NZ yet to recapture 1980s Golden Age, says report

New Zealanders are enjoying an improved standard of living but are not enjoying the levels of the 1980s, according to a report out today.

The Social Report 2006, released by the Ministry of Social Development, showed a continuing improvement in New Zealanders' social wellbeing.

Since the mid-1980s, life expectancy has increased, suicide rates reduced, and cigarette smoking fallen.

However, obesity had doubled for men and increased almost as much for women, reflecting changes in diet and physical activity, the report found.

Unemployment had continued to fall and more people had higher qualifications.

Housing was less affordable and there were more people on low incomes in 2004 than in 1986, although these factors were improving.

Marcel Lauziere, deputy chief executive of Social Development Policy and Knowledge, said there was improvement in most areas, including health, knowledge and skills, and paid work.

"This year's report for the first time also looks at how New Zealanders' wellbeing has changed over the last 20 years," he said. "Of the 18 indicators we can track from the mid-1980s, the majority have improved.

"New Zealanders are better educated, they're healthier and more of them are in paid work."

But he added: "Although there have been significant improvements since the mid-1990s, several indicators of our economic standard of living have yet to fully return to where they were in the mid-1980s."

But National Party families spokeswoman Judith Collins said the report's finding that the percentage of New Zealanders living in severe hardship had increased from 5 per cent to 8 per cent between 2000 and 2004 showed the poor were "casualties of Labour's failed policies".

The hardship figures contained in the Social Report are drawn from the MSD's Living Standards report, which was released in July.

"Labour claims to be a champion of the poor and the disadvantaged, but these results show their policies are not helping break the cycle -- they are forcing more people into severe hardship," Mrs Collins said.

"Despite a strong economy, Labour has fostered a culture of dependency at the expense of independence and personal responsibility."

Green Party social development spokeswoman Sue Bradford said: "The plain fact is that incomes have been rising for those at the top, while there has been 'relatively little change' for the 20 per cent on low incomes.

"The Government is either treading water when it comes to tackling the issues of poverty and income inequality, or is going backwards."

- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF