![Photo: RNZ](https://www.odt.co.nz/sites/default/files/story/2024/06/statsssnzed.jpg)
Stats NZ has begun a review into claims the marae used individual census data to help Te Pāti Māori's campaign, claims the party strongly deny.
The Sunday Star Times was the first to report the accounts of ex-marae workers who collected census forms last year.
They claim private data from the forms was photocopied and entered into a database which they believe was then used to target voters in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate.
In a statement on Wednesday, Stats NZ chief executive Mark Sowden said Doug Craig of the RDC Group had been appointed to investigate the allegations.
In a statement today, the Privacy Commissioner's Office said given the public interest, it was asking various government agencies for further information.
It said this information would then help decide on the commissioner's next steps.
The office said the claim touched on sensitive personal information provided in the context of assured trust and confidentiality.