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Dr Hadley, class participants, thank you for inviting me to speak to you today on the topic of Ethnic Affairs generally, and ethnic conflict in particular. By way of background you should know that the role of Minister of Ethnic Affairs was set up in and I am the second person to hold it. The job was created in response to New Zealand’s changing cultural and demographic profile. I do not have a large Ministry or an army of officials — my role is primarily that of advocacy and, by deliberate choice, that of direct contact with ethnic New Zealanders.

The definition of ethnic in my job title is quite specific. In other words, I represent the growing population of Asian, Continental European, African and Middle Eastern New Zealanders, some of whom have been here for generations, some of whom have just arrived. In terms of our discussion today, I’ll refer to wider ethnic groups, particularly Maori, because it is necessary to do so when discussing New Zealand’s history, but my comments about current Government policy will be confined to that strict definition of ethnic.

When I sat down to think about this lecture, I immediately found myself struggling with an important question: Do we have ethnic conflict in New Zealand?

You may have a different answer to this question than I, depending on your ethnicity, but here is my answer – No. To me ethnic conflict is a defined by scale. We certainly have ethnic friction in New Zealand.

What is more, you could argue that we have had ethnic conflict in the past — the Maori Wars — but compared to the conflicts of the Caucasus or Ireland, ours is a country of relative ethnic harmony. If you accept this conclusion the next question then becomes: Why don’t we have ethnic conflict? There can be two answers, either we lack the basic ingredients in our society for ethnic conflict or we have found a way to manage race relations in such a way that largely avoids ethnic conflict.

In trying to decide which one was the case, I found myself thinking of my own travels. I’ve been lucky enough to visit to some of the world’s hot spots, much to the horror of my partner. I have been to Bosnia, South Africa and the Solomon Islands, all of which suffer from ethnic conflict. In Bosnia, three racially and linguistically indistinguishable peoples continuously set upon one another largely on the basis of religion. In the Solomon Islands, regional and linguistic differences continue to boil over into violence from time to time.

In South Africa, there was of course Apartheid, but there remains an intricate web of inter-ethnic relations, far more complicated than just black and white. To me some of the key ingredients of ethnic conflict that one finds in these countries are as follows:.

What is common to those countries where there has been long and significant ethnic conflict is an alienation of social groups, which has allowed an “us and them” to develop often along religious, cultural, linguistic or racial grounds. South Africa’s Apartheid would be a good example of this. Frequently, one or some groups in a nation fraught by ethnic conflict are excluded from power structures, and they are usually the more numerous groups. The masses are motivated by injustice and a sense of self determination, and the ruling elite is motivated by fear of what will happen to them if the masses do gain some measure of access to power structures.

On this basis, you could also include demographics as a factor in ethnic conflict. Frequently, ethnic conflict is a consequence of history. It occurs in places where the past has been allowed to poison the present. The Caucuses and Ireland would be good examples. North Ossetia has been much disputed, conquered, burned, pillaged and fought over. This historical legacy leaves a lingering distrust in the present that is often a catalyst for violence.

The Irish continue to fight over injustices committed two centuries ago that bear little relevance to life in today’s Ireland, which, North or South of the border, is part of the same unified Europe.

Without wanting to be unfair to religions, which can do a lot of good in society, they also regularly play a part in ethnic conflicts. Because the basic premise of all religions is faith, those who believe in them do so at the most basic and irrational level. Religions stir passions, and passions can make people do crazy things. The sad thing about religions is that they can be distorted to justify pretty much anything; a fact we are seeing around the world at the moment in acts of terrorism.

If these four ingredients are some of what is necessary for ethnic conflict, are they present here in New Zealand? New Zealand has been spared the religious battles that one finds overseas. For most of our history we have been a predominantly Christian nation. Maori were early adopters of Christianity, which eased any differences.

Historically, our demographics have been the reverse of that often found in situations of ethnic conflict. For most of our short history, the largest ethnic group, Anglo-Saxon or European, has also been the one exercising the power, although that is likely to change in future. What we do have in common with countries that have experienced ethnic conflict is a bitter history of occupation, which has included some alienation of social groups, and exclusion from power structures.

You only have to ask some one from Maoridom or the Chinese community and they’ll list some hair-raising examples. The difference in New Zealand, I think, is that we have offset these episodes with some progressive governance that over time has made us a more inclusive society than most. I think our leaders have consistently and successfully defused the more incendiary aspects of ethnic relations through shrewd policies.

Consider the fact that New Zealand introduced separate Maori seats to Parliament in While at first these seats may have been largely symbolic, it was nevertheless a gesture that a great many other nations took much longer to make.

Let’s not forget that we also refused to join Australia in partly because it would have required the removal of the Maori right to vote and sit in Parliament. Nor do I think we should ignore the flowering of Maori cultural support by government in the s, or the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal process. I believe these initiatives, while they may be sneered at from time to time as politically correct, have been crucially important in at least cauterising the wounds of history to prevent them completely poisoning the present.

At the same time, there have also been important steps taken in the last 50 years to secularise the state and put every body on the same level regardless of ethnicity or religion under Human Rights legislation. I often think these measures and their impact on ethnic relations never get the attention they deserve.

Certainly current government policy is seeking to build on them. To demonstrate this, I want to turn now to my portfolio of Ethnic Affairs and the work we’ve been doing in it.

As I indicated earlier, Labour established the portfolio because it saw that New Zealand was changing. Where once ethnic communities as we define them made up only a small percentage of our population, they comprise 10 percent today. In future, these communities are expected to become an even greater part of the population through a combination of immigration and natural factors, such as birth rates. Some of these communities, such as the Dutch or Croat New Zealanders, you wouldn’t recognise on the street.

Others are much more noticeable, they are religiously and culturally different. About 50, speak little or no English, and roughly , have English as a second language. Given the greater role these groups are to play in our society of the future, Labour felt it was important to take active steps to ensure they felt included in our power structures, and to identify ways in which they could more easily become included in our society.

My portfolio demands that I be a voice and an advocate for ethnic people. I am their central point of contact with government and I speak on their behalf in Parliament and in Cabinet. Those ministers and I seek to ensure that the needs of our respective ethnic groups, which at present are in the minority, are not squashed by the demands of the larger ethnic majority. In that way harmony is achieved.

Much of my work divides into what you might call hardware and software. The hardware is the legislative and policy work, the software is the participatory role I play in ethnic community events, and in promoting sharing between cultures. Foremost among my policy and legislative work, have been two initiatives: the development of a guide to ensure that government departments take ethnic people and their needs into account when they develop policy; and the development of Language Line, a telephone interpreting service.

Language Line is available to an ethnic person when they ring a participating government department or agency, such as the police. It gives that department the opportunity to connect to an interpreter over the phone who can then translate what the ethnic person is saying. The service offers 37 languages. It is a practical tool to improve communication with ethnic communities, and to ensure they have access to services other New Zealanders take for granted.

Better communication means better integration and better outcomes for individuals and society. In many respects, Language Line complements a considerable investment the Government has made in settlement services for new migrants, such as English language tuition, job matching, and migrant support centres here in Auckland.

Recently, I have also been heavily involved in lobbying within government for a change to the proposed Citizenship and Travel Documents Bill, which is currently before Parliament’s select committee.

The Bill was introduced by my colleague, Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins, as part of a broader effort to improve security. As originally drafted it proposed extending the residence period for citizenship from three years to five years. Ethnic people who were part way through satisfying existing residence requirements naturally objected to this. They asked to be exempted. The Government listened and changed the Bill. Now the five-year requirement will only apply to those obtaining permanent residency on or after January 1 I mention this because I think the episode has given ethnic communities a real sense of inclusion in the political process.

At a community level, I attend two or three ethnic events a week, ranging from religious festivals right through to society weddings. The point of this is to ensure that government appears approachable and involved at a local level. I’ve been running a programme of nine ethnic listening forums all over the country.

These are essentially large public meetings where representatives of ethnic communities can convey their concerns and thoughts directly to me, as Minister, and government departments. They are often very well attended, and an important means of communication. I have also been heavily involved in formulating a package of government initiatives to promote Chinese Heritage in New Zealand. This is by way of apology for the government discrimination early Chinese setters suffered, notably under the Poll Tax.

The tax was levied in the 19th and early 20th centuries specifically to deter Chinese migration to New Zealand. In addition, Chinese people were not allowed to reunite with their families, and were denied an array of other rights. This discrimination did not wholly cease until the s. The Poll Tax left a deep scar on the Chinese community. It tore families apart and its effects are well remembered, even by those who are second or third generation descendants of early Chinese settlers.

Delivering an apology for this policy and others was about laying these grievances to rest. This is what we have done. At the same time, various arms of government are undertaking their own initiatives, such as enhanced resources on the Chinese experience in schools.

These kinds of initiatives are about showing leadership in ethnic relations, something that Prime Minister Helen Clark is very concerned with.

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What are the ethnic groups in new zealand – what are the ethnic groups in new zealand

The comparability of community outcomes for European and non-European survivors off stroke in New Zealand. N Z Med J ; : Social class mortality differences in Maori and non-Maori men aged during the last two decades.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in New Zealand prisons: a national study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry ; 35 : Disparities in health; common myths and uncommon truths. Pacific Health Dialogue ; 7 : Living with arthritis—what is important? Disabil Rehabil ; 23 : Durie MH. Whaiora—Maori health development. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Hua oranga—a Maori measure of mental health outcome. Data quality for the Census Provides information to help you understand the quality of the Census dataset.

Ethnicity statistics – Stats NZ Statistics about ethnicity give information by the ethnic groups that people identify with or feel they belong to. Stat website NZ. Stat is a free web tool, published by Stats NZ, that allows you to create and customise tables from large datasets. Census data and population estimates are available in NZ. The Data Dashboard contains detailed information on religious affiliation, spoken languages, labour force status, and employment status.

You can use the information to help with any planning or general information sharing activities. Government agencies, Councils, Businesses, and other organisations can use this information to identify key trends for Ethnic Communities. The Census is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in Aotearoa New Zealand. This page provides information about ethnic group codes and rankings the Ministry uses in its data collections.

To ensure consistency with other government agencies, the Ministry of Education uses Statistics New Zealand’s standards for the definition and classification of ethnicity. Life expectancy at birth is forecast to increase from 80 years to 85 years in and infant mortality is expected to decline.

New Zealand’s population density is relatively low, at New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with About Approximately 14 percent of the population live in four different categories of rural areas as defined by Statistics New Zealand. About 18 percent of the rural population live in areas that have a high urban influence roughly Rural areas with moderate urban influence and a population density of about 6.

Areas with low urban influence where the majority of the residents work in the rural area house approximately 42 percent of the rural population. Remote rural areas with a density of less than 1 person per square kilometre account for about 14 percent of the rural population.

Before local government reforms in the late s, a borough council with more than 20, people could be proclaimed a city. In , all councils were consolidated into regional councils top tier and territorial authorities second tier which cover a much wider area and population than the old city councils.

East Polynesians were the first people to reach New Zealand about , followed by the early European explorers, notably James Cook in who explored New Zealand three times and mapped the coastline. Following the Treaty of Waitangi in when the country became a British colony, immigrants were predominantly from Britain, Ireland and Australia. Due to restrictive policies, limitations were placed on non-European immigrants.

The Chinese were sent special invitations by the Otago Chamber of Commerce in By they made up 40 percent of the diggers in Otago and 25 percent of the diggers in Westland. In —09, a target of 45, migrants was set by the New Zealand Immigration Service plus a 5, tolerance.

At the census , In , over half To be eligible for entry under the skilled migrant plan applicants are assessed by an approved doctor for good health, provide a police certificate to prove good character and speak sufficient English. Migrants working in some occupations mainly health must be registered with the appropriate profession body before they can work within that area.

While most New Zealanders live in New Zealand, there is also a significant diaspora abroad, estimated as of at over , or 14 percent of the international total of New Zealand-born. Of these, ,, over three-quarters of the New Zealand-born population residing outside of New Zealand, live in Australia.

Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere.

After 5 years the person can apply for permanent residency. New Zealand is a multiethnic society , and home to people of many different national origins.

At the latest census in , All major ethnic groups except European increased when compared with the census, in which 74 percent identified as European, There was significant public discussion about usage of the term “New Zealander” during the months leading up to the census.

A total of , people or As people could identify themselves with multiple groups, percentages are not cumulative. English has long been entrenched as a de facto national language due to its widespread use. In the census, 22, people reported the ability to use New Zealand Sign Language.

Samoan is the most widely spoken non-official language 2. Education follows the three-tier model, which includes primary schools, followed by secondary schools high schools and tertiary education at universities or polytechnics. In July [update] there were , primary students, , secondary students, and 58, students attending composite combined primary and secondary schools. Early leaving exemptions may be granted to year-old students that have been experiencing some ongoing difficulties at school or are unlikely to benefit from continued attendance.

The academic year in New Zealand varies between institutions, but generally runs from late January until mid-December for primary and secondary schools and polytechnics, and from late February until mid-November for universities. New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent, [95] and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification.

The predominant religion in New Zealand is Christianity. As recorded in the census, about 38 percent of the population identified themselves as Christians, [4] although regular church attendance is estimated at 15 percent. In the census, the largest reported Christian affiliations are Anglican 6.

New Zealand’s early economy was based on sealing, whaling, flax , gold, kauri gum , and native timber. In New Zealand had the lowest per-capita income of all the developed nations surveyed by the World Bank.

Unemployment peaked above 10 percent in and , [] before falling to a record low of 3. This is the lowest unemployment rate since December , after the start of the global financial crisis , when it was 4. This article incorporates public domain material from World Factbook.