Key Achievements For Mäori

EMPLOYMENT

- Over 40,000 more Mäori are now in work than at the same time in 1999.

- The number of Mäori on the unemployment benefit has halved (from 44,000 in December 1999 to 22,500 in December 2004)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

- Mäori Fisheries Act transferred control of around $750 million in assets and quota to Mäori

- Mäori Business Facilitation Service (MBFS) has assisted over 4,000 clients, since September 2000..

- Maori interests in commercial marine farming space have been addressed by providing iwi, where possible, 20 percent of marine farming space allocated since 1992 and 20 percent of any future new space.

- Removed double taxation and lowered compliance costs for Mäori Authorities.

- The Kapohia ngâ Rawa initiative in Budget 2005 has funding of $14.8 million over four years for outreach and community workers to work with whânau to provide information and advice on education, career planning, financial management and housing. This programme will play a critical role in moving individuals and their whânau from dependency to development.

MAORI EDUCATION

- Mäori enrolments in tertiary education as at May 2004 reveal the number of Mäori enrolled in tertiary training almost doubled from 1999 to 2003, from 32,825 in 1999 to 62,574 in 2003.

- Across the country, 23,352 Maori trainees participated in the Modern apprenticeship and Industry Training schemes in 2004- 1761 more trainees then the previous year.

- Enrolments by Mäori in post-graduate courses have increased by 19% since 1999 (from 1,675 students in 1999 to 2,023 students in 2003).

- The proportion of Mäori aged 15 or over enrolled in tertiary education has increased to 22.8%.

- Te Kauhua and Te Kotahitanga research and professional development programmes improved the learning, behaviour and attendance outcomes for Mäori students in the classrooms of those teachers who had taken part.

- The Maori Student Suspension Programme has decreased suspensions from 76 per 1000 students in the year 2000 to 43 per 1000 students in 2003.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

- 468,188 Maori are enrolled in Primary Healthcare organisations and receiving cheaper, more affordable healthcare

- Mäori Health Providers have improved local immunisation rates, have successful smoking cessation results, have delivered services to rural communities, promoted healthy lifestyles as well as moving into primary, community and disability services.

MAORI CULTURAL EXPRESSION

- The Mäori Television Service was launched in March 2004.

- The Mäori Language Strategy was revised to reflect the growing security of the language in the modern world.

- The Toi Iho brand was launched in February 2002 in response to several decades of Mäori calls for a way of identifying authentic quality Mäori arts.

- There has been a significant investment in iwi broadcasting to enable Mäori radio stations to meet the expectations of Mäori audiences.

TREATY SETTLEMENTS

Labour has made great progress on Treaty settlements. This includes:

- eight deeds of settlement signed between the Crown and iwi

- seven Settlement Acts passed into law

- four Agreements in Principle signed between Crown and iwi. Deeds of Settlement have been reached with a number of groups that the previous National government couldn’t reach agreement with, such as Ngati Awa, Ngati Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngati Tama and Ngati Ruanui. Dialogue continues with more than 26 groups – this is evidence of more and more groups wanting to focus on resolving grievances and moving forwards.

ENDS

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