Gap in Living Standards Must be Addressed
te-pati-maori
Tue Apr 24 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Gap in Living Standards Must be Addressed
Tuesday, 24 April 2007, 10:51 am
Press Release: The Maori Party
'Persistent Gap in Living Standards Must be Addressed' says Maori Party
Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, Co-leaders of the Maori Party
Tuesday 24 April 2007
“Results of the 2007 OECD Economic Survey of New Zealand confirm the urgent need to address what the report describes as a “persistent gap in living standards with the rest of the OECD”’ stated Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leader of the Maori Party.
“It is of course disappointing to see our total economy labour productivity growth described as ‘lacklustre’ and to learn that our household debt (at around 160% of disposable income) is a ratio that is much higher than in other OECD countries” said Dr Sharples.
“From our recent tour throughout various parts of Aotearoa, we know the very real hardship that many Maori communities are reporting – and have been consistently reporting for some years now” stated Dr Sharples.
“But what this report does is to point out to our international shame, that our living standards in Aotearoa have remained some 16% below the OECD median for some years” stated Tariana Turia, Co-leader of the Maori Party.
The OECD report stated that it is still not well understood why the gap in living standards has persisted.
It also identifies the need to develop a better understanding of “why New Zealanders borrow so much and save so little in the face of high interest rates”.
“We may not know why – but we certainly know who is most affected by the grip of poverty” said Mrs Turia.
The Living Standards report released in July 2006, revealed that there have been ‘significant increases’ of Māori and Pacific people, beneficiaries and low-income families with children in the proportions of people in "severe hardship". 38% of all children are described in hardship categories.
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“As such, the Maori Party welcomes the fact that the OECD report has issued a ‘key challenge to raise national incomes’” said Mrs Turia.
The OECD Report also urged the nation to “require a sharper focus on outcomes, particularly reducing under-achievement of Maori and Pacific Island youth”.
“How many times does this Government need to be told about the dire predicament facing many Maori and Pasifika school leavers before action is taken?” asked Dr Sharples.
The proportion of Maori students who leave school with qualifications higher than level one, is up to thirty percentage points behind other students. In 2004, 74% of European and 87% of Asian students left school with qualifications higher than NCEA Level 1; compared to 47% of Maori students.
"The conclusions of the report are clear" said Dr Sharples. "More questions need to be asked about the economic system and the creation of rich and poor individuals and nations".
ENDS
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