October 04, 2012
Maori squeezed by migrants: Peters
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says continued immigration poses serious challenges for Maori.
Projections are for Auckland’s population to be only 51 percent Pakeha by 2016, compared with 76 percent 40 years ago, because of increases in the numbers of Maori, Polynesians and Asian residents.
A newspaper poll found almost 70 percent of Aucklanders were comfortable with the changing face of Auckland, but Mr Peters says immigration has created a housing and infrastructure problem in the city.
He says politicians have used immigration as a short term way to prop up the economy, rather than look at what is best long term for the country and for Maori.
“It just means that there is far more competition down at the bottom of the economic heap and that always creates enormous tension as you go into the future,” Mr Peters says.