Higher wages Australia's big drawcard for Maori

The Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri, is investigating how it can help Maori succeed in Australia.

It is funding an online survey of Maori in Australia to find out why they have crossed the Tasman, the factors in their success and their ability to live in Australia as Maori.

Ministry policy manager Paul Hamer, who is running the survey during a nine-month fellowship at Brisbane's Griffith University, said the 485 responses to his survey so far showed that Maori were going to Australia overwhelmingly for better pay.

"Particularly in labouring work, they are able to earn often double the wages they can at home," he said.

Others left New Zealand to escape gangs and drugs, to join family in Australia, or for better opportunities for their children in work and sport.

"Some people are saying it's actually quite nice to get away from the stigma attached to being Maori in New Zealand," Mr Hamer said.

"Here you are part of a big multicultural melting pot. They don't treat you as Maori, they treat you as another person."

Mr Hamer said Te Puni Kokiri supported the right of Maori to go to Australia in terms of its goals of "realising Maori potential" and "Maori succeeding as Maori".

"In terms of realising Maori potential, that might happen anywhere in the world. "

But the ministry also wanted to see Maori succeed "as Maori", and was interested in debates now under way about proposals to build marae in Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and on the Sunshine Coast.

"Pakeha can move to Australia and within a generation they can pretty happily become white Australians, but Maori will always have that connection to home through their whakapapa," Mr Hamer said.