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Pasifika People in New ZealandHOW ARE WE DOING?

2017

P O BOX 11445, MAIN HIGHWAY, ELLERSLIE, AUCKLAND 1542

BUILDING 4, LEVEL 1, 195 MAIN HIGHWAY, ELLERSLIE, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

PUBLISHED MAY 2017

Pasifika Futures is a Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency

PASIFIKA FUTURES IS A CHARITABLE COMPANY OF PASIFIKA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

CONTENTSDEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW 3Demographic overview 4A diverse, growing population 6Majority now born in New Zealand 6Majority live in Auckland and the North Island 6Pacific families and children 6Pacific LGBTQI community 8A multilingual population 9

EDUCATION 11Education overview 12Early Childhood Education (ECE): Low ECE enrolment rates 14Primary school: National standards for learning 15Secondary Education: Achievement in NCEA and University Entrance 16Science and mathematics achievement 17Tertiary education 18

HEALTH 21Health overview 22Obesity 24Diabetes 24Smoking, alcohol and physical activity 24Mental health 25Barriers to Healthcare 25

EMPLOYMENT 27Employment overview 28NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training): Youth NEETs 30Representation in occupation and industry sectors 31

INCOME AND HARDSHIP 33Income and hardship overview 34Deprivation and Child Poverty 36Income and Net worth 36Receiving benefits 37

HOUSING 39Housing overview 40Home ownership 42Housing quality 42Overcrowding 42

LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY OVERVIEW 43Leadership, culture and community overview 44Civic participation 46

ABOUT THE AUTHORS 47Mrs Debbie Sorensen D.C.C.T, CMInstD, NZRPN 47Mrs Seini Jensen BA/LLB, MA 47

REFERENCES 48

Kia orana, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Taloha ni, Halo olaketa, Ia orana, Namaste, Mauri, Kia ora and warm Pacific greetingsPasifika Futures is the Pacific Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency charged with the responsibility of supporting Pacific families in New Zealand to shape a better future.

As part of the establishment of the organisation in 2014, a widespread national consultation process was undertaken to understand the needs and priorities of Pacific families. Supporting this process the organisation gathered information from a variety of sources on the Pacific population in New Zealand, which was published in 2015. This report updates and develops further our profile of the Pacific population. We draw on data published by a range of organisations, including Statistics New Zealand, MBIE, New Zealand Parliament, Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, and the Salvation Army’s Social and Policy Unit.

Our diverse and vibrant Pacific communities are well established in New Zealand society, with many having made the transition from immigrant based, new settlers to third generation New Zealanders with Pacific heritage. We are making progress in establishing ourselves in business, sports, the arts, social service delivery and public sector roles. We are represented at the highest level of Government, in local bodies and lead many Pacific organisations and hold senior and leadership roles in mainstream businesses, nongovernmental and community based organisations.

continued over

2 PASIFIKA PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND | HOW ARE WE DOING? | 2017

Despite this, the outcomes in many areas for Pacific individuals and families remain a challenge. When we look at the deprivation index of Pacific people, more than half of Pacific people live in the most deprived areas of New Zealand, a rate that is higher in comparison to Māori, Asian, New Zealand New Zealand European and others.

The education system has a central role in enabling Pacific peoples to gain the skills and knowledge required to enter high-skilled occupations with a higher demand for growth, but of all ethnic groups in New Zealand, Pacific people have the smallest proportion with a degree and the largest proportion with no qualification at all. Pacific adults are less likely to be in good health compared with non-Pacific adults, and Pacific people face an inequitable burden of chronic disease including high rates of obesity and diabetes. The Pacific unemployment rate has been consistently higher than the rate for the total population. Pacific people have the lowest percent of people living in an owned home overall and material hardships are also greater amongst Pacific families compared to other ethnic groups.

There are however signals from a few areas that these persistent inequalities are narrowing, particularly in some aspects of education. It is critical that this momentum is maintained and developed further in other areas of Pacific people’s development.

All of this information provides a clear challenge for crown agencies, social service providers and non-governmental agencies working with Pacific families to find innovative solutions and models to make a difference.

Pasifika Futures is committed to supporting families to change the narrative, to enable young Pacific people to have a bright future and to see all Pacific families contributing and participating fully in the community and New Zealand society.

Faka’apa’apa atu

Mrs Debbie Sorensen D.C.C.T, CMInstD, NZRPN Chief Executive Officer

DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW


DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW

62%

PAC I F I C P O P U L AT I O N I N N E W Z E A L A N D

O F T H E PAC I F I C P O P U L AT I O N A R E N Z B O R N

295,941

480,000I T I S E S T I M AT E D BY T H E Y E A R 2026 T H E R E W I L L B E A P O P U L AT I O N O F

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S I N N E W Z E A L A N D

49% S A M O A N

21% CO O K I S L A N D

20% TO N G A N

8% N I U E A N

5% F I J I A N

B R E A K D O W N O F PAC I F I C E T H N I C I T I E S W I T H I N N E W

Z E A L A N D

PASIFIKA PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND | HOW ARE WE DOING? | 2017 5

69%

22

2 out of 3

31,839 TO N G A N

8,124 CO O K I S L A N D

M ĀO R I

6,273 F I J I A N

2,349T U VA LU

1,896 K I R I B AT I

4,548 N I U E A N

8,489 TO K E L AU N

PAC I F I C FA M I L I E S H AV E C H I L D R E N U N D E R 18. ( AT L E A S T O N E C H I L D )

YO U T H F U L P O P U L AT I O N , M E D I A N AG E 22 Y E A R S

Y E A R S O L D

PAC I F I C FA M I L I E S L I V E I N AU C K L A N D

PAC I F I C L A N G UAG E S S P O K E N I N

N E W Z E A L A N D

86,403 S A M O A N


DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEWThe Pacific population in New Zealand is a dynamic and diverse community made up of over sixteen distinct ethnicities, languages and cultures. At the time of the 2013 census, Pacific numbered 295,941 people or 7.4% of the total population, making Pacific the fourth largest ethnic group in New Zealand (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c). The Pacific community is a growing, young population with a median age of 22.1, sixteen years younger than the median age of the New Zealand population (Statistics New Zealand, 2014. By 2026, it is projected that New Zealand’s Pacific population will increase to 480,000 people and by 2038 will number 650,000 (Statistics New Zealand, 2015b).

A diverse, growing population

Samoan is the largest of the Pacific ethnic groups in New Zealand (48.7%), followed by Cook Island Māori (20.9%), Tongan (20.4%), Niuean (8.1%) and Fijian (4.8%). While Samoans make up the largest proportion of Pacific, between 2006-2013, Samoans had the slowest growth (9.9%) compared to the much higher growth in the Fijian (46.5%) and Tongan (19.5%) ethnic groups (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c). Overall, the Pacific population had a high growth rate of 11.2%, twice the rate of the overall population (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c). This growth rate is most likely due to the relative youth and higher fertility rate of the Pacific population.

Majority now born in New Zealand

Nearly two thirds of the Pacific population are born in New Zealand. The proportion of Pacific people born in New Zealand has steadily increased from 58.2% in 2001 to 62.3% or 181,791 people in 2013 (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c). The five Pacific ethnicities with the highest proportions of those born in New Zealand are Niuean (78.9%), Cook Island Māori (77.4%), Tokelauan (73.9%), Samoan (62.7%) and Tongan (59.8%) (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c).

Majority live in Auckland and the North Island

Over ninety percent (92.9%) of Pacific people live in the North Island, with almost two thirds (65.9%) residing in Auckland alone, mainly concentrated in South Auckland (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c). Census data suggests that between 2006 and 2013 Pacific people moved to more southern areas of Auckland, with high rates of growth in Papakura (43%) and Manurewa (22%) and into the Waikato (25%) and Bay of Plenty regions (20%) (Statistics New Zealand, 2015c; Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, 2014).

Pacific families and children

Pacific families have more children than any other ethnic group in New Zealand. The Pacific population has the highest proportion of children under 14 (Statistics New Zealand, 2014c) and the highest proportion of family types with children under 18 (Superu, 2015). Nearly 70 percent of Pacific families have at least one child under 18, 42% of these families were couples with at least one child under 18, and 27% are single parents with at least one child under 18. Pacific families were much less likely than other ethnic groups to be a couple with no children (Table 1).


Table 1: Family types within ethic groups, 2013 Census

Couple, both

under 50Couple, one or

both 50 plus

Two parents, at least one child

under 18

One parent, at least one child

under 18

Two parents, all children 18

plus

One parent, all children 18

plus

Pacific 9% 9% 42% 27% 7% 6%

Māori 10% 15% 35% 28% 5% 6%

Asian 17% 16% 43% 9% 11% 4%

New Zealand European

12% 33% 33% 11% 7% 4%

Source: Superu 2015, Demographic overview of families in New Zealand

Table 2: Other people in household, 2013 Census

Live as one family, no other people

Live as one family with others in household Live with other families

Pacific 57.9% 15.4% 26.7%

Māori 72.2% 13.7% 14.1%

Asian 67% 13.9% 19.1%

New Zealand European

87.2% 7.2% 5.5%

Source: Superu 2015, Demographic overview of families in New Zealand

Pacific families were most likely of all ethnic groups to be living with others: 26.7% of Pacific families were living with other families, and a further 15.4% were living as one family with others in the household. This is likely to be at least partly a marker of hardship; other indicators of hardship are also strongly present among Pacific people, and this is discussed later in this report.


Pacific LGBTQI community

The LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and Intersex) community includes a wide range of people with various sexual orientation and gender identities. The Pacific LGBTQI community also includes a wider spectrum of gender identity from the Pacific including Fa’afafine (Samoa, American Samoa, and Tokelau), Fakaleiti or leiti (Tonga), Fakafifine (Niue), Akava’ine (Cook Islands), Vakasalewalewa (Fiji), Palopa (Papua New Guinea) and Mahu (Tahiti and Hawaii) (Pacific Homecare, 2016; Statistics New Zealand, 2015c). There is currently little statistical data available on the LGBTQI community, particularly gender identity data for the New Zealand population. Consequently, it is difficult to quantify the issues affecting gender identity minority groups and to develop measures

to address the health and social needs of these populations (Statistics New Zealand, 2014d). However, there is considerable New Zealand and international evidence that the LGBTQI community are disadvantaged across a range of social wellbeing, health and economic indicators. For example, evidence demonstrates LGBTQI experience higher rates of suicide, physical and verbal assault, bullying, victimisation, depression, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, and other drug dependence, and more workplace discrimination and impediments to career progression, in comparison to the heterosexual population (Statistics New Zealand, 2014d; Ministry of Health, 2006; Ministry of Social Development, 2006; Statistics New Zealand, 2008, as cited in the Official Statistics Research Series, Statistics New Zealand 2010).


Table 3: Number of languages spoken by ethnic groups, 2013 Census

Ethnic group One language Two languages Three or more languages

Pacific 50.7% 40.1% 3.3%

Māori 75.2% 19.6% 1.4%

Asian 36.6% 45.9% 12.6%

NZ European 89.6% 6.5% 1.4%

Total people 74.7% 14.6% 2.8%

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2013 Census

Table 4: Most common Pacific languages spoken in New Zealand, 2013 Census

Language Number of speakers

Samoan 86,403

Tongan 31,839

Cook Islands Māori 8,124

Fijian 6,273

Niuean 4,548

Tokelauan 2,469

Tuvaluan 2,349

Kiribati 1,476

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2013 Census

Table 5: Proportion of Pacific people who could speak the first language of their ethnic group, 2001–2013

Ethnic group

Census year

2001 2006 2013

Cook Islands Māori 17.5 16.2 13.0

Niuean 26.1 23.7 18.7

Fijian 27.1 27.6 27.6

Tokelauan 41.3 38.1 31.9

Tongan 56.7 58.2 53.2

Samoan 64.0 60.7 55.6

Source: Ministry of Social Development, Social Report 2016

A multilingual population

The richness of Pacific cultures in New Zealand is typified by the range of languages spoken. In the 2013 Census, more than one in three Pacific people (43.4%) spoke two or more languages, well above the national average of 17.4% (see Table 3). The most common Pacific languages spoken in New Zealand are Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island Māori (see Table 4). However, for most Pacific ethnicities there has been a steady decline in the proportion who can speak the first language of their ethnic group, (see Table 5).

EDUCATION


EDUCATION OVERVIEW

32%

53% 52%44%

PAC I F I C 0 — 4 Y E A R O L D S A R E E N R O L L E D I N E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N

CO M PA R E D TO

M ĀO R I

N Z E U R O P E A N

A S I A N

PAC I F I C P R I M A RY S T U D E N T S AC H I E V I N G 'AT ' O R 'A B O V E ' T H E N AT I O N A L S TA N D A R D I N 2015

66%

84% 81% 73%

63% 60%

R E A D I N G M AT H S W R I T I N G

PAC I F I C PAC I F I C PAC I F I C

N Z E U R ON Z E U R O

N Z E U R O

75%69%52%58%

90%83%71%77%

88%82%64%72%

Y E A R 13 L E V E L 3



N C E A AT TA I N M E N T I N 2015

PAC I F I C

PAC I F I C

PAC I F I C

M ĀO R I

M ĀO R I

M ĀO R I

N Z E U R O P E A N

N Z E U R O P E A N

N Z E U R O P E A N

A S I A N

A S I A N

A S I A N

30%

31%65%

Y E A R 13 S T U D E N T S AT TA I N I N G U N I V E R S I T Y

E N T R A N C E

PAC I F I C

57% N Z E U R O P E A N

A S I A N

M ĀO R I

U E


PAC I F I C S T U D E N T S H AV E T H E LO W E S T L E V E L S O F S C I E N C E A N D M AT H E M AT I C S AC H I E V E M E N T I N

N E W Z E A L A N D S C H O O L S .

12%40%

P I S A R E S U LT S S H O W T H AT 12% O F PAC I F I C S T U D E N T S AC H I E V E D AT L E V E L 4 O R A B O V E I N

S C I E N C E , CO M PA R E D TO 40% O F A S I A N S T U D E N T S A N D 40% O F N Z E U R O P E A N S T U D E N T S

A S I A N A N D N Z E U R O P E A N

PAC I F I C

2,623

T H E N U M B E R O F PAC I F I C S T U D E N T S

E N G AG E D I N A L E V E L 4

O R H I G H E R Q UA L I F I C AT I O N

H A S I N C R E A S E D BY

P E O P L E F R O M2009 – 2013

T H E P O P U L AT I O N O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E S I N 2013 TO G A I N A B AC H E LO R S D E G R E E O R

H I G H E R WA S O N LY

8.1%30% O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E H A D N O Q UA L I F I C AT I O N S AT A L L


EDUCATION

The education system has a central role in enabling Pacific peoples to gain the skills and knowledge required to enter high-skilled occupations with a higher demand for growth. Higher education is closely linked to higher levels of income and general wellbeing (Earle, 2009; Callister & Didham, 2008), but of all ethnic groups in New Zealand, Pacific people have the smallest proportion with a degree and 30% with no qualifications at all.

Early Childhood Education (ECE): Low ECE enrolment rates

Participation in quality Early Childhood Education has significant benefits for children and their future learning ability. ECE has been shown to positively impact literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. It also promotes the development of cognitive and attitudinal competencies that lead to higher levels of achievement and better social outcomes. Attending high-quality ECE regularly from an early age is beneficial for all children, however evidence shows that children from lower socio-economic communities often gain the most benefit (Statistics New Zealand and Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, 2010).

Prior participation in ECE is collected by the Ministry of Education from children starting school and is used as the key indicator for ECE

participation (Ministry of Education, 2015a). This indicator is likely to be considerably inflated as it is parents self-reported participation of their children into ECE and does not measure actual enrolment into ECE. With this limitation in mind, the indicator suggests that there have been steady rises in ECE participation since 2000. Although Pacific children have the lowest rates of ECE participation, levels of participation have risen steadily, from 85.9% in 2010 to 91.2% in 2015 (Ministry of Education, 2015a).

A more accurate measure of ECE participation is ECE enrolment data from the annual ECE census combined with population data (Ministry of Education, 2017b). Table 6 shows Pacific enrolment into ECE at 32% is considerably lower than other ethnic groups in New Zealand, 21 percentage points lower than Māori and 20 percentage point’s lower than NZ European (see Table 6).

Table 6: 2014 ECE Enrolment rate

Measure Māori Pacific Asian NZ European

Enrolments ECE 2014 44,625 14,230 19,552 111,487

0-4 year old Population Projection 83,600 45,100 44,300 216,100

Enrolment Rate 53% 32% 44% 52%

Source: Ministry of Education, 2017b.


Primary school: National standards for learning

In New Zealand, schools monitor and report on year 1 to 8 students’ progress and achievement using National Standards. Pacific students have shown steady increases in meeting standards across reading, mathematics and writing each year since 2012. These have generally been higher gains than have been made by other ethnic groups (see Table 7).

Table 7: Percentage of Pacific students achieving ‘At’ or ‘Above’ the National Standard in 2012–2015

Reading Mathematics Writing2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015

Pacific 62.9% 64.3% 65.1% 66% 59.6% 60.9% 62.0% 63.3% 57.1% 57.6% 59.6% 60.6%

Source: Ministry of Education, 2016.

Despite these gains, issues of inequality persist for Pacific primary school students with Pacific having the lowest proportions achieving at or above the National Standards in Reading, Maths and Writing (see Table 8). In 2015, 83.4% of Asian students achieved Mathematics compared to 63.3% of Pacific students. Achievement gaps also persist for Pacific primary school students in Reading and Writing, with Pacific achievement in reading 18.3 percentage points below NZ European and 17.4 percentage points below in Writing.

Table 8: Percentage of Pacific, Māori, New Zealand European and Asian students achieving ‘At’ or ‘Above’ the National Standard in 2015

Student typeReading

2015Mathematics

2015Writing

2015

Pacific 66.0% 63.3% 60.6%

Māori 68.8% 65.4% 61.6%

Asian 79.0% 83.4% 74.8%

European/Pākehā 84.3% 80.7% 73.3%

Source: Ministry of Education, 2016.


Secondary Education: Achievement in NCEA and University Entrance

A formal school qualification in is a measure of the extent to which young adults have completed a basic prerequisite for higher education, training and many entry-level jobs (Ministry of Education, 2015b). In New Zealand, the main qualification available to secondary school students is the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Achievement of NCEA qualifications is also shown to be linked to labour force status and incomes.

From 2011 to 2015, there was an upward trend in attainment rates at NCEA Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 for all four ethnicities reported -New Zealand European, Māori, Pacific and Asian1 (NZQA, 2016). Pacific students had the largest increase in attainment across NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 in this time period. For example, from 2011 to 2015 the percentage of Pacific Year 11 students achieving NCEA Level 1 increased 17.4 percentage points. In comparison, NZ European Year 11 students NCEA level 1 attainment increased just 7.7 percentage points over the same period.

Table 10: Roll-based NCEA attainment rates by ethnicity 2011–2015

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Year 11 students attaining

NCEA Level 1

NZ European 74.0% 75.4% 78.7% 80.3% 81.7%

Māori 48.2% 50.5% 55.3% 59.1% 63.5%

Pacific 54.5% 58.4% 64.8% 66.9% 71.9%

Asian 80.4% 79.4% 82.0% 84.2% 87.9%


NCEA Level 2

NZ European 75.9% 77.4% 78.6% 82.2% 83.0%

Māori 56.8% 59.0% 62.0% 67.1% 70.6%

Pacific 57.7% 62.5% 67.8% 74.5% 76.6%

Asian 85.1% 85.9% 85.1% 87.2% 89.7%


NCEA Level 3

NZ European 62.1% 62.1% 63.7% 66.4% 69.0%

Māori 39.8% 42.6% 44.3% 46.5% 51.5%

Pacific 38.1% 44.2% 47.8% 51.6% 57.5%

Asian 67.7% 70.5% 69.6% 71.1% 75.4%

Year 13 students attaining University

Entrance2

NZ European 56.8% 57.1% 59.1% 54.0% 57.4%

Māori 30.6% 32.5% 34.2% 27.3% 31.0%

Pacific 27.4% 32.1% 34.9% 28.9% 29.5%

Asian 64.5% 67.1% 66.2% 59.5% 64.5%

Source: NZQA (2016), Annual Report on NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship Data and Statistics 2015

Despite the improvements in NCEA, Pacific students NCEA attainment is considerably lower than other ethnic groups (with the exception of Māori students). For example, in 2015, Pacific students UE attainment was 35 percentage points lower than Asian students in 2015 and 27.9 percentage points lower than NZ European students. Pacific Year 13 students’ NCEA Level 3 attainment was 17.9 percentage points lower than Asian and 11.5 percentage points lower than NZ European students. Furthermore, the UE achievement gap between Pacific and all other ethnic groups grew between 2014 and 2015.

The University Entrance results for Pacific students also highlight a key problem in the pathways

for Pacific students through secondary school. Secondary schools are often not ensuring that Pacific students make subject choices that create future opportunities, including university entrance and tertiary study (Madjar, McKinley, Jensen, Van Der Merwe, 2009). Pacific students tend to choose fewer academic NCEA subjects and fewer from the list that are approved for university. The Starpath research project (Madjar et al., 2009) has found that many NCEA pathways can prevent some academically able students from achieving their potential at secondary school and from being able to progress to degree-level tertiary study. It is therefore also important to explore Pacific student achievement in particular subjects, as outlined in the sections below.

1 Note: Students not identifying with any of these four ethnicities were omitted from the data.

2 New University Entrance requirements came into effect in March 2014. Students must meet a new literacy requirement to enter into university-level programmes from 2015. The literacy requirement for the new University Entrance from 2014 is 10 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above made up of 5 credits in reading and 5 credits in writing. According to NZQA, the impact of this change is a reduction in the 2014 and 2015 University Entrance attainment rates from those in 2013 (NZQA, 2015).


Science and mathematics achievement

Pacific students have the lowest levels of science and mathematics achievement in New Zealand schools. This is particularly concerning when science and maths are required for entry into a number of high level tertiary qualifications as well as the possibility of higher paying jobs. In general, any tertiary qualification is beneficial, however a degree in an area of future demand such as engineering or health is even better. Pacific students are not achieving the level of science or mathematics at school that they require to move on to these kinds of studies.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international standardised education research study of 15-year-olds. PISA involves a

three-yearly OECD assessment which began in 2000. PISA 2015 assessed scientific literacy, reading literacy and mathematical literacy, with the main focus being scientific literacy. Results from PISA 2015 shows that Pacific students have the lowest mean science, reading and mathematics achievement of all ethnic groups in New Zealand when measured at 15 years. In addition, these assessments show that mean Pacific science, mathematics and reading achievement has declined between 2006 and 2015 (Ministry of Education, 2013b).

PISA results show that only 12% of Pacific students achieved at PISA Level 4 or above in science, compared to 40% of Asian and New Zealand European students and 17% of Māori students.

Figure 2: Average science, reading, and mathematics performance of Pasifika students

600580560540520500480

460440420400

2000 2003 2006

453 448 439 446

Year of assessment

Mea

n sc

ienc

e sc

ore

New Zealand OECD Pasifika

2009 2012 2015

Science Reading600580560540520500480

460440420400

2000 2003 2006Year of assessment

Mea

n re

adin

g sc

ore


2009 2012 2015

459 457 458 448 446 450

Mathematics600580560540520500480

460440420400

2000 2003 2006Year of assessment

Mea

n m

athe

mat

ics s

core


2009 2012 2015

455460

446431

441

3 Source: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/180613/PISA-2015-Summary-Report_v2.pdf

Note: error bars on the graphs provide a 95 percent confidence interval for the estimate of the average. Graphs begin at the year the subject was first the major focus of the year of assessment.


Table 11: Proportion of the Population aged 15 years and over with a bachelors degree by Ethnic Group

2005 2015

Bachelors degree or

higher

NZ European 14% 20.7%

Māori 5.6% 9.9%

Pacific 5.4% 8.6%

Other 30.4% 35.2%

Source: Ministry of Education, 2016

Tertiary education

Tertiary education has a significant impact on labour market outcomes. Individuals with higher-level tertiary qualifications have the lowest levels of unemployment and earn significantly more than those with a lower-level qualification or no qualification at all (Ministry of Education, 2016). In 2015 median hourly earnings were 65% higher for those with a Bachelors degree compared to those without and unemployment was 3.2% compared to 9% for those without a qualification

(Ministry of Education, 2016). Moreover, earnings remain consistently higher for those with higher qualifications and employment rates increase with the level of qualification gained (Ministry of Education, 2016).

Although the proportion of Pacific people with a Bachelors degree or higher has increased since 2005. In 2015, Pacific people continue to have the smallest proportion with a Bachelors degree or higher, at 8.6% compared to 20.7% of NZ Europeans, 9.9% of Māori and 35.2% of Other.


The number of Pacific students engaged in a level 4 or higher qualification increased from 10,252 in 2009 to 12,875 in 2013. However, Pacific people’s tertiary participation tends to be more heavily concentrated in lower level qualifications such as certificate courses, compared to most other ethnic groups (Ministry of Social Development 2016). Pacific students also have lower completion rates than their non-Pacific counterparts.

Pasifika have the lowest level of participation in degree or high qualifications and the highest participation rates in non-degree qualifications in comparison to their non-Pacific counterparts. Table 12 shows tertiary education participation rates by ethnic group and qualification level.

Table 12: Tertiary education participation rates by ethnic group and qualification level

YEAR

Asians NZ European/Pākehā Māori Pasifika

Non Degree Quals*

Degree & Higher

Quals*

Non Degree Quals*

Degree & Higher

Quals*

Non Degree Quals*

Degree & Higher

Quals*

Non Degree Quals*

Degree & Higher

Quals*

2005 11.3% 5.0% 7.8% 4.8% 3.6% 16.6% 9.5% 3.3%

2006 9.8% 5.3% 8.0% 5.0% 3.5% 15.5% 8.2% 3.2%

2007 8.9% 5.6% 7.8% 5.1% 3.5% 14.9% 8.8% 3.4%

2008 7.0% 5.7% 7.1% 5.1% 3.5% 14.0% 8.7% 3.4%

2009 6.4% 6.0% 6.8% 5.4% 3.7% 14.0% 8.8% 3.6%

2010 5.8% 6.0% 6.4% 5.5% 3.9% 13.4% 8.7% 3.8%

2011 4.6% 5.8% 5.3% 5.3% 4.0% 11.9% 8.1% 3.7%

2012 4.1% 5.5% 5.0% 5.4% 4.0% 11.3% 7.8% 3.9%

2013 3.7% 5.3% 5.0% 5.5% 4.0% 11.4% 8.1% 4.3%

2014 3.2% 5.0% 4.8% 5.4% 4.0% 11.3% 7.5% 4.3%

2015 2.9% 4.8% 4.6% 5.3% 4.0% 10.9% 7.2% 4.4%

All ethnic groups, other than Pacific peoples, experienced declines in tertiary participation rates between 2007 and 2014. Rates for Pacific peoples were more stable over this period and they recorded the lowest decline between 2007 and 2014, of 0.2 percentage points from 11.6 to 11.4 percent (Ministry of Education, 2017a). In the case of Pacific peoples, there was a much smaller decline in certificate level participation rates and improvements in participation at Bachelor’s degree level.

HEALTH


HEALTH OVERVIEW

5 YEARS LOWER

FOR MALES

4 .5 Y E A R S LO W E R F O R F E M A L E S

T H E AV E R AG E L I F E E X P E C TA N C Y

F O R PAC I F I C A D U LT S I S

I N CO M PA R I S O N TO N O N - PAC I F I C

PAC I F I C A D U LT S E X P E R I E N C E D P S YC H O LO G I C A L D I S T R E S S I N

T H E PA S T F O U R W E E K S

A L S O A R E 1.5 T I M E S A S L I K E LY TO H AV E E X P E R I E N C E D P S YC H O LO G I C A L D I S T R E S S A S

N O N - PAC I F I C A D U LT S

1 in 9

19%

10%

PAC I F I C A D U LT S

PAC I F I C PA R E N T S

2015 / 2016 P R E S C R I P T I O N

CO S T S H AV E P R E V E N T E D

F R O M CO L L E C T I N G A

P R E S C R I P T I O N I N T H E PA S T

12 M O N T H S .

1 in 4O F PAC I F I C A D U LT S W E R E C U R R E N T S M O K E R S I N 2015 / 2016

T H I S H A S N OT D E C L I N E D S I G N I F I C A N T LY S I N C E 2006/2007.

2.8x

THE R ATE OF DIABE TES

IN PACIFIC ADULTS IS

HIGHER THAN NON- PACIFIC

44%

20% O F PAC I F I C A D U LT S A R E P H YS I C A L LY I N AC T I V E

P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y A M O N G PAC I F I C A D U LT S

2015/16


1.5xPAC I F I C A D U LT S A R E

M O R E L I K E LY TO B E H A Z A R D O U S D R I N K E R S T H A N N O N - PAC I F I C

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S A R E D I S A B L E D19%

30%

67%

PACIFIC CHILDREN

ARE OBESE

PACIFIC ADULTS

ARE OBESE


HEALTH

Pacific peoples have poorer health and more unmet need for healthcare. The latest New Zealand Health Survey revealed that Pacific adults were less likely (0.9 times) to be in good health compared with non-Pacific adults. Pacific people also have lower life expectancy rates and face an inequitable burden of chronic disease including high rates of obesity and diabetes (Ministry of Health, 2016).

On average the life expectancies for the Pacific population are approximately 4.5 years lower than the total population for females, and 5 years for males. In 2012-2014 the average life expectancy for Pacific women was 78.7 years and 74.5 years for Pacific men. This is in comparison to 84.1 years for European/Other women and 80.5 years for European/Other men (Ministry of Social Development, 2016).

Obesity

New Zealand has the third highest adult obesity rate in the OECD, with one in three adult New Zealanders obese, and one in ten children (Ministry of Health, 2016).

Pacific peoples have a much high rate of obesity, in 2015-2016 about two-thirds of Pacific adults (67%) and almost one-third of Pacific children (30%) are obese, and are more likely to be obese than non-Pacific children (Ministry of Health, 2016).

While obesity rates for Pacific adults and children continue to show no improvement since 2006/07, a New Zealand study found that there is some variation within the Pacific population (Helu et al, 2009). Among New Zealand secondary school students the rates of obesity are markedly higher among female Tongan, Samoan and Cook Island students.

Obesity risk factors may include behaviours that can be modified such unhealthy lifestyle habits and environments including lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating behaviours. Health risks linked to obesity include heart disease and diabetes among other health problems.

Diabetes

Diabetes affects over 240,000 people in New Zealand (mostly type 2), with another estimated 100,000 people who are unaware they have diabetes (Ministry of Health, 2016). Diabetes disproportionately affects the Pacific population

with 9% of Pacific adults having been diagnosed with the disease compared to 5.5% of the total population. This means that the rate of diabetes for Pacific adults is 2.8 times the rate for non-Pacific adults. Approximately 90% of those with diabetes have type 2. Type 2 diabetes is a preventable and reversible condition that is strongly associated with increasing body size. There is a trend of type 2 diabetes occurring around 10 years earlier in Pacific people compared to New Zealand Europeans (Ministry of Health, 2016).

Smoking, alcohol and physical activity

Pacific adults have higher rates of health risk behaviours and poor health such as smoking, hazardous drinking, and being physically inactive than non-Pacific adults (Ministry of Health, 2015).

Smoking is the biggest single cause of preventable morbidity (the non-death impacts of disease) and mortality in OECD countries, including New Zealand. Smoking is an important contributor to inequalities in life expectancy between ethnic groups. There was a slight increase of Pacific current smokers from 24.7% in 2014/2015 to 25% Pacific adult smokers in 2015/2016 (Ministry of Health, 2016). Other ethnic groups such as the Asian population decreased their smoking by almost half from 11% in 2006/2007 to 6% in 2014/2015. New Zealand European/Other smoking rates have also declined from 19% to 15% over the same time period.


Potentially hazardous drinking carries a high risk of damage to physical and mental health; including death and injury due to traffic accidents, drowning, suicide, and violence. Alcohol problems are also associated with high-risk sexual behaviour and consequent problems. Fewer Pacific peoples drink alcohol than the general population. Pacific peoples who drink alcohol are more likely to be New Zealand-born and young (Annandale, M., Macpherson, C., Richard, T., and Solomona, M., 2006). New Zealand Health Survey 2015/2016 showed that while Pacific adults were less likely to have consumed alcohol in the past year than non-Pacific adults, Pacific adults were more likely (1.5 times) to be hazardous drinkers than non-Pacific adults who drink. The survey showed that 43% of Pacific past drinkers were hazardous drinkers, an increase since 2006 (New Zealand Health Survey, 2014/2015).

Physical activity is known to protect against obesity and cardiovascular disease, particularly in combination with a healthy diet and, also important for the healthy growth and development of children. It promotes good mental health and other positive health outcomes that enhance the overall quality of life (Ministry of Health, 2014). Physical activity among Pacific adults decreased from 54.3% in 2014/15 to 43.8% in 2015/16. Pacific adults are also 30% more likely than non-Pacific adults to be physically inactive, that is undertaking less than 30 minutes’ physical activity in the past week (Ministry of Health, 2016).

New Zealand sport and physical activity surveys found that Pacific children had higher levels of inactivity than other groups. This may be because Pacific children have higher rates of incidental activity, but lower rates of participation in organised leisure and sport, which is what SPARC measured (SPARC, Sport and Recreation New Zealand). Pacific children were also more likely (50%) to watch two or more hours of television each day than non-Pacific children. These findings are similar to the results of the 2013/14 New Zealand Annual Health Survey.

Mental health

Pacific people carry a higher burden of mental disorder than New Zealanders in general, with a 12-month prevalence of 25.0 percent compared with 20.7 percent of the total New Zealand population. Even if their disorder is serious, Pacific people are much less likely to access mental health services (25.0 percent compared with 58.0 percent of New Zealanders overall) (Ministry of Health, 2008).

One in nine Pacific adults experienced psychological distress in the past four weeks; people recording this indicator have a higher probability of anxiety or depressive disorders. After adjusting for age and sex differences, Pacific adults were 1.5 times as likely to have experienced psychological distress as non-Pacific adults respectively (Ministry of Health, 2016).

Barriers to Healthcare

Cost is a significant barrier to healthcare for Pacific people. According to the New Zealand Health Survey 2014/2015, one in five Pacific adults had not visited a GP due to cost. Pacific adults were 0.7 times as likely as non-Pacific adults to have visited a practice nurse. Pacific children in 2014/2015 were 1.3 times more likely not to have accessed primary health when they needed it as compared with non-Pacific children

The 2015/2016 survey also indicated that prescription costs have prevented 19% of Pacific adults and the parents of 10% of Pacific children from collecting a prescription in the past 12 months. Pacific adults and children were more than three times as likely to be unable to collect a prescription due to cost (Ministry of Health, 2016).

EMPLOYMENT


EMPLOYMENT OVERVIEW

PAC I F I C E M P LOYM E N T BY I N D U S T RY S E C TO R

PAC I F I C E M P LOYM E N T BY

I N D U S T RY S E C TO R

18%

14%

12%

12%9%

9%

6%5%

5%2%3%

6%

E D U C AT I O N A N D T R A I N I N G

OT H E R S E R V I C E S

M A N U FAC T U R I N G

W H O L E S A L E & R E TA I L

H E A LT H C A R E A N D S O C I A L A S S I S TA N C E

ACCO M M O D AT I O N & F O O D S E R V I C E S

AG R I C U LT U R E F O R E S T RY F I S H I N G A N D M I N I N G

U T I L I T I E S A N D CO N S T R U C T I O N

OT H E R B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S

T R A N S P O R T WA R E H O U S I N G I M & CO M M U N I C AT I O N S

P U B L I C A D M I N A N D S A F E T Y

F I N A N C I A L A N D I N S U R A N C E

31%O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E

R E P O R T I N CO M E F R O M OT H E R S O U R C E S S U C H A S S E L F - E M P LOYM E N T

A N D I N V E S T M E N T S CO M PA R E D W I T H 66%

O F TOTA L P O P U L AT I O N

1.6%O F T H E PAC I F I C P O P U L AT I O N A R E E N G AG E D I N B U S I N E S S O W N E R S H I P

17%( 11,200 ) YO U N G PAC I F I C

P E O P L E A R E N OT I N E M P LOYM E N T, E D U C AT I O N

O R T R A I N I N G


PAC I F I C P E O P L E S E M P LOY E D I N T H E

Y E A R 2016

8%

125,300

I N C R E A S E F R O M 2015

11.1%

5.7%

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S U N E M P LOYM E N T R AT E

N AT I O N A L U N E M P LOYM E N T R AT E

18%

T H E M A J O R I T Y O F PAC I F I C B U S I N E S S E S A R E I N :

P R O F E S S I O N A L , S C I E N T I F I C , A N D

T E C H N I C A L S E R V I C E S


Employment is the primary driver of income levels for Pacific people, however, Pacific unemployment rate has been consistently higher than the rate for the total population. During the financial crisis of 2008 to 2012 all ethnic groups saw an increase in unemployment, however, Pacific people were most affected. Pacific unemployment peaked in 2012 when it reached 16% but some improvements have occurred since then (Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, 2013).

Employment outcomes improved for Pacific peoples in the year to March 2016. Compared with the previous year, 9,500 more Pacific peoples were employed (an increase of 8.2%), reaching a total of 125,300 workers for the year, and was also a rise of 26.7% from 2013. This rise in employment was driven by higher employment in the utilities and construction, transport, warehousing, IM and

communications, and accommodation & food services (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, 2016).

In March 2016, the national employment rate3 for Pacific peoples was 56.5%. There were some marked regional variations, with the rate in Auckland at 54.2%, Wellington at 58.1%, the rest of the North Island at 46% and the South Island at 67.2%. Unemployment fell to 11.1% in March 2016, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous year. (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, 2016).

Despite the recent decrease in Pacific unemployment rates, the unemployment rate for Pacific people still remain disproportionately high when compared to the national unemployment rate, at 11.1% versus 5.7% respectively (see Table 13).

NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training): Youth NEETs

In March 2016, there were 65,400 Pacific peoples aged 15-24 years, and of these around 17.1% (11,200) were not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)(MBIE, 2016).This number is high compared with the New Zealand average of 11.5% for this age group, but it is lower than what was reported for young Pacific people in 2013 of which 20% (11,400 people) of Pacific young people aged 15-24 years were NEET. The decline has been primarily among young Pacific females (declining from 26% in 2013 to 21.2% in 2016), with little change among Pacific males.

Table 13: Pacific employment and unemployment 2008–2016 (March years)

2008 2012 2016

Pacific Population

Number of people in jobs (000) 103.4 105.9 125.3

Number of people unemployed (000) 15.6 15.8 15.6

Unemployment rate 13.1% 13% 11.1%

Labour force participation rate 63.8% 62.4% 63.5%

Total Population

Number of people in jobs (000) 2173 2323.9 2399

Number of people unemployed (000) 128.8 154 144

Unemployment rate 5.6% 6.2% 5.7%

Labour force participation rate 68.5% 69.6% 69.0%

Salvation Army Social and Policy Unit, and Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey Data

EMPLOYMENT

4 ‘Employment rate’ is employment to working age population.


Table 14: Pacific employment by occupational group, March 2016

TOTAL EMPLOYMENT

OCCUPATIONAL GROUP Pacific peoples Total all ethnic groups

Managers 9,800 7.9% 387,550 16.4%

Professionals 17,975 14.5% 560,425 23.7%

Technicians and Trades 15,075 12.2% 309,125 13.1%

Service 15,050 12.1% 213,500 9.0%

Clerks 15,175 12.2% 288,950 12.2%

Sales 12,750 10.3% 225,925 9.6%

Plant 13,275 10.7% 135,000 5.7%

Labourers 24,875 20.1% 240,925 10.2%

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, March 2016; MBIE

Table 15: Pacific employment by industry sector, March 2016

Pacific peoples

Industry sector

Total all ethnic

groups

Number of Pacific

people% of Pacific

people

% Pacific change (1-

year)

% Pacific change (3-

year)

Agriculture Forestry Fishing and Mining 6.6% 2,800 2.3% 8.7% 10.3%

Manufacturing 10.8% 22,800 18.4% 1.6% 15.9%

Utilities and Construction 10.6% 14,400 11.6% 46.4% 84.0%

Wholesale & Retail 13.5% 17,000 13.7% 3.5% 33.8%

Accommodation & Food Services 5.5% 5,600 4.5% 14.3% 0.9%

Transport Warehousing IM & Communications 6.1% 10,600 8.5% 17.2% 2.7%

Financial and Insurance 2.9% 3,500 2.8% 6.1% 1.4%

Other Business Services 13.2% 11,100 9.0% 4.7% 54.0%

Public Admin and Safety 5.2% 7,800 6.3% 3.7% 15.6%

Education and Training 8.7% 7,100 5.7% 2.1% 8.0%

Health Care and Social Assistance 10.8% 15,100 12.2% 4.3% 43.1%

Other Services 6.3% 6,300 5.1% 7.0% 21.1%

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, March 2016; MBIE

Representation in occupation and industry sectors

Pacific people are over-represented in low skill, low-pay and insecure occupational groups, such as services, sales and labourers. Pacific are also under-represented in higher-skill and higher-paid occupational groups such as managers, professionals, and technical/trades (see Table 14). However, Pacific people’s representation in skilled occupations is improving, reaching 42,400 in March 2016, an increase of 10.6% over the previous year.

In terms of industry sectors, Pacific people are strongly represented in the manufacturing, utilities and construction, transport and communications, public administration, and heath care and social assistance sectors (see Table 15). However, as the data in the previous Table 14 suggests, their roles tend to be in lower paid and lower skilled roles, although this does appear to be improving. Previous analyses (dating back to 2009) have also found that Pacific peoples are under-represented in the industries with high future employment growth, such as business services. When they are employed in industries with increasing demand they are more likely to be in the low-skilled and low-paid positions.


Only 1.6% of the Pacific population are engaged in business (either self-employed, or as an employer) (MBIE, 2015). Three industries account for 38 percent of Pacific business being: professional, scientific and technical (18%); rental, hiring and real estate (12%) and construction (8%) (New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, 2016). Only 31% of Pacific people report income from other sources such as self-employment and investments, compared with 66% of the total population.

INCOME AND HARDSHIP


$23,686

49%

$20,000

PAC I F I C H AV E T H E LO W E S T M E D I A N W E E K LY E A R N I N G S

P E R I N D I V I D UA L

P E R A N N U M$485 $524 $670PAC I F I C M ĀO R I N Z

EUROPEAN

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S H AV E T H E LO W E S T

M E D I A N I N CO M E AT O N LY

O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E E A R N B E LO W

INCOME AND HARDSHIP OVERVIEW

$12,000PAC I F I C P E O P L E H AV E T H E

LO W E S T N E T W O R T H AT

J U N E 2015

M ĀO R I

$23,000

$33,000A S I A N

$114,000N Z E U R O P E A N


11%

8.9%

I N 2011 A P P R OX

O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E W E R E O N A B E N E F I T.

I N 2015 T H I S WA S R E D U C E D TO

(165,700)56%PAC I F I C P E O P L E S , T H E M A J O R I T Y L I V E I N T H E M O S T D E P R I V E D A R E A S I N N E W Z E A L A N D

P O V E R T Y R AT E S F O R PAC I F I C C H I L D R E N A R E CO N S I S T E N T LY H I G H E R T H A N F O R N Z E U R O P E A N C H I L D R E N

2012 — 2014

C H I L D R E N L I V I N G I N P O O R H O U S E H O L D S

16%N Z

E U R O P E A N C H I L D R E N

28%PAC I F I C

C H I L D R E N


A strong case can be made that Pacific people are most at risk of material hardship of any ethnic group in New Zealand. Data from multiple sources, including deprivation, income and living standards, consistently show high levels of need in New Zealand’s Pacific population.

Deprivation and Child Poverty

Deprivation combines census data relating to income, home ownership, employment, qualifications, family structure, housing, access to transport and communications. The scores are grouped into deciles, where 1 represents the areas with the least deprived scores and 10 the areas with the most deprived scores. In New Zealand, higher proportions of the Pacific population live in the most deprived (deciles 9 and 10) areas compared to other ethnic groups (Atkinson, Salmond, Crampton, 2014). Approximately 56% of Pacific families (165,700 people) live in the most deprived areas of New Zealand compared to 40% of Māori families and 11% of non-Māori, non-Pacific and non-Asian families (Atkinson et al, 2014).

Figure 4: Household net worth, 2015

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household net worth statistics, 2015

NZ European

Asian $33, 000

$23, 000

$12,000

$114,000

Māori

Pacific

Poverty rates for Pacific children are consistently higher than for New Zealand European children as reported in the 2016 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report (Simpson, Duncanson, Oben, Wicken and Gallagher, 2016). According to the report, between 2012 and 2014 28% of Pacific children lived in poor households, compared to an average of 16% of New Zealand European children.

Income and Net worth

Pacific people have the lowest median income at $23, 686 per annum and nearly half (49%) of all Pacific people earn below $20,000(Statistics New Zealand, 2017). Pacific also have the lowest median weekly earnings per individual at $485 a week compared to $524 for Māori and $670 for NZ European (Statistics New Zealand, 2015a). From 2003 to 2013 there was an increase in median weekly income for all ethnicities. However, despite earning the lowest weekly income, Pacific people have seen the smallest increase compared to all ethnic groups.

INCOME AND HARDSHIP


Figure 5: Income-poor households by ethnicity, 2011–2013

Source: Ministry of Social Development, Household Incomes in New Zealand, 2015

NZ European

Other

34%

27%

17%

34%Māori

Pacific

Individual net worth (i.e. the value of a person or household’s assets, minus their liabilities) revealed significant ethnic disparities (Statistics New Zealand, 2015). After age standardisation, Pacific people in 2015 had the lowest net worth at $12,000, substantially lower than Māori ($23,000), Asian ($33,000) and New Zealand European ($114,000) (Statistics New Zealand, 2016).

In the 2008, the Living Standards Survey revealed that 51% of Pacific children, 39% of Māori children, and 15% of New Zealand European children aged 0–17 years were in families experiencing material hardship. More recent analyses of income distribution from the Household Economic Surveys 2011–2013 indicate Pacific households are among those most at risk of poverty (See Figure 2). (Perry, 2015).

Receiving benefits

Over the period of 2001 to 2013 there has been a reduction in the number of Pacific people on benefits. In 2001, 11% of Pacific people were receiving an income-tested benefit and this reduced to 8.9% in 2015.

HOUSING


80,000M O R E T H A N

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S L I V E D I N O V E R C R O W D E D H O U S I N G I N AU C K L A N D

26%O F PAC I F I C FA M I L I E S A R E L I V I N G W I T H OT H E R PAC I F I C FA M I L I E S

HOUSING OVERVIEW


71%

27%

PAC I F I C P E O P L E W E R E T H E E T H N I C G R O U P M O S T L I K E LY TO R E N T

N Z E U R O P E A N E T H N I C G R O U P W E R E T H E L E A S T L I K E LY TO R E N T

15% R E P O R T E D D A M P H O U S E S I N CO M PA R I S O N TO O N LY

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S

6%N O N -

PAC I F I C P E O P L E S

26%

50%

18%

O F T H E N E W Z E A L A N D P O P U L AT I O N O W N E D

O R PA R T LY O W N E D T H E I R O W N H O M E S

I N 2013

F O R PAC I F I C P E O P L E S

I N 2001

A D E C L I N E F R O M

D E C L I N I N G H O M E O W N E R S H I P

43%

23%O F PAC I F I C P E O P L E S S TAT E D T H E Y W E R E O F T E N CO L D — O P P O S E D TO

O F T H E R E S T O F T H E P O P U L AT I O N


Home ownership

The Housing in Auckland report by Statistics New Zealand reveals that Pacific people are bearing the brunt of Auckland’s housing crisis. According to the 2013 census, 18.5% of Pacific people owned or partly owned their own homes, a decline from 26% in the 2001 census. This compared with 50.2% of the total New Zealand population in 2013 (Goodyear & Fabian, 2014).

There is a disproportionate number of Pacific families in Housing New Zealand housing compared to other ethnic groups, and those that are in Housing New Zealand houses appreciate being able to pay income-related rent but have difficulties with the quality and suitability of the housing (Goodyear & Fabian, 2014).

Housing quality

Pacific people face many housing problems, compared to other New Zealanders. Pacific peoples were the ethnic group most likely to report cold and damp problems compared with the total population: 15% of Pacific people self-reported a major dampness problem compared to 6% of the total population, while 43% of Pacific people stated they were always or often cold compared to 21% of the total population (Statistics New Zealand, 2014f ).

This survey also reported that Pacific people were the ethnic group most likely to rent with 71% as compared to the New Zealand European ethnic group who were the least likely to rent at only 27%.

Overcrowding

Pacific peoples have consistently experienced the highest levels of overcrowding and 2013 was no exception. More than 80,000 people identifying with a Pacific ethnicity lived in a crowded household in Auckland (Goodyear & Fabian, 2014). 23.7% of Pacific households were overcrowded compared to 2.7% of New Zealand European households and of those Pacific households Tongan and Tokelauan peoples have been the most crowded since the 1980s. This pattern remained in 2013, with 52.8% of Tongan people in Auckland and 50.2% of Tokelauan people in Auckland living in a crowded household. Crowding was high for all age groups within the Pacific population, however the highest levels were experienced by young people. Half of the Pacific population between 0 and 24 years of age in Auckland were living in a crowded household (Ministry of Health, 2014b).

HOUSING

LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY

OVERVIEW


V OT E

80%

O F E L I G I B L E PAC I F I C V OT E R S

V OT E D I N 2011

O F E L I G I B L E N O N -

PAC I F I C V OT E R S V OT E D

82% I N 2011

67%O F N E W Z E A L A N D E R S S T R O N G LY

AG R E E I N G O R AG R E E I N G I T I S G O O D F O R N E W Z E A L A N D TO H AV E I M M I G R A N T S

W H O A R E F R O M M A N Y D I F F E R E N T C U LT U R E S .

3%N U M B E R O F PAC I F I C S C H O O L B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S 2010

LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY OVERVIEW


29%

23%

V O LU N T E E R I N G I N CO M M U N I T I E S T H R O U G H S P O R T I S H I G H I N PAC I F I C P E O P L E S

37%PAC I F I C

N Z E U R O P E A N

A S I A N

83%O F N E W Z E A L A N D E R S AG R E E D I V E R S I T Y I S A G O O D T H I N G .

7%M E M B E R S O F PA R L I A M E N T I D E N T I F Y A S PA S I F I K A


Civic participation

NATIONAL ELECTIONS

The most recent available data on ethnic groups’ participation in elections found 17.6% of eligible Pacific voters did not vote in the 2011 general election, compared to 20% of the general voting population. This was a decline in non-voting from 22% in 2008 (i.e. relatively more Pacific people voted in the 2011 election than 2008).

The representation of Pacific people in the New Zealand parliament has grown steadily since 1996, when the Mixed Member Proportional voting system was introduced. Following the 2014 General Election, the New Zealand Parliament has a record eight MPs who identify as being of Pacific ethnicity, compared with five in the previous Parliament. Overall, MPs who identify as being of Pacific ethnicity comprise 7% of the Parliament, which is similar to the proportion of the population who identified as being of the Pacific ethnic group in the 2013 census.

SCHOOL BOARDS AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

The most recently available data, from 2010 shows that only 3% of all trustees on school boards where Pacific. This remained unchanged from 2007. (Ministry of Education, 2011)

In a related area of community activity, Pacific people show relatively high levels of volunteering. In the 2012 General Social Survey, 34.1% of Pacific people had volunteered in their communities, similar to or higher than other ethnic groups. This is particularly true of volunteering in sport and recreation activities. For Pacific people, at 37.3% in the 2013 Active NZ survey, this was higher than all other ethnicities, including NZ European (29.3%), Māori (29.5%) and Asian (23%) (Statistics New Zealand, 2012).

ACCEPTANCE OF DIVERSITY

The most recent data, from the 2008 General Social Survey, indicates that acceptance of diversity in New Zealand is generally high, with 83% of people strongly agreeing or agreeing that it is good New Zealand is made up of different ethnic groups, and 67% strongly agreeing or agreeing it is good for New Zealand to have immigrants who are from many different cultures (Statistics New Zealand, 2011).

Table 16: Representation in the New Zealand Parliament by ethnic group, 1996–2014

Election year Māori Pacific Asian

1996 13% 3% 1%

1999 13% 3% 1%

2002 17% 3% 2%

2005 19% 2% 2%

2008 16% 4% 5%

2011 18% 5% 4%

2014 22% 6% 4%

Source: Statistics New Zealand and New Zealand Parliament

LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY OVERVIEW


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mrs Debbie Sorensen D.C.C.T, CMInstD, NZRPN

Debbie is the CEO of Pasifika Futures and the Pasifika Medical Association. Debbie is a health strategist and management expert specialising in roles that address the health challenges facing Pacific populations in the region. She played a leading role in the health reforms of the 80’s and 90’s and in the establishment of the Pacific health sector. She has held many high profile roles in Pacific health including General Manager Pacific Health Counties Manukau DHB, and Chief Advisor Pacific Health at the Ministry of Health, New Zealand. Debbie has a depth of experience in working with international agencies including the World Bank, SPC, AusAID, NZAID and WHO. Debbie has previously acted as an advisor to Prime Ministers and Ministers of Health in the region. She is committed to serving the broader community in the Pacific and is a Trustee of Fred Hollows New Zealand, and Chairperson of Make a Wish Pacific. She is a Chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. She was awarded a prestigious ANIVA Leadership Fellowship in 2011 which allowed her to complete an Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University. Most recently she was awarded the Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga, Dame Commander by His Majesty King Tupou VI in recognition of services to health.

Mrs Seini Jensen BA/LLB, MA

Seini Jensen is Tongan and is the Director of Performance and Evaluation for Pasifika Futures, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for Pacific families. Seini has a strong background in evaluation working in Pacific communities in New Zealand and in the Pacific region, with a focus on evaluation of Pacific health workforce development programmes. She previously worked for the Pasifika Medical Association as Evaluations Manager and as a Research Fellow in the STARPATH project for Māori and Pacific tertiary participation and success at the University of Auckland. Her recent evaluation work includes developing evaluation frameworks for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Medical Treatment Scheme in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Australia Specialist Clinical Workforce Development Programme in Vanuatu. Seini is a Board member and Pacific Fono member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association and is committed to evaluation that improves outcomes for Pacific families and communities in New Zealand and the Pacific region. She holds a BA/LLB and a MA (hons) in Anthropology from the University of Auckland.


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www.pasifikafutures.co.nz

PASIFIKA FUTURES IS A CHARITABLE COMPANY OF PASIFIKA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Pasifika Futures is a Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency