KEY POINTS:
Maori and Pacific Islanders are still behind the average European New Zealander for most social indicators but they are improving, according to a report released today by the Ministry of Social Development.
Of the 20 indicators, the only four where Maori are not below the European average are participation in tertiary education, regular contact with friends and family, participation in physical activity and participation in cultural and arts activities.
Household crowding and assault mortality are the two areas where Maori are most behind the European population.
Maori are considerably more likely to die as a result of assault or intentional injury than non-Maori, the report said. In 2004 there were 2.9 Maori deaths per 100,000 people compared to 0.8 non-Maori deaths per 100,000 people.
The proportion of Maori who speak the Maori language has dropped by one per cent to 24 per cent of the Maori population.
The ministry's policy manager social outcomes, Conal Smith, said this was the result of fluent speakers getting older and dying.
Most outcomes for Maori were still lower than the general population, Mr Smith said.
"There is a clear pattern of improvement (for Maori) for every outcome, except male obesity, since the 1980s."
Increased life expectancy and employment have reduced the inequality between Maori and non-Maori, he said.
Pacific Island peoples have fewer deaths from road accidents and higher levels of regular contact with family and friends. In all other areas they were equal to or below the European average.
Household crowding was a major issue for Pacific Island people. In 2006, 43 per cent of Pacific Islanders lived in households requiring extra bedrooms. This is much higher than Maori (23 per cent), Asian (20 per cent) and Europeans (four per cent).
"The Pacific population, in broad terms, is similar to Maori. There have been significant improvements over the last 15 years," Mr Smith said.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said the report was a disturbing insight into Maori life.
"The report lists page by page the ways in which outcomes for Maori are poorer than those for Europeans," Mrs Turia said.
"We have a shorter life expectancy, a higher suicide rate, higher smoking and obesity rates, and disproportionately high workplace injury claim rates."
Mrs Turia said that while the level of Maori participation in tertiary education remained higher than for other groups, it had actually been declining in the past few years as a result of government attacks on wananga.
One of the most disturbing comments in the report was to do with income inequality, she said.
"Government back-patting is offensive in the extreme when you assess the stark differences in quality of life that these figures show.
"I for one cannot claim any sense of satisfaction that unemployment rates for Maori are nearly three times that of Pakeha, that Maori continue to be over-represented in the growing number of poor in New Zealand, or that Maori die earlier than others.
"We want to see these figures drop dramatically before any back-patting is acceptable".
Mrs Turia described the ongoing disparities between the two groups as a "wheel of fortune" which only showed social well-being for Maori relative to Europeans from 2004-2006.
"Out of the 30 indicators, only four recorded the outcome being better for Maori than for Europeans .
"In other words, 26 of the 30 indicators reported that outcomes for Maori are worse than for Europeans".
Minister of Maori Affairs Parekura Horomia said the report showed things were looking up for Maori.
"Maori are enjoying better education, employment and living standards.
"There is still a gap between Maori and non-Maori and there is more to be done to lift Maori living standards. But the trends are positive."
But he said there were also some indicators in the report that appeared particularly hard to shift, including obesity, smoking and crime committed against Maori.
"Quite frankly, too many Maori die needlessly. One of the drivers of this is violence.
"The Maori assault mortality rate is about four times higher than the non-Maori rate, though it is tracking down."
Mr Horomia said there was still work to do, but "massive inroads" into disparity and despair had been made since the end of the 1990s.
- NZPA
