February 15, 2023
Maori youth jobless concern in state of nation report
The Salvation Army’s sixteenth annual State of the Nation report has identified some positives for Maori but a persistent problem with youth unemployment.
Nearly one in five rangatahi Māori aged 15 to 24 years were not in employment, education or training, more than twice the non-Māori rate.
In the positive side, the infant mortality rate for Māori is now close to parity with the non-Māori rate; the large gap between offending rates for rangatahi Māori and non-Māori came down; and there was an increase in the proportion of Māori who report being able to speak more than a few words and phrases in te reo. .
Colonel Ian Hutson, the director of the Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, says the main problems identified in the report include the escalating cost of living, increased household debt, lack of affordable housing, worsening of education outcomes and increase in young people reporting psychological distress.