Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey tonight accused ACT Party List MP Muriel Newman of wilful distortion in her comments on a research report released by the Ministry of Social Policy.

The ACT Party are claiming that the Chapple research report, which was tabled at a open Conference earlier this year and placed on the Ministry of Social Policy's web site after a seminar on the 15 September, support the ACT Party's position on the 'closing the gaps' and Treaty issues.

"The ACT Party would dearly love to find some respectable research justification for the unsavoury politics they are pursuing. The Chapple report will not provide that comfort.

"The report needs to be studied in its entirety, and its conclusions given a measured and considered treatment.

"It is noteworthy that, on page 1 of the report, the author has this to say:

"it remains a well-established fact that significant socio-economic gaps still remain between Maori and non-Maori in New Zealand in education, health, income and labour market status'

"ACT might like to wish this away – misrepresenting the research betrays a lack of political integrity," Steve Maharey said.

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