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December 13, 2021
IMSB tracks Covid hit of Tāmaki Makaurau whānau
Adam Gifford
Posted On December 13, 2021
Download AudioA member of Auckland’s Independent Māori Statutory Board says any economic recovery plan for the Covid pandemic needs to factor in that Māori have been some of the hardest hit.
A report commissioned by the board from economic consultancy Sapere says the impacts of Covid-19 have been felt most intensely in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Negative impacts on Māori include financial hardship, social and cultural disconnection, loss and/or reduction in employment and the receipt of welfare support.
Tony Kake says many Māori in the hospitality and construction sectors lost their jobs.
“Reemploy our whānau Māori in the hospitality area, in the construction side, because that’s where a lot of our whānau work, in those trade roles. Government, in terms of its recovery, don’t apply the blanket, one-size-fits-all approach. We want a specific Māori response here in Tāmaki Makaurau that will even up the play,” he says.
The Sapere report also includes the results of a survey of 2000 Māori, that found almost half the respondents indicated that COVID had put relationships under stress or was a factor in the ending of a relationship.
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