Maori discrimination raises unemployment - Turia

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Maori discrimination raises unemployment - Turia

3News NZ

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia (file)

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia (file)

Discrimination against young Maori is being blamed for a rise in the unemployment rate.

Jobless figures for Maori jumped from just under 13-percent to more than 15-percent in the last quarter as overall figures shot up to a 13-year high. In some areas it's as high as 60-percent.

Statistics New Zealand released the results of their Household Labour Force Survey yesterday, showing across all demographics there were 13,000 more unemployed people than three months ago and a total of 175,000 without jobs.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says evidence shows employers won't give young Maori a chance, despite the introduction of the 90-day trial period:

“We know that there are very high rates for young Maori young unemployed, the issue for us is what is the Government’s going to do about it.”

Ms Turia says discrimination is at play, but wouldn't say what the Government should do about it.

Unemployment among Pacific Island people is even worse at 15.6 percent.

The Government is blaming increased unemployment on global economic hard times, and it isn't going to change its policies.

"We are on the right track in our view," Prime Minister John Key told reporters on Thursday.

"We are part of an international circumstance and we are seeing difficult international trading conditions."

RadioLIVE / 3 News / NZN

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Comments

26/11/2012 6:31:06 p.m.

Hemi wrote:

Why work when we can get millions from the tax payer? Now I will be serious! I have worked all my life and if I could not get a job where I lived ,I moved somewhere where I could get a job.Young people today do not have the same ethics that I was bought up with. I have always paid my way through life and earned what I own. Its a pity that the values that I was taught when I was young were not taught to the young of today. Benefits come easy and so do the grievances.

26/11/2012 12:37:21 p.m.

Mal wrote:

Gosh dont you just love the fact that we have the treaty of waitangi. Written by the pakeha for their own greed. pity its backfired on them. aye

26/11/2012 12:21:58 p.m.

Mal wrote:

@DAN. Hit I sore point did I. For your info my whanau are Moriori and maori. ok?

23/11/2012 8:07:10 p.m.

R Hika wrote:

Sorry fellas but your REP for work beginz with Work in school and if yous dont do the homework or cant work out the change then yous arent going nowere. So sad that Turia is doing nothing about education and Maori. look IN!

18/11/2012 6:26:16 a.m.

Dan wrote:

Perhaps if the majority of them could prove themselves to be trustworthy and hard working there wouldnt be discrimination. There is a blatant problem when maori make up 52 percent of the overall prison population a problem that is constantly and wrongly blamed on the white man.

17/11/2012 6:27:57 p.m.

Grant wrote:

Mal - get a life, its about who took from who ie: Maori bet the Mori Ori (ate them) and the English bet the Maori by brute force. So its about winner take all and the French who were on their way would have done worse - thats why the Maori cheifs signed the treaty with the British for protection. So no they shouldnt get anything

17/11/2012 10:08:08 a.m.

Mal wrote:

@GAIL. Anyone who is someone does not talk like that.

17/11/2012 9:34:35 a.m.

Mal wrote:

MAISIE. You show your ignorance by stating these maori youth dont want to work. Is that all maori youth? We have many maori who have attained very high levels in education. The settlement money maori recieved equates to only 1% of the value of their land. Would you be happy with that if it was your land?

14/11/2012 11:43:42 p.m.

Chris wrote:

New Zealand needs a secular socialist government like sweden. Problem is converting people to atheism so it'll work.

11/11/2012 9:53:31 p.m.

Gosh wrote:

And its everyone but maori that have an attitude problem. Way to put employers off.