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The author of the Salvation Army’s state of the nation report says it could take more than a generation to close some of the gaps between Māori and non-Māori
Allan Johnson says in a change from previous reports, the "Are You Well? Are We Safe?" report focuses on 18 social indicators and comparesMāori and non-Māori outcomes over the past five years
.He says it’s the first time such an approach has been taken since a previous Labour Government’s closing the gaps initiative was shouted down, and it’s still a valid way to measure progress.
It shows the rate of Māori waiting for social housing is nine-times worse than non-Māori, youth unemployment is twice the general rate, and Māori whānau are three and a half times more likely to need welfare support.
"Every indicator we use shows Māori are massively disadvantaged and some of the indicators are getting worse, some are getting better, but the gaps are so big it will take more than a generation to close even where there is some progress," Mr Johnson says.
The indicators weren’t chosen because they would make Māori look bad, but because the data was available.
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