Closing the Gaps - plan to end a people's misery

By VANESSA BIDOIS

A report this month painting a grim picture of everyday life for Maori had a depressingly familiar ring.

The damning statistics formed the backdrop of Ka Awatea - the blueprint for Maoridom on which former Maori Affairs Minister Winston Peters staked his political career nearly ten years ago.

Educational failure, ill health, widespread unemployment and restricted economic opportunity were touted as evidence of policy shortcomings and the need for change.

Ka Awatea imagined a far more active new agency replacing the old Ministry of Maori Affairs and being responsible for Maori health, education, training and economic plans.

But the report did not go anywhere. Before it could be developed, Mr Peters was dropped from the cabinet.

Little has changed since then, and now a new Government is grappling with the same shocking statistics.

The pressure is now on Coalition ministers to deliver on their promise to "close the gaps" - the social and economic disparities which give Maori their entrenched position at the bottom of the heap.

Maori have poorer education, higher unemployment, lower incomes, lower home ownership rates and poorer health than non-Maori.

But until Tau Henare issued the first Closing the Gaps report, in 1998, it was difficult to assess whether disparities were improving or getting worse.

The second Closing the Gaps report, released at the beginning of this month, shows the huge gaps in health, justice and early childhood education have widened since the first report.

"While the gaps appear to be closing in a number of areas, there were too many cases where the gap was maintained," said Maori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels.

Even worse, he said, the gaps had widened in a number of areas.

Although the gaps have been packaged into sections, one common theme becomes clear.

Disparities exist for Maori of all ages, and are the cumulative result of events experienced throughout a lifetime.

The report shows that, at the start of life, Maori infants are more likely to die than non-Maori, and says Maori children are less likely than others to participate in early childhood education.

Young Maori leave secondary school with much lower qualifications than non-Maori - so low for most that they are disadvantaged when they try to get into quality post-school education and employment.

So it is not surprising to find that Maori youth are less likely than non-Maori to go on to tertiary education.

Maori are therefore over-represented in second-chance schemes such as the Training Opportunities Programme.

Maori unemployment continues to be significantly higher than that of non-Maori, and Maori are less likely to be working - not because they are involved in the education system, but because they are staying at home.

Maori incomes are therefore lower than those of non-Maori, and Maori are more likely to require Government assistance or be totally dependent on a benefit.

This, in turn, affects Maori ability to afford adequate housing and health care.

Although the links are complicated, all these factors have almost certainly contributed to the much higher Maori offending and victimisation rates.

The report also looks at the structure of the Maori population and expected future changes, and suggests that the focus needs to go on the Maori population aged 17 years and younger if disparities are to be reduced.

But it does not recommend pouring all the resources into helping only those under 17.

"For example, the lack of Maori participation in early childhood education is, in part, the result of barriers caused by the low income of Maori parents," it says.

This meant a "wider focus for intervention" was needed, involving the entire Maori population.

"What will be required is an increasing effort by the Government to involve and motivate the Maori community ... and a greater emphasis by Government agencies to formulate policy in co-operation across a range of sectors and departmental responsibilities."

The Government is hoping tomorrow's Budget will demonstrate its commitment to closing those gaps.

More than $6 million has already been earmarked for the Maori Land Court in a bid to improve use, management and development of Maori land.

Associate Minister of Maori Affairs Tariana Turia says she is confident the Budget will deliver for Maori.

As well introducing the Closing the Gaps policy to address socio-economic disparities, the Government has given money for a "capacity-building" policy.

This would help hapu (sub-tribes), iwi and other Maori organisations produce their own community development plans that would eventually go to Government agencies for financing.

"Capacity-building focuses on enhancing capabilities so Maori become the managers and controllers of their own development," said Ms Turia.

She said money for the new policy would be on top of existing Government contracts for iwi and urban Maori organisations to deliver social services.

"It's a huge task, it's a mammoth task but it's necessary if we are going to make a difference."

The Maori Council holds its triennial hui next week, and executive chairman Maanu Paul says the Government's failure to close the gaps is a serious concern.

The two-day hui would discuss the Government's inability to gain the confidence of Maori.

He singled out the "total failure" of the Ministry of Maori Development's policy to get mainstream chief executives to consider Maori issues, resulting in the Prime Minister becoming "the de facto Minister of Maori Affairs."

Mr Samuels dismisses the criticism, saying it is politically motivated.

He says Government departments have an entrenched culture of ignoring Maori issues. With Prime Minister Helen Clark in charge, they would now have to act.

"It's unprecedented that a special committee chaired by the Prime Minister has been set up to close the economic and social gaps for Maori.

"If the Maori Council wants to close the gaps, it can come aboard and help us."

Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry of Maori Development) chief executive Ngatata Love says the report gives further impetus to the urgent need for the Government to work closely with Maori.

While the statistics paint a negative picture of the status of Maori, Dr Love says they portray a reality for Maori facing the effects of entrenched disparity.

"Its findings will not be a surprise to many, but should be a concern to all."