Retirement Commissioner Research Co-Author Erin Thompson. Photo / Supplied
Retirement Commissioner Research Co-Author Erin Thompson. Photo / Supplied
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New research has confirmed Māori die younger so get less government retirement benefits than non-Māori.
Findings from the largest collation of research and analysis on what retirement looks like for Māori is released today and highlights the difficult situation many Māori face.
Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission released four papers considering the lives of older Māori and their journeys towards retirement.
The research shows that the impacts of colonisation, structural inequality and land loss have had a permanent detrimental effect on most Māori.
Māori die sooner than non-Māori and throughout their lives face disparities in health, economic wellbeing, poverty, educational experiences, incarceration, wealth and access to housing.
Māori receive NZ Superannuation for fewer years, have lower KiwiSaver balances because they tend to earn less, and are less likely to own their own homes when they retire.
But the research also showed kaumātua are a vital part of the community, valued and respected as pillars of support and repositories of mātauranga, and provide an integral link between the past and present.
"What astounded me most when talking to our kaumatua was the level of poverty they endure to support the entire whānau," Te Ara Ahunga Ora Kaihautῡ, and co-author of the fourth paper, Erin Thompson (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngaati Tiipa) told the Herald.
"There are a lot of kaumatua who are resiled to the fact that they will work into their later years to support the whānau. There are a lot of kaumatua who have become caregivers for their mokopuna, so their income has to support them and their mokos.
"There are also a lot of kaumatua who don't own their own homes and haven't gone back to their whenua, so they are dealing with the rising costs of living in cities, like everyone else.
"That's what stood out for me in the Voices of the Kaumatua research compiled."
Thompson said she did not think it was fair to ask younger Māori if the pressure they put on elders is fair.
"The question is around what is happening in our whānau dynamic that is making people choose that as an option because there's different scenarios in whānau, from looking after whānau financially, to caring for them.
Thompson said the research recommended - and the Retirement Commission endorses - that solutions must be driven by Māori.
"Māori have suffered through colonisation, systemic inequality, structural inequality, legislation and those are impactful things that have happened to Māori and there's never been opportunities for Māori to say 'this is what it looks like for us'," Thompson said.
Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson. Photo / Supplied
"Māori don't use retirement as a word or term. We see that reaching that stage of kaumatua or pakeke as another important stage of life and those types of things aren't identified in retirement policy.
"The recommendation is we have the opportunity to bring those solutions to the fore - by Māori for Māori essentially to the Government."
The research project was conducted to support the triennial review of retirement income policies.
The Government asked Te Ara Ahunga Ora to take a special look at issues faced by Māori: four research projects delving into the Māori experience were undertaken in response.
Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson says: "We have called on the expertise of some of the country's leading academics and researchers, along with our own internal experts, to undertake this important piece of work.
"By properly understanding retirement through the worldviews of Māori, it should then be possible to develop good policies and related activities to improve outcomes for Māori in retirement."
The first paper, written by Dr Kathie Irwin, provides a historical, structural and political context to government policy development and the economic and social impact this had on Māori as a result.
The second paper is a literature review by Dr Margaret Kempton and provides an overview of recent research about what "retirement" looks like for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper notes that Māori who live beyond age 65 often have a life shaped by culturally specific values, lifestyles and expectations.
Paper three is a brief study of how demographic dynamics will shape the impact on Māori of retirement income policy by Len Cook, New Zealand Statistician from 1992-2000.
The final paper in the series has been compiled by Thompson and Dr Kathie Irwin and analyses the findings of a series of questions posed to older Māori in a pilot survey about what they think retirement looks like for them.
Research was also undertaken by the James Henare Research Centre at the University of Auckland, which held wānanga with kaumātua affiliated to Waikato-Tainui and Ngātiwai. Kaumātua shared their experiences of being busier than ever in later life and asking whether they really retire as kaumātua.
They provide care, tend gardens, and prepare and cook meals for whānau. They also teach te reo me ōna tikanga Māori (Māori language and customs) and the values handed to them from their tūpuna.
Kaumātua also contribute significantly to their hapū and iwi, and work on and around the marae, attending events and representing whānau in marae and iwi affairs.
Thomson says the research highlights how the economic circumstances of Māori in older age are generations in the making.
