Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Maori and Child Poverty

From today's NZ Herald;

In 2008 the Maori Party campaigned on ending child poverty by 2020. Child poverty is, however, implicitly tied in with welfare dependence.

Periodically Pita Sharples is heard promoting work-for-the-dole. He has said that welfare is hurting Maori, destroying their mana. And yet, in the same breath, he acknowledges that sole parents are part of Maori culture and must be supported.

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4 comments:

Peter Cresswell said...

There's no contradiction here you know. It's not welfare per se he's against, just welfare delivered by the "colonisers."

In his view, Maori welfare should be paid for by the "colonisers" (i.e., the producers), but delivered to Maori beneficiaries (the moochers) by Maori agencies (his favoured looters, who get to clip the ticket on the way).

This is what he and Tariana call "rangatiratanga" -- i.e., independence at someone else's expense.

Anonymous said...

"Pakeha and Child Poverty"
"Pakeha and Welfare"
"Pakeha and Killing Girlfriends"
"Pakeha and Killing Whole 'Incestuous' Families"
"Pakeha and Paedophilia"
"Pakeha and Fraud"
"Pakeha and Rape"
"Pakeha and Theft"
"Pakeha and Delusions of Superiority"
"Pakeha and Believing That Being Reported in the Media is 'Real' Research"
"Pakeha and Only Knowing Who You Are, By Saying Who You Are Not"
"Pakeha and the Need to Crap on Others to Feel Good for Their Sad and Soul-less Ways"
"Pakeha and Misguided Values"
"Pakeha and Not Knowing What a Heart is if it Bit Them in the Arse"

Anonymous said...

Hey Lindsay

You are embarrasing...

You should do one of two things:

1) go to India and take up some Eastern religion that teaches love and peace for all (yes, that includes those Maori people whom you hate)

2) go to Alabama and join your like-minded fellows in a bonfire night. ps. don't forget your sheets (high thread egyptian cotton I'm sure)

M Stephens said...

Hi there...I think there are some gaps in the American data that cannot and should not be glossed over. For example, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, in Washington DC tells us that fewer than half of the TANF eligible families receive it (although these are pre-current recession figures, so not sure of the exact current data), while in the 1990s about 80% of eligible families received that assistance. Clearly there have been fewer people receiving TANF, but the fact that they are eligible (so in hardship) raises the question of how these families are surviving, and how those children are being affected. There is a concerted effot from states to prevent the TANF clock from running (cos of the time limit) so increased use of diversionary emergency assistance,and other methods to get the numbers down, but the overall impression I have is that the figures you cite may not be telling the full story, and caution must be exercised in applying US based lessons in the NZ context...not that there is nothing to learn of course, just that apples go with apples, not mandarins...