Obviously, data.govt.nz often includes numbers, dates, and times. To ensure that these are easy to read and understand, we follow clear rules and guidelines.
Numbers
In general:
- we use numerals instead of words when we write numbers – this helps you scan our content
- we use commas and no spaces to separate thousands when the number is over 10,000
- when we’re talking about numbers in the millions, we use the word 'million' instead of writing out the number in full
- we use spaces to separate groups of numbers when we write phone numbers.
For example:
- 'Your child must start school by the age of 6'.
- '1.8 million people voted in the referendum'.
- '... the 10th flag in the list'.
- 'Freephone: 0800 101 996'.
- 'Phone: +64 4 123 4567'.
Dates and times
We:
- write dates as day, month, year in full
- don’t use ordinal numbers, like 1st or 3rd, in dates
- show time using a 12-hour clock
- show start and end times in full
- use 'midnight' – not '00:00’
- use ‘midday’ – not ‘12:00’
- spell out the names of days and months in full
- use a comma between week day and date
- use a slash for a 12-month period that crosses two years
- use 'to' instead of a dash in date and time ranges as it’s easier for screen readers to read out.
For example:
- '12 December 2015'.
- '5:30pm not 17:30hrs'.
- '10am to 11am – not 10 to 11am'.
- 'Monday to Friday'.
- 'Friday, 23 November 2018'.
- '10 November to 21 December 2016'.
- '2016/17 for the financial year ended 30 June 2017'.
Contact us
If you’d like more information, have a question, or want to provide feedback, email datalead@stats.govt.nz.
Content last reviewed 17 July 2023.
