Police, health, courts most trusted by Māori

12 March 2015

Māori in general trust the police and health system more than other institutions, Statistics New Zealand said today.

New research from Te Kupenga 2013, a survey of Māori well-being, showed police and health are the top-rated institutions by Māori, closely followed by the courts and education. The ‘system of government’ and media institutions are rated lowest.

The research also showed that levels of trust in the police are highest among young Māori (aged 15–19 years) and older Māori (65+), with lower ratings in between.

“This is not distinctive to just the police. Similar age patterns are seen for other institutions, such as the media, education, and the health system,” household statistics manager Diane Ramsay said.

“We look at this type of information, because trust is the bedrock of modern democratic societies. People are more likely to engage positively with institutions like the police, courts, and government if they trust them.

“It's important to note that the focus of this report is on the characteristics of Māori associated with levels of trust in institutions, rather than the actual levels of trust.

“As examples, we see that where Māori have experienced discrimination in the past year, they’re less likely to trust the police, as are those who identify solely as Māori, than those with multiple ethnicities. We also found that the more highly qualified Māori are, the lower their level of trust in media.”

A matter of trust: Patterns of Māori trust in institutions 2013 also found some characteristics appeared to have no relationship to whether or not Māori trusted institutions. These included sex, mental health status, being a victim of a crime, or whether they live in an urban or rural location.

Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga Aotearoa marks 175 years of the Treaty of Waitangi Te Tiriti o Waitangi with this report and other information about Māori and New Zealand nationhood.

See Te Kupenga for more results.

For more information about these statistics:
• Visit A matter of trust: Patterns of Māori trust in institutions 2013 – report

ends

© Scoop Media