November 07, 2013
Neoliberal experiment judged unfair
A retired Court of Appeal judge says Maori have fared worse from the growing inequality brought about by New Zealand’s adoption of neoliberal economic policies.
In this year’s Bruce Jesson Memorial Lecture, Sir Edmund Thomas decried the effects of the changes of the 1980s and 90s, including more unequal distribution of wealth, the loss of community and social cohesion, the decline of union influence and a lack of commitment to social justice.
He says the statistics for Maori are appalling, with one in four Maori men having been in jail, one in four young Maori unemployed, higher rates of mental illness, and lower educational achievement.
"One in four Maori males have been in prison. One in four Maori young people are unemployed. Maori life expectancy is eight years lower than Pakeha life expectancy. Maori have a 50 percent higher rate of mental illness than non-Maori. And Maori children are disproportionately left behind in the education system. This isn't just negelect of an individual or a group of individuals or a sector in the community, this is the neglect of a people," he says.
Sir Edmund Thomas has also criticised the convictions for misleading investors which were entered against former treaty negotiations minister Sir Douglas Graham and three fellow directors of Lombard Finance.
He says the Court of Appeal was swayed by public sentiment over the failure of finance companies, and its grasp of the facts was incomplete and its reasoning flawed.
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