Accounting for Diversity:

Policy Design and Māori Development in

New Zealand

Dena Ringold

Ian Axford Fellowship Forum

UMBC

January 18, 2006

Two Decades of Māori Development

• Notable gains in employment and education– Particularly early childhood (88%) and tertiary; – Record low unemployment (8%).

• Poverty coming down, health status improving.

• However, still gaps in health, education– 30% graduate without qualifications; life expectancy

gap 8-9 years.

• Indications of growing inequality, diversity of outcomes.– PISA education results show wider range for Māori

than between Māori and non-Māori.

Tailoring Services to Māori: What has been done?

• Expanding Māori participation and ownership of services– Involvement in delivery and governance.– Māori medium education; Māori health providers.

• Devolving service delivery– Increase in Māori and iwi providers.

• Strengthening outreach – Emphasis on information, communications, language.

• Investing in culture– Holistic and whanau-based approaches.

• Increasing choice for all population groups.

Lessons Beyond NZ• Alternative services have influenced mainstream

provision – Coverage is small (80-90% in mainstream services), influence

is farther reaching;– Demonstration effect; examples of how to do things differently;

build confidence and capacity.– But mainstream services cannot be let off of the hook.

• Capacity-building is needed to make institutions work.– E.g. governance arrangements.

• Good data can influence policy-design.– Data for “Closing the Gaps” led to policy initiatives.– Improvements to ethnic data collection.

More Lessons Beyond NZ• Investing in culture can improve

outcomes.

• Political economy issues need managing.– Better information on spending, eligibility criteria,

rationales for policy, and success stories.

• Equity requires monitoring.– Due to increasing internal diversity of the population and

diversification of providers.

• Emphasis on quality, access is not enough.