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December 13, 2021
Poor left behind as Māori well being surges
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira
Posted On December 13, 2021
Download AudioThe Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is drawing a clear connection between increased well-being and mental health.
Chair Hayden Wano says its new report Te Rau Tira is intended as a baseline for measuring future progress.
He says while overall the well being of people living in New Zealand is good most of the time, there is a risk of a growing gap between haves and have nots.
From a Māori lens, the doubling of the Māori economy during the past decade and the increased acknowledgement of Te Tiriti and iwi leadership were positive, but the effects were not evenly spread.
“Thirty four percent of Māori whānau have started to see life is getting better for them but sadly on the other side 10 percent consider things are not so good. One of the challenges we face within Māoridom and in our leadership is that we don’t leave our own behind,” Mr Wano says.
The commission noted some negative effects of the Covid pandemic, including increased unemployment among those earning under $30,000 and among disabled people, high levels of psychological distress among rangatahi and higher levels of domestic violence during lockdown.
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