More needs to be done to make Northland a better place for the private sector to do business in order to increase incomes, the region's Chamber of Commerce boss says.
The latest Census figures released this week show that 43.6 per cent of Northlanders aged over 15 have an annual income of less than $20,000, compared to 38.2 per cent nationally, while for the region's Maori it's 52.1 per cent, compared to 46.3 per cent of all Maori in the country.
The Census, conducted in March 2013, also shows that 19.6 per cent of Northlanders aged over 15 have an annual income of more than $50,000, with 26.7 per cent nationally, while 13.1 per cent of Northland Maori had incomes over $50,000, compared to 18.1 per cent of Maori nationally.
The most common occupation for Northland Maori was labourer, the latest report said.
Northland Chamber of Commerce CEO Tony Collins said the low level of incomes in the region was no surprise, given the profile of industry here.