28 September 2011

Maori Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the Status and Wellbeing of Maori Children a step in the right direction

Every Child Counts support is pleased to learn that the Maori Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the Status and Wellbeing of Maori Children is proceeding.

“This is a step in the right direction,” says Every Child Counts spokesperson and chair of Te Kahui Mana Ririki Dr Hone Kaa.

Earlier this month Every Child Counts launched the report He Ara Hou – The Pathway Forward. The report revealed that just over half of the 200,000 New Zealand children living below the poverty line are Maori and/or Pasifika. As a result Maori and Pasifika children experience much poorer social, health and educational outcomes than other groups of children.

“The report recommended that the government develop a poverty removal strategy to sit alongside any wealth creation strategy. When it comes to the status of Maori and Pasifika children poverty is the central issue. This needs to be the focus of this new inquiry.

“The Maori Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the tobacco industry was a very significant and influential investigation. As a result of its findings the government has committed to the vision of a smoke-free New Zealand.

“We are hoping that this new inquiry will be equally influential, and we support it 100%.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media