Listen Now: 
The number of people in Auckland who identified as Maori increased by 12 percent between 2001 and 2013, but as a proportion of the city’s population they dropped from 11.6 percent to 10.7 percent.
That’s one of the surprising findings in a new Salvation Army report looking at disparities between the regions.
The Mixed Fortunes report says where people live in New Zealand heavily determines their quality of life and the social and economic benefits flowing into their communities and families.
People in regions with higher Maori populations including Northland, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty can find it is extremely difficult to achieve work and adequate income, while prospects are brighter in Otago, Canterbury, Auckland and Southland prospects are a great deal brighter.
Author Alan Johnson called for a threefold national response:
• the development of national sustainability goals which ensure the progress of all regions;
• a national plan to meet the challenges of an aging population, resource scarcity and rising inequality in the regions; and
• accelerating the adoption of new technologies and social arrangements, which more particularly benefit the regions presently struggling.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
