28 August 2008

Maori make gains in Social Report findings

More Maori school leavers are gaining higher qualifications, more Maori are participating in tertiary education, and life expectancy has improved for Maori men and women.

These are just three of the advances in Maori wellbeing found in the Ministry of Social Development’s 2008 Social Report released today.

Parekura Horomia , Minister of Maori Affairs and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment, has welcomed the report’s findings which show Maori have made real gains in wellbeing since the mid 1990s.

‘’In some areas Maori outcomes are improving faster than the total population,’’

‘’The Social Report shows that participation in tertiary education, unemployment rates and life expectancy has improved markedly for Maori. “
Fields where Maori wellbeing has improved include:

- Greater participation in early childhood education
- The percentage of Maori with tertiary qualifications has more than tripled since the mid-1990s
- Hourly wage and salary earnings of Maori in the 10 years to June 2007 increased by 15 percent
- The proportion of households spending 30 percent of their income on housing fell between 1997 and 2007
- Maori students leaving school with NCEA Level 2 or higher increased by a greater rate than any other ethnic group between 2003 and 2007
- Life expectancy has improved since the mid-1990s by 2.4 years for males (to 69 years) and 1.9 years for females (to 72.3 years)
- In 2006 almost half of Maori households had internet access, up from a quarter in 2001.

“Maori have made great gains – but we also know that there is still much more to do.”

A full copy of the 2008 Social Report is available from www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz

ENDS

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