15 March 2002 Media Release
REPORT ON GISBORNE MĀORI CONTAINS SOME SURPRISES
A social and demographic profile of the Waitangi Tribunal’s Gisborne inquiry district, which reveals subtle but distinct differences between the three main iwi, suggests there is a social reality attached to iwi identity.
The report also suggests that economic success of the Gisborne iwi and the strength of their language and culture can go hand in hand. Previous studies have suggested that Māori who are better off are also more culturally assimilated with Pakeha.
The socio-demographic profile was commissioned by the Crown Forestry Rental Trust for claimants in the Waitangi Tribunal’s Gisborne inquiry. The study was carried out by Dr Michael Belgrave, Dr Mervyl McPherson and Dr Peter Mataira, through Massey University’s School of Social and Cultural Studies at Albany.
Dr Belgrave says Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngai Tamanuhiri and Rongowhakaata, the three iwi of the Gisborne hearing district, have much in common, especially compared with their neighbours to the north and south.
“They have a particularly youthful profile, which is an asset for the future,” he said. “Economic restructuring in the 1980s hit iwi members in the region harder than non-Māori, and harder than iwi members living elsewhere. However, local iwi members are bouncing back faster than other Māori in the district, judging by their education, income and work status.
“The iwi also have strengths in their use of Māori language, and their contribution to the community through unpaid work,” he said.
“The report provides a snapshot of the current situation of the iwi. It shows they are disadvantaged in many ways, but it also shows the strengths of iwi communities, and will help them plan for their future development.
“There are major implications for claim settlement in these findings. While some form of negotiated settlement may be possible at a Turanganui a Kiwa level, and certainly a settlement managed through participative iwi is going to be more practical, the needs and differences of each of these iwi are going to have to be recognised as part of the settlement negotiation process,” he said.
Dr Belgrave says this kind of study is breaking new ground, and testing the limits of iwi-based data gathered in the census.
“The census data do not provide a concrete foundation. Official definitions of Māori have changed, and the way people identify with their iwi is still evolving. For example, some iwi appear to be growing rapidly, but that’s because individuals can identify more of the many iwi they have connections with. But some trends are clear across several data sets,” he said.
The study compares the following groups:
- Affiliates of local iwi resident within the inquiry area
- Affiliates of local iwi resident outside the inquiry area
- Other Māori resident within the inquiry area
- Non-Māori resident within the inquiry area
- All Māori in NZ
- All non-Māori in NZ
The report is in four sections:
- a general demographic overview of the iwi collectively and individually
- an individual profile of each of the three iwi
- an analysis of change between 1981 and 1996 (data for Māori, but not iwi)
- social status of iwi within the district according to 1991 and 1996 iwi data.
Dr Belgrave says there are major technical problems, and political debates, surrounding a study of Māori social status.
“In some areas, comparisons between Māori and non-Māori enable policy goals to be set, for example, in health, where Māori mortality and morbidity indicate overall health status.
“Simple comparisons can be misleading, though. Look at home ownership. To own a house mortgage-free is assumed to be better than having a mortgage. But what if your house is sub-standard to begin with and provides no security for a mortgage. To move into something better by taking out a mortgage may be a step upwards.
“The other risk with comparisons is that if Māori become a series of negative statistics, it becomes hard to see how to improve things,” he said.
“It is important that official statistics and social researchers respond to Māori demands for data that reflect their reality. Whakapapa is a key to Māori existence, and this report argues that iwi identification does have a social reality. Our aim has been to identify iwi strengths as the basis for future development,” he said.
The CFRT’s research manager, Vincent O’Malley, says this research was an innovation for the Trust. “This project was supported by the Crown, and a similar approach is likely to be tried in other districts,” he said.
