Maori in Australia

New research by Tahu Kukutai (Senior Research Fellow at Waikato) shines a little more light on the living and working conditions of Maori in Australia.

Here's Tahu being interviewed on Waatea Radio.

Tahu point's out this comparatively  big economy that's just a 250 pauau JetStar squeeze away is a double-edged sword. Good money, when you get it, but life is not as secure as it was, and not as supported since 2001 through changes in Oz social security arrangements (there's a Facebook campaign going on about this now...).

1 in 2 Maori men in their prime (25-54) are labourers, machinery operators and drivers, and generally concentrated in the more volatile sectors (construction, mining) and as we see, the tide is ebbing all around the Australian shore...

Tahu reminds us to distinguish between Maori migrants and Australian born Maori - different issues and needs. And there is an in-built vulnerability in those that have moved since 2001 through their skills and employment profiles.

I don't think the migration will stop, though it is undoubtedly going to slow (as we see for Pakeha). Perhaps of wider concern is the fragility of the Chinese model - directly impacting on Oz as well.