Abstract
Many social commentators have considered that alongside the fiscal transparency enjoined by
contemporary New Zealand governments, there should be a complementary social
responsibility reporting. This task is usually assigned to social indicator frameworks.
However, at present (as the 2017 election looms) there is a faltering in the provision of social
indicators which have been in place in New Zealand for almost two decades, with the
exception of the recent 2016 survey data from Statistics New Zealand and Ministry of Social
Development that were made available within a month of writing this article. Having
commented on the current status of the New Zealand social indicator system, we present data
from the General Social Survey and the Quality of Life survey to at least convey recent trends
in subjective social well-being and reported behaviours and experiences. References are also
made to the accumulating literature on social well-being in New Zealand, followed by
suggestions for more systematic indicator development and underpinning research.