Lindsay Mitchell
Lindsay Mitchell has been researching and commenting on welfare since 2001. Many of her articles have been published in mainstream media and she has appeared on radio, TV and before select committees discussing issues relating to welfare. Lindsay is also an artist who works under commission and exhibits at Wellington, New Zealand, galleries.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is heading into the 2023 election campaign stating:
“Our record is growing Maori housing. Our record is growing Maori employment opportunities. Now our record is growing the Maori economy. I will happily campaign on our record.”
I really don’t have a lot of stomach for this. Most Maori are working and law-abiding like most non-Maori and the constant racial identification of people only feeds resentment and division.
BUT if the Prime Minister wants to crow about what she has achieved for Maori, let’s look at what she hasn’t achieved for Maori.
Since 2017, the Maori percentage of all people on main benefits has risen from 35.9 to 37.2 per cent – in raw numbers from 99,351 to 128,502.
Maori now make up 38.6 per cent of those on a Jobseeker benefit – up from 37.6 per cent. Again, in raw numbers (despite the drop in the unemployment rate) there are over 20 thousand more Maori on the Jobseeker benefit than there were in 2017 (45,357 to 65,706).
The percentage Maori make up of the Sole Parent Support benefit has risen from 47.8 to 48.2 per cent, or 28,413 to 35,151.
Possibly the worst statistic in terms of Maori children’s future prospects, absenteeism – as defined by attending school less than 70 per cent of the time – has risen from 10.5 in 2017 to 23.8 per cent in 2022 (term two).
The Maori share of the prison population continues to climb – 50.7 to 53 per cent (although the actual prisoner numbers have dropped due to Labour’s policy to drive down the prison population by admitting fewer criminals and releasing them earlier).
Finally, in a by no means exhaustive list, the Maori share of the public housing waiting list has grown from 44 to 49.6 per cent or 3,389 to 14,130. A massive increase in raw numbers.
The data is summarized below:
If this is the Prime Minister’s idea of achieving for Maori, then she is even more self-delusional than I’d previously entertained.
And if she is returned on this record then we are all deeply in trouble. All of us together.
Sources
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/benefit/index.html
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/attendance
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/statistics/quarterly_prison_statistics