Well-being divided on ethnic grounds says Turia

The Government’s latest ‘Social Report 2007’ records more bad news for Maori says Tariana Turia, Co-Leader of the Maori Party

“The report lists page by page, the ways in which outcomes for Maori are poorer than those for Europeans” said Mrs Turia. “We have a shorter life expectancy, a higher suicide rate, higher smoking and obesity rates, and disproportionately high workplace injury claim rates”.

“The lows are equally distressing” said Mrs Turia. “The report reveals lower participation rate in early childhood and lower rates of employment”.

"While the level of Maori participation in tertiary education remains higher than for other groups, we know it has actually been declining in the last few years as a result of government attacks on wananga”.

“To offset such a dismal record, we were relieved to see some very positive outcomes in terms of the increase of numbers of speakers of te reo Maori”.

Income Inequity Destroys Social Cohesion

“One of the most disturbing comments in the report was to do with income inequality” said Mrs Turia.

“The report states that ‘high levels of inequality are associated with lower levels of social cohesion and personal wellbeing, even when less well-off people have adequate incomes to meet their basic needs”.

“It then describes how in 2004 10.8% of New Zealanders were living in households with incomes below the OECD low income threshold (up from 9.8% in 2000)” said Mrs Turia. “This ten percent is segregated on racial grounds with stark differences between European and Maori, Pasifika and other New Zealanders”.

“All that such data does is demonstrate that New Zealand society is being divided on ethnic grounds” said Mrs Turia. “Our nation must respond to the needs and aspirations of all communities, including of course, tangata whenua, the first peoples of our land”.

"Government back-patting is offensive in the extreme when you assess the stark differences in quality of life that these figures show. I for one cannot claim any sense of satisfaction that unemployment rates for Maori are nearly three times that of Pakeha, that Maori continue to be over-represented in the growing number of poor in New Zealand, or that Maori die earlier than others. We want to see these figures drop dramatically before any back-patting is acceptable".

"One of the most graphic illustrations of the ongoing disparities is the wheel of fortune which shows social wellbeing for Maori relative to Europeans from 2004-2006" said Mrs Turia.

"Out of the 30 indicators, only four recorded the outcome being better for Maori than for Europeans (tertiary education participation; physical activity; cultural and arts activities; and regular contact with family and friends"). In other words, 26 of the 30 indicators reported that outcomes for Maori are worse than for Europeans”.

Background Data

Workplace injury claim rates for Maori was 182 per 1000 FTEs compared to 119 per 1000 European FTEs;
Maori early childhood participation is 90% rate compared to 98% for European;
Maori unemployment rate in 2006 was 7.9% compared to 2.7% for European.
Low income: in 2004, 12% of European individuals were living in households with incomes below the OECD low income threshold; 22% of Maori, 29% of Pasifika and 38% of other New Zealanders.
Te reo Maori: there was an increase of 1100 te reo Maori speakers between 2001 and 2006.