Māori in Australia
Living the good life or a new
T r a n s - Ta s m a n u n d e r c l a s s ?
Tahu Kukutai
Shefali Pawar
2013 PANZ Conference, 27 June 2013
Scope
• Relative outcomes for Māori in Education and
the Labour market
• Aspects of vulnerability
• How these vary between Australian born
Māori and Māori migrants
• Trans-Tasman income gap + ‘Kiwi underclass’
©NIDEA
2
Quick facts from the 2011 Census
• 128,430 Māori living in Australia (38.2%)
• 64% NZ Born;  33% Australian born
• Relatively youthful; >80% of Australian-born
Māori <25 yrs old
• Māori in QLD about same as in Northland; and
more than in 10/16 NZ regions
• WA as the new Māori hub –fastest growing
©NIDEA
3
Age structure: 1st and 2nd generation Māori
Bar Graph : NZ Born Māori
Line Graph: Australian Born Māori
80+ yrs
75-79 yrs
70-74 yrs
65-69 yrs
60-64 yrs
55-59 yrs
50-54 yrs
45-49 yrs
Males
Females
40-44 yrs
35-39 yrs
30-34 yrs
25-29 yrs
20-24 yrs
15-19 yrs
10-14 yrs
5-9 yrs
0-4 yrs
15.0
©NIDEA
12.0
9.0
6.0
3.0
0.0
3.0
6.0
Percentage at each age group
4
9.0
12.0
15.0
Highest Level of Education
©NIDEA
5
Age Standardised Employment Rates
©NIDEA
6
Occupation
©NIDEA
7
Occupation by gender
©NIDEA
8
Top 5 Occupations in 2011
Total Australia
Māori Migrants
• road and rail drivers
• construction and mining
labourers
• machine and stationary
plant operators
• mobile plant operators
• factory process workers
©NIDEA
• specialist managers
• business, human
resource and marketing
professionals
• health professionals
• education professionals
• hospitality, retail and
service managers
9
Median Income
©NIDEA
10
Median income for the top five jobs for Māori
migrants in Australia
©NIDEA
11
Median income for the top five 2-digit
occupations in Australia
©NIDEA
12
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conclusion
Māori contribute to the Australian economy
Low levels of education and participation
Clustered in low-skilled jobs
Income: migrant premium in these jobs; but
paid less in higher-skilled jobs
Vulnerability – 1) types of jobs; 2) post-2001
changes and low citizenship uptake
Need to distinguish Māori migrants
©NIDEA
13
THANK YOU!
©NIDEA
14
Type of Educational Institution
©NIDEA
15