N.Z. dividing from within—Peters

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 4

N.Z. dividing from within—Peters

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The Government’s handling of race relations is dividing New Zealand from within, according to the Opposition spokesman on employment and Maori affairs, Mr Winston Peters. He told a public meeting in Taranaki last evening that in February he had predicted, serious racial division in New Zealand if present trends continued. That had been proved right; fuelled by : rising unemployment, increased

Maori expectations and European sensitivities. Unemployment would get worse and the Government had predicted a figure of 100,000 registered unemployed, Mr Peters said.

Treasury forecasts were that it would not go below that figure for at least five years. Before then, the figure would certainly rise above 150,000 and the consequences . of that figure were appalling, he said.

The Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas, was withholding confidential advice from the Treasury

that unemployment would go to 151,000 by March, 1990.

That was the figure for registered unemployed and would not include the 20,000-plus on training schemes, Mr Peters said.

So by March, 1990, the Government was expecting 170,000 people to be either registered as unemployed or on training programmes. “Now mix that level of unemployment with current racial tension and you can see how the Government is dividing New Zealand from within,” he said.