Media Release

Decayed Decades A Sorry Story

New Zealand First is calling on the Government to work harder to address the gaping and growing chasm between the haves and the have nots in New Zealand.

“The Decades of Disparities report released yesterday confirms the linkages that exist between income, employment, education, housing and ethnicity and their relationship to health outcomes and mortality,” said Maori Affairs spokesperson Pita Paraone.

“The glaring and disturbing conclusion that can be drawn from this report is that Maori are more likely to die at a younger age than non-Maori because they are more likely than other groups to be languishing at the bottom of the socio-economic heap.

“This is the same old story that report after report tells us, but the worrying thing is that nothing seems to be changing in this regard.

“The report makes it very clear that socioeconomic disparity forms the basis of the inequalities in health outcomes. This must be addressed immediately, and education is the cornerstone here. There is no question that education is the determining factor in life outcomes. Education leads to employment opportunities, which determine socioeconomic position, which directly impacts on health outcomes. It’s that simple.

“I urge the Government to direct resources to where they are of the greatest benefit, and to ensure access to high quality education and skills development. Without it, our citizens are condemned to a narrow range of options, and worse than that, a shorter and less healthy life than that of their better off counterparts,” said Mr Paraone.

ENDS

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