Race relations continued to be a subject of major public debate in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2005, although the number of people who saw it as the most important issue facing the nation reduced dramatically from the previous year. The parliamentary election in August was the culmination of a period of sharply divided views on Māori issues in particular and provided the popular verdict – no great taste for any escalation of racial division and a very ethnically diverse Parliament in which these issues will have to be worked through by negotiation. The election did not signal the end of the debate, but provided a basis on which it can move forward.
As the snapshot of economic and social statistics in this report shows, the challenge to reduce the serious inequalities between Māori and Pacific New Zealanders on the one hand, and most of the other populations groups on the other, remains urgent. There is a greater need than ever to implement policies and programmes that will address these disparities. The percentage of the population who are Māori and Pacific continues to grow. More than a third of all children born in New Zealand in 2005 were of Māori and Pacific descent. These children currently face the prospect of an avoidable mortality rate over their lifetime that is three times as high for Māori, and twice as high for Pacific people as it is for other New Zealanders.
Some social and economic indicators have improved or continued to improve in the past year. These positive trends are important and welcome. The data however confirm that at this stage the gaps remain unacceptably wide, especially in health, economic standard of living and education. While any strategy to eliminate the disparities will be long term and multi-faceted, there must be no let-up in targeted government and community action.
One trend that was noticeable in 2005 was an increased focus on Māori and Pacific potential and achievement, rather than the narrow targeting of economic and social inequalities. This was reflected in the Hui Taumata, the Young Māori
information on the Treaty. There were initiatives in language policy, interfaith cooperation, and diversity in the media. There was a wealth of research, and a number of important books on race relations were published. This report demonstrates the wide variety of activities that have taken place.
The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights – Mana ki te Tangata was published in March, and the outcomes and priorities it identified for race relations are reproduced in this report. The realisation of human rights across the entire spectrum of civil, political, social, and economic as well as cultural rights is required to create a secure foundation for harmonious race relations.
One means of implementing the Action Plan for Human Rights has been the development of the Diversity Action Programme, facilitated by the Human Rights Commission and already involving over 80 organisations undertaking their own diversity projects. The Programme provides a challenge and an opportunity for New Zealand organisations – be they business, government or community – to undertake some activity annually that contributes to cultural diversity and positive race relations. There is no single or simple solution to the issues that continue to confront us, but if more organisations were to undertake some positive initiative every year we would make significant progress towards a society where every one is valued, has a sense of belonging and is able to celebrate their own culture and identity as well as those of the nation as a whole.
This is the second annual review of race relations published by the Commission. It is a work in progress. The available data are not sufficiently comprehensive or consistent to provide a satisfactory picture of the state of our race relations. More work will be done on this in the next year. The 2006 census of population and dwellings will update some data that are now five years old. Despite these shortcomings, the information contained in this report provides a reasonable picture of New Zealand’s diversity, and the major events and issues in race relations in 2005.