Fewer unemployed Pacific Islanders in Auckland

The Government says the number of unemployed Pacific Islanders in Auckland has halved in two years.

By the end of June, there were 2622 Pacific people on unemployment benefits -- a drop of 52.6 per cent over the past two years, Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said today.

Mr Maharey and Associate Social Development Minister Taito Phillip Field said the Government's Pacific Wave policy was introduced in July 2003 when there were 5532 Pacific people in the Auckland region receiving the unemployment benefit.

A specialist unit, based in Otara, had been established to implement the strategy. It had a manager and nine case managers or work brokers.

The aim of the strategy was to reduce this by half by the end of June this year but that target had been reached in April, the ministers said.

- NZPA