Maori after Brash: Mind those gaps

There is little disagreement that Maori have been on the wrong side of New Zealand's social statistics. GEOFF CUMMING reports how things stand now.


How can you close a gap that keeps moving? That dilemma has dogged 30 years of affirmative action and gap-closing policies as the strides taken by non-Maori have more than matched the progress Maori made in most areas.

But in the past five or six years, a time of generally improved economic fortunes, there are signs that the gaps have narrowed.

From participation in schooling and jobs to incomes and living standards, Maori are doing better, statistics show. In a progress report on the Government's "reducing inequalities" strategies for the first half of last year, Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said Maori were less likely to be unemployed, more likely to be taking part in education and had higher average incomes than in the mid-1990s.

That's a far cry from a 1997 Closing the Gaps progress report, which concluded: "Overall, the evidence ... does not provide assurance that the economic and social gaps between Maori and non-Maori are closing. Of greater concern is that the statistics do not provide any signals that there is an impending change in the situation."

A study last year by the Institute of Economic Research, Maori Economic Development, painted a more encouraging picture. It found those engaged in distinctly Maori businesses were making spectacular progress.

But there remains room for considerable improvement. Government figures highlight the failure to reduce health and housing disparities, while Maori remain under-represented in high-paid technical and professional roles.

Jobs

Maori unemployment rose from 10.7 per cent in 1986 to a peak of 25.4 per cent in 1992 before falling below 10 per cent late last year. European unemployment peaked at 8 per cent in 1991 and has fallen to 3.3 per cent.

But the fall in Maori unemployment in the past six years, from 19 per cent to 10 per cent, represents progress - by Maori in terms of "employability" and by the Department of Work and Income in Maori-specific training and job preparation programmes. Maori now provide many of these programmes.

Incomes

The gap has closed. In the 10 years to 2001, the median household income for Maori rose 37 per cent, from $27,600 to $37,700. The median income for all households rose 28 per cent, from $30,900 to $39,600.

However, Maori remain concentrated in low to moderate income-earning jobs. The three biggest occupation groups for Maori are: service and sales workers (15.8 per cent); plant and machine operators (14.5 per cent); elementary occupations (12.2 per cent).

They remain under-represented in professional, technical, administrative and legal roles. Te Puni Kokiri says Maori are "significantly under-represented" in the top 20 per cent income bracket.

Household spending

Average annual expenditure by Maori households in 1997 was $28,500 compared with $35,200 for non-Maori, a gap that had increased in the previous 10 years. And Maori spent a greater proportion of their weekly expenditure on housing costs.

The percentage of Maori households paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing costs increased from 8 per cent in 1988 to 32 per cent in 2001. For the general population, the proportion changed from 11 per cent to 24 per cent.

Home ownership

Maori home ownership rates have declined more steeply than for non-Maori, with Maori almost twice as likely to live in rental accommodation. Between 1986 and 1996, the proportion of Maori households that paid more than a quarter of their income in rent doubled.

Living standards

In 2001, 39 per cent of Maori families lived in "low-income" households (less than 60 per cent of the median, net-of-housing-cost, family income), compared with 22.6 per cent of the general population.

In 2000, 7 per cent of Maori had "very restricted" living standards, compared with 4 per cent of the general population.

Welfare

Maori comprise 15 per cent of the population but make up 33 per cent of unemployment beneficiaries, 40 per cent of domestic purposes benefit recipients, 23 per cent of sickness beneficiaries and 19 per cent of invalid beneficiaries.

In 1997, Maori made up 40 per cent of people unemployed for two years or more; by March last year that had fallen to 31 per cent.

The proportion of Maori households receiving at least one income support payment fell from 85.8 per cent in 1991 to 59.8 per cent in 2001. For all households, the proportion fell from 76.8 per cent to 48.6 per cent.

An Institute of Economic Research report, Maori Economic Development, challenges the view that Maori are a burden on taxpayers. While Maori households receive $2.3 billion in state assistance, specifically Maori economic activity contributes $2.4 billion in taxes, it says.

Life expectancy

Maori life expectancy at birth improved markedly from the early 1950s to the early 1990s and the gap between Maori and non-Maori life expectancy narrowed considerably. Since then, gains in life expectancy by non-Maori have outstripped Maori and the gap had widened to 9.9 years by 1999.

Health

Despite a drastic reduction in infant mortality, Maori cot death rates have fluctuated and the disparity with non-Maori rates was wider in 1994 than in 1980.

Maori asthma rates declined in the early 1990s but surged again from 1995, while rates for non-Maori declined.

In 1997, 27 per cent of Maori males and 28 per cent of Maori females were obese compared with 12.6 per cent for European males and 16.7 per cent for European females.

Historically, Maori have had higher hospitalisation rates for diabetes, a gap that persists. Rates of cancer and strokes have risen for Maori since the early 1980s while falling among non-Maori.

Mental health

The number and rate of suicide deaths has dropped for all New Zealanders since 1996.

Child abuse and neglect

In 2002, 10.3 per 1000 Maori children referred to Child Youth and Family Services were assessed as abused or neglected, compared with 13 per 1000 in 1998. Among non-Maori, the rate increased from 5.1 per 1000 to 5.9 per 1000.

Smoking

Smoking rates among Maori have remained steady while Pakeha have been giving up. Maori women are more likely to smoke (51.4 per cent) than Maori men (44 per cent).

Education

Maori attendance at pre-school increased by 12 percentage points between 1991 and 2001, compared with 19 percentage points for the general population. Eighty-two per cent of Maori now receive early childhood education, compared with 92 per cent of Pakeha.

Maori lag considerably behind other ethnic groups in qualifications gained at school. In 2001, 4 per cent of Maori left school with an A or B Bursary or National Certificate at Level three or above, compared with 21 per cent of European and 42 per cent of Asian school leavers. The figures had changed little over the previous decade.

Forty-one per cent of Maori school leavers had Sixth Form certificate or higher, compared with 69 per cent of European students and 85 per cent of Asian students.

Tertiary education

Just 6 per cent of Maori hold a tertiary qualification (degree level or above) compared with 14 per cent of Europeans. But since 1991, growth in the proportion of adults with higher qualifications has been fastest among Maori and Pacific Island adults.

Maori participation in tertiary education has increased sharply. In July 2002, 16.8 per cent of Maori aged 15 and over were enrolled at tertiary level, compared with 9.9 per cent in 1997. Much of this is through enrolments in wananga and private institutes; enrolments in universities, polytechnics and teachers' colleges increased 5 per cent.

Maori participation in tertiary education in the core 18-24 age group, at 26.5 per cent, remains lower than non-Maori, 36.4 per cent.

Language

Twenty-five per cent of all Maori can hold a conversation in Maori about everyday things, according to the 2001 Census. In 1973, it was estimated that the proportion of fluent Maori speakers was just 18 per cent.

Community involvement

Maori are more likely than non-Maori to undertake unpaid work, and provide care and assistance for non-household members. They are much more likely to belong to sports clubs and cultural organisations, although non-Maori are more active in community service and political organisations.

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