Chronology for 1990-current
Kei hea te rito? Bi-culturalising welfare
Multiple waves of welfare reform occur throughout this period in line with changing government leaders and governments. Between November 1990 and 1999 the National Government welfare reforms were made under Ruth Richardson. Economic and Social Initiative (ESI) outlines proposed social and employment policy changes ‘(Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson and Bill Birch were the authors)’. This led to the Employment Contracts Act 1991, and eligibility and benefit cuts to increase work incentives, work testing and means testing family benefit via new ‘Family Support’ payments.[i] go to footnote
‘Māori welfare dependency rose while incomes decreased to such an extent that in 1990 the average income of Māori households languished at about 20 percent below the average income for New Zealand households as a whole’.[ii] go to footnote The rate of Māori unemployment continued to climb, reaching 25.4 percent of the total Māori workforce in 1992.’[iii] go to footnote By the end of this period the wellbeing of Māori children remained a dominating issue. In July 2020, there were 4,179 tamariki Māori in state care, representing 69 percent of the total care population. By 31 December 2020, Māori comprised 75 percent of the children and young people currently in the Youth Justice custody of the chief executive. This compared to the nine percent in custody who identified as New Zealand European or other.[iv] go to footnote
Between 1999 and 2008 the Fifth Labour Government placed some emphasis on addressing inequalities and family development. A further round of benefit cuts and beneficiary obligations followed with the National Government 2011–2017. This National Government also focused on more targeted spending through adopting a Social Investment approach.
Iwi Māori sought greater control over their welfare. It was a period of growth of post-settlement agreements or accords, where largely settled iwi were engaged in long-term work with different government departments focusing on a range of cultural, social, economic and environmental outcomes for their people.
Chronology events
Displaying 51 - 60 of 81 events.
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Te Hiku o Te Ika Iwi signed
The Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord entailed Te Hiku Iwi and the Crown working in partnership towards the cultural, social and economic prosperity of the communities, whānau, hapū and iwi of Te Hiku. The Ministry of Social Development was one…
Date: 2013 Period: 1990-current -
Te Kupenga released
Statistics NZ released Te Kupenga, the Māori Social Survey - the first ever nationally representative survey of Māori and whānau wellbeing. The last Te Kupenga survey took place in 2018.[i]
Date: 2013 Period: 1990-current -
Māori Housing Strategy launched
The Māori Housing Strategy – He Whare Āhuru He Oranga Tāngata reflected the government’s desire for a long-term strategy to improve Māori housing and respond to the housing aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi.[i]
Date: 2014 Period: 1990-current -
Expert Advisory Panel review
In April 2015, the Minister for Social Development, Anne Tolley, established an expert advisory panel to review the Child, Youth and Family Agency (CYF) and the care and protection system, and to determine how the lives of vulnerable children in New Zealan…
Date: 2015 Period: 1990-current -
Māori Data Sovereignty Network established
An inaugural meeting on Māori Data Sovereignty was held at Hopuhopu on 19 October 2015 where the formation of Te Mana Raraunga as a Māori Data Sovereignty Network was accepted by the participants and the contents of the charter discussed. The purpose was t…
Date: 2015 Period: 1990-current -
Social Investment Agency
In a series of speeches in 2015, the Minister of Finance, Bill English, and his Associate Minister, Paula Bennett, reiterated that the government was applying a ‘social investment’ approach to welfare. The Social Investment Unit of the State Services Commi…
Date: 2015 Period: 1990-current -
The Vulnerable Children’s Act
The Vulnerable Children’s Act and the Vulnerable Children (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015 introduced new requirements for children’s worker safety checking. State services and organisations providing government-funde…
Date: 2015 Period: 1990-current -
Oranga Tamariki Act amendments
The Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Act introduced ‘Subsequent child’ provisions to the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, as part of a ‘package of reforms to address child abuse and neglect’. The new provisions, under se…
Date: 2016 Period: 1990-current -
Mana Tamaiti principles
Introduction of Mana Tamaiti principles to Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children through the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Oranga Tamariki) Legislation Act.[i] A Māori Design Group was established alongside Oranga Tamariki as an external …
Date: 2017 Period: 1990-current -
Reports of concern in relation to Māori children
Māori children made up the greatest proportion of Oranga Tamariki care and protection notifications requiring further action.[i] Māori made up 55% of care and protection notices (Reports of Concern) requiring further action, compared with ‘other ethnicity…
Date: 2017 Period: 1990-current
Footnotes
- [i] go to main content Ben Loughrey-Webb, ‘The Welfare Reforms of the Fourth (1990-99) and Fifth (2008-2014) National Governments: A Critical Analysis and Evaluation’, MA Thesis, University of Otago, 2015, pp. 63-8.
- [ii] go to main content Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, Aroha Harris, Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2014, p. 426.
- [iii] go to main content Tangata Whenua, p. 426.
- [iv] go to main content For this and further examples, see: He Pāharakeke, he Rito Whakakīkinga Whāruarua (justice.govt.nz)