the Yes button to allow that page to open. When you have finished reading the information, click on the Survey tab to go back to the Agricultural Production Survey.
I cannot calculate the answers to the Fertiliser question. What do I do?
If you have your Fertiliser rebate notice, we can calculate the answers to the Fertiliser question for you.
We need you to:
- Write your GE number onto the Fertiliser rebate notice. Note that your GE number is printed on page 1 of your information pack.
- Address an envelope to: Statistics New Zealand Freepost 10007 Private Bag 92003 Victoria Street West Auckland 1142
- Send the Fertiliser rebate notice in the envelope, to Statistics NZ free of charge.
Can I access Help information from the online survey?
You can access Help information from the Survey Progress list on the left side of your screen. It has a Need Help link at the very top of the list.
When you click the Need Help link, the Survey Help page lists the different kinds of help available on line. These are:
- About this survey - is a description of the Agricultural Production Survey
- Privacy and confidentiality - is a description of the privacy and confedentiality rules for the survey's data
- FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
- Survey guidenotes - Guide to completing the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey
- System requirements - Minimum requirements to complete the Agricultural Production Survey online.
Is there online help that tells me how to answer the questions?
You can access Help information from the Need Help link in the Survey Progress list on the left side of your screen.
When you click the Need Help link, the link to the Survey Help page displays. Click on this page to open the Survey guidenotes. These will tell you how to answer some of the survey questions.
Please call 0800 333 104 or email ag@stats.govt.nz if there is a different question that you need help with.
I am stuck in the Land Use section because there are errors I can't resolve.
In the Land Use section the answer to Q8 (total land area of the farm) is compared to the total in Q20 (how the land area of the farm is made up). If these answers do not match, you cannot move to the next section.
Reasons
- Are the totals the same? If not, can you make the numbers more precise so that they match?
- The total in Q20 may not calculate properly when you have jumped around the survey sections. In this case you need to refresh the survey and start again. We are sorry about this inconvenience.
What if I don’t have all my information?
To complete the Agricultural Production Survey online, you do need to have all your information available so that you can finish the survey in one session. Use the ‘Before you Begin Checklist’ in your Information Pack to get your information ready.
If you don’t have all your information, is there someone else, like your accountant, or farm manger, who knows the missing information and can provide it to you so that you can complete your 2016 Agricultural Production Survey.
Are you the correct person to receive this survey? If not, please call 0800 333 104 or email ag@stats.govt.nz, and tell us who the correct person is. Please also tell us the reference number [GE12345678] on the Information pack when you contact us.
What if I have more than one farm?
If you have more than one farm and they have been included in the Agricultural Production Survey, you need to complete a different online survey for each farm. To do this, you will have received separate information packs for your farms, each with its own unique code to access the online survey.
If you operate your farms as one, you can complete one survey but list the GE numbers, for all the farms included in your answers, in question 74b.
I have started the survey and don't know how to move to the next page.
If you have completed all the required questions on a page or in a section, you can press the NEXT button displayed at the bottom of the page. Note: This may not be visible on your screen. Scroll down the page until you see the Next button. Press the Next button to go to the next page.
If there are errors on the page, the error messages display at the bottom of the page. These errors need to be corrected before you can move to the Next page.
How do I request a paper survey?
or
Can I request a paper survey to complete?
Yes - you can request a paper form if you cannot complete the survey online. You can contact us by calling 0800 333 104, or by emailing ag@stats.govt.nz. Please have you name, reference number, contact number, and postal address ready.
Partial completion
I am in the middle of an online Agricultural Production Survey and am unable to finish it now. What do I do?
There is no Save function in this version of the online Agricultural Production Survey so it is best if you complete your answers all at once and submit it to Statistics NZ.
If you cannot complete the online survey all at once, and want to keep a copy of what you have entered so far, go to each section that you have completed, and press the Print button on your internet browser. Use the list of sections on the left of the survey to go to each section. You can then shut down your computer which will remove your answers. When you restart the survey, you will need to re-enter the answers from your printed pages.
Can I save my answers?
This version of the online Agricultural Production Survey does not allow you to save a partially completed survey, then resume it later.
If you turn off your computer, or close the browser session before submitting the survey, you will lose all your answers.
We encourage you to use the ‘Before you Begin Checklist’ in your information pack to gather all the information you need to complete the survey in one session.
How do I send you documents?
If you have additional documents you wish to send us, eg your Fertiliser rebate notice, then you:
- Write your GE number onto the document. Note that your GE number is printed on page 1 of your Information pack.
- Address an envelope to: Statistics New Zealand Freepost 10007 Private Bag 92003 Victoria Street West Auckland 1142
- Send the document in the envelope to Statistics NZ free of charge.
I have opened the first page of the survey but I don't know how to go to the next page.
The front page may not be displaying in full. Scroll down the page until you see the Start button. Press the Start button to start the survey.
I am pressing the Submit button but nothing is happening.
The Submit button is active when the survey is complete, and you have clicked the Declaration in question 77. The Submit button goes from a light green to a bright darker green when it is active.
If the Submit button remains light green, something in the survey is not complete. To find out what is outstanding, please look at the sections in the Survey Progress list. All the sections should be grey or green for you to be able to Submit your answers. If there is a section that is blue, then it has not been answered. Click on the blue section link to go to it, and answer its questions.
Does the online survey mean that the Agriculture statistics will be released earlier?
The statistics created from the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey are being released provisionally in December 2016, and in their final form in May 2017. The release timetable will not change for the 2016 survey results.
This may change in the future when a high number of respondents complete their surveys online.
How long will the survey take to complete?
The Agricultural Production Survey takes a varying length of time to complete based on the number of different activities undertaken on your farm.
If you have all your information, we expect it will take you no longer than 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
The total displayed is not the sum of the numbers I have input.
This version of the survey occasionally has some additional decimals in the auto total fields in Q20 and in Q30. This usually occurs where the numbers entered include fractions, eg 1.5 The totals will be cleaned up when the data is processed at a later time.
I am not the right person for this survey. What should I do?
Please call 0800 333 104 or email ag@stats.govt.nz, and tell us who the correct person is to complete the survey. Please also tell us the reference number [GE12345678] on the Information pack when you contact us.