Big Loss From Lack Of Maori Education

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 1

Big Loss From Lack Of Maori Education

(New tealand Preet Association)

WELLINGTON, May 9.

Under-investment in Maori education was costing New Zealand about £2O million a year, the Educational Institute was told at its annual meeting in Wellington today.

The figure was given in a 55-page report from the institute’s Maori education committee, which gave 94 recommendations towards formulating a total policy for Maori education.

“If the Maori people were trained to make the same sort of contribution to our economy as the non-Maori, then, on 1961 census figures, there would be 2174 more males earning an average of £920 and 2171 females averaging £452. This represents an annual loss at present of £2,980,000,” said the report. “The 36,885 working Maori males and 10,933 females listed in the 1961 census would, if trained to European standards and employed in the range of occupations normal to Europeans, have earned £7,550,000 more. “While the lower average age of the Maori worker could in part account for the difference in earning capacity between Maori and pakeha, it does not provide a complete explanation,” said the report

Remote Areas "More than 60 per cent of Maoris still live in remote rural areas and many derive their subsistence from uneconomic farms and unskilled seasonal work. “What is needed is an educational policy aimed at elucidating and exploiting the economic potential to be found in many of these areas.” The report gave an example of a Te Kaha Maori businessman who initiated a scheme to demonstrate that by exploiting the natural advantages of the district, a comfortable living could be gained from 10 acres of land. It was found that by rotational cropping of kumaras and beans he was able to return £5OO an acre from only six acres. “Would Die”

“Although there are two other people following this man’s lead, he has met some conservatism which is a brake to progress. “The local Maoris Insisted that the kumaras planted by mechanical planter would die. Traditionally, kumaras are planted by hand with the shoots facing the east “Scepticism turned to surprise when the plants survived and produced a good crop, with a record tuber of 251 b.” Schemes such as this were worthy of Government attention and educational support, said the report. The school had a supportive role in breaking down conservatism, educating people ;for change, and demonstrating the application of scientific principles to market gardening and other activities. Above all, it provided an oportunity for relating school ito the community, and making education meaningful to the Maori child. I It seemed clear that the I £616,415 spent in 1965-66 on

assisting immigrants to New Zealand was part of the cost of the failure to make full use of Maori potential, said the report. Prison Costs

Prisoners generally belonged to the 17 to 59 age group and, from the 40,690 Maori males in this group, prisons received 794 (19.5 a thousand compared with the non-Maori rate of 3.57). The 39,860 Maori females contributed 72 (1.81 a thousand compared with 0.115). “Borstal inmates come, in the main, from the 17 to 20 age group. Of 6740 Maori males in this group, 157 were admitted to borstal (23.3 a thousand against the nonMaori rate of 3.15). Of 6690 Maori females, 17 were sent to borstal (2.54 a thousand against 0.346). “If young Maoris were given increased help during their adjustment to community needs and standards, Maori prison admission could be expected to drop 717, which is nearly one quarter of the admissions for the whole population. Borstal admissions would similarly drop 151, more than a third of the New Zealand total. “The average prison population for 1964 was 1508 and the reduction could be 336. Annual cost a prisoner was £720. We would save £241,900,” said the report. “The average borstal population was 449. Of these, 151 were Maoris, when on a population basis this figure should have been 18. The annual

cost of keeping a person in borstal was £998 14s and the cost of these avoidable Maori inmates was £132,800, giving a possible annual cost saving of £370,000. Child Welfare

“We have insufficient detail on Children’s Court costs and on the costs of the various activities of child welfare, but it would seem that the successful social adjustment of young Maoris, would, in this field, save New Zealand more than £200,000 a year.

“A complete analysis and projection of the costs of un-der-investment in the development of Maori potential is not possible in this report “All that has been attempted is to indicate a few areas in which waste can be prevented. “No account has been taken of many other major areas of waste, nor of many factors making for continuing increase in cost. Other Factor*

“Some of these include the cost of reduced productivity because of early death, the high accident rate among Maoris, the lower standard of home care and equipment, the occupational risk in certain outdoor work, and the higher motor-accident rate. “We can quite clearly estimate then that the social and economic costs of under-in-vestment in Maori education are already in the order of £2O million a year,” th* report said.