This sophisticated, interactive dashboard empowers users to explore Waikato’s socio-economic landscape with precision and depth.

With over 230 dashboards across 10 themes, it features data down to the SA2 level (small statistical areas), ensuring excellent data granularity where available.

The tool is regularly refreshed. It was last updated on 1 March 2025, with the next update scheduled for August 2025 – timed to coincide with the release of final Census data.

Trends are tracked meticulously from the year 2000, offering a two-decade perspective on regional performance. What sets this dashboard apart is its custom analytical toolkit, which:

• Calculates deviation from mean values
• Allows comparison with any chosen reference year
• Ranks regional performance using bubble charts
  
  

These advanced techniques enrich the storytelling potential, making trend interpretation more intuitive and flexible.

Beyond regional benchmarking, the second part of the database evaluates New Zealand’s performance against a curated group of small, advanced economies—countries with populations under 15 million and per capita incomes above US $30,000. Comparisons include countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and Austria. This international context adds a valuable layer, highlighting where New Zealand—and implicitly the Waikato region—stands relative to global peers.

Why This Tool Is Unique:

• Rich temporal depth: The consistent year-2000 baseline allows long-term trend mapping with meaningful context.
• Custom analytical visuals: The innovative use of mean deviation, reference-year comparisons, and rankings by bubble charts offers more interpretive flexibility than standard dashboards.
• Dual benchmarking: Users gain both national and international perspective—comparing region to country, and country to global peers.