Ministry of Justice, New Zealand

This chapter provides a basic social and economic profile of Pacific peoples living in New Zealand in the 1990s.

4.1 Population

As at the 1996 New Zealand population census the Pacific peoples ethnic group had 202,000 members, an increase since 1991 of around 35,000. The Pacific peoples ethnic group's share of the population rose marginally, from 5 to 6 percent between 1991 and 1996.

With an established population now living here, many Pacific people's babies are New Zealand-born. In 1996, 58 percent of the Pacific people who specified a birthplace were born here compared with 50 percent in 1991. For those aged less than five years in 1996, 95 percent were born here.

Those who migrate are generally younger and the population distribution reflects this. This situation will change as migrants enter older age groups. The current structure of the Pacific peoples population also reflects their relatively recent settlement in New Zealand as well as their higher fertility and mortality rates. Pacific peoples children under five years make up one in every nine (or 11 percent) of all New Zealanders under five years.

Pacific people have some of the youngest age structures of any ethnic group within the New Zealand population. In all Pacific people groups except Fijian, the median age was between 20 and 23 years. For Fijians, the median age was 26 years, and for the total New Zealand population the median age was 33 years.

Table 1 Percentages of Pacific nation populations compared to New Zealand resident Pacific Island populations

Source: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (except Fiji and Tokelau). Fiji Times Ltd. (1994) (Tokelau) Fiji Islands Statistics Bureau (Fiji). Statistics New Zealand.

4.2 Health

Many of the health problems of Pacific peoples are potentially preventable. Health problems of Pacific peoples include the highest national rates for meningococcal disease, measles, rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and obesity. Other health problems of Pacific peoples are low immunisation rates, and high rates of diabetes, tuberculosis, liver cancer in adults, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Cancer is a major cause of death and hospitalisation for Pacific peoples, and Pacific people generally present for cancer treatment at advanced stages of the disease.

Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death for Pacific peoples and they have increased risk factors for developing the disease. Pacific peoples rates of smoking are lower than those for Maori, but higher than for the rest of the New Zealand population. Pacific peoples have an excessive dietary intake of high fat and high cholesterol foods. Obesity rates for Pacific peoples appear to be high. A study has shown that Pacific peoples had a higher mean blood pressure level and were less likely to be receiving treatment.

Diabetes is one of the major causes of death and hospitalisation among Pacific men and women, especially for those in the 44-64 year age group. Pacific peoples have a higher risk of developing non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus than the general population. The onset of diabetes occurs 10 years earlier in Pacific peoples than in Europeans. Complications involving the eyes, nervous system, kidneys and high blood pressure also occur earlier and more severely. Pacific women have the highest birth rates amongst the different ethnic groups in New Zealand.

4.3 Education

Language ability

The ability to use Pacific indigenous languages is diminishing among New Zealand resident populations.

Table 2 Indigenous language ability: percentage in each age group who can hold a conversation on everyday things in their indigenous Pacific language

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

The indigenous language ability of Niuean, and Tokelauan peoples is strongest amongst the older generation. However, as that generation matures there will not be a corresponding older generation that will be holders of cultural knowledge and language. The present time could be critical for Niuean and Tokelauan to preserve and promote their indigenous language and knowledge amongst their youngest generations.

School leavers

Pacific students are more likely to leave school with no qualifications. However, as the table overleaf demonstrates, Pacific students are slightly more likely to leave school with school certificate or sixth form certificate. Pacific students are less likely to leave school having passed the bursary examination.

Table 3 Highest attainment of 1997 school leavers by ethnicity (%)

Source: New Zealand Schools - Nga Kura o Aotearoa 97. A report on the compulsory schools sector in New Zealand published by Ministry of Education 1998.

Post compulsory

Pacific school leavers were less likely to continue on to further education and training than all school leavers in 1996 (33 percent compared to 50 percent). The most common type of further education and training for Pacific school leavers were Polytechnic and the Training Opportunities Programme (TOP).

Table 4 Destination of 1996 school leavers in further education and training

Source: New Zealand Schools - Nga Kura o Aotearoa 97. A report on the compulsory schools sector in New Zealand published by Ministry of Education 1998.

4.4 Income and Employment Employment

In 1996 just over 25% of the employed Pacific males were plant and machine operators and assemblers, with a further 19% in elementary occupations. The most common occupations for employed Pacific women were clerical, and service and sales workers, with almost a quarter of employed Pacific women in each of these occupations.

Table 5 Occupation (major group) by sex for the employed population of Pacific peoples resident in New Zealand aged 15 years and over, 1996 (percentages)

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

Sources of Income

The main source of income for Pacific peoples differs from the total New Zealand population. For Pacific peoples the main sources of income are wages or salaries (47%), government benefits apart from unemployment and superannuation (18%), and the unemployment benefit (14%). The income source pattern is similar for Maori. The income sources for all New Zealand show a different pattern, where the main sources of income are wages or salaries at 37%, interest and dividends or rent at 18%, followed by superannuation and self-employment at 14% and 12% respectively.

Table 6 Sources of income resident in New Zealand aged 15 years and over, 1996 (percentages)

(1) This table includes the multiple counting of people where more than one income source was specified.

(2) Includes New Zealand superannuation and other superannuation, pensions and annuities.

(3) Source: Statistics New Zealand.

Income

In 1996 half of the Pacific peoples population had an annual income below $12,400. This is lower than the median annual income for the total New Zealand population income of $15,600. For both Pacific peoples and the total New Zealand population, males earned more than females.

Table 7 Annual median personal income for the population resident in New Zealand 15 years old and over, 1996, by ethnicity

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

Unemployment

At the time of the 1996 census eight percent of the total New Zealand labour force was unemployed. By comparison 17 percent of the Pacific labour force was unemployed.

4.5 Housing

Pacific peoples overall economic position means that affordable housing remains a crucial issue. Pacific peoples are disproportionately represented as tenants with 55% of Pacific peoples not living in houses they owned, compared with 29% of the total New Zealand population.

Table 8 Permanent private dwelling type by tenure, resident in New Zealand living in households in private dwellings, 1996 (percentages)

Source: Statistics New Zealand.

4.6 Justice

Pacific men were under-represented relative to Maori men but were over-represented relative to Other[67] men among convicted non-traffic cases. The over-representation of Pacific men compared with Other men was greatest for the 40+ age groups; Pacific men 40 years and over were five times more likely to be convicted of a non-traffic offence than Other men of the same age group.

Pacific women were under-represented relative to Maori women among convicted non-traffic cases in 1996, but over-represented relative to Other women. The pattern was similar to that for men in that over-representation relative to Other women was highest among those aged 40 years and over.

Pacific men were seven times more likely to be involved in a convicted violent cases compared to Other men in 1996. They were approximately four and a half times more likely to be involved in convicted cases against justice, and over three times more likely to be involved in a convicted property case.

Table 9 Convictions and conviction rates for all non-traffic offences involving Pacific peoples, Maori and other men aged 17 and over, and ratios of rates, by type of offence, 1996

Sources: Ministry of Justice and Statistics New Zealand.

Rates per 10,000 projected population 1996 aged 17+y

Ratio of rates, Pacific Peoples/Maori, and Pacific Peoples/other

One in five (24.0%) convicted criminal cases involving Pacific women was for a violent offence in 1996 compared with only 12.4% and 12.2% for Maori and Other women respectively. The comparative figure for Pacific men was 35.6%.

Footnotes

67. Other means Non Pacific, Non Maori ethnic group.