KEY POINTS:
An academic report describing Pacific Islanders immigrants as a drain on the economy seems to have reached "extreme" conclusions, Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said today.
The report is part of a three-year study, Growing Pains: Evaluations and the Cost of Human Capital, based on government data from the Economic Development Ministry, Labour Department and Pacific Island Affairs Ministry.
Headed by economist Greg Clydesdale, of Massey University's management and international business department, the study is due to be presented at a July conference in Brazil.
The report said Polynesian immigrants were less productive and less likely to contribute to economic growth.
They had the highest unemployment in every age group, were less likely to start businesses and had lower rates of self-employment.
Polynesians were also over-represented in crime statistics, have higher rates of convictions and prosecutions and are more likely to be victims of violent crime.
They more likely to need Government assistance for housing and income, the report said.
"People are going to call me racist for putting this out. But I'm not," Dr Clydesdale said.
"It's scary. New Zealand's future growth depends on its ability to create new products and production processes. We're going to have a large proportion of the population without the educational requirements to create that."
Community leaders and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Winnie Laban strongly rejected the underclass claims, condemning the study as "lazy and unprofessional".
Mr de Bres said he was reluctant to comment on a report he hadn't actually seen. His office was trying to obtain its own copy of the study, rather than draw conclusions based on media reports.
"It is grossly simplistic to take a set of figures and draw what seem to be extreme conclusions," Mr de Bres told NZPA.
"It might be that the full report is more balanced, and that's what our hope would be."
- NZPA
